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Island Stories from Grenada

A party official on the rampage

Published Sunday, July 20, 2008
ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada
By Leslie Pierre

Personally Speaking, I want to extend special congratulations to my good friend and jail-buddy, Tillman Thomas, on his own victory and that of his National Democratic Congress in the General Elections on Tuesday and their opportunity to form the new Government of Grenada.

I think it is generally known by people who take the trouble to pay attention to me that my position is that after a political party has been in government for three consecutive terms, it is time for a change. However, apart from Tillman himself, I did not see many of the NDC candidates that I considered to be acceptable governmental/ ministerial material so I did not vote for the party.

But long before I could get a chance to see whether or not I misjudged some of his people who were elected, at least one of his uncouth adherents has set about putting fear and doubts in the minds of lots of people and, thank God, that person was not even a candidate in the elections.

Unfortunately Tillo, I miss too much that comes over radio and television so I did not hear much of your first formal address to the nation. However, I think I did hear you call on us to hold you accountable for your party's promises in its manifesto. And you did promise that you would operate at a high standard and insist that your colleagues do the same.

Well, I feel certain that by the time you were delivering the address you must have been aware of some awful, and I consider unlawful, behaviour on the part of at least one of your party "officials" who apparently went on a rampage soon after the results of the elections were known. And I think the matter has spread so widely that I believe anyone who is reading this must know that I am referring to none other than your party's PRO Vincent Roberts.

I am disappointed that you did not apologise for his misbehaviour. However, before I start to deal with the rampaging Vincent, let me deal with what I consider to be even worse behaviour that I am not certain he was responsible for, although I suspect he was.

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Temptation island

Published Sunday July 13, 2008
ST. GEORGE'S Grenada
By N. Regis

Rich with natural and alluring offerings (can you say 180-proof run?), the small island nation of Grenada ought to be a top vacation destination. But it isn't – yet.

"I can resist everything but temptation," reads the hand-painted slogan above the kitchen at BB's Crabback Caribbean Restaurant in Grenada.

BB is Brian Benjamin, a London-trained chef who learned traditional Caribbean cooking as a young boy in his grandmother's Grenadian home. Benjamin's waterfront restaurant is at the far end of Wharf Road, which rims the leeward-facing harbor in the capital city of St. George's. This part of town, also referred to as the Carenage, is packed with seafaring and commercial businesses and with prim, European-style government buildings dating back to the early nineteenth century.

Wandering into BB's is like entering the home of friends -- ones who can cook really well. It's hard to imagine a more enthusiastic chef or a better spot to enjoy Grenadian dishes such as callaloo soup (callaloo is like spinach but heartier), barbecued lambi (conch), and piquant goat curry with coconut milk.

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A spectator's perspective

Published Sunday, March 09, 2008
ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada
By A. Mason

Many folks believe that history is repeated especially when we experience incidents that evoke the déjà vu feeling.

There is something about the way the current regime in Grenada is trying to retain "absolute power" or perceived power that brings a familiar feeling.
It may be eerie for those of us who experienced the pre-Revolutionary era, and are able to/choose to remember it.

During that era, Grenadians wanted change. The then Dictator was adamant about ignoring the wishes of the majority. Through ignorance and arrogance, he ignored all the subtle and overt signs. March 13th 1979 was the wakeup call that signalled the end of his game. Consequently he was exiled in the outfield! Is the political style of the deceased Dictator, Gairy, repeated in the current "leadership?" There are those who believe that Grenadians forget easily – I don't agree. I believe that Grenadians are patient and forgiving and tend to take as much but not as long. When waiting becomes unbearable then desperation occurs and solutions are sought "by any means necessary."Enough is enough!

The current Prime Minister prides himself on being an ardent Cricketer. Well, he must have played Road Cricket some time in his childhood. For those of you who are not familiar with the rules of Road Cricket: the batsman should not bat too long. Hitting the 'ball' (green mango or young coconut or any round object available) continuously in the bushes bores the spectators; frustrates the bowler, the fieldsmen and the other players. In other words, at one point in the game, the batsman must be aware when it is time to "out himself."

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Grenada: an island of survival, recovery and change

Published Sunday January 20, 2008
ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada
By Alake Pilgrim

Prime Minister Dr. Mitchell

Three years after Hurricanes Ivan and Emily, a story by longtime Prime Minister and UWI alumnus, the Rt. Hon. Dr. Keith Mitchell, illustrates something of his country's bittersweet reality: Every morning as he walked into his office, Dr. Mitchell would greet the men calling out to him from the prison yard near to the government buildings.

During the hurricanes the official residence was severely damaged and he returned to his private home. After Hurricane Ivan, he joined his neighbours in the street to discuss what had happened the night before.

"While we were there, this group of men walked up with bags on their backs saying, PM! Don't worry about us, we going home. When you ready just come and get us." It turns out they were prisoners who had left the damaged jail during the storm.

When asked about the process of reconstructing Grenada after Ivan and Emily, the Prime Minister points to both achievements and ongoing challenges.

While much of the physical infrastructure has been rebuilt, there is still some work to be done equipping schools. The challenges that faced the island's youth––HIV & AIDS, drugs and unemployment––are still major issues.

Another serious challenge is "the resuscitation of the agricultural sector." Most of the island's farmers are in their fifties and sixties, cultivating crops like cocoa and nutmeg that take five to eight years to grow. Apart from being marginalized economically the farmers are also suffering psychologically, and they are not alone.

"Some people lost everything."

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Ivan was terrible

Published Sunday August 26, 2007
2004 ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada
By Desmond Brown

As Hurricane Dean threatened the Eastern Caribbean a few days ago, there were some anxious moments in my home, as memories of an ordeal faced some three years earlier came sharply into focus.
So how did this Jamaican came to be in Grenada when Hurricane Ivan battered the island, killing 39 people and destroying 90 per cent of all buildings there?
Late in 2001, while visiting my sister in New York, a friend in Florida told me about a job opening. I was interested, but there was one "negative." I would have to move to Grenada.
I told my friend in no uncertain terms that there was just no way that I would move from Jamaica to Grenada. To use a popular Barbadian term, Grenada sounded to me like a place behind God's back.

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