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Region having common history a disgusting generalisation- Davies

'Although it is commonly said that we have a common history, I refute that comment, for it is a disgusting generalisation, and as long as we think that we have a common history then we can never be united.' Those are the strong view of law student Daniel F. Davies who recently became the first VIslander to be elected President of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill’s Law Society. Photo: Provided
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- “Although it is commonly said that we have a common history, I refute that comment, for it is a disgusting generalization, and as long as we think that we have a common history then we can never be united,” is the strong view of law student Daniel F. Davies who recently became the first VIslander to be elected President of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill’s Law Society.

Mr Davies, told Virgin Islands News Online that among the things he has planned as President of the UWI Law Society, integration is among the most important. “If we are to move on as a region, we must accept that we have to join hands and work on our economies as a team.”

It is at this point that Mr Davies opined that as longs as persons in the Region think that they have a common history then unity can never be achieved. “Each Caribbean nation, like every other nation, has a unique history and it is through learning and understanding each other’s uniqueness that we can find unity.”

Mr Davies intends to fight that “false” notion by making it a priority of his to have students explore each other’s culture.

Another plan of Mr Davies is to increase the value of the education offered at the Faculty of Law at UWI Cave Hill. “I will do this by writing to the various government ministers across the region to come and give my constituents a lunch time lecture on the unique legal and political challenges they face in running their ministries and countries.”

Further, Mr Davies said he will write the various civil rights and human rights leaders from around the world and beg them to come to give lectures on the struggles that they face in their region/country so that students can start to “become more aware of what is going on in the world outside and inside of the Caribbean.”

History was created on March 14, 2013 when 21-year-old Daniel F. Davies was elected President of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill’s Law Society in a landslide victory, becoming the first Virgin Islander to be elected to the position.

Mr Davies, the son of Fisheries Officer Samuel Davies and owner of Serendipity Bookshop Mrs Janette Fligelstone Davies, secured his position as president with 236 votes to 27.

The Law Society is a welfare organisation that caters to the various needs of the students of Law at the UWI Cave Hill Campus in St. Michael, Barbados.

In addition to winning the position of President of the Cave Hill Law Society, Mr Davies is also the President and founder of the University of the West Indies’ first Judo Club, the Blackbird Judo Club, which is a fully funded university programme under UWI’s Cave Hill Sports Academy. 

21 Responses to “Region having common history a disgusting generalisation- Davies”

  • ... (27/03/2013, 16:12) Like (2) Dislike (1) Reply
    cohesive is the only thing with sense
  • long look me come from (27/03/2013, 16:13) Like (3) Dislike (8) Reply
    who tis lil bpou tink he tis?
    • @ LONG LOOK ME COME FROM (27/03/2013, 20:49) Like (2) Dislike (3) Reply
      Therefore there should be no excuse because he is a little boy???
  • mAN uP (27/03/2013, 16:23) Like (6) Dislike (2) Reply
    What a horrific use the English language!

