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The Caribbean reality is not only complex; it is peculiar. We must attend to the business of making sense of the Caribbean experience. Professor Hilary Beckles in an address marking Emancipation Day in St Lucia (2004), captured this sentiment very succinctly when he stated that "we have to analyse precisely where we are". He conceived the situation in the Caribbean as grave stating that we have not had economic growth in the region for twenty years. He asked: "what are we to make of our history?"
Making sense of the Caribbean experience requires depth of vision and breadth of understanding. Making sense of the Caribbean experience requires a profound sensitivity to our being and to the forces that have shaped who we are. Making sense of the Caribbean experience requires critical thought.
Indeed, we cannot move forward without "analysing precisely where we are". Knowledge production is crucial to the development of the region. It is the knowledge that we produce that will guide our policy makers as they direct their efforts towards the improvement of the human condition. Knowledge and development are therefore inextricably linked.
Should we then set up barriers of knowledge production or should we move beyond walls to accept any form of knowledge that contributes to an understanding of "precisely where we are"?
This paper begins with a poem - knowledge produced while I attended the funeral of a drunkard.
A Drunkard's Paradise
Friends of the bottle,
Living corpses on a journey to the grave
Lay their burden at the altar
A basilica of tragedyAnother life claimed by the
wrath of weakness, self destruction and frustration,
another life shot down by liquored bullets,
one shot too many.With dignified hearts
Fired by loyalty to a short life
They turned away trembling
To join the partakers of
The blood of Christ
Guilt deafened the sweet sounds
Of God's angels
And mocked the blessed assurance
Of 'Oh Paradise, Oh Paradise",
But the day of mourning
Soon turned into a celebration
For after the burden was finally laid to rest
The bottled patriots reconfirmed their allegiance
To the bountiful shots of Denros.
The context of production of "A Drunkard's Paradise", highlights some very interesting epistemological issues. Research or knowledge production was definitely not part of the matrix of my attendance at that funeral. However, the experience that I encountered there, generated feelings that had to be expressed. What I experienced was tremendous. The pall bearers were all drunkards and one could see from the look of them that they were all wasted human beings. I wondered about their level of consciousness at that point in time. They had come to say goodbye to a sister, a fellow drunkard.
The situation described in the poem, extends beyond the micro-level. Alchoholism is a reality in St Lucia. My (1998) study, "Dependency in a banana producing community in rural St Lucia", revealed that rum was the best selling commodity there. On another level, I thought the idea of 'a drunkard's paradise' quite apt as we seem to exist in a state of drunkenness unable to recognize the gravity of our economic and social condition.
Can one say that the poem "A Drunkard's Paradise" - the product of passion and a deep sensitivity to the human condition - is of little significance because it was not the product of scientific research? What is scientific research? Is scientific research the only avenue towards truth? What about the poetic portraits created by a sociologist?
Sociology is that science which is charged with the responsibility of defining the contours of a social landscape. It has been described as the "abstract theoretical science of social phenomena"; the "study of social facts" and so on. Caribbean sociologists have attempted to unravel the distinctive features of Caribbean society. The plural, Creole and plantation society theses respectively speak to such attempts. However, while these images may have been able to make sense of what I refer to as the 'outer structure' of our societies, they have not been able to adequately penetrate the complex components of 'inner' Caribbean society. Susan Craig would agree.
Perhaps the reliance on positivistic, scientific modes of knowledge making has been inimical to the acquisition of the real truth of the region's experience. Perhaps the socio-cultural reality of the Caribbean requires the movement beyond the walls of positivistic, scientific modes of knowledge making.
Positivism and what is considered as the science of society are intimately related to the social conditions that existed in 19th century Europe. Should we simply engage in the transfer of positivistic modes of knowledge making? Shouldn't we engage in forms of knowledge making that are in harmony with the nature of our existence?
The work of Holmes and Crossley (2004), speaks to the conflict between modernist, western, scientific forms of knowledge making and the oral, informal, cultural traditions of small states such as those of the Caribbean. Speaking of research in education, Holmes and Crossley lament the dilemmas that have arisen from "the uncritical, intercultural transfer of research agendas, research methodologies and research paradigms".
