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Shaduhs Uh Voodoo: A Sense of place Bridging the Gaps
To the Past
The Present and to the
Future
By
Cheryl Gittens-Jones
39 Buckland St
Apt 4331
Manchester, CT
06040
1860 432 3733
1 413 221 5023
Email: lotusepia@netscape.net
SHADUHS UH VOODOO POEM
DEM DAM SHADUHS
DUM WUN LEAVE ME BE
IN MUH DREAMS AT NITE
DEM DAM SHADUHS
SHADUHS UH VOODOO
AT NITE WHEN AH LAY...
...LAY MUH HED DOWN
MUH PILLUH AC' LIKE AH FLYING CARPET
UM CARRY ME WAAAAAY PASS
...WAAAAAY PASS SKELETONS
BLEACH DRY BY TUH MUCH SUN
HANG FROM TREES
AN' SPARKLIN' IN DE LITE
AN' DEM SHADUHS...
DEM DAM VOODOO SHADUHS
CLOSE PUN MUH HEEL
DUM WUN LEH ME FEEL
DUH SEEM TUH SUC' MUH DRY
MEK MUH...
FEEL...
WEAK...
DEM DAM
DAM...VOODOO SHADUHS
IN MUH DREAMS UH SEE DE BLUD
SCARLET RED
AN' MEN...
FACES BLAC'...BLUE...BLAC'
DANCIN' AN' PRANCIN'
MOVIN' TUH DE MUSIC UH DE DRUMS
AN' DE SCREAMS...
AN' DE BLUD...
DE BLUD CUVUH OVUH ME
LIKE A RED...SLIPPURRY...SLIMEY...SATIN SHEET
MEKKIN' ME SCREAM TIL' IT
FULL UP MUH MOUT...
AN' DEN...
MUH NOSE HOLE...
AN DEM DAM SHADUHS...STILL
WUN LEH ME BE
DEM DAM BLAC' SHADUHS
...VOODOO SHADUHS
UH SEE DE HIGH PRIESTESS
SHE DRESS IN WITE
PRISTINE...
WID SHE SLAVE STANNIN' BY SHE SIDE...
...DEM LUK AT ME...
EYES BLOODSHOT
DUM MEK ME WRITHE...
DE LUK IN DUM EYES
UH WUNUH HIDE...
BUH...UH HEAR DE SCREAMS
DEM JUNGLE SCREAMS
BUH UH CARN MOVE...
UH TRAP
AN...DEM...
DAM DEM SHADUHS
AH SPIT IN DUM FACE
"YUH CARN HA ME!!!!!!"
AN DEN UH SEE UH WITE MASK
APPEAR IN FRONT UH ME...
UM IS DE MASK...
DE MASK UH PURITY
AN DEM SHADUHS?!!!!!
DEM VOODOO SHADUHS?!!!
DUM LEH
ME
BE!!!!
Paper written in May 1999 as support for ‘Shaduhs Play’ final graduation project.
The social structure of a colonized society (the macrocosm) is analogous of the abuse within an abusive family (the microcosm). If there’s no healing from generation to generation, the wound never ameliorates. The cycle must be broken.
I have found a way to break the cycle through an autobiographical play entitled Shaduhs Uh Voodoo. The researching and writing of this thesis paper has given me the opportunity to gain distance through objective analysis, which in turn has helped me to gain discipline in my creative writing and in honing my technical skill.
In becoming organized and efficient from such a thorough and well thought out process, I have gained the ability to apply facts to my theatrical presentation so that it becomes richer and fuller as an autobiographical piece.
******
It has been almost one year since the presentation of Shaduhs Uh Voodoo: A Dramatic Work In Progress, the second presentation of the play. In the final dramatic performance Shaduhs Uh Voodoo, the audience perceives the violent behavior of my father towards his family.
The play tells a story of a curse placed upon a family in the early 1800s: a time of slavery in the Caribbean. The piece begins in the 1800s in Barbados then fast-forwards to the 1980s recounting the story of a family reconnecting after being apart for many years. The play quickly spirals into an issue, which is prevalent in our society today---domestic violence.
Shaduhs Uh Voodoo depicts a family affected by a curse, which has been passed on through generations. The “Shaduhs” are manifestations of this curse. The curse is a symbolic representation of the insidious power which colonialism has over a culture and its people. It is a suppressive force in their sub-conscious, which has gone unnoticed throughout their lives.
The “Shaduhs” stake their claims on the family who are unaware of their presence. They mimic the family’s movements, are playful, witty, ominous, and quite naughty at times. Throughout the play, they are seen interacting with the family. The play ends with the brother lying on his deathbed, dying from an AIDS related infection. The mother and sister are seen trying to come to terms with the violence of their past, so that the pair can begin to reconcile their lives in the future.
