Grenada
is
an island
nation with an estimated population of
110,000. Its capital is St. George's. The national bird is the critically endangered Grenada Dove. Carriacou and Petite
Martinique, two of the Grenadines have the
status of dependency.
History:
1498–1958:
Colonization
The recorded history of Grenada begins in 1498 and was
christened Concepcion by Christopher Columbus. At the time the Island Caribs
(Kalinago) lived here and called it Camahogne. The Spaniards did not permanently
settle on Camahogne but they said it reminded them of their homeland
particularly Andalusia, passing Spanish sailors began to call the island Grenada
and slowly the name stuck. Later the English failed their first settlement
attempts in 1609, but the French fought and conquered Grenada from the
Caribs around 1650. The French then took control and named their new
colony La Grenade. La Grenade prospered, its
main export was sugar. The French established a capital known as Fort Royal in
1650 as ordered by Cardinal
Richelieu. The French conquest resulted in the
genocide of 1651 when the forty remaining natives jumped to their death from
Leapers Hill (own blog) rather than become captives.To wait out harsh
hurricanes, the French navy would shelter in the capital's unique natural
harbour, no other French colony had a natural harbour later renamed St.
George's. The colony was ceded to the United Kingdom in 1783 by the Treaty of Paris. A century later, in 1877 Grenada was made a Crown
Colony.
1958–1984:
Independence and Revolution
The island was a province of the
short-lived West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962.
In 1967, Grenada attained the status of
“Associated State of the UK”, which meant that Grenada was now responsible for
her own internal affairs, and the UK was responsible for her defence and foreign
affairs. Independence was granted in 1974 under the leadership of the first
Prime Minister Sir Eric Matthew Gairy.
Civil conflict gradually broke out
between Eric Gairy’s government and some opposition parties including the New
Jewel Movement (NJM). Gairy’s party won elections in
1976 but the opposition did not accept the
result, accusing it of fraudulence. In 1979, the NJM under Maurice
Bishop launched a paramilitary attack on the
government resulting in its overthrow. The constitution was suspended and
Bishop's government ruled subsequently by decree. Cuban presence was welcomed and heavily
invested in civic assistance (doctors, teachers, and technicians in the fields
of health, literacy, agriculture, and agro-industries) during the ensuing era.
Agrarian reforms started by the Gairy government were continued and greatly
expanded under the revolutionary government.
Some years later a dispute developed
between Bishop and certain high-ranking members of the NJM. Hard left Party
members, including Bernard Coard, demanded that Bishop either step
down or enter into a power sharing arrangement. The dispute eventually led to
the popular Bishop being deposed on the 19th of October 1983 and
placed under house arrest. These actions led to street demonstrations in various
parts of the island. Bishop had massive support among the population and was
eventually freed by a large demonstration in the capital. Soon after, he was
captured and executed by firing squad, by soldiers at Fort George - along
with seven others including cabinet ministers of the government.
Maurice
Rupert Bishop. 29th May 1944 -
19th October 1983. Background:
Bishop was the
son of Rupert and Alimenta Bishop. He was educated at the London School of
Economics and had an extensive background in
studies of the black power movement. Returning to Grenada, he
became active in politics. In 1973 he became head of the Marxist New Jewel
Movement (NJM) political party. He was elected
to parliament, and for several years he held the position of leader of the
opposition in the Grenadian House of
Representatives, opposing the government of Prime Minister Eric Gairy and his Grenada United Labour
Party (GULP). Maurice Bishop married
Angela Redhead in 1966. They had two children, John and Nadia. Angela Bishop
emigrated to Canada
with both children in 1981, while
Bishop was still prime minister. He also fathered a son, Vladimir, with his
longtime mistress Jacqueline Creft, who was also a minister in the PRG. She was
killed with Bishop at the confrontation at Fort George. Like his parents,
Vladimir was killed in violent circumstances (stabbed in a nightclub) in
Toronto while still a
young man.
