West Indies Research Articles

Factors Associated with Chikungunya Infection among Pregnant Women in Grenada, West Indies.

Neonates are vulnerable to vector-borne diseases given the potential for mother-to-child congenital transmission. To determine factors associated with chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection among pregnant women in Grenada, West Indies, a retrospective cohort study enrolled women who were pregnant during the 2014 CHIKV epidemic. In all, 520/688 women (75.5%) were CHIKV IgG positive. Low incomes, use of pit latrines, lack of home window screens, and subjective reporting of frequent mosquito bites were associated with increased risk of CHIKV infection in bivariate analyses. In the multivariate modified Poisson regression model, low income (adjusted relative risk [aRR]: 1.05 [95% CI: 1.01-1.10]) and frequent mosquito bites (aRR: 1.05 [95% CI: 1.01-1.10]) were linked to increased infection risk. In Grenada, markers of low socioeconomic status are associated with CHIKV infection among pregnant women. Given that Grenada will continue to face vector-borne outbreaks, interventions dedicated to improving living conditions of the most disadvantaged will help reduce the incidence of arboviral infections.

Checklist of the shallow-water marine Brachyura (Crustacea: Decapoda) of Barbados, West Indies.

Here we provide an illustrated and annotated checklist of brachyuran crabs associated with shallow water marine habitats (nearshore rubble and subtidal) in Barbados, West Indies (13.1939°N, 59.5432°W). Twenty-one (21) survey sites in nearshore rubble and shallow subtidal habitats were surveyed between October 2018 to September 2021. Nearshore rubble habitats were surveyed at low tide during the day and night periods. Shallow nearshore subtidal habitats were surveyed every 9-12 days from February to October 2019 using crab traps placed ~ 4 m deep on sandy and rocky bottoms. A total of 1,640 specimens were recorded, belonging to nine (9) superfamilies, 14 families, 34 genera, and 44 species. The genera Charybdis De Haan, 1833, Pitho Bell, 1835, Thoe Bell, 1835, and Uhlias Stimpson, 1871 are here reported for the first time for Barbados. Thirteen (13) species are first records for Barbados, thus extending their geographic range. The most abundant and widespread species collected was Mithraculus coryphe Herbst, 1801, which accounted for 35% (N = 570) of the specimens, occurring in both nearshore rubble and subtidal habitats.

Analysis of magma flux and eruption intensity during the 2021 explosive activity at La Soufrière, St Vincent, West Indies

Abstract Real-time Seismic Amplitude Measurement signals and eruption cloud height measurements were used to estimate peak intensities of 40 explosive events during the 8–22 April 2021 activity of La Soufrière volcano. We estimated magma supply rates and erupted volumes in each explosion, characterized uncertainty by stochastic modelling and identified four eruptive stages. Stage 1 included an intense period of 9.5 hours with 11 explosive events with peak eruption intensity between 2000 and 4000 m 3 s −1 and magma supply rate reaching 828 m 3 s −1 . Twelve high-intensity explosions ( c. 4000 m 3 s −1 ) occurred in Stage 2 with average magma supply rate of 251 m 3 s −1 . Stage 3 involved both declining intensity and magma supply rate and lengthening repose periods between explosions. Stage 4 involved three much weaker explosions. The total erupted volume of magma is estimated at 38.5 × 10 6 m 3 (90% credible interval: [22.0 .. 61.9] × 10 6 m 3 ) consistent with independent estimates from analysis of tephra deposits and volcano subsidence sourced at c. 6 km depth. The 150-fold increase in magma supply rate, from the preceding effusive phase to Stage 1 of the explosive phase, is attributed to replacement of very high-viscosity degassed magma occupying the shallow conduit system with new, lower-viscosity, volatile-rich magma from the magma chamber.

