Wednesday, February 4, 1981
It is the most important day on the island of St Vincent since Independence Day, October 27, 1979, when it became the last Windward Island to gain independence, and a national holiday has been declared. The current visiting English cricket team will challenge their hosts, the West Indies in only the fourth One Day International (ODI) to be played in the Caribbean, the second in the Windward Islands. The ODI is a relatively new format to the international game, and the home team boasts an impressive 24-9 win-loss record.
Smith:
Chatoyer? Isn’t he a national hero here?
Chatoyer: Yes Sir. You see I’m a Garifuna, a descendant of the Black Caribs, a product of the slaves from West and Central Africa, the Arawaks and the Caribs. My last name Balanna means the sea in Garifuna. We called here Hairouna, we gave the English a hard time from the 1770s to the 1790s. Joseph Chatoyer was the leader in those battles, but he was captured and executed on the 14th March 1796. We surrendered after his demise, the last Windward Island to be subjugated. Then they exported over 5,000 of us to Baliceaux, a barren island off of Bequia. Later, decimated by an unknown illness they exiled the rest of us to Roatan Island, off the coast of Honduras. My family had escaped to Canouan, one of the Grenadine Islands, further south. My great grandmother name me when I born, she always said that I will be the Garifuna to see the righting of Chatoyer’s death... (The local griot sketches the history of Hairouna, as he prefers to call the island, throughout the trip, which despite the presence of police outriders, is restricted to a crawl due to the enormous crowd on hand.)
The coach arrives at the Arnos Vale Ground, fondly referred to as the Playing Field, the most picturesque cricket ground in this part of the world. The former sugar cane plantation is situated on the southern tip of the island, nestled between the E T Joshua Airport and the Caribbean Sea. The ground is bursting at the seams, 10,000 people are in attendance, they are everywhere, perched in trees, on rooftops; every vantage point is taken.
Act One: Scene Three