On Saturday 30th May the University of the West Indies installed its new Vice-Chancellor, the Barbadian professor of History and former Pro-Vice Chancellor and Principal of the Cave Hill Campus.
The event was held at the newly constructed Usain BOLT gymnasium at the Barbados Campus of UWI and was witnessed by a large cross section of the Caribbean academic community as well as the Prime Ministers of the Bahamas, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados.
In addition to his well-known academic work on Caribbean Economic History Sir Hilary Beckles is also chairman of the CARICOM reparations Committee which is seeking to bring a lawsuit against Britain and other European countries for reparations for the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery in the Caribbean.
In recognition of his great interest in the reparations question Anthony “Gaby” Carter was specially commissioned to create a musical work entitled “reparations” for the ceremony.
The organizing Committee chose three highly respected performers in the Caribbean to perform the work as the final item for the installation ceremony. The Performers chosen were Mighty Gabby of Barbados, OPHELIA of Dominica and Ibo Cooper from Jamaica, former member of the famous reggae group Third World.
The song is expected to be recorded by the tree performers for release later this year.
OPHELIA is a graduate of the UWI Cave Hill Campus and also the recipient of the Musical Trailblazer Award from the institution.
I wonder if Blacks know that they are the original every thing else is the copy. Why are letting every body feed , clothe, teach, and lead us . My grand father taught me its better to be dead than to be un taught. We can e from kings and Queens , we came from the richest continent , , why cans we solve our own problems. We were never beggers , did we become stupid because of Religion. I need answers from the university of the westindes.
If you study world politics , from the beginning the American fort the British to be free, they say I did not leave England to come over here and say God save the Queens. I am not going to work any more for any one in England. They had a civil war to get freedom. They say give me Liberty or Death they did not ask for help. Dominicans have to say and do the same thing, let us suffer and fall flat on our faces down the road we will succeed send the Chinese home like they did with the Americans 50 yrs ago look at China today. We must win ourselves from that dope which is called begging and sining for our supper. Both parties are beggers thats what we learn under the British. Very few answers to our problems over here. Just fight about what people are not doing for us.
I am here to find answers and I dont know it all I need help. Skerritt and Linton and we all went to the same school .The British system which leave us proffesional beggers. The world bank and the I.m.f. must tell us what to do because we dont know. We must study all countries and all systems. The British did not give us a plan, none of us have one, even the ones who attend university’s. What made America great? From the beginning they had a plan, we have all that Land what do we do with it , we try the indians they are dying on us , lets go to Africa bring the Africans over work them for food change their names and religion over time will own their minds. And even today they think and act like us. We keep the money and they serve us. Our problem started when they say we were free to go and they ask us what do we want we should say nothing, by now we would be able to take care of our selves. They keep us depending on them to feed us and create jobs for us. We will remain beggers…
Where you have a Black population they say the same thing. Preachers all over the world tell their people their faith is not strong enough just keep on praying. The problems with Drugs is the same thing like export all you minerals and money overseas to people who dont have any interest in your well being. Take control of your natural resourses and your mind you will be able to provide for your self and family you will drink less and take less drugs. Dominica is number four in the world for Drunks you do have a problem it easy to see why you have so much parrot you depend to much on Government to solve your problems cut it out , think of how to create wealth Drugs will have no part in your life. Stop making excuses about there is no jobs you are distroying your self forever. Dope addicts are useless to them selves and the world. If you dont fix this problem dominica is finished
About Drugs , every where the British left us , we either have Drunks or Dope addicts. Also the french , and Americans. We have to ask our selves why. Go back to the Education they gave us, what did they teach us to do , depend on them for every thing do you think they are going to give us the answer no. People fight with me over here to be free to sent their money over seas instead of keeping it home. AboutDrugs we approach it just like we give our money to strangers. Where is the Drugs coming from who is brining it to Dominica? Why are we taking it. What are we getting from it Death. Who is going to help us , you have people saying the Government is not doing nothing to give us jobs what are we doing to create jobs for our selves nothing. If you notice we are waiting for some one to help us and tell us what to do. We are killing our selves and our kids all we say we have no jobs one has to do what he or she have to do all over the world where you have a Black population they all say
Let me start with the prime Minister and minister Linton the both guys should own farms or big chicken houses on week ends they should have a summer house on their farms and give people in their area jobs. Bush have a ranch with 1700- areas of land . Former President of Nigeria owns one of the biggest farms in Nigeria he employes hundreds of people . The former prime minister of Australia , Greece and many other countries own farms. In Dominica we are Agriculture Skerritt should lead the way so the people can follow, you just cannot just talk. On weekends every Dominicans should do something on the farm. If you dont have land the government should make land available its your land and your country. The British left the crown land for you. You better do some thing with it before they claim it back.
