Symbolism

The men's 100m final was an amazing race. Congratulations go out to all who took part, especially to Usian Bolt and Richard Thompson whose efforts led to a word- record performance by Bolt and medals for both. Sport has traditional been a measure of society. C.L.R.James in Beyond A Boundary, explored how cricket and the way it is played is a reflection of a society's fabric. When West Indian cricket is doing well so are our societies and vice versa. Currently West Indian cricket is both erratic and eccentric which should be of no surprise since the islands of the region have their strong points, and their weak points. Just as in cricket a lack of consistency is what plagues out team, in our societies we see a lack of commitment and dedication.
Trinidadians like to think of out nation as the leader in the region, and with good reason. We have one of the stronger economies, our vast reserves of energy deposits ensure that we are always a prime market for investment, and we have an emerging and vibrant financial sector. All of these factors combined with a mostly un-healthy a dose of arrogance have contributed to the assumption of leadership. Jamaica is another island that also sees itself as a regional leader. Her lands may not contain the same sort of energy deposits, but time and again Jamaican nationals have proven their mettle and worth. Really though, the start of all this can be traced back to colonial times. Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad (Guyana was no slacker either) were the main revenue earners for the British Empire. With (In)Dependence, the reliance on Britain was not sufficiently eroded, and as such these nations retained their relative importance with each trying to outshine the other.
To date there has been no clear winner. True economically Trinidad seems to have done the most. Our measure of success though, must not be merely economic. All the islands have chronic problems of policy implementation which can be easily spotted when looking at the relative inefficiencies of their health, education, sport and other social service sectors. And it is sport that seems to have undergone a change in Jamaica. It was symbolic in the 100m final to see Thompson lead the race for the first 50 meters only to be overtaken by Bolt. Jamaica has developed a formidable athletics program over the years that started to bear fruit a long time ago and now it seems to be in full season. There on the track was Thompson the Trinidadian who was trained by some of the best in America. And then passing him like a bolt of, well Bolt, an athlete that trained in Jamaica, by some of Jamaica's best. Symbolic indeed, for the region still insists on looking outside of itself for verification. A lack of resources is always the excuse as we continuously weaken ourselves. Somehow, Jamaicans have begun to find a way to work around their material limitations and succeed, at least in sport.
The essence of the thinking that was necessary to do this though, the proactive nature of that thinking is the true Caribbean resource.
A.S.F. Andrews {M.ar}