CARIBBEAN NEWS
Volume 2, No. 7
September 2004
KINGSTON, JAMAICA (BBC/CARIBBEAN-9/11/04)- Hurricane Ivan is pounding Jamaica with relentless strong winds and torrential rains as it continues its path of destruction across the Caribbean. There are reports of widespread damage including roofs ripped off, utility poles down, heavy flooding and impassable roads.
As daylight came, people could see the devastation all around them. Mountainous seas lashed the coast, sending walls of water into the streets of coastal towns. Flying debris was being blown as heavy rains continue to fall.
About 500,000 had to be evacuated from coastal villages along the island’s south and south-western coasts as the track of the storm tracked a few miles offshore. The strong winds and rains have caused many landslides and several areas are without electricity.
The storm is expected to dump 8-12 inches of rain and bring storm surge of 5-8 feet above normal There are eyewitness reports of waves up to 25 feet pounding parts of the south-west coast. Hurricane experts said that the ferocious storm had wobbled toward the west, sparing Jamaica a direct hit. (Editor’s note: This story came across the wire as we were going to press.) Pato's note- To help in the Jamaica relief effort go to: www.jahworks.org.
ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA (BBC- 9/8/04)- Grenada is in chaos and there are reports of widespread looting after Hurricane Ivan scored a direct hit on the island killing at least 4 people and knocking out water, electricity and telecommunications. There is widespread destruction in the city area. Some parts of the island are totally cut off and a number of villages are totally destroyed.
Prime Minister Keith Mitchell has declared a national disaster and said the main priorities would be to get communications up and running and ensure all citizens had food and shelter.
Schools, shelters and the main hospital lost roofs. Radio is off air because the broadcasting towers have been destroyed.
Teams from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Relief Agency (CDERA) are headed for Grenada.
In St. Vincent & The Grenadines, there have been no deaths reported, but many injuries and a lot of property damage. It is reported some 120 houses lost their roofs, as well as the hospital. A resort on Palm Island lost its jetty so that not even boats can go to the island.
UPDATE-(BBC-9/9/04)- Caribbean troops are being sent to Grenada to help restore order. At least 15 people have died in the region.
Following reports of widespread looting and prisoners on the loose after Grenada’s 17th century prison was destroyed, military officials in Barbados said 60 soldiers were on the way to St. George’s to help police there- 30 from Barbados, 15 from St. Kitts and 15 from Antigua. Dominica is sending 17 police officers.
Grenadian Prime Minister Keith Mitchell said that 90% of the country has been devastated and that there was hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.
The United States declared Grenada a disaster area, allowing the immediate release of $50,000 for emergency relief. Major supermarkets in Trinidad & Tobago have come together to send food supplies and water to Grenada while leading regional banks are working to put in place an assistance fund.
The CDERA said the British naval vessel HMS Richmond is assisting the Grenada Broadcasting Network with establishing an emergency transmitter. They also restored power to the hospital and restocked it with medical supplies from its own stores.
Nine of every ten buildings are damaged or destroyed. Virtually every school and church in the capital as well as the police station are destroyed. There is no water, no electricity and very limited cell phone coverage.
The Dutch islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao that were expecting to be hit by Hurricane Ivan have largely been spared.
UPDATE:(ARAWAKROOTS NEWS- 9/17/04)- The Grenada Hurricane Relief effort is underway! This report came to us from Margaret Williams, a teacher in Grenada, and is reprinted verbatim:
Greetings and Blessings- My name is Peggy Williams and I am writing to share the plight of the West Indian nation of Grenada in the wake of Hurricane Ivan. Grenada is home to over 20,000 people claiming Rastafari. It is a small island of less than 100,000 inhabitants, therefore about 1/4 of the population is Rasta. The island was decimated by Ivan on Sept. 7. 95% of all structures are destroyed and approximately 60,000 people have been left homeless. There are no schools left standing. To date, power and water have not been restored outside St. George's town proper. In fact, yesterday was the first distribution of food rations by the government. My husband is Grenadian and I am American. We live and work (both teachers) in Grenada. However, we returned to America on Sept. 14 to launch a fund raising campaign to support the relief effort, as it is estimated that schools in the country will not re-open for 6 months to 1-year. In addition, the conditions are so despairing, as food and water supplies are non-existent and sanitary conditions are deplorable that immediate as well as a sustained long-term commitment to rebuilding will be necessary.
It is our goal to raise $1 million in support of the disaster relief and rebuilding process. We are making an appeal to our bredren and sistren, particularly reggae artists world-wide, to join with us in this fight for I&I People. If your heart is moved to participate with us, please contact me at (530) 887-1433 or marawilliams_grenada@hotmail.com. Blessings, Peggy Williams.
