“The Black mental, the Black educational should connect himself to the exercise of the Black lots.”- Dr. Walter Rodney.
The 26th annual Walter Rodney Lecture was held on October 24, 2024 on the Mona Campus of the College of the West Indies. The yearly lecture which has develop into an integral a part of the UWI calendar of occasions was hosted by the Institute of Caribbean Research (ICS) and the Reggae Research Unit, each within the College of Humanities and Training.
Professor Donna Hope was among the many lecturers who introduced greetings. Professor Hope said that it was vital that college students be launched to Dr. Rodney to be able to perceive the significance of this sort of activism and the affect it had and continues to be having not solely on the Jamaican society however the wider Caribbean. The professor added that Dr. Rodney performed a vital half within the interval of transformation that occurred within the Caribbean area particularly because it pertains to id and extra particularly the id of black folks.
Dr. Dave Gosse, senior lecturer within the Institute of Caribbean Research introduced that the College of the West Indies will proceed to combat for the complete clearing of Dr. Rodney’s identify and for numerous sorts of initiatives concerning reparatory justice for the household of the late educational. Dr. Gosse outlined three rules that guided Dr. Rodney’s advocacy and activism. These have been: his relentless pursuit for equality for all, his mental braveness and his deep love of Caribbean folks. Dr. Gosse commented that Rodney’s work remodeled Caribbean thought in direction of international actions in direction of international justice and equality.
Dr. Gosse ended his cost by declaring that we should suppose critically and act decisively because the journey continues for the liberation of our folks. But, whereas liberation is true for a set of Caribbean folks, regrettably there are various in Jamaica and the broader Caribbean who proceed to face injustices of all types each day.
In what may be seen as troubling regarding advocacy are those that connect with who their platforms to oppress others and this ought to be known as out for what it’s. What about these staff who’ve been denied commerce union illustration, whose working situations are unacceptable and who’re residing under the poverty line? Who will tackle the spirit of a Dr. Walter Rodney in 2024 and champion the rights of the working class? Who shall be that voice for the unvoiced within the Caribbean area? In her welcoming remarks, Professor Silvia Kouwenberg, dean of the College of Humanities and Training reminded the gathering that phrases similar to social justice, activism and revolution are nonetheless as related in the present day as they have been in 1968 and 1982.
Activist, Black Scholar & Historian
Walter Anthony Rodney was born in Guyana on March 23, 1942. He was foremost a black Pan-Africanist and educational who was involved with the welfare of the working class, not solely in his homeland of Guyana but additionally in Jamaica. Walter Rodney was a number one Caribbean thinker who used his scholarship to uplift his fellowmen. He was from a humble working- class background. The Walter Rodney Basis states that Walter Rodney attended Queen’s Faculty, the highest male highschool in Guyana, and in 1960 graduated first in his class, successful an open scholarship to the College of the West Indies (UWI).
He pursued his undergraduate research at UWI Mona Campus in Jamaica, the place he graduated with 1st class honors in Historical past in 1963. Rodney then attended the Faculty of Oriental and African Research in London the place, on the age of 24, he obtained his PhD with honors in African Historical past. Rodney’s thesis, A Historical past of the Higher Guinea Coast, was revealed by Oxford College Press in 1970. Most of us know of Walter Rodney by his seminal work, ‘How Europe Underdeveloped Africa’.
Rodney travelled extensively and have become very well-known globally as an activist, scholar and formidable orator. He taught on the College of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania throughout the interval 1966-67 and later in Jamaica at his alma mater UWI Mona. Rodney was penetratingly vital of the center class for its position within the post-independence Caribbean. He was additionally a powerful critic of capitalism and argued for a socialist improvement template.