Essentially Holmes and Crossley argue that multicultural, complex, plural societies such as those of the Caribbean need to broaden the scope of their knowledge production. Their vision is that which allows "a productive integration of different forms of knowledge" that include non-western and non-scientific forms. They contend that the boundaries of research must allow space for the knowledge produced by the calypsonian, the poet, the artist, the dramatist, the storyteller and so on.
At this point, it is apt to present the second poetic portrait of the St Lucian reality. The poem "Another Slavery", underscores the powerful relationship between our vulnerability as small states and the crisis of identity.
ANOTHER SLAVERY
If only the Pitons could sing
And the Sulphur Springs could walk,
There would be no teeth left
In the mouth to talk.If only those lush green
Beds could smile,
They would surely
Be mounted by folk
Of different styles.If only our chains of gold
Would adorn our poor necks
Even in the cold,
They would not be lying around in
Shabby market places
Waiting to be sold.If only our wills were welded firmly
Guarding our city of broken lamps,
Our mice celebrated hospital floors
Would not be swept clean
By the gust of another slavery
That opened shut doors
Leaving behind fallen windows
On battered beds.If only the ticks of Polly were longer
Her penciled policies would not
Be blown away by electoral hurricanes,If only Polly would cry tears
Like bloodstains on sheets of surrender,
Our broken lamps we would assemble together
While filling our pockets with the truth of who we really are;Then we would unite,
Arming ourselves with the wisdom of our plight,
And the banks of the world with all their might,
Would bow down to the
lovely light of a beautiful Caribbean night.
If only!
The issue of 'a crisis of identity' has been examined by many a Caribbean thinker. Professor Rex Nettleford spoke of the self-doubt and the lack of confidence of Caribbean people that directs them to follow what the North Atlantic has done, is doing or is likely to do. He wrote:
That sense of self-worth, that self-esteem which bolsters the confidence In self, leading to giving of self to the growth and development of society ...is necessary. It is possible only when we are able to discover and to keep rediscovering who we really are, how our lives have been forged from that textured history of the past half millennium...the anxiety is the result clearly of an acute sense of crisis of the future of self and society.
Speaking of the St Lucian society, Anthony Peter Desir wrote:
In St Lucia, the main problem is not concerned with finding one's self but having found it, discovering that it amounts to little or nothing. From a Caribbean viewpoint, the assessment of worth is crucial in understanding the identity problems of the people of the region.
Sir William Arthur Lewis, in looking at the identity crisis that was manifested in the Black Power movement of the 1970s, saw the focus on human achievement as a solution to the problem. He spoke of the need to have our own schools of poetry, painting, drama and so on, arguing that our unique achievement is the essential and most valuable sense in which we can express our difference from other people.
The aforementioned (1998) study on dependency in St Lucia, revealed the reality of the crisis of identity. It was noted that banana farmers in the community under study attached a special sort of significance to money. The following statements by farmers illustrate:
It is this significance attached to money that explains the quality of the response of the banana farmers following the change in the modalities of the international banana trade. Many migrated to the neighbouring island of Martinique; many shifted to the illegal trafficking of drugs. Some even committed suicide. The issue is that the money associated with banana farming actually defined the existence of those farmers. Their self-hood was based almost entirely on the money that was earned from banana farming. For them the loss of their income signified the loss of self. Other studies confirm this finding. The Cargill Report of 1998 spoke of the tremendous negative psychological impact of the loss of banana earnings on the farmer and the suicides that occurred as a result. The report claimed that farmers who were once respected in their communities became the objects of much ridicule.
It is unfortunate that the major sociological theories of the Caribbean, i.e. the plural, plantation and Creole societies respectively, do not deal in any significant way with the identity crisis of the region.