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS&CAICOS (AP-9/1/04)- Hundreds of islanders fled to higher ground as Hurricane Frances hit the Caribbean nation with damaging winds and stinging rains. The powerful storm was taking aim at the Bahamas, where residents scurried to buy supplies.
Frances was already a dangerous Category 4 storm, its 140-mph winds bolstered by even stronger gusts. The storm moved over the Turks & Caicos, drenching the islands. Power was knocked out on Grand Turk Island, with power lines and trees down. Emergency workers rescued one woman after the roof of her house blew off.
There were no immediate reports of serious injury as the island’s government urged inhabitants to evacuate and move to shelters. But most of the island’s 20,000 people were ignoring the call.
Structural damage was already being reported on the territory’s low-lying islands, where many houses are either wooden or have tin roofs. Residents were flocking to schools for shelter in Providenciales, the main population and commercial center of the Turks & Caicos, located about 140 miles north of Hispaniola.
LUQUILLO, PUERTO RICO (AP-9/1/04)- Hurricane Frances brushed Puerto Rico with pounding surf and blustery winds as its powerful vortex swirled offshore on a path for the Bahamas. Many Puerto Ricans remained closed up in their homes and prepared to ride out the winds and rains on the fringes of the hurricane.
Though little damage was expected, many offices and schools closed. The hurricane prompted tropical storm warnings for Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands and the north coast of the Dominican Republic. Hurricane warnings were posted for the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands.
ST. THOMAS, VIRGIN ISLANDS (VI DAILY NEWS- 9/1/04)- Once the fringes of Hurricane Frances blew through the Virgin Islands, it appeared to have saved its fury for somewhere else. Even as the storm’s center sat 140 miles north of St. Thomas with winds blowing at Category 4 strength, the most the islands saw was an occasional thunderstorm accompanied by strong gusts of wind.
At Cyril King Airport, only 1/10 of an inch of rain fell and the highest sustained winds reported were 32 mph. However, amounts and speed were higher on other parts of St. Thomas and on St. John.
ST. VINCENT&THE GRENADINES(BBC-8/15/04)- People were forced to evacuate their homes as Tropical Storm Earl unleashed heavy rains and violent winds that felled trees and tore off at least 2 roofs in islands of the eastern Caribbean.
In Grenada, several hundred people fled their homes in low-lying areas and moved to shelters set up in schools. In St. Vincent & The Grenadines, officials said roofs were blown off at least 2 homes, banana crops were damaged and some residents fled for shelters.
Earl’s winds also knocked down trees and power lines in Tobago, for a time cutting power to almost the entire island.
HAVANA, CUBA (BBC-8/13/04)- Cuban authorities are investigating the deaths of 3 people during the passage of Hurricane Charley. They gave no details but civil defense officials said 4 other people were injured. The hurricane pounded the capital with heavy rain and high winds.
Electricity and gas were cut prior to the hurricane’s passage for safety reasons and it could take a couple of weeks to restore those services. Tens of thousands of workers have been mobilised in the clean up.
ST. THOMAS, V.I. (VI DAILY NEWS-8/14/04)- A federal grand jury has indicted Sen. Carlton Dowe on charges of stealing money from the V.I. government. Specifically, Dowe is charged with using a wire fraud scheme to swindle the government out of over $75,000.
The 2-count indictment charges that Dowe, while he was V.I. Fire Service Director from 1995 to 1999, concocted and engaged in a scheme to submit a fraudulent claim for back pay. It also charges that Dowe managed the scheme by deceiving a Fire Service accountant and later coaxing the accountant to lie to investigators when they examined the transactions.
The maximum penalty for wire fraud is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Dowe is the first senator in the Legislature’s 50-year history to be indicted on federal criminal charges while in office.
“I am innocent of all charges filed,” Dowe said in a statement faxed to the media.
Dowe was not arrested, fingerprinted or photographed. Instead the U.S. Attorney’s Office issued a written summons for him to appear in court.
HOLGUIN, CUBA (AP-8/15/04)- The water shortage caused by the recent drought here in this city of 300,000 is the area hardest hit. Surrounding towns in Holguin Province and the eastern provinces of Camaguey and Las Tunas have also suffered.
Yucca, banana and sugarcane crops have withered away, spiking prices at local markets. Nearly 13,000 bony cows have been slaughtered this year.
Authorities went on alert in Holguin in July 2003 when rain failed to fill reservoirs. Two months later, one of the city’s 3 reservoirs dried up, then another in May when rainfall was 40% below normal.