  • A Fahie (27/03/2013, 19:29) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Wow!
  • Too Bright (27/03/2013, 20:17) Like (3) Dislike (19) Reply
    Maybe the lil bpou is just above the reasoning capacities of us, regular folk. Maybe he is just too darn bright that whatever he says comes across as a foreign language.Maybe we just too slow to get this advanced level of thinking. Maybe. Just maybe......
  • dog meat (27/03/2013, 20:42) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
    What a dog-eat-dog world the island has become!
  • Albion (28/03/2013, 03:27) Like (5) Dislike (17) Reply
    What an odd comment. Caribbean peoples have always had a strong sense of unity. To quote the old phrase "what unites us is greater than what divides us." BVI history may not be identical to, say, Antigua or Barbados. But it is a heck of a lot closer to a common experience than, say, France or China. Small islands; colonisation by Europe; slavery; plantations; emancipation; self-determination; tourism - all strong common threads. I don't see how a sense of common history can be called "disgusting"?
  • name (28/03/2013, 07:28) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    The BVI, that I LOVE and call my home, and I am so PROUD of what your views are Mr. Davis and use your name. Thank you.
  • . (28/03/2013, 12:03) Like (5) Dislike (1) Reply
    This boy is a genius. First I hear someone who really gets it. Why assume that because we are black people or Caribbean nations that we have the same history? Each country has its own history, culture, customs and traditions. Just as Africa has many countries and tribes, each with diverse language, culture and history, so do we Caribbean nations. Only through embracing our own culture and history and respecting each other's unique culture and history can we then embrace unity.
  • Reeaa (28/03/2013, 12:21) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
    When we look at the history of the Caribbean we know that the indigenous people such as the Caribs and Arawaks were the first people or the first inhabitants , then came the slaves from Africa and the indentured immigrants from India and of course the slave owners from the European continent etc. therefore, with that mix , we do share a common history, thus there is some similarity also in our cultures . When we study the history of the Caribbean peoples and how we have evolved generation after generation it is quite interesting and fascinating and very contrary to Mr Davies view ,therefore ,I would love to hear him expand some more on his theory .
  • @ Reeaa (28/03/2013, 12:51) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Just google a few terms like "Jamaica Maroons" or "Trinidad economy petrochemicals" or "Cuba politics" or "Jamaica politics" or "Haiti economy" or "Dominica banana wars." This is not slave days. They do not keep our history from us and they do not keep us from each other. This is the digital age, there is no excuse for ignorance.
  • loool (28/03/2013, 13:18) Like (4) Dislike (2) Reply
    Some people are threatened by the way he is thinking and the logic behind it. I personally like it, he's right. Those who do READ and know the history of the caribbean IN DEPTH knows what he means and what he is talking about. I know that he knows about regionalistic self determination and where the caribbean came from, because he READS and COMPREHENDS information. He approaches it from a standpoint that we are all distinct, but that distinctness is a strenght and in order for the region to grow its best we play off of that distinctive culture, economies and geography. What ever he has to say i'll listen to because he has new ideas because he knows his roots there is no ignorance in his statements.
    • voter (28/03/2013, 14:06) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
      yes, but "disgusting"? perhaps "inaccurate", but "disgusting"?
      • . (28/03/2013, 15:20) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
        I find it disgusting because of the pervasiveness of the belief that we all share the same history and culture and the persistent idea that we are somehow disloyal to our "brothers" when we insist that we do not share the same history and culture.

        It is disgusting because it belittles the history and culture of each of us to negate the existence of that diversity and it relegates us to the status of "those people" that non-black, non-Caribbean people believe us to hold.

        When you go abroad and get tired of explaining to every single person you encounter that, no, you are not Jamaican and yes, the BVI is a separate place from St. Thomas you might start to feel the same way.
        • voter (28/03/2013, 18:36) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
          Most islands in the region have very strong identities and histories which are clearly different. The common thread of colonialism, slavery, and to a lesser extent indentureship is a common thread weaved through the region. Most persons in the region will not subscribe to the notion of common history further than that.

          Yes I have been called Jamaican in the UK and yes I have met people who think all the Virgin Islands are the same. There are probably places in the world that you are equally ignorant of their history and culture. Does this make you disgusting? Ignorance of persons not familiar with the history and culture of the region in my view is not necessary disgusting.
          • . (28/03/2013, 21:13) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
            I don't think he called anyone disgusting, he called the generalization disgusting and I agree. I don't even know the yute but he is clearly working with a very astute and insightful mind.
            • voter (29/03/2013, 10:31) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
              If he was referring to ethnic cleansing, genocide, torture, disgusting would be an appropriate word.
  • Paige Summers (28/03/2013, 14:57) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    Team Daniel 100%, Daniel they will never understand however, I beg to differ. Although we have different historical paths we do have common historical foundations and that is where are unity lies.


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