Three years ago, Curian Campbell, asked the same question in Now Grenada. He was concerned about the disconnect between emerging generations of Caribbean young people, and their African History. He refers to Maya Angelou as having said:
“For Africa to me… is more than a glamorous fact. It is a historical truth. No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place.”
Campbell also refers to historian Robin Walker, from the Centre for Pan African thought, stating:
"the psychological effects of being deprived of one’s history is detrimental to the future of any nation, since one’s personal self-esteem is dependent upon one’s racial esteem, and one’s racial esteem is dependent on the information available of one’s racial achievements."
This thinking seems to line up to some extent with our thoughts regarding Kingston Professionals...that in providing a place to celebrate our Caribbean achievements, we can develop greater self-esteem and stimulate greater levels of achievement within our Caribbean nations.
What do you think? Is Caribbean History Relevant Today?
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See also Lillian Guerra's discourse on 'Why Caribbean History Matters'.
Exploring historical and contemporary issues in Haiti, Cuba, the Caribbean and Latin America, Guerra presents a compelling case for why History continues to matter to Caribbean people.
Lillian Guerra is professor of Cuban and Caribbean history and director of the Cuba program at the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida.
Read the full article on the History.org
Is Caribbean History Still Relevant Today?
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