Grenada's Story

As Seen by Alister Hughes,

A Prince of Modern Journalism

 

Alister Hughes, Journalist

January 21, 1919 to February 28, 2005

 

Book: Eye Witness To History

Alister Hughes, (1919 – 2005) was born in St. Georges, Grenada and lived there for the rest of his life. Following a successful career in business and local politics, he turned to writing and, from 1969 onwards he became one of the best known of Caribbean journalists, his columns and broadcasts reaching all over the region, as well as to North America and to London. He was the founder, editor and publisher of The Grenada Newsletter and was admired for his integrity and courage in pursuit of the truth in dangerous times. For this, he was beaten up by the political thugs of one regime in the seventies and persecuted and imprisoned by the army of another in the eighties. In 1990 he received an honorary doctorate for his work from the University of the West Indies.

Hughes’ very personal account and analysis of these events makes compulsive reading. His own vision for Grenada was of a prosperous, happy country; whose multi-racial population was united by a common ‘Caribbean’ identity. His unfulfilled ideal was to see the whole Caribbean world connected in some form of beneficial federation. 

To download a copy, please click on the image below. 

In addition to this online and downloadable version of Alister’s memoir, there will also be a softcover printed version of the memoir with the ISBN code of 978-0-9855714-1-2. Watch this space and other online social media in the WestIndies [sic] for price and ordering information.  

This web site was published and promoted by Margaret and Alister Hughes for the people of Grenada, in the hope that the stories recounted here will help to restore the heritage of Grenada to all.

This is a site for all Grenadians and well-wishers. We invite the active support and assistance from all Grenadians and wellwishers in order to preserve, defend and promote the heritage of the country.


INDEX

This website is a work in progress, and we ask your help in making it more and more useful in restoring heritage resources available to the people of Grenada. Give us feedback on what you find here---AND on what you WANT to find by sending Margaret Hughes an e-mail (click HERE).

 CARIBBEAN MAN

by Alister Hughes, Journalist and Poet, 1919 - 2005

"His poem Caribbean Man tells all this. Written in 1990, it speaks of his passion for country, place and homeland. His poem "Flotsam" says "Once jewels in a monarch's crown, now flotsam in a carib sea" etc etc. His life-long search for Caribbean unity was never forsaken. His light spirit and optimistic personality covered a relentless and purposful Will." ... from a note announcing Alister's death on 28 February 2005

We're now independent, yes, massa day done,

We're free. It's a new day which now has begun.

So please, let's get working as hard as we can

To foster the growth of Caribbean Man.

Let's take a look backward, remember with pride

Those brave ones who stood up and battled the tide,

Who braced up and faced it when all others ran,

Who fought for the birth of Caribbean Man.

Paul Bogle, as brave as you ever will find,

And Gordon, like true steel in fire refined,

They died in Jamaica pursuing a plan

To fight for the rights of Caribbean Man.

And Critchlow, for gains to the workers he fought,

And when he was fired that counted for naught,

Guyana his country, farsighted his scan,

He called for the vote for Caribbean Man.

More noble nude freeman than full gilded slave

He lived by that precept, and Donovan gave

Example that we too with dignity can

Though trampled, be proud of Caribbean Man.

In Donovan's tracks then came Ted Marryshow

His dream was that we had just one way to go

One country, Westindies, division he'd ban

One nation, one people, Caribbean Man

These are but few of the great ones of yore

Who faced the rough storm in the time gone before

When it was easy to drift with all in the van

With never a thought of Caribbean Man

When all were so willing to swim with the tide

Be accepted, and join in the social ride

Kowtow to the massa, and pray that he can

Forget that you are a Caribbean Man

Be called in to dinner or Government tea

Get an honour, a knighthood or CBE

Think Limies superior and much better

Black, brown or whatever, Caribbean Man

Not so these great ones, much more noble their game

Unselfish, farsighted the stars were their aim

Society's glitter was not in their plan

They knew the true worth of Caribbean Man

They knew that the Masters did'nt dare educate

The objects they ruled in colonial state

The learning they gave us was 'Dan in the van'

The basics, no more for Caribbean Man.

And history for us never touched on our shores

But focussed on Europe, kings, treaties and wars

What mattered, developed, continued, began

In no way included Caribbean Man.

They taught us of Raleigh and Hawkings and Drake

Their exploits and how brave a fight they did make

We saw this with pride, as true British eyes can

But not with the eyes of Caribbean Man

We knew naught of Fedon, Toussaint or Quacko

Nor Christophe, Quamina or loose-mouthed Cudjoe

We knew not of Cuffie away down in Guyan

And what he had done for Caribbean Man

But now we are free, and it's slavery no more

Our fate is our own. We've the key to the door

That leads to our future, let's find if we can

What stuff that he's made of, Caribbean Man

When we were colonials in long days gone by,

To make like massa was what we did try,

To be like the British, our aim and our plan

A synthetic Limey, Caribbean Man.

That's over but, sadly, we've not yet begun

To see our own place, recognize our own sun,

In place of the Limey, we're now African,

Not yet do we know we're Caribbean Man.

