You've probably never heard of the New Jewel Movement - but it's one of the most noted political parties in Caribbean history. The New Jewel, led by Maurice Bishop staged a coup in the tiny Caribbean island nation of Grenada in 1979. They formed a socialist state right in America's back yard - but it only lasted for four years, because political infighting led to the overthrow and assassination of Prime Minister Bishop in October of 1983.
The story of how that movement went from revolution to ruin is one of the most compelling political narratives ever to come out of the Caribbean. And, now, Belizean Senior Counsel and author Godfrey Smith has produced a compelling, fast-moving history of those events in his new book "The Assassination of Maurice Bishop." Jules Vasquez sat down with him today to talk about the book and the lessons of this major historical moment:
Godfrey Smith's book is set in Grenada in the 70's and early 80's. Smith lived there for three months to research the history and speak to the men and women in the story first hand:
Jules Vasquez
"How did this subject find you, or you find it?"
Godfrey Smith, Author
"I think from the first moment of thinking about writing Price as you know, the idea, of, before I finished Price I knew I was going to Manley, and before I finished Manley, I knew I was going to do Maurice Bishop, and the reason really is because I think I'm both fascinated and intrigued by the transformational leaders."
Maurice Bishop certainly fits the bill - he rose to power in a coup in 1979:
Godfrey Smith, Author
"At the time Grenada, it was the only English speaking country in the entire world that had a successful socialist revolution. I mean revolutions were going on in Cuba, in China, Soviet Union etc, other places, but right here in the laid back Caribbean, there was a socialist revolution."
"When (the) fellows went to Cuba to try to ask for help to make the revolution - this is part of the book - they weren't taken too very seriously because, naturally, it's a very small place, a little speck, a dot of an island, could they be serious about a revolution? And actually, they pulled it off."
Pulled it off on a hundred square mile island with a tiny economy - which the Bishop government took to new heights - all under a rigidly socialist regime:
Jules Vasquez
"It's shocking to see that these Caribbean men, mostly under 40 were such doctrinaire Marxist-Leninists. How did this even happen? How did Grenada even happen within the United States' sphere of influence? It's unbelievable."
Godfrey Smith, Author
"Well, remember at the time that Socialism was the fashion of the time. And while it is certainly at odds with the culture, with the Caribbean culture, that kind of doctrinaire approach to ideology, the creation of ideologues is nothing new in bigger countries. It was an absolute belief, like a religion in Leninism, in Marxism-Leninism, and people were strict about it."
Jules Vasquez
"One feels that it is almost inimical with the culture in the Caribbean because we have a culture that is, let us be generous and call it "laid-back". It is indisciplined."
Godfrey Smith, Author
"What you point out is in effect at the heart of the conflict that's occurred between Maurice Bishop and Bernard Coard. Bernard was the strict theoretician, as Fidel Castro called him, the high priest of Leninism and theory. Maurice Bishop was the popular leader who understood exactly what you said, that this is the West Indies, this is the Caribbean, you cannot fit people to theory!"
"The sad tragedy is that it all imploded, because, as is shown in the book, differences of opinion and approach and ambition and so on, jealousy, and that makes it, that introduces the tragic element of the story."
The tragedy was that Maurice Bishop was overthrown and murdered and 17 persons - including his Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard and other party loyalists were found guilty. Much of the book centers on the dispute between these two - comrades, friends and neighbours - which led to the overthrow and murder:
Jules Vasquez
"How much of it is really just about people misunderstanding each other, or making false conclusions based on inaccurate of missing information?"
Godfrey Smith, Author
"That's what happens when egos get in the way; your ego is so inflated that you feel unable to reach out to the other side; the other side feels unable to reach out to you. That's what happens when dogmatism sets in, when you believe that you are so correct that there is no room to understand your co-leader's point of view. That is what happens when the whole ambition sets in. You know what ambition can do. So, all these factors playing in led to an absolute breakdown of communication and distrust. Trust takes years to develop and a few minutes to destroy. And it is so tragic and sad that that is what happened to destroy the lives of outstanding, charismatic Caribbean leaders, and to destroy the Caribbean's only - English speaking Caribbean's only - successful revolution."
Tomorrow, we'll have part two of the story when we look at the US invasion that followed the Bishop assassination. We'll also ask Smith to compare the legacies of the three Caribbean leaders he has now written detailed histories of: George Price, Michael Manley and Maurice Bishop.
"The Assassination of Maurice Bishop" was released over the weekend and is available for purchase at Smith's Marine Parade Law Chambers.