The Rodney Riots
In October of 1968 Walter Rodney attended a Black Writers Convention in Montreal, Canada from October 11-14. Rodney’s presentation was entitled “Assertion of the Jamaican State of affairs”. Upon touchdown in Jamaica at 2:20 pm on October 15, 1968 Walter Rodney was declared persona non grata by the Hugh Shearer led Jamaica Labour Celebration (JLP) authorities and denied re- entry into Jamaica. Prime Minister, Hugh Shearer, accused Rodney of being ‘on the centre of plots and plans to advertise a Castro-type revolution in Jamaica.’ Walter Rodney was additionally dismissed from his put up (lecturer in African historical past) on the College of the West Indies, Mona. The choice by the then authorities sparked a broadly supported demonstration on the Mona Campus of the College of the West Indies that morphed into what turned referred to as the Rodney Riots.
Early on October 16, 1968 the UWI Mona Campus primarily based college students marched in help of their beloved lecturer. The response from the safety forces was predictable. The Mona campus of the College of the West Indies was barricaded by the safety forces to be able to forestall additional motion, till college students returned to lessons on October 23. Rastafarians and disaffected youths from the town’s poorest areas joined the protest. Demonstrators clashed with police, blocked roads, set fireplace to buses, and looted companies.
The police finally quashed the protest. A number of individuals died or have been injured throughout the riots. Protests towards Rodney’s exclusion unfold to different UWI campuses in addition to to Caribbean pupil communities and supporters in Ottawa, Canada and London in the UK. Rodney may be described as an on the bottom educational Pan- Africanist activist, who took the time to speak with and have interaction constructively with probably the most weak and oppressed within the society. The yr 1968 was globally vital. There was the assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy in June of 1968.
Additionally the assassination of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King who was main the combat for the rights of African Individuals should be considered because it pertains to the activism that the UWI Mona college students confirmed at the moment. Moreover, Rodney’s affect on the US Black Energy Motion can’t be discounted. The precise significance of the ‘Rodney riots’ went past calls for for his reinstatement on the Mona Campus of the College of the West Indies. The rise of a tradition of black consciousness and id among the many working class undoubtedly are among the many enduring legacies.
Governance Impacting Social Change
It’s essential that we interrogate the historic previous and evaluate this with the now in up to date societies in order to completely perceive the dynamics of enslavement and emancipation. The Caribbean shares a historical past of enslavement and colonialization. In reality, many nations within the area regardless of their political independence haven’t severed all ties with their colonial previous. Inside the post-slavery societies there are remnants of an oppressive previous that proceed to oppress the lots by numerous branches of presidency.
The late former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Eric Williams maybe says it finest, “democracy means duty of the Authorities to its residents, the safety of the residents from the train of arbitrary energy and the violation of human freedoms and particular person rights.” Among the many questions that must be requested is whether or not or not Prime Minister Hugh Shearer and his authorities have been additionally victims of the legacies of slavery and colonialism? In 1968, Jamaica was merely 6 years into political independence. The society was deeply divided alongside social lessons with the Black lots very a lot deprived economically, socially and politically.
The enduring legacies of slavery and colonialism are nonetheless very a lot a part of the social material of the Jamaican society. The Jamaica society continues to grapple with a way of black id; that is seen in amongst different issues the persevering with policing of black hair and pores and skin bleaching. In reality, these within the society who present extra Eurocentric options are assumed to be extra mental than their dark-skinned counterparts. Then again, the instructing of historical past training continues to be non-obligatory for therefore a lot of our college students thus making a vacuum of black consciousness inside the society. Is there an pressing want for a revision of the Caribbean Secondary Training Certificates (CSEC) historical past curriculum to incorporate the examine of Walter Rodney given his affect on post-independent Caribbean societies?
Past October 1968: Does Activism Matter?
The visitor speaker on the 26th annual Walter Rodney Lecture was Professor Trevor Munroe who spoke on the subject” Past October 1968: Does Activism Matter?
