4 Vincentian historians commissioned by the federal government to doc the nation’s historical past have accomplished and offered the manuscript of the primary official quantity, overlaying occasions as much as 1838 and the abolition of slavery.
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Drs. Adrian Fraser, Michael Dennie, Arnold Thomas, and Cleve Scott handed over the work to Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves on Monday. The federal government plans to publish the ebook by Oct. 27, in time for the nation’s forty sixth independence anniversary.
The mission marks the primary time a complete nationwide historical past of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) might be made accessible to the general public. In line with Scott, the staff — drawn from totally different generations and assembly frequently over a number of years — got down to inform the tales of “actual flesh and blood folks” fairly than rely solely on statistics. Amongst them are accounts of ladies in Truthful Corridor who waged a decades-long marketing campaign to burn an property, and Nelly Ibo, an enslaved lady from Mayreau who killed a planter.
Scott mentioned the ebook challenges conventional labels, referring to the 18th-century conflicts because the First and Second Wars for Sovereignty fairly than the First and Second Carib Wars. The introduction additionally highlights distinctive cultural markers — from the worldwide recognition earned by Kevin Lyttle’s 2003 hit “Flip Me On” to the native phrase “backside foot” — and goals to foster nationwide satisfaction.
Dennie emphasised the resilience of Vincentians, noting that their resistance to colonial powers spanned three centuries, making SVG the final battlefield within the Caribbean’s battle in opposition to European domination. Thomas pointed to SVG’s distinctive historical past with slavery, which turned entrenched later than in different territories and served as a refuge for runaways from Barbados for over a century.
Fraser’s contribution particulars the transition from slavery to freedom, together with acts of resistance throughout the apprenticeship interval, comparable to widespread arson. He famous that inside 15 years of emancipation, many villages had been established by freed folks, laying the groundwork for contemporary SVG.
The historians at the moment are turning their consideration to the second quantity, which is able to chronicle the nation’s journey from emancipation by way of the constructing of a post-slavery society.
