We small, but we mighty

By *Jomo Sanga Thomas

(“Plain Talk” Aug. 9, 2024)

Every four years at the Olympic games, Caribbean people get to see themselves as they truly are: a people endowed with beauty, strength, grace and a potential for greatness. In years past, those of us in the smaller islands piggybacked off the prowess and dominance of our Cuban, Jamaican and Trinidadian brothers and sisters. St. Lucia and Dominica emerged at the Paris Olympics, and SVG announced its presence.

Before the Paris Olympics, Cuba’s Alberto Juantoreno, Javier Sotomayor, Theophilo Stephenson, and Mijain Lopez, Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Elaine Thompson-Herah, Don Quarrie and Usain Bolt, Osafa Powell, and Yohan Blake, as well as Trinidad’s Hasley Crawford and Otto Bolden, took our breath with their heroics.

Grenada’s Kirani James lit the path for those of us in the Windward Islands, winning gold, silver, and bronze medals at the London (2012), Rio (2016), and Tokyo Olympics (2020). At the Paris Olympics, more glory went to these smaller islands, with St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred (gold 100-meter dash) and silver in the 200 meters, Dominica’s Theo Lafond (gold in women’s triple jump), and Grenada’s Lindon Victor (bronze decathlon).

St. Vincent did not medal, but Shafiqua! Oh, Shafiqua Maloney! Her grit, determination, spirit, and heart were inspirational and, hopefully, transformative. The young woman who overcame so much, including unemployment and homelessness, left it all on the Parisian track to finish an impressive fourth. She said she was not done, and few would doubt her.

The phenomenal performances of our Caribbean athletes brought back memories of CLR James’ seminal work, Beyond the Boundary. In that text, James draws a fascinating parallel between the achievements of West Indian cricketers and ancient Greece’s cultural and athletic accomplishments. James published Beyond the Boundary in 1963 following the emergence of the great West Indies team of Sobers, Weekes, Walcott, Hall, Ramadin, Valentine and the first black captain, Frank Worrell.

In developing his thesis about cricket’s importance to the region’s social and political development and the making of a dominant culture, James asked, “What do they know of cricket who only cricket knows?” He argues that cricket in the West Indies is not just a sport but a significant cultural phenomenon that reflects the region’s history, struggles and identity, much like how ancient Greek athletics were intertwined with their society and values. James believed that, scaled for size and population, the prowess and creativity displayed by West Indian cricketers on the field were comparable to the excellence of Greek athletes and that these achievements should be celebrated as part of the broader human heritage.

While our cricketers over the last two-plus decades seem not to appreciate the meaning of James’ words, our athletes have embraced the mantra and appear destined to fulfil it as they etch an indelible and impressive mark on the world’s athletic stage.

We are a majestic gem of islands. Our population is small, and our resources are limited, but our heart is enormous, and our spirit is indomitable.

These achievements do not happen in a vacuum. There is a history and a foundation from which our greatness flows. And that was James’ point. We may think we are standing on our own two feet. No! We are cradled on the shoulders of giants.

Those of us like James who know and understand our history are not surprised by our achievements. Haiti, yes, Haiti, made the world’s first complete break with slavery and inequality following its revolution of 1791 to 1804. After the revolution, everyone was free and equal. We look back today on Haiti with pity and sorrow, but black leaders led the way for universal freedom. Jefferson, Washington, and Lincoln had nothing on us. Toussaint, Desallines and Christophe were global pioneers.

When the founders of the United States declared in 1776, “we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal”, these words had no application to women and enslaved Africans. Neither did the French slogan of “liberty, equality and fraternity”. French colonialism continues to be most devastating, especially in Africa.

Between 1625 and 1838, the Caribbean was the most prized piece of real estate on earth. Its riches, derived from the blood, sweat, and tears of enslaved Africans, were the scaffolding on which modern-day capitalism was laid.

This small region of so few people gave the world George Headley, Weekes, Walcott, Worrell, Kanhai, Sobers, Lloyd, Grenidge, Richards, Lara, Gibbs, Roberts, Holding, Marshall, Garner, and Ambrose in cricket, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Third World, Sparrow, Kitchener, Shadow, Machel Montano, Rihanna and Kevin Little in music; intellectual luminaries of the calibre of George Padmore, Eric Williams, Arthur Lewis, Walter Rodney, Hillary Beckles, Norman Girvan, George Beckford, and CLR James, and politicians of international stature of Fidel Castro and Michael Manley and Maurice Bishop as well as internationally acclaimed writers Nicolas Guillen, Kwame Braithwaite, Nobel laureates Arthur Lewis, VS Naipaul and Derek Walcott.

We have talent and drive. All we need now is a training programme for continued excellence. Just as the slave experience in the US created the blues and soul, our Caribbean experience with slavery and colonialism brought forth reggae, calypso and the grit to perform at a very high level.

Once our young people are taught this history and made to realise that their successes are not just theirs, they will continue to achieve excellence. Our governments, business community and those with wealth and power must influence and propel us to greater heights.

The Paris Olympics is proof that we are small but mighty. We are clearly performing way above our “weight class” and more than worth our weight in gold.

*Jomo Sanga Thomas is a lawyer, journalist, social commentator and a former senator and Speaker of the House of Assembly in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

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