We are not poor stop saying poor island state , what are our people doing in Antigua thats so dry with nothing, why dont they come back home, they are over there cleaning after rich people they are never going to make it. What are they doing in Guadelope nothing living in slums, what are they doing in the Bronx not much no one over seas will get rich just enough to buy a house some of them come down with big gold chains around their necks for carnival cheaper clothes and cheap rotton chicken. Every body come back home we have over 300 rivers flowing in the ocean come and look for market your self and sell the water we have every thing we need. What do we own in these countries we dont even sell what we eat we buy every thing from the Korean all we do is talk about what blue and red is not doing but what are we doing to help our self I would rather suffer in dominica than ny city or canada. Dominicans dont even have a grocery store in Toranto what are you people doing overs servants to
We have enough land to supply the whole Caribean with Chicken and pigs , it doesn’t take a lot of people to do that. All the single Mothers in the Villages set of farms where they raise Animals and sell it to the slaughter house they can plant organic vegatables to sell to Hotels. Government teach them how to set up corporatives and give them training to run busineses together. Forget who is blue or red all we need is green. Don’t give them free money it does any body no good. Teach people how to make their own money. Grand Bay should have full employment, Grand Bay have so much beautiful they alone can supply chicken and pigs to the slaughter house Grand Bay people should not be begging. Better trained fishermen can catch all the fish for export, pineapple juice factory , cottage water water comparigot and Wesley fish bananas yams plantain, every village produce something
South City every Dominican should be bottling and selling water we should have our own boat, we have something the world need water, we have good soil we have the best coffee in the world . Europeans and Americans are addicted to that bitter drink, so let us supply them with the best coffee they do not grow it cocoa the same thing they love chocolate. The Arabs have oil we have good soil and water the small population is good for us we do not need to many people to ship our water. I say tell the Government don’t let foreign people come in to control our liquid gold .Dominicans must sell it and control it. Every body over seas should come back and create their own company. We are not poor we are not thinking right. We should stop begging now we don’t need to. Where are our people we send to university they were trained to serve others we have to do what they do in Singapore its easy stop the politics. I am talking from experience as a farmer in sailsbury I never beg any Government…
South city at some point we have to wake up Team Red , and team Blue have to wake up. Every big job in Dominica goes to foreign people. After 50 yrs of Education you mean we don’t have any body to draw a plan for Roseau. The cost is $2.1 million it goes to Barbados again. Their is a White Bajan called williams that went to the University of the westindes , he builds most walls and roads in the Caribean, in the tune of millions, the Blacks went to the same school why are they not getting the big jobs. Did they receive different education. His company is William construction company. Ace is begging for jobs I don’t care if he is Blue , we do have a problem of self hate. We have a 30 room motel in portsmouth we are looking for foreign people to manage it we all are in sane we have to wake up we are not poor we are stupid.
Congratulations Ophelia yet another opportunity to make Dominica proud. May the Lord richly bless you.
Well Sah Allyuh Read this Comment; If u all did Please take you all time and Re Read Such a Positive Comment Give Thanks to Our Farmers for Enlightenment.
Change the old British model that keeps the children begging for jobs or shut the university down. Change the way you teach caribean children , you teach them to serve others and quote shakespear and not how to create wealth for them selves and the region. How long it is going to take you to get smart. Show me one student after1952 who went to the university of the westindes that own a Bank and construction company, Hotel that employes 100 people. The university is useless if you don’t produce people to create job and move the caribean forward all you do is create proffesional beggers
Salisbury farmer, our people do not want to hear the truth. If we don’t change our mindset, we will be eternal slaves.
HOTEP