St John's Anglican Cathedral

St John's Anglican Cathedral
The Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Divine, St. John's, Antigua, West Indies

Thursday, July 14, 2011

A Raisin In The Sun

Dream Deferred

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore–
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
~ Langston Hughes
It has been awhile since I last posted anything on the spirit of this Restoration (What does the restoration mean to you? ).  The motivation behind this Restoration is extremely important.  Behind the technical decisons, material procurement and the execution of construction tasks, lies the need for funds to purchase these goods and services.  It is impossible to have successful fund raising without the necessary motivation.  Especially in these recessionary times. 

I am moved to write this post because I read an article published at Caribarena, a newsportal.  The article,Students Look Back In Time, was written by some students and speaks to the sad fact that far too many historical buildings around St. John's have not been restored and have in fact been demolished.  What caught my eye in the comments posted by readers of the article was one made by one person who stated,

"They (some of the historical buildings and sites) were constructed and owned by the oppressors of our ancestors, who tortured, abused and treated them in the most inhumane of ways. As far as I am concerned, I want any vestige of these monsters removed from my country. This is our country now and we need to build our own history and forever rid ourselves of that of the British. Then we will have something we can proudly call our own, and our grandchildren and great-grandchildren can write articles like this about the buildings we, their kin not their oppressors, built."

I have a gut feeling that this sentiment exists in the conscious and subconscious minds of many Antiguans.  And while the author of the comment above was making it directly about a barracoon (slave holding quarters) that the students found in St. John's, his or her disgust was extended to all things British.  I wondered, could sentiments like this be obstacles to the Restoration of the Cathedral?

This brings me to the title of this post.  We the descendants of a slave holding society have a number of issues to resolve.  Chiefly how do we regard our history?  The truth is that considering the fact that just as much British "blood" flows in our veins as African "blood," we cannot escape the fact that we cannot discard one for the other.  We speak a British language, model our government systems and business systems after them and our values and beliefs are British in origin.  And that creates a tension within us. 

I believe that this tension left unresolved is drying up our motivation like a raisin in the sun.  Or maybe it is festering like a sore.  Sagging under a heavy load.  Unresolved feelings be they deferred dreams or anger over the past is detrimental to an person's or people's well being.  Maybe this Restoration will provide us an opportunity to resolve these feelings.  Something to pray about.

3 comments:

  1. Also, the old buildings do not belong to the British. They belong to Antiguans by virtue of their triumph over slavery and colonialism. Furthermore, it was black hands that laid the stones and black backs bore the weight of the labor. Those buildings tell a story of survival and strength. One can stand up and own them with great pride. There is no shame in the history they tell. The shame lies with those who enslaved other humans. The victory lies with those who outlasted that cruel institution and took control of the land, historic buildings and all. Apologies for the mini rant!

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  2. No apologies needed. It is precisely the sort of dialogue I am trying to provoke.

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  3. Mr. Arrindell, thank you so much for your meticulous documentation of the restoration. I have enjoyed this immensely. I have been trying to learn more about my family and last year discovered that several generations were born and died in St.Kitts and Antigua. After reading how some of the beautiful people of the area feel, I am almost ashamed to admit this; It appears my 8th great-Grandparents and other ancestors were buried on the grounds of the St. John the Divine Cathedral Cemetery. Among my ancestors were white plantation holders, members of the council, a Governor of St.Christopher/Kitts, and a Governor of the Leeward Islands. I want to be proud of my family, but there is always the notion that their accomplishments were forged on the sweat of slaves and this taints my emotions. I only hope that Ms. Lister and others with similar sentiments know that the actions and lifestyles of my ancestors are not condoned today and, although they were a product of the ethics in their time, these sins follow us today and make it difficult to truly honor our ancestors. It's a strange thing, wanting to know more about your people yet fearing the truth. I'm blessed to be raising my children in an environment of equality, acceptance and love for all. Ultimately, we are all related to each other. I have never been to Antigua, but am hopeful that one day soon I will visit the island to see this historic structure first-hand, meet local people, and hopefully better understand the culture of a family I never knew.

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