The first vital lesson that has to be learnt from the foundations of sociological thought is that the nature of sociological inquiry of a particular society has to emerge from its major problematic. In the 19th century, Auguste Comte, the man who is considered as the founding father of Sociology was preoccupied with the conviction that it was possible to reconstruct his society following the destructive effects of the French Revolution. He insisted that the discovery of laws of society would enable its reconstruction, hence his commitment to positivism. The second vital lesson therefore is that the positivist methodology emerged naturally from the major problematic of Europe. It was in perfect harmony with the major problematic of Europe at the time.
Drawing from this therefore, a Caribbean sociology and methodology has to emerge naturally from the complex and peculiar context that defines the Caribbean. The major problematic of our social reality is not the destruction of society but rather it is the destruction of the human being as a result of the tremendously negative experience of slavery. Our major problematic is the crisis of identity that has resulted from the process of dehumanization of a previously enslaved people. Thus, while Comte developed a science of society that revolved around the reconstruction of a chaotic social condition, we in the Caribbean must develop a sociology that revolves around the healing of the broken spirit of the human being.
Our reality is such that human beings express their lack of wholesomeness openly. Much of our reality is right there in our faces. The 'jombies' are out there in the open doing their thing; our men do not hide to drink and misbehave in our 'cabaways' (rumshops); our ghettos are alive with all sorts of substances, dominoes, ghetto girls and so on. Therefore, there is absolutely nothing wrong with poetry that attempts to capture the essence of our lives. What is required is a commitment towards the critical analysis of what we observe out there.
Citing the work of Nisbet and Broadfoot (1980), Holmes and Crossley (2004) claim:
what is needed is insight, new perspectives, original approaches and imaginative analysis.
Professor Rex Nettleford too celebrates the power of the fusion of intellect and imagination. He argues that those persons who have had anything of value to say about the Caribbean are those who have exercised their creative imagination. His list comprises of names such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Lord kitchener, the Mighty Sparrow, David Rudder, V.S. Naipaul, Lorna Goodison, Derek Walcott, among others.
On this note, it is with profound pleasure that the third poetic portrait is displayed. "Go Ahead" represents a portrait of the effects of slavery on human action. It speaks to the idea of separation from 'slaveness' rather than a genuine movement away from slavery.
GO AHEAD
Go ahead,
Denounce the blackness,
The slaveness, the aggressiveness;
Denounce them all,
Educate yourself, separate yourself
From the damned masses,
Get a law degree, become an engineer, a doctor.
Get into politics,
Educate yourself, separate yourself
From the damned masses;Go ahead,
Separate yourself,
Drive a house, wear a cord around your neck,
bask in the sunshine of your selfishness;Go ahead,
Turn your back upon your brother
And your back will stare you in the face,
Crime, prostitution, incest, juvenile delinquency,
They'll all be there to keep you awake.And when the rains come crashing down,
You will seek shelter in the palace of your crown,
Developing programmes to target the poor,
But it will be so much easier to target you
Because you're so few!
Poetry is the superb embodiment of critical thought. It is unfortunate that Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie (2004) suspects that critical thinking is not given the attention it deserves at our university campuses. Hence the plan to set up a Centre for Critical Thinking, in the hope that such a centre will make a significant contribution to the development of the Caribbean.
The following poem entitled "The Dam" represents an attempt to make sense of the spidery St Lucian reality. "The Dam" reflects the reality that St Lucian society, in a rather unconscious way practices social exclusion, thus reproducing the identity crisis.
THE DAM
A basin of water, surrounded by thick huge walls,
Guarded by a circle of fiends,
Tying knots around their widowed waists,
Cursing any light of day
That seeped through the lodge of existence;
With heated irons,
They press upon bare skins
Scarring them with marks
Of a plantation of sins.There goes the story of Herman
That zombie of a shocked culture
Electrified by a strong enclosed wire,
He talks like a big shot
But his brains are infested with slugs;
He jogs around the closed circle
He tries to smile,
But his polluted brains
Direct him away from that spot
Where his maimed mother
Buried his navel strings.His brother hilary,
Yet another river,
Another stream,
Blocked!