******
For many years I was bitter and angry towards my father, I never thought I could forgive him. However, within the last year I have been able to make steps in the direction of forgiveness and recovery. I began the process, by connecting the dots from past to present through academic investigation and intellectual inquiry.
Via my investigations and research I came to the realization that my father was merely a pawn in a universal chess game. He was the instrument of an insidious power siphoned down through generations. My father’s violent behavior was a manifestation of that insidious power which I define as colonialism: a policy enforced by larger nations over foreign dependencies fostering co-dependency while hindering their natural development. Colonialism is the stitch in the fabric of a society under which my father, my mother, (and in later years) my brother and I were weaned and therefore cannot be separated from.
******
Brandt F. Steele’s essay “Violence in the Family” in the text Child Abuse and Neglect: the family and the Community defines family as the ‘central basic structure of society’ (3). If this is so and this ‘basic structure’ is at the center of a ruling system, which is violent, then this ‘basic structure’ will be polluted.
It is my belief the family structure will be polluted and will reflect an image, which is analogous to the relationship between a mother and a child. The relationship between a mother and a child is interdependent since the child relies on its mother for sustenance. If the child is weaned on milk, which is infected he/she will become ill. The same applies to the situations of a violent society and an abusive family.
David G. Gil’s essay ‘Societal Violence and Violence in Families’ in the text Child Abuse and Violence, strengthens Steele’s stance by claiming:
“Violence in families is rooted in societal violence, and can, therefore, not be understood nor overcome apart from it”(337). Gil’s argument emphasizes the interconnectedness of human life and the environment. He stressed the levels at which ‘acts and conditions’ which ‘violate’ humanity’s development can be acted out on the ‘interpersonal, institutional, and societal levels.’
On the ‘interpersonal level’, he believes that a person can act out violent behaviors by using physical and mental means. On the level of the institution such as businesses, schools etc, these behaviors can be acted out via ‘policies and practices’, which will inhibit the development, the growth and the true potential of these individuals. It is his contention that structured violence is usually an ongoing condition, which is perceived as common. My family lived under this historically and inherently violent system.
The colonial System was one of hierarchy and patriarchy. My family was set up in a similar way generations before my mother and father were born. They grew up in families that were unsupportive emotionally and psychologically because they too were neglected in the same manner by their parents.
My father made all of the rules. He ruled with an iron hand perpetuating a cycle, which started long before he was born. My mother, on the other hand, due to her upbringing, was forced to accept those rules whether she liked them or not because of her own history of low self-esteem, and of poverty.
Her husband’s rules were enforced like the rules of a colonial system were exerted upon a people; because of his domineering behavior we were not allowed to express our views and perspectives. His authoritarian attitude undermined our development as individuals and impeded our growth and potential as a family unit. Steele’s essay strengthens my belief that this behavior, was rooted in anger and frustration, an anger and a frustration, which stemmed from his inability to make satisfactory progress in his life within his own country.
The Eastern Caribbean: a lonely planet travel survival kit written by Glenda Bendure and Ned Friary, gives a useful description of Barbados. The island is located at the ‘most easternmost’ of all the other Caribbean islands and is successful in attracting foreigners to its shores. As one goes further inland the landscape is dominated by ‘undulating hills of sugar cane grazing sheep and scattered villages’ (119).
Barbados is very small, only 166 square miles, with a population of over 262,000. The island is made up of coral accumulations built upon sedimentary rocks that have created natural wonders such as Harrison’s Cave, an underground ‘limestone cavern’ which attracts many tourists (121).
Rachel Wilder gives an accurate picture of Barbadians and their attitudes, in her text Insight Guides Barbados, she shows how important ‘good manners’ are to the Barbadians. Barbadian people are very conservative. If one wants ‘good’ results for directions or any kind of information one has to address them in the right way.
Barbados’ population comprises of ‘ 70 percent black, 20 percent mixed black and white, and 7 percent white”; the remaining 3 percent are made up of immigrants who have recently migrated from different parts of the world (293). The high percentage of black people is due to the over abundance of Africans imported from West Africa during the slave trade in the early 1700s. Barbados’ location across the Atlantic from West Africa made it a prime spot for the dispersing of slaves throughout the Caribbean and the Americas.
The societal structure of Barbadian society is depicted in the video Portrait of the Caribbean: Iron In the Soul out of Africa part (1) narrated by Struart Hall. The video addresses the historical significance of colonialism on two cultures, which have retained their colonial inheritances---Jamaica and Barbados. However, for the purpose of this paper I will only focus on Barbados.
