In the Diaspora
By Wendy C. Grenade
Wendy Grenade is a Grenadian who lectures in Political Science, Department of Government, Sociology & Social Work, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.
September 7, 2009 marked five years since Hurricane Ivan devastated Grenada. That hurricane was perhaps the most catastrophic natural disaster in Grenada’s modern history, compared only to Hurricane Janet, which ravaged the island on September 22, 1955. The cost of the damage exceeded 200 per cent of GDP (approximately EC$2.4 billion). Virtually every house on the island was affected, with 30 per cent completely destroyed. Schools, hospitals, and hotels also suffered extensive damage. The nutmeg sector, in which Grenada was the world’s second largest producer and which employed an estimated 30 per cent of the population directly or indirectly, was decimated. The hurricane left in its wake severe psychological trauma and economic aftershocks. Yet, the remarkable rebuilding process demonstrated our resilient spirit and deep capacity to move beyond brokenness and pain.
Unlike the natural terror which was wrought by Hurricane Ivan, the catastrophe of October 19, 1983 was a man-made disaster of immense magnitude that ruined the search for an alternative path to development. The vicious nature of the crisis generated a bitter divide in Grenadian polity and society. Many Grenadians, on both sides of the conflict, became imprisoned by chains of blame, guilt, fear, insecurity, hate and unforgiveness. Given the regional and international significance of the Grenada Revolution, the events of October 1983 also created a rift among the Caribbean Left, jettisoned other progressive movements in the Caribbean and derailed the hopes of many.
After twenty-six years, the September 5 release of the remaining seven of the Grenada 17 in custody for crimes associated with the Grenada Revolution (1979-1983), creates an opportunity for reflection and rebirth. It provides space for us to continue a conversation on some of the burning issues which confront our Grenadian and Caribbean society.
What lessons can we learn from the implosion of the Grenada Revolution to enhance democracy in the post revolutionary era? I will mention a few:
1. Military force must never be a substitute for dialogue.
2. Dogma and ideology should never replace people’s humanity.
3. Authoritarianism, whether on the left or right, incites mass resistance and generates breakdown in state/society relations.
4. Checks and balances are crucial ingredients for the viability of the state. There should be clear boundaries between the party, government and state. Political parties should never usurp the power of the state or infringe the rights of the people.
5. Socialism must be accompanied by genuine democracy. As Clive Thomas so correctly observed in 1984, after Grenada no social project carried out in the name of the masses of the Caribbean peoples, whether by government or opposition, will receive widespread support from the popular forces and their organizations if it does not clearly embrace political democracy as its norms of political conduct.
6. Political maturity is a prerequisite for political success. Immaturity undermines sound judgement and erodes spaces of reason.
7. We must recognise our equal humanity and respect the rights of the ‘other’ to exist, whether the ‘other’ represents another race, ideological viewpoint, class or political party/tribe. This, in turn, will encourage tolerance and promote national reconciliation.
8. With time, forgiveness breeds healing and freedom.
These are but a few of the many lessons we can draw from the 1983 tragedy. The former prisoners have been released, but the story will continue to unfold. As they are re-assimilated into society, this is an opportunity for Grenadians to collectively move beyond erasure and transcend silence. Grenadian poet Merle Collins summed it up well in her 2003 poem, ‘Shame Bush’
Dust don’t disappear when you sweep it behind bed
People stay quiet but all the questions in their head
Is true time could heal and bad times could change people
mind
But we have to figure how to talk, leave hurt behind…
My appeal to the former prisoners is that they continue to write their memoirs, as we seek to bring together the missing pieces of our historical puzzle, rebuild emotional bridges, mend political fences and renew the character of our country, as we did after the passage of Hurricane Ivan five years ago.
Finally, the Grenada story is intricately linked to a larger Caribbean story. As other Caribbean societies grapple with historical ghosts and the current wave of violence and criminality sweeping the region, may the lessons from Grenada offer possibilities for reconciliation and hope. Guyanese poet Martin Carter’s final poem of resistance is most apt:
This I have learnt:
to-day a speck, to-morrow a hero
hero or monster, you are consumed!
Like a jig
shakes the loom.
Like a web is spun the pattern
all are involved!
all are consumed!
Wendy C. Grenade is a Grenadian who lectures in Political Science at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.
