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'Didn't my people before me slave for this country?' - Bob Marley

April 22nd, 2023 | Tags: Thomas C. Famous slavery BVI elections
Every Sugar Mill in the Territory is a landmark of our anscestors slaving for the Virgin Islands. Photo: Provided
Thomas C. Famous

By the time you are reading this, advance polls would have been cast by nearly 2,000 eligible voters in the Virgin Islands. That would be inclusive of some of the 688 persons who had their “Belonger Status” verified via a special sitting of the House of Assembly on Monday, April 17th.

Over the last few months, we all have been witness to the colourful antics that come with election season in any given Caribbean Island. VI elections seem to have an extra flare to it as those who were once political allies are now wearing different colours. Or, those who wore one set of colours in 2019 have changed their political shades.

Once you know the close family relations of all the candidates, one could be forgiven for thinking they were watching an episode of Family Feud.

After reading the various platforms, watching the debates, reading online articles etc. etc. one can see a lot of common promises. You know; paving roads, fixing the incinerator, and lowering the cost of living. Let's be real, there is no politician, political party or government that can lower the costs of living.

In all of the usual promises, I have yet to read anything from political parties reaching out to the tens of thousands of Virgin Islands living around the world. You know, those of us who can easily pass the Hon. Eileen Parsons’s test when it comes to being of Ancestral Virgin Island stock.

Our Home

It is ok for the UK Government, via the Governor, to be going all out to ensure that those who applied for status get what they have waited for. Yet, can someone show those of us living abroad, where there has been a concerted effort to entice the diaspora to return home to invest in land and businesses? For every Virgin Islander in the territory there are at least three or four living outside of the territory.

As it stands “indigenous Virgin Islanders” are the distinct minority within the territory. Until and unless there is a sudden uptick of pregnancies amongst Virgin Islanders, those numbers will continue to trend downward. There is no getting around that numerical reality.

So, where do we go from here? 

Reality check, we were abandoned by the colonial slave masters and left to fend for ourselves for centuries.

The very reason why the VI is now a magnet for persons from around the world is because our fore-parents toiled the land and took to the unforgiving seas all in an effort to make life better for subsequent generations. It is not from the benevolence of those from European shores. So, some sort of government immigration programme and incentives to the VI Diaspora. 

When the dust settles on Monday, or Tuesday, whoever is the government needs to understand that they have a responsibility to not only those living within the territory but as importantly, to those of the very same families that sacrificed to build the territory to what it is today. We should not just be called upon when the colonial oppressors come knocking. Our people slaved for this country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 Responses to “'Didn't my people before me slave for this country?' - Bob Marley”

  • Sambo (22/04/2023, 15:41) Like (2) Dislike (2) Reply
    Thomas, mai boi a powerful read. However, the reality is once you leave the territory to better yourselves, you are treated like personna, non grata, a foreigner. A sense of fear or jealousy develop in those who did not leave. Self-discrimination is prevalent among residents , preferring and giving opportunities to people from above Round Rock, especially whites, than to their own. Many pretend that they want the diaspora to return but deep down they hope you stay where you they. And those that venture to return are given a hard time, frustrated, given the run around, and treated like shit and forced to leave again. Honest brokers know me nah lie. Truth is truth, not alternative truth. Sambos are scared as hell with the truth. Many diaspora are proud of and enjoy their homeland vicariously from afar.
  • Common Sense (22/04/2023, 17:30) Like (2) Dislike (2) Reply
    You were doing quite well until you got to reality check at which point you played the racism card like so many do here in the BVI. You make mention of all the local islanders that make a home elsewhere in the world, full marks to them for taking the brave decision to go out into the world and make a life for themselves. Now, let’s consider how those brave souls have made their way in their new world, do you think for one minute they would have prospered by displaying a racist attitude, complaining about slavery that ended circa 200 years ago, I doubt that very much. So, why do you think your life is made better here in the BVI by behaving that way, how do you think you look to good god fearing white people that live here and lead good lives. Perhaps you would do well to inwardly reflect on this
    • Reality check (23/04/2023, 06:53) Like (2) Dislike (1) Reply
      We like and want to pretend that slavery and colonialism, both extractive, exploitive, abusive, violent, etc, did not exist or they were not that bad and were of great help to people of African descent. We need to stop the revisionist crap. Both slavery and colonialism are not figment of our imagination and the negative legacies still adversely impacts the region to thus day. I bet you are a disciple of Ron de Santos with his anti-woke crap, trying to eliminate black history etc. it is people like you who connive with Colonialists to control and keep Blacks as a noncompetitive permanent underclass. Why is it that when Blacks advocate against wrong and equal rights they are behaving racist but when others openly discriminate, control and exploit,etc, itbis ok and have a divine will to. Reparative Justice. Bet you are against that too.
      • Common Sense (23/04/2023, 10:41) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
        I don’t think any sane person is pretending slavery did not take place, it was a tragic part of history which was corrected. The reality is it’s gone, and, it can’t be changed and the world has moved on. There is nothing to gain by complaining about it, we don’t persecute Germans because of Hitler, or, Russians because of Stalin, it’s all in the past. There are hundreds of thousands of wealthy successful black people around the world, they all have one thing in common, they seldom if ever mention slavery, it’s generally only those in black society that are unhappy with their progress in life that resort to that. Some 70% of the US NFL players are from black society many of whom are considerably wealthy, you never hear them make racial statements. I don’t think I ever heard Obama go there either, why would he, he’s a wealthy and successful individual. Move on.
  • Chris Famous (22/04/2023, 22:21) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    It would do folks well to read and know VI history.

    The Brits abandoned VI post 1834.
  • Think over (22/04/2023, 23:12) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I think a less amount of belongership recipients is not interesting in voting this time around. The virgin Islanders is improving slowly, they got to get a real knock out to get it. Smart negotiations can lower the cost of living. If both parties do not care then it would not happen
  • guy hill (23/04/2023, 07:01) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Man to man is so unjust, you don't know who to trust... Bob Marley.
  • @ FAMOUS (23/04/2023, 11:47) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    YOU SEEMS TO HAVE LET THAT WORD TAKEN CONTROL OF YOUR MIND , IF YOU HATE THE WHITE BOYZ SO MUCH HOW COME YOU STILL USING ( FAMOUS ) AS YOUR NAME , ? BLACKS ARE DOING THE SAME THING WHAT THOSE WHITE BOYZ DID TO OUR ANCESTORS CENTURIES AGO , AND THEY ARE DOING NOW TO OUR OWN CARIBBEAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS RIGHT HERE AND NOW . SO HOW COME YOU ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT BLACK ON BLACK RACISM ???? DON'T WE SHARE THE SAME ANCESTRY , KEEP YOUR EVIL THOUGHTS FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY / ARE YOU FROM THOSE CANNIBAL TRIBES THAT SOLD OUR ANCESTORS TO THE WHITE BOYZ , WAS , PERHAPS YOU SHOULD CHANGE YOUR NAME TO CANNIBAL
  • Big Richard (23/04/2023, 13:40) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    YES. Now the Belongers oppress the ex-pats that are unable to vote or speak their piece.
  • Stop this apartheid thinking (24/04/2023, 13:29) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Funny you think to beleive that this country is built upon the sacrifices of Local families.
    We will be doom as a country until we understand that having a large part of population with limited civil rights doesnt make us very different to those slavers society that we so much dislike.
    We are the obstacle of our own growth. By keeping this country under the power of a few handfull people whose only merit is their descent of some original families, we are punishing the real VI islanders (all the people that choose to to live here and build this country)


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