How dare we forget and consign to the breeze

Our brother the Indian, our sister Chinese

And others who cover the whole ethic span

For they too, my friend, are Caribbean Man.

We're all of this region, no matter the skin,

Black, white, pink or yellow, we'd better begin

To know we're a nation and one common plan

Is what must develop Caribbean Man.

Let's turn eyes inwards and scales from them shed,

See us as a people, and not that we're wed

And fixed to some Mother, whom never can

We grow and develop Caribbean Man

Not England nor China nor India nor Spain

Not Africa, Scotland nor France nor Bahrain

Can now be our Mother, that can't be our plan.

We're nobody's child, we're Caribbean Man

We have our own customs, traditions, folk lore,

Like Carnival, John Canoe, Big Drum and more

Anansi and Tigue, Lajabless and steel pan

A heritage rich of Caribbean Man

And pepper-pot, oil-down, ackra and bush tea

With foo-foo and jug-jug, bul-jhol and bodi

And ginger beer, sorrel, all foods that we can

Be proud are produced by Caribbean Man

Walcott, Louise Bennet, Rhone, Peters and Hill,

McBernie, Keens-Douglas and many more still,

In drama and poetry, dance, none better than

These greats, they're the soul of Caribbean Man

Our foods and our culture are not second place

The're unique and reflect our multiple race

We're a nation, a wonderful blended clan

We're special, we're vibrant Caribbean Man

And why, in this climate, continue to try

To ape the ex-masters with jacket and tie.

That garb is for cold clime, can't we find a plan

Of suitable dress for Caribbean Man ?

That may seem a small thing but symbols must be

The pointers which prove to our children that we

Are not orphan people who catch as they can

At standards to govern Caribbean Man

We must know and teach, we're a people by right,

We're not bastard offspring in desperate plight,

Pretending we're British or African clan

Ignoring the fact we're Caribbean Man

Let's shake off inertia, let's find a new birth,

Let's lift our heads high, recognize our own worth,

Our future awaits with unlimited span

Awake and move forward, Caribbean Man. !!!


And this is Alister's "Explanatory Note" --- the page numbers refer to Alister's original typescript of the poem.

CARIBBEAN MAN

Explanation Sheet

Cover Logo and word "CARICOM" refer to the Caribbean Community and Common Market, the grouping of Britain's ex-West Indian colonies.

Page 1, verse 3 Paul Bogle a former slave in Jamaica, led an armed protest uprising (riot) in 1865 against injustices to ex-slaves in that country. He was tried and hanged. George William Gordon, also born a slave, a mulatto, educated himself and became a wealthy influential landowner. He was a member of the Jamaica House of Assembly and used his position to try to get better conditions for the ex-slaves. He took no part in the riot but, because he was known to be a friend of Bogle, he was tried, with no opportunity to defend himself, and was hanged.

Page 1, verse 4 Hubert Critchlow formed the British Guiana Labour Union in 1919, the first registered trade union in the dependent British Empire. This came in the midst of serious labour unrest in British Guiana and, championing the workers cause, Critchlow was dismissed from his job.

Page 1, verse 5 William Galway Donovan, Grenadian, newspaper-editor, patriot, lived late in the last century, and is well known for his principle that "A naked freeman is better than a guilded slave". He had the vision of a united Westindies. He went to jail rather then withdraw his public criticism of what he considered to be an unjust decision of a corrupt Judge.

Page 2 verse 1 Theophilous Albert Marryshow (1887-1958) was a protégé of Donovan and inherited the drive for a united Westindies. He is known as the "Father" of the West Indies Federation which, born in 1958, died in 1961.

Page 2, verse 4 C.B.E., (Commander Of the British Empire), an honour conferred by the Queen of England.

Page 3 verse 1 Natives of Britain's colonies had no vote in Britain and were, therefore, more "objects" belonging to the Queen than her "subjects". A calypsonian, ridiculing a totally unsuitable and inadequate booklet specially produced for the education of children in the colonies, used, in his song, a line from that booklet, "Dan Is The Man In The Van".

Page 3 verse 4 Julien Fédon led an unsuccessful revolution in Grenada in 1795. Toussaint Louverture and Henri Christophe were leaders of the Haitian revolution in 1791. Quamina was the leader of a slave up-rising in British Guiana in 1823. Cuffie was the leader of a slave up-rising in British Guiana in 1763. Cudjoe was one of the leaders of a slave conspiracy in the Virgin Islands in 1759. However, he violated security and the slave owners were able to avert an up-rising.

Page 4 verse 5 and page 5 verse 1 With the breaking of colonial ties to the "Mother Country", Britain, there has been an unfortunate tendency of some Westindians to seek Africa as a "Mother Country".

Page 5 verse 2 John Canoe, a Christmas traditional street dancing in Jamaica. Big Drum, a traditional dance routine in Carriacou, Grenada's sister island. Anansi and Tigue, traditional folk tales. Lajabless, a supernatural figure in folk lore.

Page 5, verses 3 and 4, Self explanatory.

Caribbean Man, as displayed at the Springs home