This past week our community of Island Harbour has reeled with shock, dismay, anger and sorrow, confused by the several tragedies which have ensued in quick succession with barely time to breathe, as our elders might say.
Our mourning started with the violent and untimely death of our very own “Ghost” Javid Frazer. Ghost was a gentle and caring soul and was embraced by the community of Island Harbour. Despite earlier challenges in life, Ghost was given a second chance and used that opportunity, in his own way, to give back to the community which I am sure he considered to be, and rightly so, his family. Ghost was always willing to lend a helping hand, to run errands and to assist any and everyone at a moment’s notice. He completely devoted himself to looking after the mentally challenged and less fortunate, which he did with compassion and kindness. His life was truly a testament to a community’s ability to create an environment of love and togetherness in which we can become the best version of ourselves.
Ghost was always full of life and spoke frequently about his dream of being a performer and his love for music. Indeed, our hearts are heavy and we all feel the pain of this loss, which shocked all of us to the core. We express our deepest condolences to his family and to all those who knew him and loved him as one of their own.
Ghost’s death under such tragic circumstances has also opened up a broader and more general conversation surrounding mental health and well-being in Anguilla. This “taboo” subject must be de-cloaked from the stigma that our Anguillian society has unjustly placed on it. If we are honest with ourselves, we would acknowledge that many of us share stories and experiences of childhood trauma, abuse and maltreatment. Such circumstances can trigger emotional problems, mental breakdowns and abnormal behaviours and coping mechanisms – by-products of unresolved and unhealed wounds.
According to the Nesta Foundation – “There is a combination of cultural, economic, social and political reasons which explain why mental health has long been neglected in the Caribbean region. The socio-economic situation has allowed for poverty, income inequality and unemployment to become deeply rooted in degrading mental health. On average a country from the Caribbean spends only 4.3 per cent of its healthcare budget on mental health. This is unsurprising as the economies are structured around two to three key industries, which means mental health is left underdeveloped.” Indeed it is often grievously neglected.
Such observations ring true for Anguilla. Our families and community-based organizations are left to struggle with the high demand to provide mental health care, support, counselling and intervention. This is further compounded by substance abuse and addiction which requires targeted and sustained interventions to improve and increase life chances, particularly for our nation’s youth. Moreover, there are many Anguillians who suffer mental health issues as a result of stressful work environments and relationship challenges, leading to depression and anxiety and poor coping mechanisms. The first battle that we face as a community and as a country is to remove the stigma associated with mental health. Being labelled as “crazy” in Anguilla has far-reaching consequences. Even more concerning, in many cases such labelling is used as a tactic to harm others, reduce their income-earning capabilities and result in their being ostracized from society. We are therefore duty-bound to detach ourselves from this stigma and combat it by extending the hand of compassion and kindness, as Ghost did, to assist those in need who suffer with mental health issues from time to time.
Even as I write this article, we are confronted with yet another tragedy. Another young Anguillian, Taitu Kai Goodwin, described as “one of the best and brightest of her generation”, has died, following another violent incident. Our hearts go out to her family and to all who are grieving. We must ask ourselves, as a community, what, if anything, we could or should have done to intervene or prevent these tragedies.
As legislators and leaders, we also have a duty to allocate the necessary resources to provide the best mental health care services possible for our people. This must include increased support to community and faith-based organizations that are at the front line of the social issues affecting our population. Furthermore, we must review our judicial system to ensure that the vulnerable are protected and that instances of abuse are reported and investigated properly, with the required interventions, counselling and support for the victims and their families. Recent legislation passed is tailored to address such circumstances; however we must ensure that it is enforced and implemented to achieve its intended outcomes. We also need to raise awareness of the importance of mental health, and educate our people about the signs and symptoms to look for when mental health is compromised.
Further, we must educate our children and youth about relationships and better prepare them to recognise and deal with emotional dysfunction and unhealthy behaviours. We must teach our parents and our elders alike how to best support and guide our youth in their decision making. We must in all our actions aim to achieve peace, and we must do this by modelling love, compassion and forgiveness.
As we reflect on the lives of Javid “Ghost” Frazer and Taitu Kai Goodwin, and the lives of other lost loved ones, our hearts, though pained, are filled with warm and fond memories of them. Their lives had meaning and purpose. They will never be forgotten. Let us resolve to do more in their honour.
We are strengthened by God’s promise to us that while weeping lasts for a day, joy comes in the morning.