Known as little England, one sees the true expression of British culture under a very African exterior. Colonialism can be seen all around in the architecture, road signs, British icons, high schools, and in their educational system. It is even more evident at the island’s yacht club, designed for the British elite to have a good time and which, still lives up to this reputation.
In Parliament one notices colonialism reflected in the way the politicians dress. They still wear heavy synthetic wigs and black robes as they ‘sweat through’ their weekly parliamentary sessions. Barbadians have been socialized under a British system dating back to 1627 when Captain Powell, an English Captain, discovered the island. This strong influence permeates every aspect of their lives up to this day.
Robert Morris’ essay entitled “Slave Society in Barbados” in Emancipation 1: A series of lectures to Commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Emancipation, gives some insight, from a historical perspective, into why Barbadian society is the way it is today.
Slave society and plantation society were inextricably linked in the way these systems were set up. Both systems were responsible for the ‘ordering of relationships’ in Barbados. The plantation system was the underpinning structure in the way society was organized. The system enabled the rich to stay rich at the expense of others. Thompson feels in order to understand the character of the “slave society in Barbados,” one needs to comprehend the elemental qualities of the plantation system and family systems (33).
The slaves in Barbados were treated as non-humans; the whites through the slave laws decreed in 1826 perpetuated this behavior. The laws reinforced a paradigm of control and obedience, which further empowered the whites while continuously disenfranchising the blacks.
George Lamming the re-known Barbadian poet and widely acclaimed
Author has captured the true essence of Barbadian culture and society in his literary text entitled In the Castle of my Skin. The book speaks about a young Barbadian peasant boy growing into manhood in Barbados as his country is growing into nationhood. The peasants are rooted in land owned by the white landlord Mr. Creighton. They are “descendant of slave owners, but have no awareness of slavery or their colonial condition” (266).
The plantation and slave mentality are still a part of Barbadian culture. These violent structures damaged my ancestors on many levels: spiritually, psychologically, and mentally “The myth had eaten through their consciousness like moths through the pages of aging documents” (Lamming 27).
Since there was no system set in place to promote healing or to even acknowledge that there was a need for healing, these attitudes were passed on through the generations as perceived in my parent’s situation. It is important, therefore, to understand our history and to begin to talk about what happened so that people can become aware of the importance of healing.
It was the writing, and the researching of the play Shaduhs Uh Voodoo, which inspired me to begin to question what really went wrong in my family. In finding the courage to ask questions, I finally came to an understanding of why my father behaved the way he did and why my mother was forced to accept it, even though she wished for better: even though she had big dreams, a generous heart, deep spirituality, immense faith and courage, which she eventually passed on to me.
Neither of my parents had any access to support systems to help them overcome their problems. As a result, my father, when punted into the street as a young man, was forced to make his way on his own; while my mother, who was shifted from place to place and island to island, (she moved between St. Lucia and Barbados) was forced to accept a life-condition which forced her into situations she did not like but was incapable of changing because of limited economic opportunity, class divisions, and lack of higher education.
My parents had no chance at recovery because of the way our culture was set up. They were just another poor black man and black woman who were left to die in more ways than one. Fortunately they learned how to survive but were caught up in a whirlwind of historical and societal factors over which they had no control. Because of the way they were socialized their chances of creating a full and happy life on the island were very slim.
The Barbadian Male: Sexual Attitudes and Practice by Graham Dann gives insight into the lives and attitudes of Barbadian men. Unfortunately, there is not much information available on the lives of the Caribbean male in contrast to the wealth of information available on the Caribbean female. In fact, Dann makes it clear in his introduction by declaring that what little information there is, is shrouded in “myth and secrecy in a prevailing culture of machismo.”
Realizing there was a problem in this area, the International Planned Parenthood Federation of the Western Hemisphere sent interviewers into the Eastern Caribbean to carry out a study. Dann’s work reveals the results of this study of which the Barbadian male was a key subject (1).
According to the findings, most Barbadian men are illegitimate children. The small percentage of men whose parents were married often saw the marriage dissolve in divorce (5). His mother and a stepfather whom he despised raised my father. My father often spoke about his stepfather as the person responsible for him being cast out into the streets. He had an intense dislike for his mother whom he believed never loved him, and perceived himself as the ‘black sheep’ of the family.
My mother was mostly raised by her grandmother but was later sent to live with her mother who made it clear that she did not really want her. When the two of these people connected in their adult lives a disastrous chemistry was created; inevitably destined for implosion, and an eventual unavoidable explosion.
