Bleeding Heart: Bahamas

Posted by: Dr. Joseph Ozigis Akomodi

Bleeding Heart: Bahamas
By Paul I. Adujie
New York, United States

There is always this feeling that hits me every time I meet peoples of
African descent. These rather unique feelings of mine wells-up, each
time that I meet Africans, other than, continental Africans. I think it
is an indescribable feeling of loss and nostalgia. And yet it is a
feeling that I cannot quite describe precisely. These are very strong
feelings all the same.

When I look into the eyes of people of African descent, when I gaze at
the complexions of people who are clearly Africans, but for, the brutal
history of slave trade and slavery, I feel a mixture of reacquainting
and loss.

I often cry quiet, painful tears when I meet African Americans. I sob
equally as when I traveled through Jamaica’s different Parishes. What I
saw in Kingston was not different from what I had seen in Negril, Ocho
Rios and Montego Bay etc.

When I visit the West Indies or the Island Nations of the Caribbean, I
meet people who are clearly my long-lost cousins, brothers, sisters,
uncles, aunts and all other members of my extended African family of
yesteryears. Africans inside and outside of the African continent possess
unmistakable gaits about them. There are these seen and unseen indelible
African-ness about people of African descent wherever they are located
on God’s good earth. Despite the forced-dispersal from the continent
almost a millennium ago, our African siblings remain authentically and
genuinely replicas and representatives our collective forbears.

Here I am in Bahamas and every person I meet, gives me the soulful
embrace and reminder of the fact that they are the blood of my blood, the
bone of my bone and that we are kit and kin. Our collective origins are
unmistakable. It is always so obvious!

This was made clear starting from the moment that I arrived at airport
in Nassau Bahamas and unto stations of the immigration officials and
their customs counterparts, to the taxi operators and the hotel
concierge. The lady who delivered Domino Pizza to my Wyndham Hotels lobby with
her right-hand-steered car, during one of the afternoons, when I felt an
urge for pizza. Different shades of chocolate skins. Africans, all!

Everyone, of them had an attribute, a quality and a manner that
established them as one of my own. My eyes conducted instant DNA analyses per
second and they were all perfect match each and every time.

It is as if a bolt of lightening hits me with joy! Joy, for the
opportunity to meet these, long lost family members again. My family members
long-lost lost to the twin-evils, of slavery and colonialism. Then
almost simultaneously, I am hit with a ferocious sadness, in the realization
that the presence of people of African descent outside of Africa had
not been of their own free-will. African descendants’ presences outside
of Africa were the outcomes of man’s inhumanity to man of the worst
type. Africans in the West Indies or Caribbean which Bahamas is part, did
not emigrate here! They were bundled here, they were herded here,
literarily, kicking and screaming! The forced migrations of Africans during
slavery were without the benefits of Chaucer like pilgrims’ tale or the
Mayflower Pilgrims in the Americas. African slaves were before the
Mayflower and before all others

The evils, the brutalities and the gores of slavery and the
colonialism, that followed in all of Africa are not spoken of or written of
enough. And equally, our African descendants that were dispersed to all the
continents and corners of the world through the same process are not
spoken of or written of enough. There is a common thread, a common causal
connection between the plights and predicaments of peoples of African
descent.

Revisionists are quick to minimize the effects and after effects, of
the evils, horrors, brutalities and gores of slavery. We must never
forget! How can we forget the far reaching consequences and ramifications of
slavery? Slavery as a phenomenon had a process that entailed
unimaginable and unfathomable horrors, so many unknowns and unknowable. Including
the sudden shocks of uprooting Africans from their families and friends
and all familiar of their lives before the snatchings, kidnappings,
branding and sale in manners reserved for animals with less dignity
compared with farm animals. Africans were hauled to strange-lands and to
strangers of the unknowns.

Africa is certainly not under-peopled. The current challenges on the
African continent, therefore does not have depopulation as a factor. But
we must remember or restate and emphasize that humans are a part of the
resources of any society. The snatchings, kidnappings and mass
exportations of Africa’s human resources were gross deprivations.

Additionally, there were other profound adverse effects on peoples of
African descent which were and still remain consequences of slavery.
Africans were on the continent and off, deprived of languages, culture,
religion, foods, songs and dance and lives and loves.

Peoples of African descent are found in Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados,
Belize, Bermuda, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Dominica, Jamaica, Haiti, St
Kitts & Nieves, Panama, Puerto Rico, New Guinea, Guyana, Trinidad &
Tobago, Australia’s Aborigines etc. Even now, the economies are similarly
plagued by the lopsidedness of globalization, pretentious free-trade and
all tenets of capitalism.

I saw a movie titled “Life & Debt” a tale about the economic ravages of
Jamaica caused primarily by the preachments of free market, which in
effect is a one way benefits in favor of America and Europe who are too
willing to subsidize their farmers and industrial producers, who are
then able to dump their products in developing nations, at the expense of
local aspiring entrepreneurs and their enterprises or business
endeavors. Depressed markets now abound in Africa and the Caribbean. Devalued
currencies are now our lot.

While here at the Wyndham Hotels Resorts, the Prime Minister of Bahamas
and the Governor General attended an event which I attended as well,
the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarian Association. The Prime of Bahamas
touched on the dramatic effects of economic decisions by Europeans. In
particular, he referred to how the mainstay of St. Kitts and Dominica,
Sugar Cane, were sent tumbling down as Europeans continue to subsidize
their farmers.

He described what happened to these Caribbean economies, as a drop into
the abyss. He recounted how only Trinidad & Tobago which relies on
petroleum oil production as major income earner, and some other Island
nations with heavy traffic of tourist, earned enough to retain and maintain
good quality of life. African peoples in the continent and in the
Diaspora continue to be affected immensely by external factors and actions
by Americans and Europe.

A delegate from Guyana made the point succinctly. African peoples are
connected in every way and we essentially face the same challenges. She
made that point as she presented a pendant to a South African delegate.
She made reference to struggles by peoples of African descent and the
recent struggles by South Africans against apartheid. We are all
connected in good times and in not so good times.

There were, there are, for the Africans therefore, a multifaceted
series of losses. Tangible and intangible losses; Physical and psychological
injuries and wounds that remains.

Here in Bahamas, as I look into every eye of every person of African
descent that I meet, I see myself, my family that are 500 years plus
removed and all, and I ask myself repeatedly, how can any human do this to
another human, for profit or whatever excuse?

Our peoples were snatched, kidnapped and dispersed. Our peoples were
yanked and taken thousands of miles across the earth and now, we are part
of the gorgeous mosaic of the earth, pervasive economic travails and
all, in all the seven continents of the earth!

My one week of business, politics and recreation in the Bahamas is
almost at an end, and I rededicate my passion and love for all Nigerians,
all Africans and all peoples of African descent, wherever they are
located on earth! We are one people eternally linked.

As my one week stay here in the Bahamas Islands comes to an end, I sob
silently, I bleed quietly. I am in a sense, crying a millennium of
tears for the hardships and sufferings that peoples of African descent have
endured our lot on earth. I am elated that I have met all these
long-lost family members from our continent and I wonder what they feel when
they see me. In their eyes, I see me.

And now, as I set to leave this gorgeous Island nation, I am
ambivalently joyous and saddened.