The first neotropical ground beetle (Coleoptera, Carabidae) from the Eocene of Ukraine: finding the first Old World ant nest beetle related to Eohomopterus in the Rovno amber

ABSTRACTThe first record of the tribe Paussini Latreille is reported based on a specimen from late Eocene Rovno amber. It is the first known close relative of the genus Eohomopterus (subtribe Carabidomemnina) in the Old World. The recent and Neogene distribution of Eohomopterus is Neotropical, with extant representatives in Ecuador, Brazil and the West Indies, and extinct species in Dominican and Mexican amber. The occurrence of the Neotropical Carabidomemnina in Rovno amber and the presence of the Oriental Protopaussini in Dominican amber are of significant interest as evidence of the probable transarctic migrations of their ant host in the early Eocene.

Heritage Tourism in Island of Martinique (West Indies). A case of study of Le Tour des Yoles and the Festive Nautical Heritage

Heritage Tourism in Island of Martinique (West Indies). A case of study of Le Tour des Yoles and the Festive Nautical Heritage

Excerpted Abstracts of the 7th Water Efficiency Conference 2022

In an increasingly uncertain world, water is constant and central to most things: the economy, energy, transport, agriculture, health, leisure, wellbeing, social and cultural life. The 7th Water Efficiency (WATEF) Conference 2022 was, for the first time, held outside Europe in the Caribbean, at the Faculty of Engineering, The University of the West Indies, Saint Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago on 14th-16th December, 2022. Many challenges reflect the changing climate, increasingly unpredictable weather, and the efforts towards sustainable development necessary for social equity and economic growth. Proactive partnerships and collaborations across civil society is necessary to succeed in this effort. A conference on water efficiency and resilience is justified in the face of these challenges and during an energy, cost-of-living, food, and other crises. The WATEF-2022 Conference’s theme was “Water Resources Resilience for Small Island Developing States (SIDS)”. Trinidad and Tobago has a relatively high reliable water infrastructure (including desalination plants) for its population but in recent times water resources have been impacted by unforeseen climate change events. This twin-island republic was best suited for this conference, geographically and technically. Parallel with invited keynotes and feature speeches, technical presentations and panel discussions were made addressing various topics and areas associated with the conference’s theme. This paper contains a total of 28 abstracts excerpted from the Conference proceedings that address towards collaborative solutions to the water and resilience challenges faced globally and experienced more intensely by SIDS.

The Impact of the American Revolutionary War on the Slave Trade to Cuba

Abstract: Scholars intent on considering the American Revolution's relationship to and influence on systems of slavery must be sure to look outside of the United States. In mid-September 1783, the schooner Eagle , captained by David Miller, landed 104 enslaved Africans in Charleston. This is the first known U.S.-flagged transatlantic slave voyage arriving in the United States after independence. Before bringing these captives from Africa, Miller had conducted a previous voyage on the Eagle , which landed fifty other captives in Havana in May 1783. The latter group of enslaved men, women, and children, whom Miller brought from the Danish colony of Saint Thomas in the eastern Caribbean, were some of the nearly 14,500 captives we have found who were shipped to Havana, mainly from other Caribbean ports, by merchants based in Cuba, the Danish West Indies, and the United States from 1781 to 1785. Examining the actions of U.S. slave traders in Cuba during the American Revolution also opens up the chance to dramatically increase our understanding of the broader traffic in enslaved people to the island during this period, emphasizing the merchant networks connecting Saint Thomas, Saint Domingue, and Charleston with Havana.

Latin America's Export Trade Prospect of Agricultural Products to China

The objective of this research is to analyze the trade prospect of Latin America countries’ exporting agricultural products to China combining the dimensions of competitiveness and trade potential, and using the Boston Matrix. Based on the agricultural product trade data from 2000 to 2019, three categories are analyzed based on Harmonized System: animal, plant, and food processing product. The results show there are 4 LA countries in the zone of bright prospect trading agricultural products with China, which are Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. And 16 countries in the zone of promising prospect, 6 countries in the zone of bottleneck prospect, 5 countries in the zone of dark prospect. From the perspective of the category of agricultural products, plant agricultural product is the category in which there are the most countries with bright prospect. From the perspective of trading region, South America is the area in which countries with bright prospect concentrate. Countries with dark prospect mainly concentrate in Central America and South America. Countries with bottleneck prospect evenly distribute in different regions. Countries with promising prospect mainly concentrate in the West Indies. To promote Sino-LA agricultural trade, trade categories should be expanded and trade potential should be improved. Plans could be made for cooperation according to local conditions. LA should improve the quality control of exported agricultural products. China and LA should promote regional integration and strengthen technology cooperation in agricultural industry.

