WALTER RODNEY: THE JAMAICAN CONNECTION

(Courtesy of http://panafricannews.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_archive.html)

June 13, marked the 28th anniversary of the death of one of the Caribbean’s most prominent offsprings, historian, scholar and political activist, Walter Rodney. The Guyanese was assassinated in a bomb explosion in his hometown, Georgetown, at a time when he was campaigning for office in the upcoming Guyanese elections.

Rodney was a very influential figure in his time, in fact he still is. In Jamaica, his legacy is kept alive through his works, including what is his most popular and arguably his most influential, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972), in which he claims that Africa’s underdevelopment was as a result of the slave trade and the exploitation and exploration of the developed world. His protégés here also help to keep his legacy alive despite efforts to suppress his memory and contribution to Jamaica. These include his friend Arnold Bertram, former cabinet member, University Professor of Political Science, Rupert Lewis, Professor Trevor Munroe, founder of the Workers Liberation League, the Workers Party of Jamaica and the University and Allied Workers Union, and other students of the 1960s.

But how did a Guyanese activist come to have such a great impact on the lives of so many Jamaicans?

Well, Jamaica’s first introduction to Rodney was when he earned a scholarship to attend the University of the West Indies in Jamaica in 1960. On completion of his studies, he was awarded a first class honours degree in History. After graduation, Rodney left Jamaica to further his studies in London, where he attended the School of Oriental and African Studies, after receiving a second scholarship. He was awarded a PhD with honours in African History at the tender age of 24 years. He taught for a short time in Tanzania after which he returned to the University of the West Indies in Jamaica as a lecturer in February 1968.

At the time Rodney returned to Jamaica, there was a lot of political activity taking place in the island which resulted in a lot of social unrest. So, it was no surprise that Rodney sought to become involved in some way with the politics of the country. However, unlike his middle class counterparts, Rodney became deeply involved in the Black Power Movement. He worked closely with the poor, the working class and the Rastafarians, having himself been born to a working class family. He sought to empower them by increasing awareness in their self and human worth as well as by teaching them African History to arouse black consciousness. His regular talks with the Rastafarians resulted in his publishing the book “The Groundings with my Brothers” in 1969. ‘Groundings’ was the term given to an informal gathering for social, cultural or political ‘reasoning’ or discussion in a yard or any other social space such as a football field, a dance hall or a street corner.

Due to his close affiliation and attempt to uplift the poorer class and the Rastafarians, who at the time were considered to be the outcasts of society, Rodney incited the wrath of middle class Jamaica. They accused him of encouraging the masses to usurp the control of the middle class, who Rodney blamed for the appalling state the country was in since attaining independence from colonial rule. Consequently, the middle class pressured the government into doing something about this radical. In response to this call, the government set up surveillance of his every move so as to build up evidence against him.

The perfect opportunity to get rid of Rodney arose in October 1968 when he left the island to attend a Black Writers Conference in Canada. On his return, he was denied entry into the island; in fact he was banned from Jamaica. He was also stripped of his title as UWI lecturer. The Hugh Shearer-led government cited Rodney’s visits to Cuba and the USSR as two of the reasons for the ban, stating that he was a threat to national security.

His expulsion from the island sparked a series of riots which later became known as the Rodney Riots of 1968. It began with the University students and then spread to the streets of Kingston. Those involved in the riots marched on government offices venting their frustration and dissatisfaction with the administration and the way they went about handling the situation. To them, the ban signified a suppression of black consciousness. Despite the fact that several persons lost their lives as well as several others being injured by the security forces during the riots, in addition to numerous incidents of destruction of property, the riots accomplished an increase in political awareness not only in Jamaica, but across the wider Caribbean. His eventual assassination did not quell this awareness, in fact it served as a catalyst, as many viewed him as a martyr.

The work of Walter Rodney in Jamaica was instrumental in bringing about a much needed change in political thinking.

References

Creighton, Al. “The Walter Rodney factor in West Indian literature”. 18 Jun. 2000. 21 Apr. 2008 <http://www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.com/wpa/rodney_literature.html>

Lewis, Rupert Charles. Walter Rodney’s Intellectual and Political Thought. Kingston: The Press University of the West Indies, 1998.

“Walter Rodney”. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 22 Apr. 2008. 25 Apr. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Rodney>

“Walter Rodney: A Biography”. 21 Apr. 2008 <http://www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.com/wpa/rodney_bio.html>