The
cultural differences I've experienced living in Basseterre this past month have
been numerous and challenging; some expected, and others not so. I'll
confess that I naively thought that my laid-back, welcoming personality would
allow me to easily embrace these differences. I can bend, but what I've
learnt on this trip is that my malleability has its limits. I've also
come to learn that my position here as a representative of a poverty
alleviation organization has impacted my stance on some of the cultural
differences I've noticed, and has forced me to adopt a critical lens when it
comes to the state of St. Kitts.
Generational Relationships
St.
Kitts is a small island and the capital, Basseterre, numbers just over 15 000.
To that affect it is very difficult for you to do something (anything)
without someone noticing and relaying the information to someone else, and so
on. I've slowly come to accept that everything that Claire and I do is
noticed and scrutinized. Our social choices are judged and questioned.
To some extent this is understandable, but I've discovered that this
treatment is due in part to our perceived adolescence, and not strictly because
we are foreign transplants in need of guidance. The relationship between
generations is strained at every angle and I have been given the sense that the
old adage "children are to be seen and not heard" still holds some
merit on the island. One of the community members we interviewed shared
some insight into why there was a lack of pride and camaraderie in his village,
and how the treatment and nurturing of the younger generation has had a direct
effect. The gentleman noted that the younger generation hadn't been
given confidence and motivation from their parents; that they had seemingly
accepted their impoverished, under-educated status and hadn't projected a
different life for their offspring. The concept of motivation as a
privilege is devastating to me, but its not hard to sense its absence.
Whether it is at work, at home or at soccer practice, the condescension
from the older generation is there. Younger voices and opinions are
dismissed and once shot down they are rarely revived. From a Canadian
perspective I see it as discounting a generation of people who have progressive
ideas about how to change the course that the country is on, on how to improve
and develop St. Kitts. From the Kittitian perspective I understand the
initial skepticism, but abhor the lack of proactivity. The way children are
"dealt with" is undoubtedly not working. Abstinence is promoted on
account of the highly religious population, but the amount of young, single
mothers on the island is staggering; the average age of prison inmates is under
18 (there are no juvenile detention centres), and gang activity has claimed
over half a dozen lives since we've been here. This isn't to paint a
bleak picture of parenting or education; many Kittitians go on to university,
and the country has created many wonderful minds, as my boss puts it, but they
leave and seldom come back, unable to develop or practice their skills on the
island. The focus--of everyone--seems to be elsewhere.
Race
I
am mixed, and I am no stranger to feeling different than my group of
predominantly-white friends or the african-american side of my family.
Its a difference that I accept, and an isolation that I am seldom able to
express. But, my unique ancestry--as it is mine--is something that defines me
and is not a tool for which the inquiring world can utilize in their own
one-dimensional definition of who I am. Living in St. Kitts has allowed
me the chance to re-examine how race defines a society, especially one that is
predominantly mono-racial. The other day someone referred to me as
"white," and although my initial reaction was to laugh, I realized
that being from Canada, and looking like a tourist has implications here that
transcend our commonality of skin colour, and I was a little offended.
From the Kittitian perspective my race is representative of my privilege,
a disposable income and certain naivety. I am not so much personally
offended by these misguided assessments but as a representative of an
organization that promotes self-sustainibility, entrepreneurship and
skills-training, seeing the tourism industry ingraining itself into Kittitian
culture is highly disturbing to me. Tourism will always be a large part
of the foundation on which St. Kitts builds its economy (a different point of
contention all together), but the way in which it is inching its way into the
psyche of everyday culture is something I find hard to grapple with, and feel
very isolated by. Obviously it is something I can't personally campaign
against. I am an outsider here, and trying to liberate people to
de-commodify me would prove futile, so I'm stuck wondering how the cycle is
broken, and if not, how catastrophic the long-term implications are.
Dealing
with Conflict
Whether
it is true or not, most nations perceive Canadians as polite and friendly.
However, based on my daily interactions with people here in Basseterre, I
have a feeling that our "Canadian politeness" is likely perceived as
timidity and submissiveness. People around me are constantly yelling at
one another and I am continuously trying to to establish whether or not these
elevated conversations are fuelled by anger. The way people argue in
public is not about what is right or wrong, good or bad, its about who commands
the most attention, who's quip is timed the best to create a response from the
crowd--who, if you're doing it right, will be keeled-over in hysterics.
These arguments happen at the office, at home and during everyday social
gatherings. I have grown accustomed to the volume but not the personal
attacks, the mentions of weight or adultery as a means to overtake the
conversation. Apparently there is a line to be drawn, but I can't seem to
see where it is. Our boss is a staunch adversary of the current prime
minister of St. Kitts. The PM recently went on a verbal rampage calling his former colleague a hog,
and another a kunumunu man or
a "cuckold" as we call them, in response to the positive relationship
he has with his wife. I ask how he gets away with this and learn that the
love of showmanship extends to politics; its not social issues people tune- in
to hear, but the spectacle they come to see. As a viewer of Canadian and American programming I know that "entertainment" has slowly become a
staple part of news programs, and that campaigning can bring out a gritty side
to the men and women we expect to run our countries, but there always seems to
be a political undertone to the smearing and defamation. Some Kittitians
have rallied against the prime minister in a vote of "no confidence,"
naming his verbal harassment as one of the reasons but the reactions to
everyday verbal lashings remain overwhelmingly positive and there is still a
level of tolerance.
It took me what feels like an eternity to write this
post. I'd start, get angry and frustrated by the topics, and then stop.
Its been challenging and cathartic at the same time. Most of all I
think its made me a more critical observer, without infringing on my ability to
participate.