Professor Munroe pronounced that Rodney’s seminal work, “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” strengthens the inspiration for reparatory justice. Among the many manifestations of injustices highlighted by Professor Munroe have been the prosecution of Rastafarians in 1963 in Coral Gardens in St. James, the mass dismissal of staff of the then authorities owned Jamaica Broadcasting Company (JBC) and the low wages and poor working situations amongst staff. Professor Munroe talked about that Dr. Rodney didn’t confine his educational brilliance to the ‘Ivory Tower’ of the College of the West Indies. As an alternative, Rodney would interact the lots wherever they have been to be discovered.
Professor Munroe said that Dr. Rodney introduced the findings of his analysis to the deprived and uncertified within the society to be able to propel the method of emancipation from psychological slavery. Professor Munroe argued that Rodney pursued his advocacy to be able to critique, expose, reject concepts and philosophies, insurance policies and programmes, attitudes and conduct, values and cultures imposed by slavery and colonialism and disseminated by put up impartial training in any respect ranges and by different technique of socialization together with the media which assist to maintain the lots in a subordinate place.
After all, this form of advocacy and activism by Rodney was very unsettling for the Jamaican authorities of the day ensuing within the unlucky occasions of 1968.
Positive factors from Activism
Professor Munroe outlined among the vital features made on account of Rodney’s activism not solely in Jamaica however the wider Caribbean: The 1969, founding of the ‘The Abeng’ newspaper which introduced a heighten sense of consciousness and consciousness for the lots in Jamaica. The founding of the impartial College and Allied Staff Union in 1971 to be able to advocate on behalf of staff. Moreover, the founding of the Nationwide Joint Motion Committee in 1969 in Trinidad and Tobago was one other results of the racial awakening that happened not solely in Jamaica however all through the Caribbean.
In 1972, the voters voted for a change of presidency by changing the Hugh Shearer led Jamaica Labour Celebration with the Michael Manley led Folks’s Nationwide Celebration. Maternity Depart with pay in 1979 was the results of activism by plenty of citizen engagements teams led by the ladies’s motion in Jamaica. Professor Munroe known as for the decolonization and reform of training to be able to elevate unacceptable ranges of numeracy and literacy. Indisputably, the society must go a step additional by including monetary and media literacy to the nationwide curriculum as instruments of empowerment and liberation of our folks.
There may be an pressing want for our college students to be outfitted with the requisite information regarding monetary literacy to be able to develop and handle wealth. Moreover, Professor Munroe requires significant Constitutional reform to be able to full decolonization course of and empowerment of the Jamaican folks in democratic participation. That is particularly worrying given the rising voter apathy among the many voters. The general voter turnout was roughly 37 per cent within the 2020 Basic Election, in comparison with 48.37 per cent within the 2016 Basic Election. In 2011, the Jamaica Structure was amended to incorporate a brand new chapter 3, The Constitution of Elementary Rights and Freedoms.
Professor Munroe declared that wealth hole in Jamaica is of concern. He added that 1% on the high within the society controls 20% of nationwide wealth, whereas, the highest 10% within the society controls nearly 50% of the nationwide wealth. The wealth hole and revenue inequality are points that proceed to help social injustice inside now solely the Jamaican society however all through the Caribbean area. Unquestionably activism does matter.
Professor Munroe commented that addressing inequality is without doubt one of the United Nations Sustainable Growth Objectives and due to this fact Jamaica ought to provide extra consideration concerning the discount of inequalities inside the society. Professor Munroe additionally opined that extra public scholarship is required in Jamaica to cut back inequality and public corruption.
Sadly, there have been additionally retaliatory measures concerning the activism and advocacy of the interval surrounding 1968. Among the many most profound have been the assassination of Dr. Walter Rodney on June 13, 1980, and the army intervention in Grenada in 1983.
Professor Trevor Munroe ended his presentati by calling for the institution of the Walter Rodney Chair in Historical past and the naming of the UWI ring street to Walter Rodney Ring Highway.
Dr. Walter Rodney is survived by his widow Dr. Patricia Rodney and three kids.
A Luta Continua!
(Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an curiosity in improvement insurance policies as they have an effect on tradition and or gender points)
