Dear Editor,

Marcus Garvey — undoubtably one of the greatest black men to walk this planet — counselled people of African ancestry who live in the diaspora to set their minds and hearts on the continent of Africa.

According to Garvey, since Africa is the natural home of the black man and woman, the rebirth of African civilisation should be first and foremost in the minds of black people everywhere.

Garvey’s ‘Back to Africa’ philosophy was fuelled by his awareness that black people were persona non grata in the US, in Europe, and in the rest of the non-black world. Jim Crow or segregation was alive and well in America at the time of Garvey’s intervention in the affairs of black America. Garvey was, therefore, no stranger to the animosity demonstrated against people of African ancestry in the Americas and elsewhere.

Coming from the black majority island of Jamaica, Garvey was also aware that even in the black majority islands of the Caribbean, black people were still treated atrociously by Caucasian and other non-black minorities. Central to Garvey’s philosophy was the creation of a strong vibrant black nation on the continent of Africa that would be a mecca and a shinning nation on a hill for black people across the globe.

As we fast-forward to the third decade of the 21st century, people of African ancestry have made some progress in the Caribbean, in the Americas, and in Europe. Caucasian political rule has given way to black political rule in the Caribbean. A black man, in the person of Barak Obama, was selected to fill the post of president of the United States. In less than a month, a woman with Afro-Caribbean and East Indian ancestry could create history by becoming the first female president of the US.

There has been an explosion of black faces in high places in the US and Europe. Notwithstanding the proliferation of black faces in the political infrastructure in the Caribbean, the US, and Europe, Garvey’s assessment of the fortunes of people of African ancestry in the diaspora still stands. Black people continue to be regarded as persona non grata in non-black majority countries. People of African ancestry also continue to occupy many of the top positions at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder all over the black diaspora.

Garvey’s vision of creating a model nation on the continent of Africa that would serve as a reference point for black societies globally was derailed by Negropean politicians in Liberia and the connivance of black leaders in the US who did not buy into Garvey’s vision. It is believed that WEB Dubois was one of the black leaders in the US responsible for the derailing of Garvey’s Liberian project.

Contemporary world conditions may also be contriving to force people of African ancestry to revisit and dust off the political vision of Garvey for the African continent. As anti-migrant sentiments proliferate across Europe and in other non-black countries, and as Trumpian Caucasian nationalism explodes in the US, black people are finally colliding with a wall that they are not able to ignore. Contemporary conditions are bringing Garvey’s vision into sharper focus.

Hurricane Beryl, which rampaged across the Caribbean devastating islands belonging to St Vincent and the Grenadines as well as Grenada and creating millions of dollars of damage in Barbados and Jamaica, has added another layer to the concerns of black Caribbean islanders.

The increased frequency of category four and five monster hurricanes have raised the awareness of Caribbean people to the phenomena of climate refugees. In 2017, the island of Barbuda was flattened by Hurricane Irma, leading to a general evacuation of the island.

The natural tragedy impacting the Solomon Islands in the Pacific should also be a cause for serious concern among Caribbean political policy planners. As the planet becomes warmer, water that is currently stored as ice at the North and South Poles is being released into the oceans of the world. The fear is that if the planet continues to warm at its present trajectory, the oceans will rise to levels that will threaten coastal cities and islands.

The Solomon Islands and other islands in the Pacific may be the first to disappear, but islands in the Caribbean and across the globe will also be affected. The revisiting of Garvey’s ‘Back to Africa’ philosophy may very well prove to be a life-saving imperative for black island dwellers living in the Caribbean and in the Pacific region. The building of a transportation bridge between Africa and the Caribbean is a truth whose time has come.

Pusillanimity on the part of Caribbean and African politicians may very well help to condemn black Caribbean islanders to a life of living hell as Mother Nature steps up her rampage across the Caribbean. In addition to monster hurricanes, the Caribbean is also being impacted by strong earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. African leaders should be mindful that black people in the diaspora did not voluntarily give up their African citizenship. As such, a path to citizenship should be expedited for any in the diaspora wishing to reconnect with the African continent.

The declaration by the African Union that the black diaspora is the sixth region of Africa is a step in the right direction. Ghana’s year of return and the offer of citizenship to black people in the diaspora is another very positive development. The intervention of Kenya in the ongoing political instability in Haiti shows a growing maturity on the African continent. This maturity should be encouraged and augmented.

Garvey may not have factored into his ‘Back to Africa’ philosophy the recent environmental factors associated with global warming, but the new developments only highlight the relevance of Garvey’s vision for our times.

The Jewish prophet, Hosea, reminds us that where there is no vision the people perish. Apparently, many black people in the diaspora could perish if we choose to ignore the vision of one of the greatest prophets to the black man, Garvey.

Lenrod Nzulu Baraka

rodneynimrod2@gmail.com