WITH AN UNMISTAKABLE sense of admiration for meaningful contributions by the sons and daughters of the small ham-shaped rock in the Caribbean Sea that’s Barbados – celebrating its 49th Independence anniversary – Harold Hoyte, a revered doyen of Caribbean journalism, has achieved a unique accomplishment in this region with the publication of two major books within three years.
Both books are eloquently focused on important phases of Barbadian life and the significant roles played by a dozen of Hoyte’s fellow citizens in this internationally famous tourist resort.
First, Hoyte offered in December 2012 Eyewitness (To Order And Disorder) that provided a refreshing read of some half-century on the politics of Barbados – among them, well-known titans in local Barbadian politics.
By last Friday evening, Hoyte, previously conferred with an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies, was ceremoniously launching his new book Political Warriors at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies.
Informative, pleasant to read
Consistent with his enlightened thinking on and commitment to the development of journalism in the Caribbean, Hoyte has explained why he chose to dedicate Political Warriors to the memory of “a household name” in Barbadian journalism, Joe Brome.
From my perspective, his quite informative and pleasant-to-read Political Warriors is a natural outgrowth of Eyewitness (To Order And Disorder). Those familiar with his long years in regional journalism and struggles for maintenance of Press freedom, would readily recognise his own strengths as a “warrior” for media freedom and the public’s right to know.
In Political Warriors the author explains why his chosen dozen does not include any of the more famous political names of either pre- or post-Independent Barbados, such as the late Sir Grantley Adams, Errol Barrow and Tom Adams, or even that of the three-term former Prime Minister Owen Arthur, while including a range of others.
Useful, relevant gift
While further commentary on this aspect of his Political Warriors would be forthcoming, there remains for this columnist at this time an intriguing observation by Sir Hilary Beckles in his foreword where he noted: “It might be considered ironic that in this time these (identified) ‘political warriors’ did more to forge what is now the national political culture, than those [ten] who we have elevated as National Heroes . . . .”
Informed observers may recall that the indomitable activist historian Sir Hilary was reportedly involved in the original identification process of Barbados’ ten National Heroes. I have not personally checked this with him, but in his enlightening foreword to Hoyte’s Political Warriors, Sir Hilary observed that: “Mr Hoyte has chosen well his material which he presents in a ministerial sort of way. He knows his subject and subjects, and writes of them with respect and reason, and from a distance that indicates why his objectivity remains untarnished by this ‘personal knowing . . .’ .”
Quite a refreshing compliment from an authoritative source. And, from my personal, humble perspective, Political Warriors seems quite a useful, relevant gift that coincides with Barbados’ 49th anniversary as an independent nation. Incidentally, it’s also the same period for my own homeland, Guyana, which celebrated its 49th Independence on May 26.
Stay strong and optimistic, dear readers, amid the current domestic, regional and international political/economic storms. These too shall pass.
Rickey Singh is a noted Caribbean journalist.