After the execution of Bishop, the
People's Revolutionary Army formed a military government with
General Hudson Austin as chairman. The army declared a
four-day total curfew during which it said that anyone leaving their home
without approval would be shot on sight, over 1000 American medical students
became de facto hostages of the regime. This marks the celebration of
Thanksgiving in Grenada, which is celebrated with a large feast much like other
Thanksgivings in The United States and Canada.
Invasion of
Grenada by the U.S. and OECS
military:
On October the 25th 1983, Grenada was
invaded by combined forces from the US, the Regional Security
System (RSS) and Jamaica, in an operation codenamed Operation
Urgent Fury. The US stated this was done at the
behest of Dame Eugenia Charles of Dominica. While the Governor-General, Sir Paul Scoon, later stated that he had also
requested the invasion, it was highly criticised by the governments of the UK,
Trinidad and Tobago, and Canada. The UN General Assembly condemned it as "a flagrant violation
of international law" by a vote of 108 in favour to 9, with 27
abstentions.
After the invasion of the island
nation, the pre-revolutionary Grenada constitution was resumed. Eighteen members
of the PRG and the PRA (army) were arrested on charges related to the
murder of Maurice Bishop and seven others. The eighteen included the top
political leadership of Grenada at the time of the execution as well as the
entire military chain of command directly responsible for the operation that led
to the executions. Fourteen were sentenced to death, one was found not guilty and three
were sentenced to forty-five years in prison. The death sentences were
eventually commuted to terms of imprisonment. Those in prison have become known
as the Grenada 17. There are seven left in prison due
for release in 2010.
Twenty-first
century history:
In 2000–2002, much of the controversy
of the late 1970's and early 1980's was once again brought into the public
consciousness with the opening of The Truth and Reconciliation
Commission. The Commission was chaired by a
Roman Catholic Priest, Father Mark Haynes, and was tasked
with uncovering injustices arising from the PRA, Bishop’s regime, and before. It
held a number of hearings around the country. Brother Robert Fanovich, head of
Presentation Brothers’ College (PBC) in St. George’s tasked some of his senior
students with conducting a research project into the era and specifically into
the fact that Maurice Bishop’s body was never discovered. Their project
attracted a great deal of attention, including from the Miami Herald and the final report was published in
a book written by the students called Big Sky, Little Bullet. It also
uncovered that there was still a lot of resentment in Grenadian society
resulting from the era, and a feeling that there were many injustices still
unaddressed.
Hurricane
Janet passed over Grenada on the 23rd of
September 1955 with winds of 115 mph, causing severe damage. In 2004, after
being hurricane-free for forty-nine years, the island was directly hit by
Hurricane Ivan on the 7th of September. Ivan caused the deaths of thirty
nine with ninety percent of the homes damaged or destroyed. In 2005, Hurricane
Emily hit on the 14th of July, this Category 1 hurricane struck the
northern part of the island with 80 knot winds, causing an estimated USD $110
million worth of damage.
Grenada has recovered with remarkable
speed, due to both domestic labour and financing from the world at large. By
December 2005, ninety-six per cent of all hotel rooms were open for
business and have been upgraded in facilities and strengthened to an
improved building code.
The agricultural industry and in particular the nutmeg industry suffered serious losses, but
that event has begun changes in crop management and it is hoped that as new
nutmeg trees gradually mature, the industry will return to its pre-Ivan position
as a major supplier in the Western World.
In April 2007, Grenada jointly hosted
(along with several other Caribbean nations) the 2007 Cricket World Cup. After Hurricane Ivan, the Chinese
government paid for the new $40 million National Stadium, along with the aid of over 300
Chinese labourers to build and repair it. During the opening ceremony the
Taiwanese anthem was accidentally played, leading to the firing of top
officials, OOPS.
Geography:
The island Grenada itself is the
largest island; smaller Grenadines are Carriacou, Petit Martinique, Ronde, Caille, Diamond, Large, Saline and Frigate Island. Most of the population lives on
Grenada itself, and major towns there include the capital, St. George’s,
Grenville and Gouyave. The largest settlement on the other
islands is Hillsborough on Carriacou.
The islands are of volcanic origin with extremely rich soil.
