I’ve been experiencing the pain of the ‘bewitched knees’

EDITOR: I strongly support the position of Keith Joseph, who in the most recent edition of his commentary (Just Another Look) on Nice Radio, came to the defence of Noel Dickson.

Joseph was commenting on the negative reaction, in some circles, to Dickson’s take on the protests around the world over the killing of African-American George Floyd, by a white policeman. In a Facebook post, Dickson said: “[T]he Portuguese leader in SVG has his bewitched knees on the back and neck of our blessed land and as a result most of our people can’t breathe. As black people, the time has come for us to vehemently resist this in the next general elections.”   
              
Dickson has done nothing wrong. His remarks are not racist. Dickson, who is a descendent of African slaves, cannot be racist.

Dickson was only honestly, justifiably, truthfully and forcefully describing the current situation in our country.

If Dickson’s remarks are racist, then please provide me with a label for the following comments, which were reportedly made by someone of prominence in a population that is predominantly  people of African descent, to indicate that person’s  ability to raise the requisite funding for a proposed project: “Me ah Potugee and if me say ah going get the money ah going to get the money.” (I’m Portuguese and if I say, I’m going to get the money, I’m going to get the money). As soon I heard of the comment, I declared: “Bingo!”

You see, for some time now I’ve been pondering on which period in our history that the most damage on our psyche has been inflicted. (The fallout of which is a prevalence of a dependency syndrome.) Is it conquest, slavery, colonialism or the governance from 2001 to present? The jury is still out.

Like Keith Joseph, my view is that Noel Dickson has not done anything for which he should apologise. Ever since 2001, I’ve been experiencing the pain of the “bewitched knees” on the neck of black entrepreneurship. I can’t breathe!

Bernard Joseph