Judge not lest yea be Judged

Society is separated into groups along easily discernable boundaries, like languages, race or class, but there are other demarcations like geographical origin and religious beliefs also. These are some of the social aspects which helps determine how people perceive each other and ultimately how we judge each other. Commonly asked questions are. Who are you? Where are you from? Although decisions based on skin color, status, physical appearance or age may not be easy to spot, not to mention being politically incorrect, they probably happen on a regular basis. Judging people based on stereotypes is a common practice. It is an intrinsic albeit, an underlying part of the way we judge our peers. The structures of society and more often than not our pervading human psyche perpetuate it. It is part of every day human relations.

The Economics of rich and poor, the differentiation of religious teachings and practices and political norms, perpetuate and foster differentiation among people. This separation of individuals into groups makes it easy to develop stereotypes. These stereotypes are reflected when stigmatization and general statements are made about individuals. Religions preach adherence to one belief, creed and doctrine and in so doing encourages differentiation. Take for example the idea of one true religion, following one true god, yet most religions fight against each other.

Individuals are judged based on wealth and status and the political structure is primarily based on which party you support. People are either with you or against you. Associating people by groups therefore comes natural, and people use it on an everyday basis to judge people. Stereotypes affect how we judge others and ultimately influence how we interact with people.

A housewife, a civil servant or a teenager are groupings which a familiar and prevalant in all socities and there are common stereotypes which are associated to these groups off the bat. Civil servants get an easy ride and one would probably believe that, all teenagers are troublemakers and that all senior citizens are terrible drivers. Society upholds and practices the status quo of using a flawed but intrinsic decision making process to judge other individuals. The structures within our of society and our daily practices and actions, facilitate and support this process.

Modern politics encourage definition of groups in an effort to gain political clout, take for example the abortion debate, which seeks to put people into two distinct groups, one is either pro life or a baby killer. It is wrong and divisive but it works. Economical separation is evident in class association where the richer individuals of society associate with each other in Golf clubs and private schools.
This separation of people into groups is most visible along racial lines, people are grouped black, white, red and yellow skin complexions however it is part of a greater societal norm of grouping and stereotyping. This creates an atmosphere of them and us have and have not’s, Christian and Islamic, upper-class and underclass.

This need to group people seems to be a constant part of human relations. It is safe to say that the rat race is as much a pack race. Until individuals refrain from using gender, sexual orientation, class or race as a measure for making character judgments all forms of decisions will be prejudiced and probably based on a stereotype. People judging people based on race, income, ethnic or geographical related stereotypes.

The Cost of Free Trade

A free market and Free Trade may not be the way to the planet’s economic well-being because some nations have lost more than they have gained under the International Free Market system. Developed nations have benefited although some complain of loosing jobs from outsourcing to developing countries. Developed nations have registered considerable gains from trade but the majority of the worlds developing nations have lost under the agrigultural rules.

The General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs was modified into the free trade agreement in am effort to facilitate international free trade among the world’s nations. It was proposed that by breaking down barriers and stabilizing trade rules among nations, Economic Development for all participating nations would be assured. The first sector to be liberalized would be agricultural. The effects of the liberalization of agricultural trade have more drastically impacted developing countries as compared to developed nations.

The African, Caribbean and Asian countries, like the Eastern Caribbean Islands were heavily dependent on Agricultural For many like the Oecs States being Mono Cropping Economies were depedent mainly on Agrigulture as thier primary industry. On becoming signatories to the free trade agreement, many of these nations have complained of unfair practises by developed nations, such as agricultural subsidies and a i n general an uneven economic playing field.

Developed nations have an absolute advantage in almost all economic endeavours. Companies from developed nations invest a lot of resources on Trade Lobbyists. Some companies spend more money than some small nations GDP on lobbyists, resources which can not be matched by Developing Nations. This is a clear example or the uneven nature of the economic system.