Although things have improved lately with more frequent rain showers, it will be weeks before reservoirs and wells are replenished. Still, in Communist Cuba, social solidarity is deeply ingrained, and the few remaining people with water on their land, open wells and hoses to neighbors.
Cuba’s centralized government has reacted quickly, digging more than 100 new wells and setting up dozens of stores selling drinking water for less than a 1 cent a liter.
Holguin residents await the opening of a 34-mile pipeline from the Cauto River in southern Cuba. It will half the city’s daily needs, but it won’t reach the countryside where the economic pinch is the sharpest.
ST. JOHN, VIRGIN ISLANDS (VI DAILY NEWS-8/17/04)- V.I. police officers detained 18 illegal Haitian immigrants and 1 newborn U.S. citizen here on Aug. 15. The immigrants- 14 women and 4 men- were spotted at Trunk Bay, Maho Bay and Mongoose Junction.
As officers were taking the immigrants into custody, a man, woman and newborn baby boy with the umbilical still attached emerged from some bush. The infant’s parents were both Haitian but, because the infant was born on U.S. soil, he is automatically a citizen.
The mother and baby were transported to the clinic in good condition.
Although the infant is a U.S. citizen, his parents will likely be deported. The child will probably be sent back to Haiti with his parents, but will be able to exercise his rights as a U.S. citizen when he is older.
PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD (EXPRESS- 8/11/04)- High hot pepper prices are causing a stir among roti shops and pepper sauce manufacturers.
Chief Brand Products, one of the largest manufacturers, said its production costs have doubled in recent weeks. The company, which buys peppers from suppliers, manufactures pepper sauce daily.
The manager of Curry Massala Roti Shop in St. James said it now costs them about $500 a bag for peppers, an increase of over 100%.
A shortage, partly due to heavy rains, sent pepper prices skyrocketing- from 5 for $1 to 1 for $1 in the market. The wholesale price for a 40-lb. Bag went from $200 to $500.
SPORTS:
ATHENS, GREECE(BBC-8/13/04)- The 2-member Olympic team from St. Lucia led the athletes parade at the opening ceremony of the 28th Olympic Games. This unusual step came as the result of the idiosyncrasies of the Greek alphabet, as organizers of the ceremony decided to have teams enter the stadium in Greek alphabetical order.
In the Greek alphabet, the spelling of “Saint” begins with the letter alpha, the first letter of the alphabet. St. Lucia was placed ahead of St. Kitts because Lucia is a saint who features in the Greek Orthodox faith and Kitts does not.
Marathon runner Zepherinus Joseph carried the flag and was accompanied by swimmer Natasha Georgeos and their coaches. They marched proudly in front of 72,000 spectators and a global audience of 4 billion.
ATHENS, GREECE (BBC-8/15/04)- Puerto Rico caused a huge shock with a superb 92-73 victory over the USA in the Olympic men’s basketball event. Led by Carlos Arroyo’s 24 points, they outplayed the 3-time gold medalists throughout.
Puerto Rico’s win lit up the tournament and places a question mark on the USA’s ability to claim a 4th title in a row. Weakened by a few big name absentees but still favored for gold, the American team did come back into the match once Allen Iverson found his range. But the Puerto Rican team held on for a memorable victory.
TOTAL MEDAL COUNT FOR CARIBBEAN NATIONS AT THE 2004 OLYMPICS:
CUBA- 9 GOLD, 7 SILVER, 11 BRONZE
JAMAICA- 2 GOLD, I SILVER, 2 BRONZE
BAHAMAS- I GOLD, 1 BRONZE
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC- 1 GOLD
TRINIDAD&TOBAGO- 1 BRONZE
ENTERTAINMENT:
MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA (ARAWAKROOTS NEWS- 9/3/04)- Reggae artist Peter Broggs, most noted for his hit song “International Farmer”, suffered a stroke on August 28 and was rushed to Montego Bay Hospital. His current condition is that he is suffering paralysis on one side of his body and is unable to speak. There is a chance his condition will improve.
Noted Reggae DJ and Archivist “Postman” Roger Gilles- after a phone conversation with Colleen Colman, Peter’s partner and publicist- reports that Peter is recuperating at his home. Although still not able to speak, Peter is cognizant and there is slight improvement to his paralysis.
If you would like to help Colleen and Peter defray the costs of his hospital bills and recovery, you can e-mail her at: colleenmariecolman@yahoo.com or go to: www.peterbroggs.com.
