We continue our discussion about the implosion of the Grenada Revolution, what or who caused it and what its legacy is. (1)
Having revisited the events of October 19th, the contentions still remain. Particularly around whether the execution of Maurice Bishop and members of his cabinet was a planned assassination or a spontaneous chaotic escalation. The intervening years has brought forward different types of theories, evidence and even a ‘deathbed confession’ reversing decades old positions on the executions. (2)
We will continue to interrogate the issues in pursuit of the truth as we strive to learn the lessons.
(1) Afrika Speaks with Alkebu-Lan on Galaxy Radio (19/10/26) Grenada’s “Bloody Wednesday”: What really happened? https://alkebulan.org/aswag-611-grenadas-bloody-wednesday-what-really-happened/
(2) The New Today (08/10/22) General Hudson Austin – The final chapter of the former Army Commander. https://www.thenewtodaygrenada.com/local-news/general-hudson-austin-the-final-chapter-of-the-former-army-commander/. In an interview one year before his death, head of the National Liberation Army General Hudson Austin implicated Lt. Colonel Ewart Layne who was responsible for army affairs whom he claimed was given the go-ahead for the execution by Bernard Coard; The New Today (24/10/20) 37 years too late!!! https://www.thenewtodaygrenada.com/editorials/37-years-too-late/. Major Ian St Bernard also said that the murder of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was indeed a coup that was being staged by a Cell Group formed by Bernard Coard called Organisation for Research, Education and Liberation (OREL).
we ask the question:
Grenada’s “Bloody Wednesday”: What really happened? Pt. 2
1) How has the USA influenced the narrative around October 19th 1983?
2) How do we make sense of the different accounts of events on the day?
3) Is reconciliation possible or positions too entrenched?
4) Will we ever see anything like the Grenada Revolution in the region again?
Our Special Guests:
Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka: Resident guest who is Spiritual Leader of the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement and an Afrikan-Centred Education Consultant. Bro. Ldr is a veteran activist of over 40 years standing, a featured columnist in The Whirlwind newspaper and author of Mosiah Daily Affirmations and Education: An African-Centred Approach To Excellence.
Eld. Cecil Gutzmore: is an internationally renowned veteran scholar and activist who has been active in the Pan-Afrikan community for over fifty years. He migrated to the UK in 1961 later spending a decade back in Jamaica. Has been student, factory worker, clerical worker, community worker, local government and freelance training and management consultant and university lecturer in London and at UWI, Mona, Jamaica. His activism combines Black and left class positions.
Eld. Cecil’s writings on history, philosophy of science and political science and cultural studies have appeared in The Black Liberator, Marxism Today, Race and Class and Interventions; as well as various book chapters, newspaper columns and reviews in The Guardian (UK) The Jamaica Gleaner, The Morning Star and other newspapers. His research interests including the visual history of Africa and her Diasporas has led to the production of a number of photo-history exhibitions dealing with Caribbean Women and Marcus Mosiah Garvey amongst others. Eld. Cecil has also worked on some of the films of Menelik Shabazz.
Bro. Kwabena Dennot Nyack: is a campaigner, trade union organiser and equalities practitioner whose approach to reparations draws on a lifetime of engagement with Caribbean politics, racial equality and social justice. He argues that confronting the legacies of slavery and colonialism must go hand in hand with accountability for leadership and decisions today.
Born in Grenada, Kwabena came to Britain in 1960 as part of the Windrush migration. After leaving school with few qualifications, he returned to education and gained a law degree at the Polytechnic of Central London. His experience of migration and unequal opportunities helped shape his political outlook.
A return visit to Grenada in 1972 prompted him to question why people with similar abilities faced such different prospects. He subsequently joined Cause for Concern, supporting the movement that helped bring about the Grenada Revolution. Following the Revolution, he undertook political and communications work the People’s Revolutionary Government’s High Commission to the UK.
The Revolution’s collapse and Maurice Bishop’s killing brought disillusionment but did not end his commitment. He campaigned against the execution of the Grenada 17, supported their release and has campaigned for the return of Bishop’s remains.
His work in Britain has included equalities roles in local government, the charitable sector and the University of Reading, alongside assessing councils’ equality and diversity practices. As Chair of the Fanon Trust, an African and African-Caribbean mental health charity, he helped strengthen governance and secure service users’ representation on its board. He also chaired a youth and community association and served as a school governor.
After taking up private hire driving, following his retirement, Kwabena joined the GMB in 2017, became one of the organisers for Uber drivers and supported their struggle for employment rights.
These experiences inform his contribution to the discussion of reparations: historical injustice has continuing consequences, while principles must translate into practical improvements in people’s lives. He brings a questioning perspective to the debate, insisting that demands for historical justice must never shield present-day failures from scrutiny.
For Kwabena, reparations and accountability belong in the same conversation.
*******
In Loving Memory of Errol Tucker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTgygGuJWCk&list=RDqTgygGuJWCk&start_radio=1
Apologise and hold inquiry into ESN schools in the 1950s to 1980s: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/769015
Support the T21 Alchemy campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/f/t21-alchemy-raising-consciousness-around-around-disability
Support the Black Child Down Syndrome Project: https://blackchilddownsyndrome.com/about-us/
Afrika Speaks Archive: https://www.mixcloud.com/AfrikaSpeaks/