The liberalization of agricultural trade has grossly negatively impacted the developing countries as compared to Developed Nations. Many nations are daunted by the economic hardships they suffer from the agriculture trade initiatives. The Developed nations are pressing to begin discussions on liberalizing financial services and other trade sectors and the promised gains from agicultural trade liberalization has not been realized as a matter of fact they have suffered.

Although there are many domestic hindrances, like government corruption which prevents Free Trade from being beneficial to many Developing Nations, outside influence on government also occurs. Proxy wars like that over the Suez Canal and Mercantilist escapades have now become defunct strategies, ounce utilized by developed nations but the thrust to realize economic gains by Developed Nations are now camouflaged in the form of capital imperialism.

Economic Growth should translate into Economic Development and into Gains that impact a wide cross section of a countries National Economy. Although the Frazier Institute, Two Thousand and Three report states, “that Globalizing developing countries recorded grater economic growth than rich countries”, however the gap between rich and poor nations are rising and in the year two thousand the developing countries had three fourths of the worlds population and only one quarter of the worlds income.

A free market system has been proven to be the best way to achieve economic growth and development, however those gains seem to be benifitting the developed nations of the world at the expense of the poor nations. The countries of Western Europe, Japan, Canada, The United States and Australia have traditionally been considered the epitome of Developed Countries.And while Free trade initiatives were touted as the great equalizer , which woul;d enable poorer nations to elevate thier status the results have not supported this. The systems employed to ensure economic prosperity, does not take into account equity within and across nations. A few benefit while the majority do not get a fair shake from international economic trade.

Human Rights and The big Economic Stick

Upholding basic human rights is considered an important criterion for having diplomatic relations with other sovereign states. Although a prerequisite such as that is a favourable requirement when carrying out diplomatic relations, trade embargoes or sanctions against countries for human rights abuses is however not a proficient practice. Stifling the economic flows of a country has its proven merits in affecting commerce but it disproportionately hurts the victims of so human right abuse as comapored to the effects they have on the perpetuators.

There are clear parameters contained within human rights charters and declarations such as that adopted on December tenth nineteen forty eight by the United Nations general assembly. The right to life and self determination are consider to be two of the basic and universals human rights but these are still considered to be ideals and countries are free to perceive and administer them differently.

Judging cultures based on western criteria may in itself present problems. The remedies geare towards solving a problem in a certain society must be compatible to the cultural zeitgeist of the particular society. Human rights ideals are aligned to the western concept of capitalist goals of freedom of choice. There are many positive capitalist ideals that are universally beneficial in terms of human rights. The western concept of human rights may clash with non western ideologies and cultures, sometimes considered inhumane when being judged from a western perspective of right and wrong. This ethnocentric view impairs judgement of the cultural practices and may lead to alien solutions which are not compatible to the local situation.

Sovereign states may differ in their judgements on what constitutes human rights abuse. South Africa maintained an apartheid system until nineteen ninety. Nelson Mandela after being released from jail became the first person of African decent to be the head of government in the country. Trade sanctions were placed against South Africa. But it took a while before the apartheid system crumbled probably more from internal resistance as was from international pressure.

The actions of certain states may appear to be breaching human rights themselves, and yet they sit in judgement of other states cultures and practices and governments. Powerful countries with hegemonic sway may use economic and other forms of leverage against other countries while they are defiling human rights ideals themselves. The United States admonishes the Cuban government for human rights and the its former UN Ambassador Mr Bolton objected to the inclusion of Cuba and certain other nations on the human rights committee, according to a human rights watch report the United States was at the same time grossly negligent of prisoner’s human right,taking place on Cuban soil at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.

The people who are exposed to human rights abuses are usually the poorest and most destitute of societies, by using economic leverages like sanctions it is usually the poorest people of the state who are harmed. Human rights should be governed by principles based on social goals. The economic logic of efficiency over equity should not determine human rights ideals and policy. Nor does economic sanctions, help in bringing human rights to the people.