Teenage and single mothers reared one quarter of Barbadian males. Unfortunately this situation is dangerous to the emotional health of the men and interferes with the ‘socialization process”. It is important for children to have strong positive role models of their own genders for their development as healthy human beings. If the child is raised in a single parent home he/she needs to be connected in some way with a member of whichever sex is absent. This connection, if not included in the socialization process of a child, will promote the possibility of emotional instability that could occur in their lives as teenagers and as adults.
Barbadian young men are basically raised in situations where they see the mother having a number of boyfriends (Dann 5). This type of behavior is usually dependent upon her economic situation. Most Barbadian males have no father figures to look up to---no male role models.
According to Pat Ellis in her essay “Introduction - An Overview of Women in Caribbean Society” in Women of the Caribbean, this situation did not arise out of a void. The reason why these young women raised their children under such circumstances has its answers in the “historical economical and political dependence on England” during the times of colonialism and of slavery (1). I interpreted this to mean that there is a causal relationship between patterns of slavery and the way Caribbean women raised their children.
A deeper understanding can be gleaned from the essay “The Making of - Male Female Relationships in the Caribbean” written by Norma Shorey Bryan in Ellis’ text (69). Shorey- Bryan corroborates Dann’s assertion that women “provided for” their “children in trying circumstances” (Dann 11) and are the main caretakers of the family and of the home. The women often fight for the financial support of their children in court as seen in the high rate (70%) of cases in court related to child support (Shorey-Bryant 70)
The absence of the male element in the Caribbean family is accredited to the instability of the economic situation in the region. This situation causes the men to leave their homes and families when they are unable to support them. Feelings of alienation are bred among the men and they feel marginalized because of not being able to live up due to the pressures of society.
As a result, the men develop problems of poor self-image eventually venting their frustrations on their families. They do this to compensate for the loss of their manhood in society by being violent towards their women. This is usually played out by the men refusing to let their women become better educated, or in finding ways in which to advance their personal development (Shory Bryant:71).
This was evident in the relationship between my mother and father. Growing up in the home of two Caribbean parents, I saw my father verbally and physically abuse my mother on a regular basis. When she tried to further her education or to make friends, he would sabotage these interactions. Eventually I saw my mother give in after many battles with him; she decided to remain at home too afraid to go out to further develop herself or to make friends.
My mother was always afraid of the embarrassment and the shame my father would cause her and would closet herself at home with her children. Yet, she maintained an inner core of admirable strength, which he was unable to access or to touch.
Her husband, on the other hand, traveled back and forth to the USA on a regular basis in order to make money. Whenever he was at home, which was not very often, he drove taxis or worked at other jobs. My father complained incessantly about the problems he had making money. Whenever he came home he was always on the outlook for another job abroad.
He constantly abused and berated my mother. When his abusive and berating behavior became too much for her she left. But apparently he could not live without her for too long so he found her and brought her back home each time. The situation at home improved for a short period, but within a few weeks the abuse would start all over again.
Shorey-Bryan gave validity to my story in her essay by stating that although the men constantly asserted control over the women, they depended on them to “bolster their egos” and to provide emotional support. This created a paradoxical relationship. The men realizing that they were being dependent then became fearful and resentful of this dependency. They believed men should always be in charge (71).
George Lamming’s Castle of my Skin gives further testimony through the voices of the Barbadian schoolboys of how attitudes of machismo are acculturated in Barbadian males from boyhood. The Barbadian author’s work is very important in understanding the familial relationships of most Barbadians and reinforces Dann’s earlier comments about the Barbadian male being raised by single mothers
Fourth Boy: ‘Tis alright with me my father don’t live in
the same house…my father couldn’t hit me
cause he don’t support me…An’ the courthouse
won’t let him either…
First Boy: Mine don’t support me, but if he beat me my
mother would say it shows he was still taking
interest.
First Boy: Mothers stupid that’s why most of us without
fathers. P’raps its because mothers stupid that
fathers don’t turn up sometimes (46).
Lamming was able to show, in this next section, the Barbadian father as the authoritarian figure and the children’s perception of their mother’s role in the home when one of the boys told a story of what it was like when his friend’s father came home. He revealed how fear, loss of freedom, and peace of mind was taken from the family via the fathers domineering attitude
Third Boy: But they ain’t got no freedom when he ain’t
there the house is like a concert, ‘cause the
mother is a sweet woman who gives plenty of
jokes, but as soon as he put in his appearance,
everybody stop talking…You hear the talking
talking talking an’ suddenly somebody say
easy, daddy comin’ an’ suddenly everything
is like a black-out for the ears. You don’t hear
anything at all (46).