Correlates of Undernutrition in Older People in Guadeloupe (French West Indies): Results from the KASADS Study.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the risk factors for undernutrition in community-dwelling older adults in Guadeloupe (Caribbean islands). Methods: We used data from the KArukera Study of Aging-Drugs Storage (KASADS), an observational cross-sectional study of community-dwelling older people living in Guadeloupe. The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) was used to assess the risk of undernutrition. An MNA-short form (SF) score ≤11 defined the risk of undernutrition. Depression was assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale, cognitive function was assessed using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), frailty was assessed using the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures index (SOF), and dependency was assessed using Lawton's instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scale. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the correlates of undernutrition. Results: The study sample comprised 115 patients aged 65 years or older; 67.8% were women, and the mean age was 76 ± 7.8 years. The prevalence of undernutrition was 21.7% (95% CI = 15.2-30.1%). In our bivariate analysis, the risk of undernutrition was associated with MMSE score, IADL score, frailty, and CES-D score. We found no significant relation between nutrition risk and other variables, such as marital status, pain, or polypharmacy. In the multivariate analysis, the factors associated with the risk of undernutrition were MMSE score (Odd-Ratio (OR): 0.74 (0.58-0.97)) and CES-D score (OR: 1.13 (1.02-1.27)). Conclusions: Cognitive decline and the risk of depression were independently associated with the risk of undernutrition in community-dwelling older people in Guadeloupe. Although we cannot imply causality in this relation, the detection of these three key geriatric syndromes in community-dwelling elders is essential to prevent adverse health outcomes. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings.

Alternative practices to pesticide use in the Guadeloupe banana belt: Do biophysical constraints limit agroecological transitions?

CONTEXTIn the French West Indies, the banana sector has made a transition from systems heavily reliant on synthetic inputs to more agroecological systems. However, despite abundant literature on the performance of these systems, few studies have described the mechanisms involved in this transition at the level of individual farms. OBJECTIVEThis article aims to understand the drivers of diverse individual agroecological transitions on banana farms in Guadeloupe towards alternative practices to the use of pesticides with a specific focus on the role of biophysical constraints at territorial scale. METHODThe methodological approach was based on three complementary steps to grasp the spatio-temporal determinants of these transitions: (1) a mapping of biophysical constraints on the scale of a territory spanning 2510 ha of farmland, (2) a mapping of the land use changes between 2010 and 2019 at the plot scale over 1680 plots, and (3) an evaluation of the agroecological transition over ten years of 20 farms located in four previously determined constraint zones. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSWe show that some farms in the study area face multiple constraints linked to biophysical factors (sigatoka pressure and slope), and that there are links between these various constraints and land use changes (e.g. abandonment, diversification and maintenance of banana production). A more detailed analysis of the farms shows the emergence of five transition types over the last ten years: farms with a weak transition, farms with a weak transition despite having governance over their productive resources, farms with a moderate transition, farms with an organic-based agroecological transitions, and farms with a strong agroecological transition. The biophysical constraints of these farms affected these transitions, however changes in legislation or access to organic certification also supported changes. There is room for progress to intensify the transition of these systems, but this requires specific recommendations for these different types. SIGNIFICANCEThe mixed method used in this study is helpful to diagnose changes in time and space of farms in agroecological transition and assess their real room for maneuver.

