Dear Editor,
Please indulge my 45th birthday (45 is my story, and I'm sticking to it) by allowing me space to comment on the matter of whether or not Sir Sidney Poitier should be honored in his homeland.
Several years ago, I was privileged to represent The Bahamas at a meeting of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris. A few years prior to that particular session, Sir Sidney had served as our representative to UNESCO and had made appearances at several meetings of that body on our behalf. When I showed up in 2007 and occupied The Bahamas' seat, I found myself the target of many curious glances and questioning looks, and for a brief moment I wondered if I didn't look properly put together of if I had inadvertently taken up space meant for another country's representative.
At the earliest break in the proceedings, however, I was surrounded by delegates from countries far and wide, by accents and languages from across the globe, by persons from a wide cross section. The common query was, "Where is Sidney Poitier and when is he coming?"
The common sentiment expressed was, "He was here several times before and we admired him. We loved having him here among us. We were proud to be in his company. You should be proud of him too."
Editor, the moment for me was easily one of the proudest, yet one of the more humbling moments of my life. Humbling because for a fleeting second, I felt like chopped chicken liver. But national pride overwhelmed me, and my chest swelled knowing that one of my own was not only recognized, honored and appreciated by the north American entertainment industry, but was also esteemed by people the world over.
My opinion on whether or not we ought to honor him? An unequivocal and resounding yes to the question. And please don't remind me of his knighthood; that's not our honor and anyway, it belongs to a bygone era which holds no relevance to today.
What kind of miserable, mean-spirited and envious people have we become where we rise up in significant numbers to say that one of our own should not be honored? Are we still holding to the Biblical notion that a prophet can expect no honor, no respect in his own home? Are we so short-sighted that we cannot look beyond our own noses, beyond our own borders and see a bigger picture, indeed a wider, more appreciative world where one of our own stands as a Colossus, an icon of achievement against tremendous odds?
Will we continue to be a nation where we place great value on jocks, Junkanoo, pastors and politicians, but ignore our academics, artists and community activists? Will we always be a people whose singular unit of measurement for success and achievement is in dollars and cents (preferably) delivered to us in person? Will we continue to stubbornly ignore the value of inspiration, innovation and courageous example to the human spirit?
The record does not show where Jesus Christ did any tangible thing for Nazareth or even Bethlehem for that matter, yet the entire world acknowledges his courage and credits him with inspiring a significant spiritual movement which inspires millions.
St. Paul didn't really do much for the Roman Empire in tangible terms yet his example continues to encourage, train and inspire; and countless memorials, branches of the Christian religion, etc. commemorate his life and work.
Other great historic figures from ages past as well as in modern times have left us with stellar examples of their work, and with encouragement and inspiration to spur us on to great and even greater feats of human endeavor. That's why we name buildings, erect monuments, establish schools and other institutions in the name of individuals like Isaac Newton, Christopher Wren, Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., St. Augustine, Frederick Douglass and the like.
We have such an opportunity to add the name of one of our own to something in our own land - where we have monuments to non-Bahamian icons like Churchill, Oakes, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth, Dunmore, Kennedy, Fincastle, Woodes Rodgers, etc. - and we fuss and complain? How absurd!
Will we wait until the Americans do it for Sir Sidney in America and then we all dress up, purchase an airline ticket and attend the ceremony? How hypocritical!
- Theresa Moxey-Ingraham
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