Slowly getting it right, but?

Despite the negative vibes on the visit by the people from Africa that came to celebrate African Liberation Day with us, this week we ask the organisers to take a bow! It was a real pleasure to watch the cultural performance from the groups which unlike that of Jab Jabs, was devoid of slackness and vulgarity. It is our hope that the Cultural Foundation would take note of the dignity they displayed which should serve to put an end to using Jab Jabs to represent the freed slaves on Emancipation Day. There has to be something very wrong in using the most disrespected mas band to represent our enslaved African ancestors who came from a land of Kings and Queens.

The African Liberation Day in Saint Andrew featured music, dance, drumming, poetry, cultural performances all meeting a nice high standard. In reflecting on the significance of African Liberation Day, the prime minister reminded us that May 25 commemorates the formation of the African Union in Addis Ababa and symbolises the struggle against colonialism across Africa and the Caribbean and called for stronger ties between Africa and the Caribbean. It was real struggle to get where we are today! So, let’s show them some respect in our Spicemas and hold them up in high esteem. It is our hope that people payed attention to Dr Esther Tonlagha -the Founder of the Esther Matthew Tonlagha Foundation, who said that Africa represented strength and the future, adding that Caribbean nations must remain part of that future. Another important statement from her is that leadership in modern times must go beyond titles and deliver measurable, inclusive and sustainable impact.

This week we give kudos to MTV for the coverage on African Liberation Day. The article in their evening news was certainly well balanced and on point. Take a bow MTV! Recently on a GBN’s Beyond the Headlines programme, it seemed that attempts were made to continue to brain wash us on the history of the Devil Mas called Jab Jab in modern times. But here we would like Attorney Arley Gill to take a bow. He has certainly changed his mind on the origin of Jab Jab. Way to go Sir!

However, we cannot ignore the dark shadow cast upon the visit by the people from Nigeria and Ghana. Reports of alleged sexual harassment reached as high as Parliament on Wednesday (May 27) by the Leader of the Opposition. From following a trend a while back from podcasts and posts in social media, it seems that the opposition party is not on board with the strong African connection that the National Democratic Congress is seeking, as the way forward for Grenada. Reasons for their expressions of fear include associating the people from Africa to the practice of obeah. But, we are aware that there have been people from Africa working in Grenada a long time ago under previous governments and they were all subjected to the law as everybody else. After activist Tarana Burke launched the ‘Time’s up’ campaign which was heavily backed by Oprah Winfrey in her 2018 speech at the Golden Globe awards, didn’t Saint George’s University put out a notice that they were investigating a certain professor for sexual abuse? Who was the prime minister then? It’s not clear whether it’s race or politics based on the fact that they were guests of the government. So, we will give our readers the opportunity to come to their own conclusions after reading the greater part of the presentation by the Opposition Leader in Parliament.

“Two persons spoke to me, actually detailing their own personal experiences, and I want to give the context as it relates to the concerns that are out there nationally. And I believe over the last couple days, we really look at the issue of how do we continue to strengthen cultural ties, et cetera, and how do we engage, not just regionally, but internationally.

We cannot hide the fact that there are serious concerns out there, particularly of young girls who are reporting incidences, as it relates to guests hosted in Grenada by the government of Grenada. It is worrying in some of these cases, references were made to similar incidences couple months ago, when previous delegations were hosted. In one case, the individual was advised to report what had happened -to her superiors, her concern was the fear of losing her job. I’m raising this because I believe it is loud enough that it should have triggered some form of serious investigation into these allegations. It should have triggered engagement with those who manage the facilities from where these concerns are coming from. And we don’t need an official police report to trigger a serious investigation into all of these allegations that are floating around.

If we really, truly care and consider seriously the issue of abuse of women, we cannot treat this lightly. It is just too many concerns being raised, and I’m saying this morning, that it must be looked into, and the public must be given some assurances from the results of this. As a matter of fact, I was reliably advised, that one of the hotels actually closed themselves in services last night as a result of this. This is not something to be treated lightly. And I’m appealing to the government this morning, that it must be, especially the fact that persons are indicating that this is not the first time, that it ought to be the fact that the visitors were hosted by the government of Grenada, that the government should lead on looking deeply into these allegations….”

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