2013-Jan-24-2258Hrs
Among the people of Nanavut, the semi-autonomous region of Northern Canada, there are very few murders, and apparently fewer deliberate killings. A man might injure somone while hunting, or in a drunken fight, based on alcohol which the Europeans introduced to them, and which they drink profusely.
When a man kills another, he has, by custom, to take on the responsibility for caring for the dead man's family as if he was their father. When he hunts, they have to be fed first, if he works in a specific job, his paycheck takes care of their needs equally with his family.
Once, they used to be thrown into Canadian jails, to waste away, depriving the community of TWO breadwinners. Then, when Nanavut was allowed to make their own laws, they put this system in place. Tribal elders see to its enforcement.
I have always said that when Europeans came to the Other World, they created a fort and a stockade, and a jail to put dissenters in. Over the years they have jailed a number of people who did not agree with them,. T U B Butler in Trinidad being the most famous one locally. Mandela, Martin Luther King, Mohandas Ghandi are others.
The urge to destroy Machel comes from that same anger/envy of success that village people in previous slave societies are so full of. Somebody prospering? Bun dong dey house. Little miss chippy walking the street like she think she is something special? Some dutty old man would rape her, to put her in her place.
The argument about Machel should be widened into a questioning of how we stop so? All the education, opportunities and wealth have not made trinis a generous hearted or forgiving people. Any man worth his salt would have defended his woman. I remember the story well, and wondered why it took this long to get to court,(I thought he had since done another wrong) and now, if this "Little Black Boy" is going to be made to pay, for being cocky with success. As a convicted felon in his own country, he can no longer come to the US and bring down the house at Madison Square Garden.We need to be sure we understand what we are punishing. Grind him/her into the dust seems to be our favorite response to Who he think he playing?
The magistrate/judge could have given him some community service work like teaching reading, for a month at one of the orphanages. Then she should have sentenced the woman who threw the drink to work alongside him. But that makes too much sense, you hear.
Linda Edwards
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