Soil metabolomics: A powerful tool for predicting and specifying pesticide sorption

Sorption regulates the dispersion of pesticides from cropped areas to surrounding water bodies as well as their persistence. Assessing the risk of water contamination and evaluating the efficiency of mitigation measures, requires fine-resolution sorption data and a good knowledge of its drivers. This study aimed to assess the potential of a new approach combining chemometric and soil metabolomics to estimate the adsorption and desorption coefficients of a range of pesticides. It also aims to identify and characterise key components of soil organic matter (SOM) driving the sorption of these pesticides. We constituted a dataset of 43 soils from Tunisia, France and Guadeloupe (West Indies), covering extensive ranges of texture, organic carbon and pH. We performed untargeted soil metabolomics by liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). We measured the adsorption and desorption coefficients of three pesticides namely glyphosate, 2,4-D and difenoconazole for these soils. We developed Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) models for the prediction of the sorption coefficients from the RT-m/z matrix and conducted further ANOVA analyses to identify, annotate and characterise the most significant constituents of SOM in the PLSR models. The curated metabolomics matrix yielded 1213 metabolic markers. The prediction performance of the PLSR models was generally high for the adsorption coefficients Kdads (0.3 < R2 < 0.8) and for the desorption coefficients Kfdes (0.6 < R2 < 0.8) but low for ndes (0.03 < R2 < 0.3). The most significant features in the predictive models were annotated with a confidence level of 2 or 3. The molecular descriptors of these putative compounds suggest that the pool of SOM compounds driving glyphosate sorption is reduced compared to 2,4-D and difenoconazole, and these compounds are generally more polar. This approach can provide estimates of the adsorption and desorption coefficients of pesticides, including polar pesticide, for contrasted pedoclimates.

The goby fish Sicydium spp. as valuable sentinel species towards the chemical stress in freshwater bodies of West Indies

Implementation of the European Water Framework Directive in tropical areas such as the French West Indies (FWI) requires to select relevant aquatic sentinel species for investigating the ecological status of surface waters. The present work aimed to study the biological response of the widespread fish Sicydium spp. towards river chemical quality in Guadeloupe island through a set of proper biomarkers. During a 2-year survey, the hepatic EROD activity, the micronucleus formation and the level of primary DNA strand breaks in erythrocytes were measured respectively as an enzymatic biomarker of exposure and genotoxicity endpoints in fish living upstream and downstream of two chemically-contrasted rivers. Hepatic EROD activity was shown to be variable along the time but always significantly higher in fish from the most contaminated river (Rivière aux Herbes) compared to the low contaminated one (Grande Rivière de Vieux-Habitants). Fish size did not influence EROD activity. Female fish exhibited a lower EROD activity compared to males depending on the catching period. We observed significant temporal variation in micronucleus frequency and primary DNA damage level measured in fish erythrocytes that did not depend on the fish size. Micronucleus frequency and to a lesser extent DNA damage were significantly higher in fish from the Rivière aux Herbes compared to the Grande Rivière de Vieux-Habitants. Our results argue for the interest of using Sicydium spp. as sentinel species to assess river quality and chemical pressures in FWI.

Epidemiology, characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of adult-onset Still's disease in Afro-Caribbeans: Results from a population-based study in Martinique, French West Indies

ObjectivesTo describe the epidemiology, characteristics, response to initial treatment, and outcomes of Adult-Onset Still's disease (AOSD) in the Afro-Caribbean population of Martinique with free and easy access to specialised care. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study from 2004 to 2022 in the island of Martinique, French West-Indies which total population was 354 800 in 2021. Patients were identified from multiple sources including standardised databases. To be included, patients had to be residents of the island and fulfilled Yamaguchi and/or Fautrel's criteria for AOSD, or have a compatible disease course, without a diagnosis of cancer, auto-immune disease or another auto-inflammatory disorder. Date of diagnosis, clinical and biological characteristics, treatments, and outcomes were collected. ResultsThe prevalence was 7.6/100 000 inhabitants in 2021. The mean incidence was 0.4/100 000 during study period. Thirty-three patients (70.6% females) with a median follow-up of 35 months [7.5 to 119] were included. Twenty-six patients (78.8%) had a systemic pattern. Patients with a systemic monocyclic pattern had significantly more polyarticular involvement than patients with systemic polycyclic pattern (p = 0.016). Pulmonary involvement occurred in 51.5% of patients at diagnosis and systemic Pouchot score has been identified as an independent predictive factor for pulmonary involvement; OR of 3.29 [CI 95% 1.20; 9.01]. At first flare, all patients but one received oral glucocorticoids, 11 patients (32.4%) received intravenous glucocorticoids pulse and 12 patients (33%) received anti-IL1 therapy. Nineteen patients (57%) relapsed in a median time of 9 months [6 to 12] Three patients (9%) developed hemophagocytosis lymphohistiocytosis, fatal in 1 case. All deceased patients (n = 4, 11.76%) belonged to the systemic polycyclic pattern, with an event-free survival of 13.6 months [IQR 5.7; 29.5] ConclusionAOSD in the Afro-Caribbean population of Martinique shares some similarities with other ethnic groups, but exhibit differences, such as a high proportion of lung involvement. Comparative studies are needed to confirm these results.