The Cold War is Over but The Frost Remains

As a child I never liked playing chess, I found it boring and I could not sit still long enough to play a whole game. However I have come to enjoy playing and chess is a great game that teaches strategy. At first chess like politics can appear haphazard and confusing but it is a game of pure strategy that forces you to plan and project possible scenarios. In International relations like chess it requires a lot of strategic resourcefulness. A good strategist must be able to change with the tide. The relationship that Cuba and America have shared has not been amicable. With President Obama in the white house America and Cuba have a unique opportunity at present, a chance to engage in a new era of diplomatic and economic relations. Moving forward both America and Cuba will greatly benefit from such closer relations.

It will require goodwill from both sides for America and Cuba to develop such a relationship.Cuba sits directly on the doorstep of a vast and great market, an economical space that is the USA yet it does not benefit form such close proximity. To think that America will continue to maintain tough economic pressures on Cuba is saddening. Cuba belatedly awaits and needs the benefit that comes with having access to the powerful American market hopefully even being on the the proverbial preferred traders list. For its part America can make significant diplomatic waves in the region and afar if it lets go of the past and proceeds to win over those governments in South and Central America and Cuba.

In 1959 America was put on high alert while Soviet Union ships approached Cuba.It was suspected and feared that these ships were carrying missiles to be placed on Cuban soil. In many ways this crisis framed the present unfriendly relations between America and Cuba. While it was a strategically brilliant move by Fidel Castro,to align with the the former Soviet-Union,in a bid to prevent American invasion, it also cause an economical embargo which has lasted throughout the cold war and continues presently.

The threat of soviet missiles based within striking distance of America never materialized because of an American naval blockade, and frantic diplomatic maneuvering. However the Fidel Castro led revolution brought America to the cusp of war and sparked a dangerous situation of diplomatic brinkmanship. During the time that followed, Cuba was faced economic embargoes and faced an understandably irate neighbour not at all supportive of the government.

The Venezuelan president, a populist leader Hugo Chavez, follows in the footsteps of former Cuban president Fidel Castro, The former considers the later as an idol. President Chavez has on numerous occasions accused the US of trying to destabilize his duly elected government and thereby his country. He asserts the right to self determination and non interference in a sovereign states affair. In recent times he has began to bolster the Venezuelan military dramatically increasing spending.
Cuba, Guyana and Venezuela all have recently sought to develop ties with Iran a country that America is at odds with over its pursuit for nuclear technology and is contemplating imposing some economic pressure upon if it seeks to militarize this nuclear technology.

Recently the American president signed a deal with Russia that they may each cut by 33% their nuclear arsenals. This undertaking bringing into perspective the changes that have happen since the Cuban missile crisis. It seems appropriate that Cuba and America ratchets down the animosity and begin to work together.

In his famous speech entitled “History will absolve me” Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro referred to America as being run by gringos, who treats their own people of African descent differently, so why should America genuinely have theirs, the Cuban people’s best interest at heart. We are long past the Cuban revolution; past the cold war and America today has a proud president who has an African father.

With a President in the white house with a black father introduces the prospect that the people of the Caribbean, South and Central America will be more open even to the extent of expecting him to somehow be able to identify with them. The president of the United States and his government thus has a chance to capitalize on that and move the narrative forward. And lay the foundation for a new era in the 21st century of diplomatic relations with Cuba and the Caribbean and the Americas

Many populist governments have been able to capitalized on their peoples mistrust of American intentions in the region. With the Cuban revolution being used as a beacon for self determination, governments such as Venezuela and Cuba continue to allude to American has imperialist intentions.

The Cuban government and the Venezuelan government have been accused of heavy handedness towards certain media. I can see why governments may be weary of those who may be against their points of views aptly labelled American propaganda. Or stating that outside influence is trying to trying to destabilize them for their selfish gains. I am sure that there are many who would rather Cuban American relations remain rocky and would try to influence such outcomes, I don’t think that the media should be interfered with by the government however. Governments should try to stay away from censoring those who oppose their points of view or policies.

