De wire bend and de story end

Ah lickle script penned by Freda Adler, criminologist and educator, and ah fear-most prosecutor, flashed across de TV screen de other night dat read: “Rape is the only crime in which the victim becomes the accused.” Immediately de names Michelle Andrews and Kate (Kethura Cupid) came to mind, women who boldly claim dat dey have been raped. Needless to say dat Andrews’ claim was countered with ah ULP mass meeting at Unity Square where male and female members celebrated what is today historically remembered as SVG’s First Ever Rape Rally. Her allegation was discredited and rejected by de Justice System of SVG.{{more}}

Kate on de other hand, is ah Rape Victim who presented her public confession at an NDP Women’s Consultation, ah meeting dat highlighted de increase in the levels of human rights violations, especially as it relates to women and girls in our society. Kate’s cardinal sin is dat she is WOMAN enough to stand up and speak out against ah rotten justice system, one dat continues to fail our inner-saint mothers and daughters and sisters. And for her bravery, she was made to look like ah piece ah criminal rag, like ah nobody’s child by de Talk Show Hosts on de ULP Radio Station, among dem de Prime Minister’s Communication’s Consultant or is it Add-vice-sir!

Sadly but Slowly it now appears dat “de purity of dis nation” once dubbed “Hairoun, Home of de Blessed” has been defiled in ah race for de Number One position in de world foh Rape and Violence against Women who remain helpless. Peter Tosh, de Jah-mek-her Reggae Star sings it wid wisdom and foresight: “Everybody is crying out foh Peace but none is crying foh Justice, I don’t want no Peace, I man need Equal Rights and Justice!”

I am passionately uptight about dis Rape sit-yuh-ear-shun. First thing on de New Times programme last Tuesday was ah call from someone in de Die-us-poorer, informing de host dat there was ah Rape at Belvedere de night before which was Easter Monday night. Ah did not hear any official release from de Police on dis alleged crime, but de caller was emphatic and went on to give details. Remember dey’s talk dat nuff Rape allegations are being hushed hey.

Lie-Za say is only when things get out ah hand, ah does run to de Lord foh guidance, she ain’t know why God doesn’t run me sometimes. But He led me to Genesis chapter 34, the first recorded Rape in de Bible. It is ah spicy story, tek up yuh Bible and have ah read. De gist ah de story however, is captured in verses 1 to 5 which reads: “Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit and socialize wid the women of the land. When Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her.” Note de status or position of de young man, he was de big man’s son. But verse 3 sucks: “Shechem’s heart was drawn to Dinah, daughter of Jacob; he loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. Shechem den asked Hamor, his father if he could (kidnap her) keep her as his wife.” Dinah was only 14 or 15 years ole, dat’s according to Flavius Josephus, ah first century Romano-Jewish scholar Historian. Basically she was under age and could not give consent to nothing. De story took ah different twist in Verse 5: “When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he did nothing. However, when Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields, as soon as they heard what had happened, dey were shocked and furious, because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in Israel by sleeping with dey sister, Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.” Way back in dem days, even when men were allowed to have several wives, Rape was considered outrageous and unacceptable.

Ah serious consultation developed between Jacob’s family on one side and Hamor and Sechem, his son of de Hivites tribe. But remember dat Jacob was ah trick-star from beginning, first he tricked his father, den his twin brother Esau, and Laban his father-in-law. He even wrestled wid an Angel to get what he wanted.

De happy ending ah de story is dat de Jacob’s family got Hamor and his son Sechem to accept de Jewish tradition and become circumcised, chop off piece ah dey Penis. Dat surgical agreement included all de male Hivites, ah serious demand, lots ah men were left wid “nothing at all!” Within days of dis “operation cut-back” when all de Hivite males were still in pain, Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city of Hivite, killing every male. Dey put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left!

Dat was how de first officially recorded Rape Case in de Bible was settled. Lie-Za loves it she says it’s Moses Law: “If yuh Pen-is was too much foh yuh to control, dey chop off ah piece and den wipe out all de males in de village. Peter pay foh Paul and Paul pay foh all!” And de wire bend and de story end! And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.