BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Barbados, and the Caribbean in general, will only become fully developed when enough local writers are produced to record society’s achievements for posterity and to motivate others to build on their inheritance.
This observation was made recently by Barbados’ Parliamentary Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner, as she delivered remarks at the book launch of “The Power of a Dream” by Grenadian author, Quamme Joseph.
“You know as well as I do what damage can be done by foreign writers who have a negative perception of a people and their culture and who produce material that blemishes our children’s self-concept and undermines their confidence,” Mrs. Sandiford-Garner observed.
She also noted that the message of the book was that everybody was born with a God-given talent and that this gift manifested itself in the form of an intuition or a dream, and was vital for children.
“At a time when educators are complaining about the escalation in crime and violence in our homes, in our schools and in our streets, this book is a God-send,” Mrs. Sandiford-Garner said.
Pointing out that the road to publication for Mr. Joseph was “littered with hurdles”, the Senator stressed the need for more publishing houses in the Caribbean to be created, if more writers were to be produced.
“As we produce more and more graduates in the region we have to create new industries for them to earn a living. With a policy of free education up to tertiary level in Barbados, we have to find more outlets for graduates,” she remarked.
Mrs. Sandiford-Garner advised persons of any age-group, gender, class, race or ethnicity who ever lose faith in their own ability to realise their dream, to read Mr. Joseph’s book.
“The Power of a Dream” was written in 2007. It is based on insights from the author’s own life and from doing research among some of the most alienated and violent young people in the Caribbean and England.
In addition to Barbados, the book has been launched in the United Kingdom, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It is also scheduled to be launched in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
