Celebrate Balliceaux Acquisition – Recovery of our National Patrimony

It has taken two and a quarter centuries, almost a half of a century after our country achieved independence, but less than a quarter of a century under the governance of the Unity Labour Party (ULP) but this National Heroes Day Vincentians will have another reason to celebrate as we honour our lone National Hero, Paramount Chief The Right Excellent Joseph Chatoyer.

Tomorrow, March 14, 2025, we will also celebrate the acquisition of the island of Balliceaux, sacred to our indigenous Kalinago and Garifuna people, by the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines. The acquisition, promised by the government on Heroes Day 2024, was announced in Parliament at its last sitting on March, 5, by Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves. It is a significant achievement for our country and a source of pride, to our indigenous population first and foremost, to the descendants of the original people now resident in North and Central America, and to all Vincentians wherever they may reside.

It will be a specially significant act for the indigenous descendants in Central America for their residence in those countries marks their resilience in surviving the horrors of Balliceaux to which their ancestors were forcefully sent following the military victory of Britain over the Garifuna, including the murder of Chief Chatoyer. More than 2000 of them perished horribly on barren Balliceaux before the rest were forced to endure another horrifying experience on the way to Central America.It was an experience reminiscent of what Africans had to suffer on slave ships on what is called the Middle Passage, between Africa and the Caribbean, and yet another tie which binds us in addition to shared occupancy of this island.

The Balliceaux experience represents the opening of light in the tunnel along which we tread from colonialism through national independence and on to national liberation. One development, already indicated, will be the erection of a suitable memorial to those who suffered and died on Balliceaux which may be the tip of the iceberg leading to a comprehensive development plan for an environmentally friendly and heritage-conscious Balliceaux.

As expected, there are some among us, both resident at home as well as in the diaspora who try to pooh pooh any meaningful national initiatives. Some of these subsume the enormous significance of the Balliceaux recovery to their concerns over “compensation” for those who claim ownership to the island. If that is all they have to say, ranking national ownership below compensation, then we should advise them to take the compensation concerns where they are most needed, to the field of the just demands of our people for Reparations.

There are others, guided by personal grievances or political affiliation, who find every other issue to talk about, but Balliceaux. We must not allow these to detract from the significance of the Balliceaux issue. We must proudly celebrate the recovery of such holy land and our opportunity to shape our own future, honour our heroes and hold our heads high in dignity.