Early preparations for homecoming

Persons trying to book flights into and out of Dominica over the next month or so are already beginning to experience difficulties in securing reservations. The reason? Dominicans living abroad, their friends and invitees are ahead of them in the queue, as they ensure they will not miss the big October-November events in the “Nature Isle”. Traditionally, it is the season for the celebration of Dominica’s National Day, marking its accession to national independence.{{more}} The Dominicans have successfully been able to link this with a big cultural festival to the extent that it is now promoted as “World Creole Festival”, marking the country’s cultural experiences. Big as these are annually, there is an added boost this year in that this is the 30th anniversary of Dominica’s independence and a grand “Homecoming” has long been promoted among Dominicans living abroad.

I have chosen the Dominica experience only as an introduction, since it is a most appropriate and relevant one for us in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. October is, or at least ought to be, a special month for us as well. It is the month of our achievement of national independence, but that was all made possible by the rebellion of October 1935. Those events helped to speed up the process of constitutional reform and political advancement leading up to nationhood in 1979. Yet, strangely, over the almost three-decade period of our independence, we seem somehow to have been unable to stir the feeling of national pride and patriotism to arouse much enthusiasm around independence.

In Britain, last month, leaders of the various Vincentian Associations there were meeting to finalize plans for a Vincentian “homecoming” for October 2009. That would be our own 30th anniversary celebrations, a fitting occasion for celebration. It is not clear to me how advanced are those plans or what similar arrangements are being made in other Vincentian migrant communities, in the U.K,, North America or the rest of the Caribbean, for a grand homecoming, but it is certainly not too early for a major promotion in this regard.

There are a few problem areas which need to be addressed early, if we are to make a success of any such venture. A major one is a complete overhaul of our approach to the National Independence celebrations. While it is true that some of the reasons for that lack of full appreciation are rooted in the unfortunate approaches of 1978/79, we cannot continue to be forever prisoners of our history. We surely have the capacity to “correct historical wrongs”, to quote our own Prime Minister. Yet, except for two post-independence periods, the early days of the NDP regime when former Minister Herbie Young spearheaded a community-focused independence programme, and the emotional outpouring of patriotic fervour occasioned by the new Gonsalves administration, we seem to have settled for a relatively low-key concept. Independence is still largely, regrettably, a “public holiday”.

Over the years we have set up all kinds of National Independence Committees, but they seem always to boil down to the same old story. Is it not time to try something new? There is forever a lack of co-ordination between Government and people, misunderstandings between government agencies and Ministries themselves, and a certain distance between official activities and what is happening at the community level. Worse, our political leaders have, over the years, failed to provide the sort of responsible national leadership which situates National Independence in the category of “belonging to the whole people”, or above partisan politics.

Let’s quit the moaning and groaning, the finger-pointing and blaming. Is our Independence worthy of celebration? Is it not bigger than any “P” as in party? How best can we start to plan from NOW to prepare a truly national and people-based, including the active participation of Vincentians abroad, thirtieth anniversary celebrations? What sort of activities, what kind of programme, will make Vincies living abroad keen not just to return home but to take an active part in arranging suitable activities in their own communities? Where does HOMECOMING 30 fit in with plans for constitutional reform, a possible referendum, etc.?

Serious issues these, which can neither be covered with a red flag or draped in yellow buntings. Are we mature enough as a nation to undertake this task? Are our political leaders sufficiently open-minded and realistic to understand that to place our Independence on the pedestal where it deserves to be, it is country which must come first.

Renwick Rose is a community activist and social commentator.