KINGSTON, JAMAICA (OBSERVER-8/13/04)- Some of the faces may have changed over the years but there is no denying the quality or commitment of Third World to their brand of reggae music and to Jamaica. And after more than 25 years of smash hits and sold out tours they remain as electrifying as ever, still able to draw thousands of fans to the sports centre at Independence Park here for a free public concert.
The concert was payback after they missed their scheduled performance on Independence night at the Prime Minister’s Grand Gala at Jamaica House where they were slated to receive the PM’s award of excellence for their contribution to the development of Jamaican music.
The show started with an instrumental prelude featuring Herbie Harris on keyboards, drummer Tony ‘Ruption’ Williams and guitarist ‘Cat’ Coore before the unmistakable voice of William ‘Bunny Rugs’ Clarke reverberated around the high ceilings of the auditorium. The playlist included: Reggae Ambassador, How Can It Be Forbidden, and cover versions of Get Up, Stand Up and Crazy Baldheads. They also performed the much acclaimed and loved Satta Amasa Gana to beautiful African choreography by a troupe from L’Acadco. The band then launched into the scorching 96 Degrees In The Shade. The entire crowd was on their feet for the anthem, Now That We’ve Found Love.
December 27 will mark the 30th anniversary of this most enduring of reggae bands. They returned to the stage for 3 encores, following cries from the crowd of “wheel and come again.”
NEW YORK CITY, USA (OBSERVER-8/13/04)- Getting Bob Marley’s five sons involved in carrying on his musical tradition to perform together must be some feat. They had never done so before until this year’s tour billed the “Bob Marley Roots, Rock, Reggae Festival 2004". But, the California-based William Morris Agency pulled off this major coup with a 23-date tour, which culminates in California in early September.
The Marley brothers made their stop at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, where 10,000 fans saw a 6-hour concert that also featured a stirring performance by Toots & The Maytals.
Ziggy, Stephen, Julian, Damian and Ky-mani greeted the audience with ‘Roots,Rock,Reggae’, then Ziggy fronted ‘Punky Reggae Party’. Ky-mani introduced himself with ‘Heathen’ with Julian fronting ‘Natty Dread’ next. If there was one Marley on stage a straitjacket could not hold down, it was “Junior Gong”, the 26 year-old christened Damian Robert Nesta Marley. His stylings for the most part were not Bob’s lyrics, but in no way did he seem out of place at a performance that was an ode to his father.
The Marley 5 exuded quintessential happiness on stage for an hour and a half that naturally transcended into the tightly spaced crowd. It was a night of partying and love as exemplified in ‘Jammin’ and ‘Is This Love’ as the brothers joined arm in arm for their final 2 numbers.
BOOKS:
Title: RASTAFARI The New Creation, 5th Edition
Author: Barbara Makeda Blake Hannah
Publisher: Jamaica Media Productions Ltd.
Now in its 5th edition, each revision being updated with new information and insights, this latest version has a section on the phenomena of “White Rastas”.
The author herself is an ardent member of the movement and has practical experience as journalist, author, broadcaster and filmmaker. She also served as an independent senator in Jamaica from 1984-87.
There is no question that the Rastafarian Movement has had a considerable impact first on Jamaican society and subsequently- through the influence of Bob Marley and reggae music- worldwide. The impact of “Rasta”, has been seen in a number of areas of human experience: dress code (dreadlocks, body as sacred vessel, wearing of red, gold and green, etc.), speech (Irie, I-Man, I&I, Ital, One-Love, Babylon, etc.), music (protest, Africa, the Holy Herb, etc) and beliefs. The author argues that Rastafari is a ‘religion in evolution’, and philosophical discourse is continually changing it as it grows in size and knowledge. The crowning of a black king in Ethiopia was seen as a direct fulfillment of several Biblical prophecies: “He shall come through the lineage of Solomon and sit on David’s throne.”(Acts2:9), “He shall come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”(Rev.19:16), “He shall come as the Lion of Judah.” (Rev.5:5). The movement saw this event in 1930, with the crowning of Haile Selassie in Ethiopia as “The King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah.”, as a manifestation of God as a black king.
A concern that the author notes is the lack of unity of the Rastafarian Movement. There is no recognition of the Jamaican Rastafarians by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and the stated position of Haile Selassie as a faithful believer in Christ and not accepting worship must be taken into account. Enlightened debate would be a useful direction to follow.
This book, at just over 140 pages, has many illustrations and seeks to articulate the major philosophical beliefs of the Rastafari. These valuable insights come from the pen of a well-known and respected practitioner. As such, it is useful to the curious onlooker as well as the serious researcher.
Many thanks to the JAMAICA OBSERVER for this review.
