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| Celebrate 40 years of the Grenadian Revolution |
| March Given the small size of Grenada – 133 sq. miles – population of 100,000 – and the lopsided and dependent economy that the British Empire had lefton was always going to be an uphill struggle, with the only bonus being that the elimination of the previous government’s corruption gave The Gairy regime had left no database of statistics, indeed there was no mechanism for collecting any statistics. The only possibility for planning was the heavy involvement of the mass but it was a real consultation process that was listened to – a far cry from the sham “consultation” process we are used to in Britain where we can say what we like, then to do in the first place. The aided by the recruitment of a number of very sharp economists from the rest of the Caribbean. The decision that if tourism was to flourish and benefit the international airport was an absolute necessity was both a US company based in Houston, Texas. It was far from the Cuban project so decried by the Reagan regime in the USA, although valuable assistancewas provided by skilled workers from Cuba. The airport was linked to agricultural and fishery production and this operated in conjunction witha new spice grinding plant, the Mount Hartman livestock farm import substitution measure, with the aim of making the island self-sufficient. A Marketing and National Importing Board was set up to market the products of the islands agriculture export, as well as importing essential materials such as fertilizer which were sold to farmers at below cost Revo’. A more complete account would also have to consider the increased wages and enhanced “social wage” including health and education, the land-reform programme, the new bus service, the the 63 miles of extra road built and the enhanced dock facilities, the house repair scheme, the reduction of unemployment, the creation of a of tackling efficiency and productivity through planning interesting, given the hostility of the US government, is the continued support of the IMF whose 1982 report on the island’s economy is most encouraging. Education Under Gairy, education was unchanged from the days of Empire, based on a Eurocentric model calculated to demean the history of African-descendent majority and the East Indian minority, thereby undercutting their self-confidence. Most primary schools were in a dilapidated condition. There was little secondary school provision, with fees School fees were halved in 1980 and abolished in ‘81, while the debts of the previous government to the University of the West Indies were paid sothat Grenadians could benefit from the possibility of higher education. Toquickly address the need for teacher Teacher Education Program (NISTEP) was devised, with the help of Chris Searle and Paulo Freire. Teachers were expected to attend in-service training every Friday, while skilled workers and community leaders provided work-related education in their absence. Countering theprevious pro-imperialist education was, of course, political, and this wascondemned by enemies of the revolution as “propaganda”. Many teachers threw themselves into developing the new curriculum with schools forward. If greatly And as a literacy programme in A more, incorporating songs, poetry while at the same time learning much from the traditional wisdom of their elders. Illiteracy was reduced from about 20% to less than 3% of the population. From 1982, phase two branched out into Maths, English History, Politics and the Natural Sciences as a form of post-literacy programme. Women Women were very important for the overthrow Eric Gairy. The St Georges Progressive Women’s Association (PWA), set up in 1977, was very active prior to 1979 campaigning for better wages, employment for women, better housing, democratic rights. And of course, opposition to the “jobs for sex” that wasa part of the endemic corruption under Gairy overthrow a dictatorship from that required to construct the new society. The PWA held its founding general meeting in December 1980 although it already had 1,500 members in 47 groups. had 6,500 members, 22% of NWO was at pains to stress that it was open to all women. it saw its role asa mixture of programmes and programmes for primary establishing, servicing and running enable more women to enter the workforce. This was part of women’s involvement in “voluntary community work” such as road repair, in whichmany women moved out of their traditional roles into heavier manual education a priority, in particular Centre for Popular Education. There was considerable effort to encourage girls to go into what had previously been seen as “male “occupations” with laws stipulating equal pay for men and women in the same job. There was traditional “female” occupations. The NWO collaborated with the ministry of education in developing the curriculum for mass education for women: Grenada’s history from the Caribs to 1979; the economy; overcoming underdevelopment; World history and international affairs; women’s involvement in People’s Power; maternity law and first aid. On the question of the Maternity Leave Law, pressure from the NYO considerably improved the provisions and they were instrumental But women were also in the June 1980 terrorist bomb attack on a political rally, the three persons killed and the majority of the injured were women, is evidence that women were present in large numbers. After this outrage, the majority of new recruits to the militia were [But let us finish on a happier note, to quote Agatha Francis, who was interviewed by Chris Searle: … and for The kind of bad treatment the men give the women before, they that. or When we hear the news of the revolution that morning, it was joy come out in Joy CLS pamphlet: “By Our Own Hands – A People’s History of the Grenadian Revolution” can be downloaded from here… Copyright © 2019 Caribbean Labour Solidarity, All rights reserved. |