Surgical training in the Caribbean: The past, the present, and the future.

The six million inhabitants of these diverse English-speaking Caribbean countries are grateful to the University of the West Indies, which has been central in the independent training of surgical specialists in all areas of surgery for the past 50 years. Similar to the per capita income, the quality of surgical care, albeit acceptable, is quite variable throughout the region. Globalization and access to information have revealed that the quality of training and surgical care being delivered can be further improved. Technological advances will perhaps never be on par with higher-income countries, but collaborative ventures with global health partners and institutions can ensure that the people of the region will have appropriately trained surgical doctors and, therefore, the provision of accessible quality care will remain a staple, with even the possibility of income generation. This study reviews the journey of our structured surgical training program delivered in the region and outlines our growth plans.

Phenotypic Profiles Among 72 Caucasian and Afro-Caribbean Patients with Antisynthetase Syndrome Involving Anti-PL7 or Anti-PL12 Autoantibodies

ObjectivesAntisynthetase syndrome (ASyS) is a rare autoimmune disease. We aimed to determine clinical, biological, radiological, and evolutive profiles of ASyS patients with anti-PL7 or anti-PL12 autoantibodies. MethodsWe performed a retrospective study that included adults with overt positivity for anti-PL7/anti-PL12 autoantibodies and at least one Connors’ criterion. ResultsAmong 72 patients, 69% were women, 29 had anti-PL7 and 43 anti-PL12 autoantibodies, median age was 60.3 years, and median follow-up period was 52.2 months. At diagnosis, 76% of patients had interstitial lung disease, 61% had arthritis, 39% myositis, 25% Raynaud's phenomenon, 18% mechanic's hands, and 17% had fever. The most frequent pattern on initial chest computed tomography was non-specific interstitial pneumonia and 67% had fibrosis at last follow-up. During follow-up, 12 patients had pericardial effusion (18%), 19 had pulmonary hypertension (29%), 9 (12.5%) had neoplasms, and 14 (19%) died. Sixty-seven patients (93%) received at least one steroid or immunosuppressive drug. Patients with anti-PL12 autoantibodies were younger (p=0.01) and more frequently exhibited anti-SSA autoantibodies (p=0.01); patients with anti-PL7 autoantibodies had more severe weakness and higher maximum creatine kinase levels (p=0.03 and 0.04, respectively). Initial severe dyspnoea was more common in patients from the West Indies (p=0.009), with lower predicted values of forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1s, and total lung capacity (p=0.01, p=0.02, p=0.01, respectively) contributing to a more severe ‘respiratory’ initial presentation. ConclusionsThe high mortality and significant numbers of cardiovascular events, neoplasms and lung fibrosis in anti-PL7/12 patients justify close monitoring and question addition of antifibrotic drugs.

