As with many Nevisians and Kittitians who were around then, the Christena tragedy remains a haunting story for me. I left Nevis to study in Pennsylvania shortly after it happened. But I could not keep the incident, and the friends lost, from my mind. When a colleague with whom I worked in Allentown, PA, suggested that I write a book, only one story came to mind, the Christena story. It took some time to make up my mind, to find the confidence, and to develop a research strategy. But by 1985, the first book, The Christena Disaster in Retrospect, was published.
Many people cried on reading the story. A number of persons were angry that I wrote about the tragedy that so disrupted and burdened their lives. There were those too, who read the story and saw it as a meaningful attempt at recording and keeping alive a critical event in the history of St. Kitts-Nevis. While I was researching Christena, I decided on a greater challenge, to write the book about Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw, From Commoner To King. He was the third and probably still the most intriguing labor leader of St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla. Contrary to what many people think, writing books about St. Kitts-Nevis is not very rewarding financially. Actually, one can be left in debt. Editing, printing and publishing Caribbean books can be lonely, time consuming, frustrating, and expensive. At times the sales fall far short of one’s outlay. However, I enjoy writing. Over the years I have committed myself to researching and sharing the stories of St. Kitts-Nevis, in particular, and of the Caribbean area in general.
Every Caribbean island has a unique story and culture. However, because of colonialism and its related false consciousness, many Caribbean stories and cultural traditions have been diluted, forgotten, or have not been passed on through the generations. Migrations have also been a factor tearing apart Caribbean people, their history and their consciousness. I was horrified when I first moved to live in the U. S. Virgin Islands. I discovered that I was from “down island,” and an “alien,” simply because many of the people living here, who have roots in the same “down islands,” simply came to the U. S. Virgin Islands at an earlier time. Further, they had become jealous and protective of their lifestyle and financial benefits derived from the generosity of the U. S. Government. Some people went as far as to declare themselves “indigenous” to the Virgin Islands, despite the fact that our ancestors from Africa came to the Caribbean as recently as the 1500s – 1800s; or because their more immediate families came to the V. I. from other Caribbean islands, by 1927. Imagine how the Arawaks and Caribs Columbus met here in 1493, would laugh at such insanity! There is a lack of true historical and cultural consciousness among the people on many Caribbean islands. All Caribbean people need to know their roots, their relationships, and who they are. They need to know their stories of migrations, triumphs and grieving. Then, they need to experience and learn the meaning of their stories, whether of joy or tumult. They need to know of their linkages and the varied dimensions of their cultural heritage. Caribbean people are neither Europeans nor North Americans. They must remain conscious of that reality. Presently, the desire of Caribbean youths to give up their cultural traditions while dying to cuddle those from elsewhere is a big problem tearing the islands apart. Problems with drugs, gangs, school drop-out, unsightly dressing, questionable lifestyles and the music are largely imported here.
Besides teaching and counseling young people, I also reach out and share with older Caribbean people. There are things we remember and appreciate together. And there are things we still need to learn. Further, one never stops learning. Human beings can learn until they die. Continuous learning is a strategy to keep the brain vibrant, and to counter brain athrophy related to aging. Writing is one way I stay in touch and communicate with older people. Consequently, I keep on researching and writing Caribbean stories. On April 23, 2013, my book, The Christena Disaster Forty-Two Years Later …was published. Within the next month, I hope to publish a biographical history book: Ivor A. Stevens: Politician, Businessman, and Family Man: The Man, His Times, and the Politics of St. Kitts-Nevis. A third book, Finding My Way in a Strange Land… was published last year, 2012.
Older Caribbean people can find meaning in all three books. There will be times to smile, nod in agreement, andeven shed a tear for sad memories. None of us who lived that other time has forgotten it all. And, for younger people each book shares varied aspects of Caribbean history, the culture, and the challenges through time. Some stories allow deeper understanding of the societies and their politics. Also, for younger people, there may be answers to questions about where we are as a people, how we got there, and what to expect for the future!