Grenada’s interior is very mountainous with Mount St. Catherine being the highest at 2,756 feet.
Several small rivers with beautiful waterfalls flow into
the sea from these mountains. The climate is tropical: hot and humid in the
rainy season and cooled by the trade winds
in the dry season. Grenada, being on the Southern edge
of the hurricane belt, has suffered only three hurricanes in fifty
years.
Grenada does not know the word "steep". Hurricane damaged houses still standing.
New parsey houses are all over the island
Parishes:
Like many
of the islands we have visited Grenada is divided into parishes, Saints Andrew,
David, George, John, Mark and Patrick.
Politics: As a Commonwealth Realm, Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of Grenada and Head of
State. The Crown is represented by a
Governor-General. Day-to-day executive power lies with the Prime Minister.
Although appointed by the Governor-General, the Prime Minister is usually the
leader of the largest party in the Parliament. The Parliament consists of a Senate
(thirteen members) and a House of Representatives (fifteen members). The
senators are appointed by the government and the opposition, while the
representatives are elected by the population for five-year terms. With 51% of
the votes and eleven seats in the 2008 election, the National Democratic
Congress won the 8th of July 2008 election.
The opposition New National Party won the remaining four seats.
Grenada is a full and
participating member of both the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern
Caribbean States (OECS).
The flag showing the nutmeg. The Coat of Arms
The flag
features the usual Pan-African colours - Red represents the fervour of the
people, their courage and vitality. The red in the border is for dedication to
preserve harmony and unity of spirit. Gold (wisdom) represents the sun, the
warmth and friendliness of the people. Green symbolises the fertility of the
land, lush vegetation and the islands agriculture. The Coat of Arms is supported
by a Tattoo or Armadillo and on the right a Ramier or Columba Squamosa. Also
featured are the chief crops cocoa, nutmeg and banana.
Economy and
tourism:
Economic progress in fiscal reforms
and prudent macroeconomic management have boosted annual growth
to 5%–6% in 1998–99; the increase in economic activity has been led by
construction and trade. Tourist facilities are being expanded; tourism is the leading foreign
exchange earner. Major short-term concerns are
the rising fiscal deficit and the deterioration in the external
account balance. Grenada shares a common central bank and a common currency (the East Caribbean dollar) with
seven other members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
(OECS)
Grenada is called The Spice Isle
because it is a leading producer of several different spices. Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, mace, allspice, orange/citrus peels, wild
coffee used by the locals, and especially nutmeg, providing 20% of the world supply,
are all important exports. The nutmeg on the nation's flag represents the
economic crop of Grenada; the nation is the world’s second largest producer of
nutmeg (after Indonesia). The
island has also pioneered the cultivation of organic cocoa which is also
processed into finished bars by The Grenada Chocolate Company (own
blog).
Tourism is Grenada’s main economic force.
Conventional beach and water-sports tourism is largely focused in the southwest
region around St Georges, the airport and the coastal strip; however,
ecotourism is growing in significance. Most of
these small ecofriendly guesthouses are located in the Saint
David and Saint
John parishes. The tourist industry is
increasing dramatically with the construction of a large cruise ship pier and
esplanade. Up to four cruise ships per day were visiting St. Georges in 2007–8
during the cruise ship season.
Grenada has many idyllic beaches
around its coastline including the 3 km long Grand Anse Beach in St George's
which is considered to be one of the finest beaches in the world, and often
appears in countdowns of the world's top 10 beaches.
Grenada is linked to the world through
the Point Salines International Airport and the St. George’s harbour.
International flights connect with other Caribbean islands, The United States,
and Europe. There is also a daily fast ferry service between St. George’s and
Hillsborough. The Government at present are delaying issuing Alien Status to
foreigners wishing to buy property here and this has had a major impact on many
estate agents. The reason is unclear. We have met a number of ex-pats who if
they could would sell tomorrow. Perhaps that is a fault of moving somewhere you
haven't experienced first by renting. You can buy a new Japanese car here today
and wait for a spare part for eight months. You cannot go on line and buy a book
from Amazon and expect it tomorrow. If you go to any of the supermarkets you can
find a good selection of good quality food, much imported from the US. If you go
in with a specific list to follow a strict recipe, expect to be
disappointed.