Cuba should take the first step and initiate the change,what would happen if the Cuban government suddenly started to release political prisoners, it would definitely change the game. The leadership of Cuba made a bold and strategic move, when it engaged with the former Soviet Union during the revolution. Cuba now needs to change with the times and make a move towards the United States that shows it is ready to fully engage the US. Strategic maneuvering that America cannot denied or ignored. A bold and an open gesture towards engagement. A gestures of goodwill that precipitates reciprocate actions by America.

So while there may be Cuban inmates on hunger hunger strikes and accusations that some opinions are being stifled by government censorship, there exists a wonderful opportunity, in that hopefully the President of the United States of American the son of a European woman and an African man, named Barack Hussein Obama, who Grew up in Hawaii and lived in the Philippines for about four years, can somehow spark a new era of Cuban American relationship. if it does happen it is sure to have a redounding effect on the region and in international relations worldwide. This would be an instance where international relations strike a blow for diplomacy and the use of the carrot over the stick. If everyone were realist and placed their faith in the superiority of power and might over all else,then it would be a world that finds solace in perpetual anarchy.

Who Can Afoard To Run: Will Run

Humans have always moved around in search or resources to survive and it is evident all around us. If you live in the Americas and the Caribbean you are probably a descendent of an immigrant of are one yourself. African slaves, Europeans settlers were some of the first to what was then known as the new world. Of course we know that the native people were indigenous to the land. Modern immigration is however very the movement of people around the world is happening at a very fast rate and it on a wider scale than ever before. Over the ages people have been moving from place to place, while this is not a new occurrence it still tends to evoke negative reactions. There exist stereotypes that immigrants cause crime, terrorism and even take away jobs. Despite such attempts to paint immigrants in a negative light the necessity of Modern immigration is undeniable. In most instance immigration benefits both parties.

If a child grows up in St Lucia dreaming of becoming an aerospace engineer, when that individual becomes an engineer, it would be difficult to find employment in the field ,in St Lucia. Since there are limited opportunities in St Lucia, chances of securing a job in the aerospace field would be better served in another country, a country with aerospace industries, like Canada, Britain or America. Although he or she may be able to secure a great job, working on jet plane engines at one of the Airports in St Lucia.

St Lucia does not have certain industries to support certain job types and this forces some people to seek education, expertise and employment abroad. But this is not the real problem because not everyone is able to afford the cost of immigration. What is most problematic is what happens to the people who are unable to leave. And what may be even worse is that they may be unable to find work in certain sectors, such as agriculture or manufacturing. If such a large segment of the society is unable to find jobs there will be a labour gluts issue. If there is underemployment or unemployment I think people would migrate out of the country to find jobs, can you think of ways to prevent this?

When people migrate out because of employment issues their relive stress on government t and society, by not causing upheavals, you know what they say about “Idle hands”. Underemployment occurs when there is not enough work to do and unemployment happens when there are not enough jobs for everyone. In the case of St Lucia, Banana farming was a leading industry, with many households dependent upon agriculture. With the collapse of that industry those who were employed in agriculture struggled to find jobs. Some of these workers have for year’s sourced work out of country, at one point cutting sugar cane in the US. Workers who are struggling to find employment in their homelands may find themselves facing a position of unemployment or underemployment and in that case many people decide to emigrate to greener pastures, in so doing they relieve the social pressures on society and prevent revolution or upheaval.

The number one argument against outward immigration from Islands, like St Lucia is what is called “Brain Drain”. It is argued that those with the ability to migrate out of the country are essentially the young and those with the resources. In other words, those expected to be the core of the countries labour force. In theory such an outward movement of the countries labour resources, may drastically affect future economical growth.