This was exactly the way it was in my family. Whenever my father was gone we enjoyed our time together. My mother showed a side of her that was both irrepressible and endearing. She was a joy and comfort to be around. However, as soon as my father was seen returning home everyone became busy with various chores and a perpetual heaviness descended upon the house. My mother’s face would fall and she became timid and coy.
Richard Dunn’s Sugar and Slaves: The Rise of the Planter Class in the English West Indies 1624-1713, gave added support to Lamming’s work by showing how these behaviors were rooted in slavery.
The British brought about ‘a quarter of a million’ Negroes to the islands of Barbados, Jamaica, and the Leeward Islands by the close of the seventeenth century (224). The colonials made their own laws and their own rules. These rules and laws divided the society in the islands into two separate classes: the white masters and the black slaves.
The colonists saw the Negroes as chattels and treated them like property. The Negro had no rights. Different systems of slavery were developed in order to meet the high demand for slaves. However, the system I am focusing on for the purpose of this thesis is the Atlantic Slave Trade.
Described as “the last and greatest of all slave trading systems” in the work of Orlando Patterson Slavery and Social Death: A Comparative Study (159), Slavery caused millions of Africans to be alienated and marginalized. It was a system which fostered the ‘permanent, violent domination of natally alienated and generally dishonored persons” (13) or in other words, promoted conditions, which were lasting and forcefully controlling for those who were mostly considered to be a disgrace to society.
First the slave is “desocialized and depersonalized” or stripped of all his dignity and humanity, which is the first stage of enslavement. Next he is introduced into the community as a ‘non being’ or a chattel. The captive always appears, therefore, as marked by an original, indelible defect of which weighs endlessly upon his destiny.
The person, who has been taken by force, suffers from the start from a noticeable weakness that cannot be erased or removed, which eventually becomes a burden on his life and upon his future. This condition is categorized as a type of “social death” from which the slave could never be resuscitated: he would always “remain forever an unborn being (non-ne)” (qt Izard in Patterson 38).
Given this historical context it becomes clear to me why there would be a problem of marginalization and alienation among many Barbadian men from their families. This valuable background information allows me to comprehend why the women, although not respected and valued as equal human beings, were an essential part of their lives.
The legacy of slavery has set up a dynamic in their culture, which will not allow them to develop their innermost potentials as men. Frustrated, and angry at not having control over their personal lives, because of the macrocosm of colonialism which took away their control in the first place, they in turn become domineering in the areas over which they do have some control; the microcosm/family.
This dynamic creates violence in the family unit, which gives rise to the intergenerational legacy of abuse: where the abuse is passed from one generation to the next. This was evident in my family situation with my father passing on his abusive legacy to my brother and to myself (we both had difficulty with internalized anger, rebelliousness and self-destructive behaviors); while, my mother, not accepting it on a deep level, found it hard to rise above or to escape from it.
As a result of seeing her stoicism in the face of such odds, we learned perseverance and courageousness, which helped both my brother and I to overcome many of our toughest obstacles later in our lives.
In view of this I finally came to a better understanding of why my father behaved the way he did and why my mother, although having the desire to help him to change, could not bring it about. Given the above factors, my parents did not have a chance of building a healthy relationship. Understanding their situation does not excuse the behavior, but it helps me to put their lives into context. My understanding of why my father was abusive to us deepened even more when I found information on the History, Sociology, and Psychology of Child abuse.
In the presentation of lecturer Dr Samuel Radbill, “A History of Child Abuse and Infanticide” in The Battered Child Syndrome, he stated that Child Abuse had been present for centuries. Given at the Pediatric History Club, American Academy of Pediatrics in October 1965 Radbill noted, in his presentation, that it was a way to “maintain discipline, transmit educational ideas, to please certain Gods, or to expel evil spirits” (3).
The lecturer went on to state that it was always the exclusive right of the parent and the teacher to whip children. This was evident in the schools of Sumer, as was recorded in the book From the Tablets of Sumer: History begins at Sumer by Samuel Noah Kramer. Kramer, a Sumerologist (a person who deciphers the ancient text, culture and history of Sumer), noted that as early as the second millennium B.C there was evidence of how the first schools were structured and run (1).
Radbill refers to Kramer’s work to support his argument that the use of the whip was implemented as early as 5000 years ago when the “man in charge of the whip “meted out punishment as he saw fit and at the slightest provocation (Kramer 11).
Quoting Ryan William Burke from his work Infanticide, Prevalence, Prevention and History, Radbill claims that Ryan felt the reasons for the abuse of children was rooted in “religious beliefs and practices” (qt Burke in Radbill 3). Children were perceived by adults during ancient times to be possessed by the devil when they had epileptic fits. The children were then beaten as a form of “psychiatric treatment.”
