Vincentian book to be translated into Spanish

A historical piece written by acclaimed Vincentian historian Bernard Marshall will be the first Vincentian book to be translated and published in Spanish, as part of a cultural co-operation agreement made between this country and Cuba.{{more}}

Minister of Culture René Baptiste disclosed this on Tuesday at a press conference at which she handed over the book titled “Slavery, law and society in the British Windward Islands 1763-1823: A comparative study”, to Cuban Ambassador Olga Chamero Trias.

The symbolic presentation was described as bitter sweet by Marshall’s sister Hermia Scott, who, along with brother Hayden, niece Heather and nephew Curtis were on hand to witness the occasion.

Scott indicated that Marshall, who died just before the book was published, would have been both surprised and pleased to see the publication being given such acclaim.

“We are overjoyed, happy and blessed to have our book published in Spanish,” Scott claimed.

Before presenting the book to Chamero Trias, Baptiste indicated that the book translation exercise is just one of the many exchanges that she and Cuban counterpart Abel Prieto agreed to last April, and said the agreement encompasses several clauses.

“We would not only put in provision for scholarships for our young Vincentians, but also several other aspects of the cultural industry; matters relating to heritage and the enhancement of all aspects of what is known as culture.

“Sometimes we narrow the definition of culture as only the performing arts. In fact, we wanted to have the people of Cuba and the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in a position to exchange and learn about each other’s heritage, history and culture, and one way is through the written word.

In accepting the book, Trias claimed that a number of institutions in Cuba would be extremely happy to receive the book, which she described as a deep and serious piece of work.

“We are very devoted to studying our roots and go deeper into our history and identity, and show everyone in the Caribbean that we have important intellectual product.”

The book analyses the economic, social, legal and political framework which bound the lives of the enslaved black population, free colored and whites in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Grenada and Tobago, against the backdrop of the territories seeking dominance of the area in that period.

It is expected to take eight to 12 months to translate. (JJ)