While the “Brain Drain” theory holds considerable merit, we must also take into consideration that immigration also helps relives unemployment and underemployment if it exists. In many instances there are no jobs and the job market may be over-saturated with workers. If there are more lawyers, Accountants, Economists than there are jobs, mo work in manufacturing or agriculture, then there needs to be an outlet, such as immigration to relive the glut of workers. While the issue of brain drain can be identified in the outward movement of health care practitioners from the Caribbean, on the other hand this same outlet of immigration relives stress on local government, who are unable to provide jobs for all.

Countries such as Canada and America supplement their labour forces through immigration. These countries attract both the so called “cream of the crop” and those willing to work at minimum wage. Developed countries benefit from incoming workers, who are willing to be employed in part time, minimum wage jobs. These are jobs which established citizens may not be willing to do. Immigrants working at minimum wage jobs and in so doing, support the overall economic base. Through their working, paying rent, shopping and general economic activity in the country they are bolstering the country’s economic base.

Most developing countries are now facing an aging population. The baby boomer generation, or the world war two generation are about to retire from their jobs and will need their pensions. That means that they will be drawing monies from the country. It is feared that there may not be enough money to pay pensions to seniors. What is needed to offset this situation is a young working generation, or a tax payer’s base big enough to offset the outgoing pension payments.

Developing countries are now facing an aging population but they are also facing a low birth rate situation. People are having fewer children and women and men are having children later on in life. There now is a situation where, the citizens do not want to work in Minimum wage jobs and are having fewer children as well. That means that they are not replenishing the labour force and more people are retiring.

Countries need a stable, young, working, taxpaying base, to supplements and replenish their labour forces, faster than the elderly retire. Countries are faced with what is called a high dependency ratio, there are more people retiring than there are young workers joining the work force. If this situation persists it is uncertain how government will be able to maintain public funded initiatives such as pensions and senior medical programs. Immigration in this instance will help those developed countries offset that problem, by providing them with a young labour force that can be taxed.

Finally the work that immigrants are hired into in developed countries provides them with capital, some of which is forwarded to their countries of origins, to support families. These are direct foreign injections into the receiving countries’ economies. During Christmas the barrels and other goods sent by families also bolster the local economies. If goods and services are allowed easy access to flow seamlessly across borders, shouldn’t people be allowed too as well?

Immigration is an important policy issue which must be handled seriously. The movement of labour, just like service and goods, should be facilitated. Immigration policies that are sympathetic to the overlying economical benefits of migration are best. Retirees from developed countries own getaway mansions in less developed countries, they move across borders as well and contribute to a global economy. Immigration policies like free market policies should advocate a seamless movement of goods, services and labour across the globe. The ongoing facilitation of the movement of people across borders is potentially beneficial to all.

Of note:

Phylis Wilson wrote a thought provoking blog about the fallacies of immigrating to a new land. She hit the nail right on the head, when she explained the difficulties that immigrants face, while trying to get ahead in a new country. It is very difficult leaving ones homeland to struggle for years trying to assimilate into a new society, it is often times tougher than back in their homelands.

Water For Life

It is amazing, the thought of my mom raising six boys and two girls. When I contemplate such a feat of strength and resilience, I marvel at her ability to run a household. My mom is one of many St Lucian women who make daily survival, seem like everyday living. Most of us only realize in hindsight what it difficulties of raising children and running a household. When we grow up and have families of our own and we become fathers and mothers, we become quite enlightened however. Our women have shown an inspiring ability to overcome obstacles with grace. Just imagine having to run a household with so many children. Now for good measure throw in the occasional unforeseen circumstances, such as an illness, a school trip or a water shortage. Sometimes when there was a water shortage in my community moms planed a family trip to the river.

Whenever there was a water shortage, conservation measures were put into effect and the taps would be shut off intermittently. Until the reservoirs were replenished, we would have to find other ways of accommodating our water necessities which sometimes meant a trip to the river. That was usually the highlight of my weekend. Going to the river was the best fun a kid could have, and of course that meant a welcome respite from the heat, it is one childhood pastime that most kids growing up in rural St Lucia, have enjoyed at one time or another.