Demographics:
A majority of the citizens are
descendants of the African slaves brought in by the Europeans; few of
the indigenous Carib and Arawak population survived the French purge
at Sauteurs. A small percentage of descendants of
East Indian indentured workers were brought to Grenada mainly from the North
Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh between the 1st of May 1857 and
the 10th of January 1885. There is also a small community of French and English
descendants. The rest of the population is of mixed descent.
Grenada, like many of the Caribbean
islands is subject to a large amount of migration, with a large number of young
people wanting to leave the island to seek life elsewhere. With just over
100,000 people living in Grenada, estimates and census data suggest that there
are at least that number of Grenadian-born people in other parts of the
Caribbean such as Barbados and Trinidad and at least that number again in First
World countries.
Popular migration points for Grenadians further north include New York City,
Toronto, the
UK predominantly
London and Yorkshire. Sometimes Montreal, and as far south as
Australia. Around a
third of those born in Grenada still live there.
English is used in the government, but
Grenadian Creole is
considered the lingua franca of the island. French Patois (Antillean Creole) is still spoken by about 10%–20% the
population. Some Hindi/Bhoipuri terms are still spoken amongst the
Indian descendants, mostly those pertaining to the kitchen; such as aloo,
geera, karela, seim, chownkay, and baylay. The term bhai, which
means 'brother' or 'partner' in Hindi, is a common form of greeting amongst
Indo-Grenadian males of equal status. Aside from a marginal community of
Rastafarians living in Grenada, nearly all are mainstream Christians, about half
of them Roman Catholics; Anglicanism is the largest Protestant denomination with Presbyterian and
Seventh Day Adventist taking up the remainder. Most
Churches have denomination-based schools but are open to all. There is a small
Muslim population mostly from Gujarati Indian immigrants who came many years
ago and set up some merchant shops.
Culture:
Although French influence on Grenadian
culture is much less visible than on other Caribbean islands, surnames and place names in French
remain, and the every day language is laced with French words and the local
dialect or Patois. Stronger French influence is found in the well seasoned spicy
food and styles of cooking similar to
those found in New Orleans and some French architecture has
survived from the 1700's. Island culture is heavily influenced by the
African roots of most of the Grenadians but
Indian influence is also seen with
dhal puri, rotis, Indian sweets and
curries in the cuisine.
The "oildown" is considered to be the
national dish. The phrase "oil-down" refers to a dish cooked in coconut milk
until all the milk is absorbed, leaving a bit of coconut oil in the bottom of
the pot. Early recipes call for a mixture of salted pigtail,
pigs (trotters), salt beef and chicken, dumplings made from flour,
provision: Breadfruit, green banana,yam and potatoes. Callaloo leaves are sometimes used to retain
the steam and for extra flavour. This dish is a common tradition at
family and other gatherings at the beach. There is a modest debate in the West
Indies about the origin of this dish, with some experts attributing it to other
islands like Barbados or Trinidad & Tobago.
Music, dance, carnival and festivals
are also extremely important. Soca, calypso, and reggae set the mood for Grenada's annual
Carnival activities.
Zouk is also being slowly
introduced onto the island. The islanders’ African heritage plays an influential
role in many aspects of Grenada’s culture.
As with other islands of the
Caribbean, Cricket is the
national and most popular sport, and is an intrinsic part of Grenadian
culture.
An important aspect of Grenadian
culture is the tradition of story telling, with folk tales bearing both African and French
influences. The character, Anancy - a spider god who is a
trickster, originated in
West Africa and is
prevalent on other Caribbean islands. French influence can be seen in La
Diablesse, a well-dressed she-devil, and Ligaroo (from Loup Garoux), a
werewolf.
ALL IN ALL REALLY
ENJOYED BEING HERE, SOME VERY UNIQUE FEATURES. A
VERY COMFORTABLE
PLACE.