the westindies have had a history, one of struggle to make a nation for the purpose of making a better life for all its citizens. westindians who had a good life in the systems the majority struglled agains did not care about that struglle for independence. they fought against the indpendence movement.
those who fought against the independence movement were westindian whites, chinese, syrians, and all those related to them and those related by social or class interest. Indos largely sat out of it as discussed by Vidia Naipaul, describing Indoas as more condcerned wit their villages and sectarian interests.
the westindian nationalist movement ws an Afro thing although the entire comunity stood to benefit particulary the groups opposed to it.
2 stand-out examples of such oppostion were first Buckra Bustamantes' oppostion to the Federation which ended in the Jamaica referendum that killed the federal effort completely. the westindies have not recovered from that yet.
then on a smaller level the 'Riot at the Oval' in early 1960, precipitated by umpiring that led to westindies bowled out by the english for 112. the week before the same westindian batting scored almost 600 runs declared against the same bowling.
things were so bad as CLR James wrote, the workers who operated the scoreboard often could not tell how the batsmen were out and did not not know what to put down as cause of dismissal
the central figure in that Riot was the westindian umpire ERIC LEE KOW, who needed police protection for a while for the people were real sore at him.
but in such a destructive mode Lee Kow represented the major social attitude of at least Trinidad Chinese, who were hardly in sync with the interest of ordinary Trinidadians at that time..especially of the fight for independence. and the people knew it.
then there was the Trinidad politician John O'Halloran, a white 'Potogee', who under Eric Williams stole Trinidad money like water, patriating that money mainly to Canada where it found investment in huge magnificent office constructions, particularly in scarborough ontario.
that was the attitude of those minority comunites in the westindies in my experience and knowledge of the westindies.
the first overt pronounciations of their westindianism I ever heard from a white westindian was from Denyse Plummer, the calypsonian. Plummer is a very good artist, made many good songs and appeared to glory in her birthright. and her songs were not the touriristy concoctions of groups like Merrymen and Tradewinds, but solid calypsos that won her places at the highest levels of competition in Trinidad.
there was a great mas' man in Trinida called Minshall. I dont recal his first name but the Minshal family has had a long association with Trinidad/westindies, the family name popping up particularly in sports and other high levls of social involvement,
as mas' man, the most basic cultural activity in Trinidad Minshalls whiteness was always mentioned, his class in the art generally acknowledged. " he too is Trinidadian" the talk went, a talk that flowed from white circiles mainly. the people of Trinidad had long accepted Minshal as a class mas' man so the white grapevine was late.
but such westindians as Dave6 now highlight were not forgotten. they wanted no part of the westindies, espcailly one run by Afros. they were people full of prejudice and priviledge, priviledge they saw threatened with the rise of blac people. they kept out of the independence fight and left in droves when the independence struggle was 'successful'
now we have Dave6 and his work what are we to make of it...an effort now, at this late stage to claim a place for those 'minority' groups who did not want it in the first place, hated and disparaged the westindies and got out if they could?
so when I see dave6 ignore all I have said here about these 'minority' groups, all the questions that flow from his work.
but even if Dave6 himself has no ulterior motive what is the impact of his work?
I dont see a positive point to it. ordinary westindians who are not of those groups will not be able to indentify any purpose in it, other than to tell a story to make 'minority' groups who do not have a positive history, look good in the present.
how does that help the 'minority' groups now, and as we go...it does not contribute to the development of good feeling towards these groups?
Dave6's work looks like more sectarian polish, covering up a dirty situation with a high sheen that will soon wear away.
as I said it is either the story is properly told, by modern standards of story-telling...the whole truth and nothing but, including a way forward for the people...all the people that may help the region out of its current social moras'...or the whole thing is a propaganda exercise
