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| File Photo: Kirani James |
September 7th, 2011
By Kasha Dragon
The track
and field world championships are over. The athletes, medals in hand or not,
have packed up and left the heretofore little-known South Korean city of Daegu
and scattered to their homes all over the globe.
Most of the
world has moved on.
But in
Grenada, one of the world’s smallest island nations and in one of its smallest
communities, the fishing village of Gouyave, on its west coast, there’re still
celebrating the less-than-45 seconds it took to put them on the map of the
track and field universe.
More over
LeBron. Track and field now has its own King James: Kirani James, the 400 meter
world champion – and he’s from my home village of Gouyave, Grenada.
Last week
James, who just turned 19, beat the defending Olympic champion, the American, LaShawn
Merritt, by an eyelash – three-hundredths of a second – to the world
championships’ gold medal and become a favorite for the Olympic crown in what
has usually been a premier American event next year. As the media rushed to
learn more about this lanky teenager, the citizens of the tiny Caribbean island
– population: 100,000 – stopped to celebrate his historic victory – the
first time Grenada has won gold in any world sports competition.
I’ve never
passed up on opportunity to talk about my beautiful home country, one of the
jewels of the Caribbean and the “town that never sleeps, Gouyave” that Kirani
James never fails to mention in his interviews. As I watched with the
medal ceremony, proud with tears in my eyes, I could also see in my mind the
little fishing village of Gouyave, whose buildings of electrifying shades of
blues, pinks, yellows, oranges, and Caribbean green line its narrow streets and
let anyone passing through know that Gouyave is a vibrant, noisy,
fun, “action” place.
You won’t be
surprised to learn that in Gouyave, where everyone knows everyone, there’s
always cause for a celebration, and even a greater cause to unite to overcome
whatever obstacles come our way. In 2005, Hurricane Ivan swept through the
country damaging at least 90-percent of the island. It knocked us off our feet
but we’ve rebuilt homes, school, stores, churches, playgrounds, and the track
where Kirani James ran before going off to college at the University of
Alabama. Early this year the Charlotte River, the busiest river in Gouyave,
overflowed its banks destroying most of the houses that lined the river. But in
true Gouyavarian fashion we came together to clean up the debris, rebuild the
village and support the families that were directly affected.
It took me
awhile to explain to a colleague here in the States, the pronunciation of the
village; it was originally name Charlotte Town in honor of Queen Charlotte of
Britain, but later renamed Gouyave by the French because of the guava trees
that grew there. Gouyave like so many other villages in Grenada got its names
during the Colonial Era when Grenada was colonized by the French, and then by
Great Britain, before gaining independence on February 7, 1979. Gouyave has
many nicknames – among them, “the town that never sleeps;” “action city;” and
“bacchanal town” – all based on its people and surroundings. Last week, after
his victory in Daegu, James told the world’s media crowding around him, “I
think there’s a carnival going on right now.”
He was
surely right, because his victory was another reason for the people to get in
the streets, make up songs and celebrate; anything to prolong Carnival that
happened in early August. His birthday, which came two days after his victory
was yet another reason for a celebration, this time held in Cuthbert Peters
Park, where Kirani started his training with SpeedZone Track and Field Club,
one of Grenada’s pre-eminent track and field clubs.
As a child,
and more so as an adult, I’ve developed a fond appreciation for Cuthbert Peters
Park, which can be clearly viewed from the cemetery on the hill at the
beginning of Gouyave. In 2005, the same year Hurricane Ivan ravished
Grenada, my father passed away. At his burial I happened to look for a moment
down the hill at the park, filled with young kids playing soccer and basketball,
or running, or just liming (Grenadian slang for hanging out). Despite the
sadness that filled that day for me, seeing those “youths,” as he would often
refer to them, continuing in the tradition of sports in the village comforted
me.
My father
was a Grenadian national soccer player and all –round athlete. Seeing Kirani
run – and win – gives me equal pleasure, knowing that his victory will inspire
a new generation of youths in Gouyave and across Grenada.
Kasha Dragon is a Project Assistant at the NAACP Legal
Defense and Educational Fund.
SOURCE: The Defenders Online
1 comment:
Mike..can you please link or republish the article, it had a feew errors that I fixed..
Thanks,
Kasha
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