CHAPTER 2:12
“Three things you cannot do in Nevis without backlash.”
By Ron Daniel
Nevis is a funny place to live. While I love living here, if you are not au fait with the idiosyncrasies of life in Nevis, you are bound to be hurt, hated or harassed depending on what you do or do not do. In this article I intend to outline three things that you cannot do in Nevis without fear of backlash. While writing this article does not automatically mean things will change, my silence will not help things either.
Although Nevis is only 36 square miles, it has a multiplicity of churches and denominations. We have Pentecostal, Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, Wesleyan Holiness, New Testament Church of God, Prophecy, Seventh Day Adventist, Church of God, Apostolic and the list goes on and on. In Nevis almost everybody goes to church whether it is on Saturday or Sunday, yet it is almost forbidden for you to tell someone in Nevis that you are a Christian.
When you do, you are laughed at and teased although we claim to be an extremely religious society. People do all manner of things to change your mind and or prove that you cannot be a true Christian. Don’t be surprised if you find the same people who tell you that you can’t be a Christian, in the same church with you on Sunday. In Nevis once you declare that you are a Christian, just know that immediately you will be placed under the microscope of public scrutiny with the same people looking for an opportunity for you to fail although they may be your own church members or church goers themselves. So while we as Christians are not supposed to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, be prepared for the backlash.
Sharing good news is also a sure way to get lots of people hating you. In Nevis it is almost as if good news is the worst thing to have. It is best only to share this news with only the person who are sure of will be happy for you. This may not be more than five people but it is best to share it with five people who you know will be happy for you, than to share it with six and get the backlash. If your child does well in athletics or academics people hate you especially if you share it. If your child goes away and gets a degree in A or B, there are people who will hate you if you decide to publish it in the newspapers or mention it at a social gathering.
If you get a raise of pay, or get a promotion at your place of work, it is hard for you to tell anyone and expect them to be happy for you. I recently learned that if your first name and surname is on your name tag at Four Seasons Resort it denotes that you are either in a supervisory or management position. I have a friend who was recently promoted and refuses to walk through town with his name tag on simply because he knows there will be “haters”. While we should be glad for each other and share in each other’s success, it appears that we are more willing to take pride in each other’s downfall. While I do not condone boasting to everyone that will listen, I do believe that we should be able to share about the good that happens to us. However when we do, we better be prepared for the backlash.
You are almost sure to meet the same negative attitude as it relates to improving yourself. It has gotten so bad that people refuse to do things because they are afraid of what Nevis people will say. I have met people who want to buy a new car but decide on a second hand vehicle or stick with the old car because they are afraid of what Nevis people will say. As a Realtor, I have trouble getting people to buy more than a quarter acre of land because they are afraid what people will say of them if they buy a half acre or more of land. People refuse to have parties to celebrate their special occasions because they are afraid of what others may say.
Even in church people are afraid to tell of what God has done for them because they do not want people to ‘grudge them”. Some people decide to get married overseas because they are convinced that if they have their wedding in Nevis, there will be people who will come and eat the food provided and still want them to get divorced.
If you own a little restaurant with seating to accommodate five to ten people and your food is good you will get lots of customers. However if you decide to expand and rent or build a bigger restaurant that can accommodate fifty or more people, you can be sure that you wont be getting the same support you used to get when you were in your little place. I have seen it happen to at least two such restaurants in Nevis.
I know of a barber in Nevis who has done well from his trade in a little hut and refuses to open up a barber shop in town or build a better place for his customers simply because he knows if he does, people will stop patronizing him. If a white man comes to Nevis and builds a nice house complete with pool, we admire them, but if a black man does the same we want to know if they feel that they better than people. If a white man opens up a business we are quick to patronize him but we do not want to do the same if it is one of our classmates or someone we grew up with because we want to know “wha he a play”.
Although it pains me to write such a scathing article about the attitudes of our friendly people in Queen City Nevis, there are some things that just need to be said. Nevis is just too beautiful and has too much promise economically and otherwise for us to be practicing this crab in a barrel mentality. We need to get to the place where we are happy for others when they do well and not otherwise. As a matter of fact, when we see another Nevisian excelling in a particular field we should be inspired and motivated by their success.
The fact that Hugh Rawlins is now Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court should inspire the young lawyers to reach those heights. The fact that Stuart Williams made the West Indies Team should inspire you or your child to believe that it is possible for you too to make the West Indies Team. The fact that Meritzer Williams is running in the Olympics similarly should inspire others to achieve the same goals. Nevisians who achieve in whatever field should be heralded as heroes not the bête noire. I cannot wait for the day when there can be no backlash for the three things above. Until then I guess all I can do is use the rights given to me in Chapter 2.12 of our constitution to speak out against it.
