The basics of a liberal society serves equality. We need a society where the motive for the economic system should be primarily for the welfare of people. This is democratic socialism. Without independent judicial control, we cannot give effect to the essential values of our society. Law and freedom is the basic philosophy of liberalism and without liberal reform society doesn’t move forward. Ultimately I think progress without spirituality is like a life surrounded by unknown perils and can be compared to a body without a soul.
I must say that I feel blessed, incredibly blessed under the circumstances to have been able to produce a body of work. Deeper Soul.
In Deeper Soul is the quest to inspire. There are days that you wonder, what your role is and what it still can be in this precious existence. From my point of view no religion, no party, no logo, and indeed no skin color is more important than the human being… it’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice… I didn’t read every single book in the Barbados public library, but there were times where I read and read forgetting time. In some instinctive way I knew that what was happening in those books was also happening all around me, and I was trying to make a connection between the books and the life I saw and the life I live. Especially down at the family’s beach kiosk.
My residence in Rockley Barbados, was only minutes from the coastal highway Hastings. Hastings at that time was an area dotted with hotels and many wealthy guest houses. The predominantly black neighborhood of Rockley Hastings was a very different environment to the dodgy world down on the coastal avenue.
Kinder-garden for me was at the beach amidst the waterfront hustlers and believers. Primary school was situated in Hastings at the St. Matthias boys. I had always been inquisitive and resentful of anyone dare telling me which way I couldn’t go in Hastings. I didn’t know how I would use my mind or if I could. It was the only thing I had to use.
Born and raised in the coastal community of Rockley-Hastings brought opportunities. Beach-cricket and soccer, fishing, swimming, sailing, surfing and turfing – a healthy recreational lifestyle to choose.
Growing up with a grandmother who was critical in instilling pride and self-confidence – She didn't drive me to be that way, but just being touched by her special love brought that pride – The spirit of the Golden Rule moved her each and every day and she showed love to everyone. From a very early age working at our waterfront kiosk had exposed me to people from all corners of the planet. It’s where I learnt not to judge and to stereotype but to be tolerant and open-minded. The greatest teacher and always showed her strong family values. She was very social with strong support for the mothers Union within the anglican church, but the economical support of her family always came first. My outlook was never to conform to the over-simplifying of what an Afro-Caribbean writer should be. My roots orientation have stayed true with my book Deeper Soul. It is my belief that despite other people's expectations, firstly you have to be true to yourself. For most North American and European countries they express challenges in publishing foreign writers from the southern hemisphere. Residing in Switzerland for just over twenty-five years. A wife who team manager in a Swiss national travel office in this panoramic land. The luxury of travelling throughout central Europe and the Mediterranean has been an amazing journey. My accent whether in English or German remains Caribbean. Nevertheless, I think accents should not get in the way of telling a story which everyone can appreciate and enjoy. For where there’s more acceptance of diversity the message becomes broader and deeper.
The tradition of literature in the English language is sublime. There's no question about that. I would never want to get rid of Shakespeare or Milton or Dickens or any of these people, but I want to make room for other great writers. Writers like George Lamming, Kamau Brathwaite, Wole Soyinka or Walcott or Toni Morrison or you know, the list could go on and on, and that's been a very important battle and it's a battle, quite frankly, that I think we've now won because most major schools of education now accept the principles and premises of a multicultural literary or multicultural historical curriculum.
