VIEWS FROM MY HOME LAND

Evening sky in the east from La Coroupita housing development in El Dorado, Trinidad

My family dog, Smoky, tanning and resting in the grass at midday sun - true happiness

Traditional Mas characters at Food and Folk Fair, Skinner Park, San Fernando

some guys in my family play Scrabble

Drummers at the Food and Folk Fair in Skinner Park, San Fernando, August 2007

The Witch of Portobello

This amazing new work by Paulo Coelho is intoxicating. I recently started reading this book and could not put it down. The story grips you and there are themes and elements that touch our lives. Below are some quotes that stood out for me while reading. I strongly recommend it.

When I die, bury me standing, because I've spent all my life on my knees

In order for us to understand the powers we carry within us and the secrets that have already been revealed, it was first necessary to allow the surface - expectations, fears, appearances- to be burned away

..we were living in an age in which slavery was the only path to happiness. Free will demands immense responsiblity; it's hard work, it brings with it anguish and suffering

EMANCIPATION...is it here?

Today, we celebrate the Emancipation or official freedom of slaves in the British Caribbean. Reflecting on this brings to mind many issues regarding our lives and society today. We believe that as our ancestors were emancipated from forced servitude on sugar, coffee and cocoa plantations that we have been blessed with the touted abilities to do and say as we please, to make the choices and decisions that we believe are in our best interests.
However, the same sociopolitical and economic systems that created the system of forced labour in the New World and our compliance and 'buying in' to these systems have allowed for the ceration of other mechanisms that restrict the so called freedoms that all men are entitle to.

Amongst the many ways that the developed world has sought to limit and restrict the citizens of the developing world, one that has had a signifcant impact on my and the lives of those around me has been the complex yet effective laws regarding immigration. It is amazing that since the beginning of time people and tribes have moved freely in pursuit of resources however with the emergence of the concept of a nation-state, borders and national rights and priveleges the role of immigration law seems to have been used as a strategic tool in the promotion of economic, social and political domination.

Why is it that, for example, the cisitizens of one nation should be subjected to large application fees, rigorous checks and monitored allowance times when others are granted privileges and open access solely on the passport they hold and not based on character or any other qualification. It seems that the system of immigration ,though valid in some aspects serves to restrict the freedom and opportunities that others from different types of countries may enjoy. As a case in point, I have many friends in Europe, and if they invite me at a moment's notice and I am financially able to go, I still could not because of the ridiculous processes in place to get a visa to enter those countries. The likes of the USA and Canada, nations founded on and prospering from immigration are also involved in selective screening of developing populations, in effect making institutional decisions that limit our ability to utilise our "God given" freedoms.

Just a thought.....