The present,” water woes”, though not a new occurrence, should remind us of the importance of water to our survival. Many of us are familiar with the statement “Water is Life”; I believe it was famously used in an advertisement for water conservation in St Lucia. It is catchy yet poignant. water is life it is essential to our survival,we take it for granted and may only realize it is a necessity, when it is to late.

The statement "Water is Life" aptly highlights the crux of the matter, the importance of water to our very existence. That very water which as kids seemed so abundant and plentiful is no longer. Although there have been times of droughts or even water shortages in time past,we must however acknowledge that, we are living unattainably. We have an unsustainable approach to our water management in St Lucia and it is reflective in the fact that Streams have begun to dry up and rivers have shrunk and now we are grappling with climate change. Soon we may not have those rivers to fall back on when the pipes run dry.

As a child we splashed and played in the rivers and streams in St Lucia. I remember we would make boats out of old coconut shell and watch them sail downstream. At rimes we would pretend to wage battles with sailing fleets of coconut shells and at times we just raced each other, running alongside the swift flowing streams following our boats. There was always more things do than there was time at the river.

The excitement of being outdoors and having fun had no bounds and it freed up our imaginations and sense of adventure. We would use the time to go hunting for crayfish. If you were brave and was willing to put your hand under a rock, after a few scrapes and cuts you might come out with a really nice, big fat crayfish. Sticking your hand under a rock, to catch a crayfish was not for the faint of heart and most people never tried it. A few of the older boys however sometimes, pulled out monsters from under the rocks, the size of a small lobster, mind you not without a fight.

There was one other way that the younger kids used and although you only caught smaller crayfish about the size of prawns it was fun too. You only needed to submerge a bucket into the water and using a piece of coconut flesh at the end of a stick, slowly coax the small crayfish into the bucket. When the crayfish was into the bucket you would simply, quickly lift the bucket out of the water. It may sound simple but it took some practice and crawfish are notoriously quick at darting backwards, getting out of your intended trap.

It is unfortunate however, because many of those tiny streams have dried up. Agriculture was a boon to St Lucia but it precipitated substantial deforestation, especially around rivers and streams. So in some way we a reaping the seeds we have sown. It is not however too late and we can start to redress the situation. A tree planting program is a compulsory measure, in order to line all streams and rivers with trees. But we require a fully comprehensive approach to Water sustainability in St Lucia.

We have gotten to this point over many years of callous mismanagement of our water resources. Having arrived at this juncture, we can approach the situation as if it were, the last trumpet heralding the call to arms. This is essentially our last opportunity to nurture, preserve and conserve our water resource, in order to secure, good clean water supplies for us all, in the near term and into the future.

Desalination plants, Artesian wells. Tree replanting programs, Mangrove rehabilitation projects, manufacturing regulations and a comprehensive water management strategy, a few ideas we could start with. But for sure we need workable solutions to a comprehensive problem. The good news is that we have an opportunity to make a green shift, a shift towards a more environmentally friendly future. The Copenhagen Hagen Conference, on Climate Change, even with no other concrete outcome should keep us focused on the dire consequences of environmental mismanagement; the drought only serves to further emphasize that fact.

Water conservation is one issue that conservationist have pointed to being, the most pertinent issue facing the survival of life on this planet. It is not unique to St Lucia, although at this present moment, we find ourselves facing a very difficult few months before the rains arrive. It is a well known fact that “Small Island States” are at the vanguard of the effects of climate change. We are experiencing that reality.

The time has arrived for us to leave a sustainably and consider our impact on the planet we live on. From that standpoint; we must take measures that will ensure our children enjoy the world as we have. Let us ensure that we conserve this precious resource “Water” which is so essential to life and in so doing let us focus on our ecological environment, “Mama Earth is hurting”. I would like my children to enjoy the heart warming feelings experienced, from a quaint trip to the river and I hope that it is enjoyed by many more generations to come. Each of us has an individual responsibility and must play our part to help the planet live.

