To God; the infinite source of all things beautiful, creative, appreciable, good, and all that is in between. 

This image shows how they prayed. 

My mother mistook my interest in the Islam religion as an interest in something bad. She criticized me for learning how to wrap a hijab and asked if I was trying to look like a terrorist when I left the house with my hair tied. I generally consider my mother to be a very wise woman. However, she has been exposed to American media’s lingering portrayal of the Muslim as the ultimate security threat.  

She is also a devout Catholic. It has occurred throughout the years that is very hard to be both religious and open minded. Christianity proclaims itself to be the one true religion. Therefore, all other religions are invalid and wrong in my mother and a lot of people’s eyes. I, a Christian myself, beg to differ. 

Christianity is also one of the most influential powers in the world. It is focused on spreading its message and converting everyone in attempt to save them. The undertones of this large-scale rejection of the other, combined with the actions of a few Muslim extremist terrorists. Have created a single story of the Islamic religion that I have been influenced by today.  

Adichie says that the key to dispelling this single-story view is education. Although I know a lot more about Islam today I still feel a bit of fear in their presence. I am still being influenced by the Imperialist powers and a negative impact of my religion. It'll take years of information and a complete change in the media's portrayal to convince my mother and thousands of other Grenadians that there's more to Muslims than terrorism. Or many, more people should witness Muslims during prayer.

Monday, 27th November, 2017 

OBJECTIVE 2
Video: Untitled. Created by Alesia Aird, for this portfolio upon my request. Promoted by questions I asked.

OBJECTIVE 3
Brochure: Free Movement of Skilled Nationals from: http://foreign.gov.vc/foreign/images/stories/PDF/csme-brochure.pdf

OBJECTIVE 4

Poem: "Of Shards encountered" by Shereece Victor (myself) 

Their curves and edges have already been refined.

Been bounced around, smashed, grated smooth and re-cracked.

If we were to paste them back together we’d find gaps 

Where the lines that have faded should have overlapped.

They’re forever in pieces.

Redefined.

Now they’re glossy and expensive, 

A beauty newly cherished;

Once ignored.

Taken from the cruelty they’ve been molded by

Polished and displayed, studied and re learnt.

A long, long time ago

You and I would pass these by

We found no value in passing on,

We only know now the worth of what we threw to the waste side and washed away

What we were ashamed of,

Things we used to hide. 

Wade through today the polluted remains of establishment.

Civilisation, traditions and practises phased out by 

Three phase power, generated.

Even we’ve become automated.

We’ve forgotten how to use what we already have, the land and our minds.

Foreign - bodies infect. 

Then call it development. 

The first thing we forgot was who we are.

We can't preserve what no longer exists. 

We can only attempt to recreate,

Emulate, build and, remodel.

Imagine what maybe used to be.

Like the young who strive.

They want to bring it back to life.

We’re fighting against time which refuses to stop, rewind

We clean, filter, distill.

Plant, nurture.

We are the keys to the growth they stunted.

The sprouts from the earth.

The seeds that fall close to the tree but fight the current.

Push their way towards the light and slowly restore a haven from that spotlight.

Aiming to reach the ones whose roots support the river bank.

We base tales on the ancient, 

Of a land before where words were rough

Tales, bent and shaped to sound perfect.

What remains may not even be true. 

We create a new. 

So that the breeze in the trees is our celebration, 

Every droplet sings the praises of the past,

Every word proclaims our strength,

Every line exalts our determination.

And through our voices, society roars!

_Reece 

(19th/03/2016)

Written for Voices V: The Artist Roar. A production by the Writers Association of Grenada. 
This piece should not be reproduced or distributed without my permission.

The idea that history has to be continually revised and rewritten is not new to me. In fact, the topics on the Amerindians and their middens, and learning that a lot of our history was written by Europeans, reminded me of how volatile our past is. It also reminds me of how unsure we are of where we came from as a region. Then I remembered writing about this last year (see the poem attached).

I had the honor of working at a museum before coming to University. There I got to help label and display pieces of pottery newly discovered from the northern part of Grenada. The historians who were heading the dig spoke a lot about how this discovery changes what we now about the heritage of the people from that area. The more they discovered, the more the history of the area changed. 

Unfortunately, there's only so much we can learn from middens. There will always be a lot of information missing about the initial inhabitants of our islands since none of them were able record their own history. Europeans were the only ones who know how they behaved, what they laughed at, what songs they would have sung,  and whether they made scientific breakthroughs that would change the world today. We will never know if where our house is was the once the site of something great. This makes me appreciate the information we have even more.

Exploring the influences of Eurocentrism, Androcentricism, and the other biases on Caribbean History also taught me of the importance of perspective. Having an objective perspective of current events will be important for the historians of the future. They should have more than enough resources to be able to see what today’s Caribbean is like. An objective perspective would also help me to be politically correct in this sensitive world.

Friday 10th November, 2017

I understand that gender, in the traditional, binary way is already a sensitive topic. Many males think that that women have way more social privileges and can get away with anything. Females worldwide are still fighting for ‘equality’- (I think they should be fighting for equity). It’s even being overdone by some: Why does a female need to fight for the right to be in the Boy scouts? (This is an extreme case, yes.) 

I digress. The Caribbean seems to forget that sex and gender are separate and that the lines between them were never and may never be defined. Colonialism, religion and the patriarchy have left us with the idea that males should be masculine, females should be feminine, and that each should look a certain way. Anything else is generally perceived as an indication that their sexual orientation is unnatural and that they are in the wrong. This diverts our attention from harnessing the ability of the individuals in our society to creating barriers that inhibit unity and development. 

I have observed that a typical Caribbean citizen can and will argue in lengths, and even act quite
 passionately against anything even remotely related to ‘other genders’.  However, a topic about the failure of our governments to address pertinent issues and be held accountable is briefly discussed then concludes with an expression of powerless against it. I am yet to find a way to help the ordinary person accept that some things they don’t understand are simply natural and not as important as moves to safe guard our future. 

Tuesday, 21st November 2017

This initiate brought with it the introduction of CARICOM National passports for nationals of each member state.  It also introduced a separate queue for CARICOM nationals at immigration in CARICOM countries. This makes inter Caribbean travel a little less of a hassle for CARICOM
nationals 
Free Movement within CARICOM also includes the ease of movement of professionals who have obtained a certificate stating that they have the right qualifications. This means that a Caricom country can hire any professional with a Free Movement certificate from another member state without having to get a work permit. This greatly expands our job opportunities as university graduates. However, it also increases competition for publicly advertised positions. Without proper regulations in place, many member states would suffer from local brain drain. If the economies of two CARICOM members are not linked, an individual’s work in another would confer little benefit to their homeland.  

The ease of travel, potentially lower travel fares, and availability of tertiary education in the CSME introduces the threat of urbanization of the more developed members of CARICOM. Where many of the smaller states may become under populated if they are not attractive to workers. 

On the plus side, Free Movement fosters the creation of a unified or melded Caribbean identity. I can imagine that in a few decades when many professionals from the different territories are interacting with each other each country can become as diverse as UWI. This could result in a combination of or melding of our different cultures, accents and traditions. It would be important then that all important and less popular culture, heritage and history be recorded to prevent erasure as new ones are formed.

If free movement within CARICOM does eventually lead to the successful establishment of theCSME, it would great progress for the Caribbean. It would finally be achieving what the Federation failed to do: unite us as one Caribbean people and harness our strengths and abilities as a collective for our betterment.  

Friday, 1st December, 2017