The beatings were thought to relieve them of the demons, which possessed the heart of the child. This punishment was specifically done with a rod (3). People of those times saw it as the perfect cure for foolishness bound up in back as far as Roman times when the ‘ferula’, a cane-like stick made from the fennel stalk, was used by school masters to punish children (4).
Lloyd DeMause in his essay “Our forebears made Childhood a Nightmare” in the book Traumatic Abuse and Neglect of Children at Home, supported Radbill’s argument of child abuse being rooted in history. He emphasized the fact that the deeper we delved into our history, “the lower the level of childcare” was found; one was more likely to find children who were “killed, abandoned, whipped, sexually abused and terrorized by their caretakers,” as one went further back in antiquity. The life of the child born in those days was “uniformly bleak” and “every childbearing tract” from ancient times to the 18th century, promoted the whipping of children (14).
More evidence to support Radbill’s position that child abuse is rooted in history is found in the book Child Life In Colonial Days by Alice Morse Earle in the chapter “Oldtime Discipline.” She speaks about ministers, parents and teachers of her time finding support for their use of the rod in the Bible (191): the place where the “breaking and beating down” usually occurred was in school, as Morse put it, and was implemented by schoolmasters who were highly disciplined and severe in their approaches.
She quoted a woman by the name of Agnes Paston who wrote a note in 1457 giving permission to the school masters to discipline her son "If he hath nought do well, nor wyll nought amend, pray hym and he wyll trewly belassch hym, tyll he wyll amend…(192).
Even great figures in history were not exempt. Selwyn Smith in The Battered Child Syndrome with foreword by Keith Simpson, writes about great figures such as Lady Jane Gray, Federick the Great and John Wesley who spoke about the harsh discipline they received as children. However, he noted that in 400 B.C Plato, spoke out against the harsh treatment of children. Plato implored teachers “to train children not by compulsion but as if they were playing” (qt Radbill Smith 17).
As my research unraveled, it became much clearer to me that the violence experienced by my family was not an isolated incident. During rare moments of peace and familial togetherness my parents spoke about their experiences in grade school, and how teachers and parents disciplined them. They spoke about being beaten with rods, the harshness of school, home life, and the way they dealt with those situations by running away or through acts of vengeance.
Due to years of silence and shame I became very subjective in my thinking and suffered from anomie. However, after reading the above evidence, I immediately felt a sense of relief gaining new perspective on my life. Obviously this behavior exhibited by my father had been going on for centuries before he was born and still continues today. As I continued my research, I slowly began to feel connected to the world, to my parents and to my culture and history.
Gertrude Williams essay “Cruelty and Kindness to Children: 1874 –1974” written in Traumatic Abuse and Neglect of Children at Home, notes in 1962 the chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine Dr Henry Kempe and a number of his fellow physicians came up with the term “The Battered Child Syndrome.” The phenomenon was recognized as a “condition of high incidence” meaning that it occurred quite frequently.
They published an article in the Journal of American Medical Association entitled “The Battered Child Syndrome” which speaks of the parent’s participation in the evolvement of fractures in children (Williams 83). In this essay, the authors illustrate their findings and give accounts of the features distinctive to parents who abused their children. It addressed the issue of the opposition from Physicians who found it hard to acknowledge the condition existed.
Under the sub-title “Psychiatric Aspects” Kempe and his colleagues commented on the characteristics of parents who abuse and why they do it. In published reports from investigative experts, it was noted that parents who abuse had very low intellect. The team stressed these parents as usually being “psychopathic or sociopathic characters.” They were said to be addicted to alcohol, involved in sexually promiscuous behaviors, as having unstable marriages, and to be caught up in petty criminal occurrences.
The investigations by these reliable sources showed these parents to be “immature, impulsive, self-centered, ‘hypersensitive’ and quick to react with poorly controlled aggression” (91).
The experts went on to say that parents, who attacked, were usually abused by parents with similar characteristics. However, Kempe and his colleagues made it clear that behavior such as this was not always exhibited by people who had these ‘psychopathic’ personalities’ or who existed under “borderline socio-economic status”. In other words this behavior is not limited to those who have mental problems or are from impoverished backgrounds (91).
Evidently, people from sound backgrounds who were educated and in financially stable positions could also be abusers; the authors felt they too had flaws in their character, which allowed them to express belligerent behavior too ‘freely’. In this group, there was evidence to prove that they too had been subjected to abuse during childhood (92).
Brandt F. Steele and Carl. B. Pollock’s essay “A Psychiatric Study of Parents who Abuse Infants and Small Children”, strengthen the stance Kempe and his colleagues took. Published in The Battered Child Syndrome , the essay spoke of parents who abuse and their propensity to abuse their children because of their own mistreatment. The authors went a little further in their stance by saying that these parents had high expectations of their children, and “Performance was expected” way before the child was ready to fully understand what was expected.
