EDITOR, The Tribune.

An online petition started in 2020 rallied support to have Columbus statue removed from Government House captured more than 15,000 signatures.

A 37-year-old man, namely Shervandez Smith, was accused of trespassing on Government House property; partially damaging Christopher Columbus’ statue and has been remanded to Sandilands Rehabilitation Hospital pending a psychiatric evaluation.

Shervandaze Smith appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt charged with causing $2,000 worth of damage to the Columbus Monument. The statue’s right leg was destroyed with a sledge hammer on Saturday, October 9, 2021.

Police were dispatched to the scene around 1:20pm; when they arrived, they arrested a man who they said was caught in the act of destroying the Columbus statue. It has appeared he was willing to enter a plea to damages and trespassing charges. Smith’s mother who was present during the hearing requested that her son be evaluated at the institution, namely Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre, as Shervandaze has been acting strangely for a while and her family has been concerned about his behaviour.

Afterwards, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt said she was going to “err on the side of caution” because “Smith may not be a mentally competent person” and as a result she adjourned the matter to November 15, 2021 at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS) for a psychiatric evaluation as Sandilands is full to capacity.

The Christopher Columbus Statue on the steps of Government House was vandalized on Saturday, October 9, 2021 in the afternoon at two days ahead of National Heroes Day by a sledge hammer as he shouted “Let’s go Bahamas.” “Let’s go.” Causing extensive damage to the statue, removing one of the arms and one of the legs.

The statue at Mount Fritz Williams was a gift to the Bahamian people from Sir James Carmichael Smith, perhaps the best and most admirable Governor Bahamians have ever had during the colonial era.

Rev. Sebastian Campbell says Bahamians are too docile and laid back and should march to force the removal of Christopher Columbus’ statue in front of Government House.

Christopher Columbus’ statue has been targeted for removal or destruction by protestors due to the controversial killing of American George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 as people worldwide rebelled against systematic racism.

Father Sebastian Campbell, who is remembered as being one of our more outspoken sons, often said: “Maybe this is an ideal time for Bahamians to have their protest and bring this to the forefront.” This is an ideal time, Bahamians are too docile and too laid back. We need to march and have this as our centre piece of our march to educate, educate, educate.

Should Shervandaze Smith be given a psychiatric evaluation and given a house at Sandilands or given time at her Majesty’s Prison, Fox Hill?

If we were to turn the hands of time should Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling who hurled the Mace out of the window of the House of Assembly and Sir Milo Bolton Butler who threw the hourglass out of the House’s window have been granted prison time or time at Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre for psychiatric evaluation?

This is the same scenario we are dealing with, my fellow Bahamians.

On Wednesday, October 6, 2021 a copy of The Tribune under the caption “End Columbus Celebration”, Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the organisation of the American States, Sir Ronald Sanders has called for an end to the celebration of “The Encounter of two worlds,” an annual event promoted by the Government of Spain to mark the so-called discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus.

The Encomienda system of Mine’s, a form of slavery and work on plantations demanded an ever increasing labour force. Spanish settlers were given large grants of land and authority over a large number of natives who were obviously to be used as ideal slaves. See A History of the Bahamas by Michael Craton pg. 39.

Encomienda, which was force labour allegedly essential for development. In 1498 Columbus began a system of encomienda which was a grant of Indian labour in return for the trust of educating the Indians and converting them to Christianity.

Encomienda was seen adopted throughout the Spanish empire. The Laws of Burgos passed in 1512, stated that although the Indians were free men, they were forcibly converted to Christianity.

By the end of Ovando’s term of office there was about 300 surviving settlers in Hispaniola.

In 1506 there were 12,000 Spaniards in Hispaniola.

The population was increasing so fast that it put more pressure on the acute labour shortage of Arawaks. See “Americans to Africans” by Robert Greenwood and Shirley Hamber and revised by Brian Dyde, 2nd Edition.

See also “The Caribbean people” by Lennox Honychurch – smallpox, measles, influenza and genital sores swept through the Amerindians who lacked resistance to these Europeans during the 1500s epidemic that killed hundreds of thousands of Indians.

For instance, smallpox, measles, influenza, syphilis, bubonic plague, diphtheria plague, typhus and cholera to name a few.

The symptoms were horrible, genital sores, abscesses and ulcers covering the body, severe muscle and joint pain.

The ulcers could eat all the way into the bone and cartilage and could even be deadly.

So you see, Christopher Columbus was not all that and a piece of cake.

LOXSLEY BASTIAN

Nassau,

November, 2021.