No entry into that dam!Hilary, flaunting badly burnt brains,
Forced to flow against himself
Like fish swimming in fire,
And eyes blinded by the heat of hell -What a charred existence!
How could men wallow in thirst
When streams of cool, fresh water flow
Ferociously from the perimeter?That Dam!
That demonized, depressive dam!
Polluted, poisoned,
A murderous deity,
Shutting out the rivers,
The seas, the streams
Of a paradise of purity.Instead a desertland of carcasses,
Unfit for birds.
The final poetic portrait, "Dream on Ivan mountain", looks to hurricanes with a degree of optimism in that perhaps the destruction caused by a hurricane could allow a social renaissance where the almost denuded thong would be transformed into the more wholesome bikini.
DREAM ON IVAN MOUNTAIN
As thongs trembled beneath the girdled existence,
Swirls of hurried canes swept clean,
The filthy, frills of history.Stripped once again,
We crouched beneath Ivan's wretched roof,
Threadless and bare,
Candled burdens of a starless sky,
Yesterday's rubric of a fashioned fabric of lies.Adolphus wept,
His cursed cabinet collapsed,
Centipedes, worms, maggots and fleas,
Free at last!I recall again Ivan's coming,
Windy waters washed the remains
Of the old cow's carcass,
Burying the cattled strings of enslaved pastures.Yesterday's tombstones -
Vases of fresh flowers -
A celebration indeed!Ivan drew up a new plan,
Man, woman and child;
Free,
Waving the flagged bikini.
Yes, indeed, we can dream on Ivan's Mountain. One day we will be transformed from the state of 'thong' existence to that of 'bikini' existence. That is the beauty, the power and the promise of poetry. Poetry has no boundaries. It involves deep, exploratory, imaginative thought, capable of providing shape to a complex and peculiar social reality.
Peter Abbs (1996) sees poetry as one of our greatest art forms, claiming that the arts matter because they are part of an existential quest for meaning. In Caribbean society, the arts do not simply matter, the arts matter tremendously. In the Caribbean, art such as poetry is not only vital because it's an embodiment of critical thought and so can contribute to the analysis of "precisely where we are"; but also, our art expresses who we are and can therefore contribute to the establishment of a unique Caribbean identity.
Our commitment in the Caribbean has to be towards making sense of our experience. The complexity and the peculiarity of Caribbean social structure requires critical thought and not simply the embrace of western, positivistic modes of knowledge making. We are indeed a people graced with tremendous intellect and powerful imagination. Let us fuse our intellectual and imaginative strength to break down not only the barriers of knowledge production, but to break down the walls of a poverty of identity that has plagued us for so very long.
Abbs, Peter. (1996) The Polemics of Imagination (Skoob Books Publishing, London).
Craig, Susan. (1982) Sociological Theorising in the English speaking Caribbean, in Contemporary Caribbean Volume 2, (ed.) Susan Craig (Susan Craig, Trinidad).
Desir, Anthony. Self and Identity Among Caribbean People. (an unpublished essay).
Holmes, K. & Crossley M. (2004) "Whose Knowledge, Whose Values? The contribution of local knowledge to education policy processes: A case Study of Research Development Initiatives in St Lucia", Compare, 34, 197-214.
May, Tim. (1996) Situating Social Theory (Open University Press, Philadelphia).
Morrison, Ken.(1995) Marx, Durkheim, Weber: Formations of Modern Social Thought (Sage Publications, London).
Nettleford, Rex (1996). The Inaugural Sir Arthur Lewis Memorial Lecture (Castries, St Lucia: Nov. 14th ).
Tewarie, Bhoendradatt (2004). CR.T.CAL TH.NK.NG, St. Augustine News (UWI, Trinidad).
Trezelle, Sharon. The Harvest: An anthology of poems (unpublished).
Trezelle, Sharon. Dependency In A Banana Producing Community In Rural St Lucia: A Micro-Level Sociological Investigation. (MSc Thesis, 1998).
© Sharon Trezelle, 2004.
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