Divide and Rule

I hated Monday mornings, not because of the hangover from enjoying the spirit of St Lucia, a little too much, but also because it was the day before banana day. That meant that I had to run around all day long, getting ready for another early Tuesday Banana harvest morning. Oh yes by the way I said “Banana Day”, yep it was literally a full day’s work which ended in an early morning ride back from the wharfs. But back to the day before banana day, Monday mornings, when I had to drive from Micoud to Praslin getting ready for the next day’s work, affectionately referred to by the workers as” La fetes de Bourick “. A Creole saying which when translated literally means “The feast of the donkey”. You may infer a great deal from that statement, least of which could be, that the grueling physical nature of the work, on harvest day, was not to pleasing to the workers’. But I digress because my original intention was to highlight what I saw on my drive to the Banana Boxing Plant and that is the entwined destiny of the individual communities which i passed on my way. And yet at the same time I marveled at their separateness’ and apparent individuality.

“Divide and rule” an age old strategy utilized by the Romans in their conquests and the Europeans conquering of Africa. It sometimes seems to me that there still exist marked divisions between communities in St Lucia and I sometimes wonder whether this is partly because of slavery. I have come to believe that such a tribal mentality has slowly changed for the better over time and we have evolved into more social beings, able to form consensus across divisions. So my morning ride would take me first to Micoud, where I would pick up card board frames, which would be made into boxes in which the bananas would be packed into for export. On my way to Micoud I would have to decide whether to put gas in the vehicle either in Mon Repos or in Micoud, a choice which illustrated the division between communities.

I had a choice between stopping at the intersection of Mon repos road and the highway or choices between four different gas stations in Micoud. Come to think of it the competition must have been fierce. On my way to Micoud I usually refuelled at the first stop which was usually the Mon Repos Gas station. After refuelling I would head out to get the material needed for harvest day. On my way back from the boxing plant in Micoud I would probably make a stop off in Micoud to pick up one of the famous Dahl Puris, with peas stuffing and wash it down with a local soft drink, champagne or cream soda flavoured.

Malgratoute was a must stop on the days when I could pick up some fresh fruit, mangoes, plantain, even some roast pork. It was difficult to stop for too long because I had to get back on the road there was work to be done. Back on the road again and at the intersection of St Marie and La Pointe road, one would have to slow down because it was a blind corner and many people used it as a crossing point. Thank goodness for the lovely lady who protected and ensured that the school children crossed safely on mornings and afternoons. I would turn right into La Pointe and go pick up a friend to help me glue and transport the boxes to the farm.
If I had the time and the road was good I could either go through St Marie or Knockay Avenue to get to Lumbard, but that would take more time although the route through St Marie is very beautiful. But since I had picked up all I needed in Micoud I would not have had to go up to Lumbard, which had a banana input depot too, unless I found some excuse to go up the hill, probably to say hi to a friend. Praslin was the last community that I would pass through on my way to the farm, I enjoyed stopping off here. I often times bought fresh fish for my Mom and if I was lucky and coaxed one of the fisher men to give me a few extra crabs, octopus or maybe some lobster, my day would be made.

Driving through Micoud north with its diverse community there was always so much to enjoy and appreciate. There is one thing that I have always found surprising and it is that there seems to be a strong polarization between communities. It is almost like they are competing against each other. It is quite ironic since we are all on this small rock and reside in even smaller communities. I do believe that with time things have changed, but yet the more they change the more they remain the same somehow.

It’s like, there ounce were seven sisters who could never agree. Individually they each were strong, beautiful and witty, but together they would be so much more. They always disagreed and because of their constant disagreement they never got anything done. Micoud, Malgratoute, Patience, La.Pointe, Lumbard, Mon Repos and Praslin. It seems that there is a constant infighting and bickering within communities and most definitely across communities. It is tribal, it is family, it is North, South, East West, yet we found a way to survive for so many years together on this land. Don’t be shackled to a mentality that prevents you from dealing amicably with your fellow men and women, to divide and rule is their only plan.