This performance, when it was carried out, was accompanied by harsh criticism and was seen as fallacious, insufficient, unskillful, and futile (111). Brandt and Pollock believed that the abusive parent suffered from “a lack of mothering” which is a “disruption of the maternal affectionate system” or a disturbance of the mother’s ability to naturally express love (112).
The above evidence verified the stories my father told us about his life and explains why he behaved the way he did towards his son. He said his mother was not affectionate towards him as a child; he often expressed extreme anger because she had put him out onto the streets at an early age to fend for himself. My father placed high expectations on my twelve-year old brother, was highly critical of him, hoping he would eventually become a doctor. My brother, on the other hand, had other plans.
He wanted to work at the grocery store on weekends in order to make pocket money to buy the things he felt he needed. When my father discovered what my brother was doing he embarrassed him on the job and told him never to return. He felt disgraced by his son’s behavior; a boy of his intellectual genius should aspire to higher goals. Frustration and anger caused my brother to eventually rebel resulting in his expulsion from our home. My mother did all she could to prevent the out-of-control situation but only riled my father to further anger because she fought for their son to be understood and to be heard.
At last I understood the anger and rage inside which drove my father to put his son out onto the streets. He did not have any healthy role models to work from and therefore, could not offer what he did not have. My father never hugged us or displayed any signs of affection. In fact he became extremely uncomfortable if anyone tried to be affectionate towards him; his way of showing affection was either to punch, or to pinch.
Barbadians today are coming to terms with and confronting their history of colonialism and violence. In the section entitled Shine Special in The Barbados Nation 1997 issue (16), the article ‘Domestic Violence Causing Concern’ shows Barbadians are finally becoming aware of the problem of domestic violence in our community and are finally speaking out against it.
The article points out that more than three-quarters of the telephone calls received by the police stations originate from “social situations.” Police public relations officer Assistant Officer Reid revealed this during a gathering to discuss the theme “Working together for a Safer Community” at the District A complex, a police station in Barbados. The discussion was in lieu of Police Week and is held on an annual basis on the island.
Reid felt that the law had “a right to be concerned” in view of the problem with domestic violence in the country. It was his fear that domestic violence could potentially and eventually evolve into more serious crimes. He was supportive of the need for the development of a special unit in combating the problem. Present at the meeting were the senior members of the Barbados Police Force including the Commissioner Grantley Watson.
The meeting was also attended by members of the Barbadian community who were obviously concerned about the problem of domestic violence in their communities. The audience viewed a video before the commencement of the meeting on the problems which domestic violence posed on the Caribbean Community as a whole.
Marva Alleyne, Director of Women’s Affairs showed concern when she voiced the issue of the destruction of women under violent conditions. She subtly pointed out that a problem such as domestic violence “had implications” for the society because the first place it was acted out was in the home – which she described as the “first unit of the society.”
Victor Forde, a re-known psychologist in Barbados pointed out that the situation of domestic violence was universal, but his concern was surrounding issues of “health cost.” He went on to say that although women could be violent towards men, usually the perpetrator was identified as the male. According to him, alcohol worsens the situation but should not be perceived as a cause.
The issue of the Intergenerational Legacy of Abuse was raised when Colvin Marshall, Police Sargeant attached to the Juvenile Liason Scheme program, stated that while women were encourage to speak up, young men were told “to take it like a man.” He said, in his conversation with perpetrators it was revealed that they had been victims of abuse earlier on in their lives. He noted that once they were exposed to this kind of behavior, they were more prone to be abusive in adulthood
In an earlier issue of The Sunday Sun published in March 1997 (14A-15A) on the Focus page, the issue of Intergenerational Abuse was also raised. The article entitled “Children exposed to violence become abusers” written by Marquita Peters, briefly reviewed an educational skit which was performed at the Barbados Worker’s Union Women’s Committee activities in recognition of International Women’s Day.
The skit told a story of a woman who frequently came to work with “bruises and blackened eyes.” One day, on overhearing her co-workers gossiping about her condition, she blurted out that her husband had been beating her. This confession caused the other women who were gossiping about her to share their stories. Apparently they were also being abused. Women in Barbados are beginning to speak out and to take leading courageous roles in the fight against the dark force of domestic violence in their lives. We have come a long way but there is still work to be done.
In a panel discussion trailing the skit, professionals in the area of Psychiatry, Education and Law Enforcement addressed the audience. They unanimously agreed that if members in the Barbadian community wanted to change violent behaviors being perpetrated against women, the way children were raised should be addressed. Local Psychiatrist, Dr. Ermine Belle, was quoted as saying:
We have to teach our children the right way to
treat each other. We have to teach the girls to
respect the boys and the boys to respect the girls.
It will stay with them throughout their lives.
The panelists stressed the importance of paying attention to children in the home and in the community. They emphasized the fact that behavior was learned by what one experienced in one’s environment or one’s socialization both at home and in the wider context of the community. They called for a change in attitudes and emphatically pointed out “We can only change things if we attempt to change the socializing process that boys and girls go through”.
“As Barbados prepares to mark thirty-two years in a flurry of gold and blue flags on November 30, 1998, there is a growing clamor to break the last links with the British colonial past,” noted an article by the Associated Press in The Boston Globe, published November 27, 1998 (A38). Barbadians are starting to reject British rule and imperial icons such as Horatio Nelson, a British Naval hero. They desire full independence and heroes of their own Ties such as the British based Supreme Court and the Queens status as head of state.
This change in attitude is reflected in the current political situation in Barbados. A policy statement given by the Barbados Labor Party in early November shows the evidence of this transformation
Whereas many Barbadians have expressed
their disapproval of the Queen of England
being the Head of State, and whereas it is
the will of most Barbadians to sever such a
relationship with the colonial past…the party
(seeks to) establish a genuine sovereign state
in the former republic.
America’s influence is also the impetus behind the erosion of British control over Barbados. Barbadians are becoming Americanized in significant ways. They play baseball instead of cricket; they are buying more American goods, services, and are influenced more by Hollywood than London. The American influence can be quantified by statistical evidence regarding the current international trade environment in Barbados
It (cultural influence) is also reflected in trade.
Once Barbados biggest trading partner, Britain
now provides only 8 percent of imports, com-
pared to 38 percent from the United States.
From the abundance of evidence presented in this paper, one can obviously see that both the social structures of colonialism and child abuse are analogous in domestic violent families in Barbadian society. These social structures are inextricably tied to each other and cannot be dealt with separately. Both structures wield their powers via suppression, domination and the oppression of those who live under them.
I have shown how both the macrocosm of colonialism and the microcosm of the abusive family create patterns that are directly related and are passed on from generation to generation. This was evident in the attitudes portrayed by my father and the dynamics exhibited within our family unit. These social structures traumatize and marginalize those who live under them by taking away their identities and potentials for true self-actualization. Colonialism and child abuse are social structures implemented under force.
With the final production of Shaduhs Uh Voodoo only a few months away, I stand on the precipice of transformation and change, life and death, of beginnings and of endings, of birth and rebirth. Through this work I have been able to break the chains, which have held me in bondage long before my birth. It is time to begin a new chapter of my life.
I will no longer allow the suppressed shame of my past to intimidate me or dehumanize me. In order to create a new system, the old system must be uprooted completely - but one needs to fill the dark gaping void created by that uprooting.
To stop our men and women from abusing their children, changes must be made on all levels of society so that everyone can have a fair chance at realizing their true potentials. This is what Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism (my spiritual philosophy) would describe as a human revolution.
By addressing my history of colonialism and abuse I am experiencing a human revolution in my life. A visit to the Slave Houses on the island of Goree off the coast of Senegal, West Africa was the catalyst for this change. It was my first voluntary confrontation with the violence that is an inherent part of my character.
A confrontation with my father years earlier was also instrumental in my whole journey towards healing and recovery. My return to Barbados to face my brother’s death was both traumatic and debilitating but absolutely necessary in order to complete the cycle of trauma needed for regeneration
Bob Marley gives my feelings vent in the lyrics of his 1980s Redemption Song:
Old Pirates, yes, they rob I;
sold I to the merchant
Ships, minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit.
But my ‘and was made strong
By the ‘and of the Almighty.
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly.
Won’t you help to sing
Another song of freedom?
‘Cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs.
Emancipate
Yourself from mental slavery;
None but ourself can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy,
‘Cause none of them can stop the time.
How long shall they kill our prophets,
While we stand aside and look?
Some say it’s just a part of it:
We’ve got to fulfill de book.
Won’t you help to sing
Another song of freedom?
‘Cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs…
Prophet Marley sums up the importance of a human revolution in our lives in order to be free. The song speaks about the history of the slave trade and the effect of colonialism upon island people and their hopes for the future. Marley clearly saw that we were going to encounter difficulties in the future because of the history of colonialism. It is evident in his song he was way beyond his time. It is my hope the play Shaduhs Uh Voodoo , and this supporting thesis will be a ‘Redemption Song’ not only to myself, but to all those whose lives will be touched through its expression.
The End
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