#3485 IMPROVING THE DIAGNOSIS OF MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE

Abstract Background and Aims Chronic Kidney Disease has significant morbidity and mortality owing to the increased prevalence in cardiovascular disease. This increase in morbidity and mortality is seen more so as glomerular filtration rate (GFR) declines, that is, advanced kidney failure with GFR equal to or less than 30ml/min/1.73m2. Hence, it is important to control risk factors and accurately diagnose myocardial infarction in this cohort of patients. Secondary objectives showed that social isolation was significantly associated with confirmed myocardial infarction. Additionally, ST changes, and T- QRS discordance on electrocardiogram were found more commonly in the myocardial infarction group. Other diagnostic tools such as angiography proved to be an underutilized investigation with a prevalence of 13% in the kidney disease cohort at the University of the West Indies during the years 2018 to 2020. Method In this retrospective cross-sectional study, data was collected from the online records system at the University of the West Indies. Patients with an admission diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, unstable angina, non-ST elevation myocardial infarction, ST elevation myocardial infarction and chronic kidney disease were included in the study population. Cases were assigned based on whether or not myocardial infarction was confirmed on echocardiogram. Results Of the total number of 102 cases, 58 were chosen based on fulfillment of our inclusion criteria. 13 (22.4%) had echocardiographic evidence of a new myocardial infarction while 44 (75.9%) had no echocardiographic evidence of new myocardial infarction. Receiver Operator Characteristic Curves (ROC) used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of high sensitivity cardiac troponin T and interval/ delta changes showed an ideal value 141.50ng/L on first troponin T and 100.75ng/L on serial troponin T with delta change of 20.5%, (sensitivities of 61.5%, 72.7% and 72.7% respectively). Area under the Receiver-Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC) used to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the highly sensitivity cardiac troponin T and interval delta change demonstrated high accuracy of 0.708 for the first troponin T, 0.750 for the second troponin T and 0.767 for the interval or delta change. Conclusion Overall, we showed that serial troponin measurements in kidney disease patients increase sensitivity for predicting myocardial infarction and that the values are nearly 10 times that used for the general population. An interval change of 20.5% was also predictive of myocardial infarction.

Flow patterns and pathways of legacy and contemporary pesticides in surface waters in tropical volcanic catchments

Severe water pollution issues due to legacy and contemporary pesticides exist in tropical regions and are linked to cash crops requiring intensive plant protection practices. This study aims to improve knowledge about contamination routes and patterns in tropical volcanic settings to identify mitigation measures and analyse risk. To this aim, this paper analyses four years of monitoring data from 2016 to 2019 of flow discharge and weekly pesticide concentrations in the rivers of two catchments grown predominantly with banana and sugar cane in the French West Indies. The banned insecticide chlordecone, applied in banana fields from 1972 to 1993, was still the major source of river contamination, while the currently used herbicide glyphosate, its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), and postharvest fungicides also exhibited high contamination levels. A value of 0.5 of the Gustafson Ubiquity Score (GUS) was shown to separate contaminant and noncontaminant pesticides, indicating a high vulnerability to pollution by pesticides in this tropical volcanic context. The patterns and routes of river exposure to pesticides differed markedly between the pesticides in accordance with the hydrological behaviour of volcanic islands and the history and nature of pesticide uses. Concerning chlordecone and its metabolites, observations confirmed previous findings of a main subsurface origin of river contamination by this compound but also showed large erratic short-term variations, suggesting the influence of fast surface transport processes such as erosion for legacy pesticides with large sorption capacity. Concerning herbicides and postharvest fungicides, observations have suggested that surface runoff and fast lateral flow in the vadose zone control river contamination. Accordingly, mitigation options need to be considered differently for each type of pesticide. Finally, this study points out the need for developing specific exposure scenarios for tropical agricultural contexts in the European regulation procedures for pesticide risk assessment.

Facts, faith and Facebook: science communication during the 2020–21 La Soufrière, St Vincent volcanic eruption

Abstract Social media has become an effective bidirectional communication tool used by risk management agencies during crises. Its interactive format can provide near real-time insight into public attitudes toward hazard and risk. While there is a growing body of research on risk communication and risk perception in developing countries, there is limited understanding of real-time public response to low-frequency, high-impact phenomenon like volcanic eruptions. Facebook, the social media platform, was one of the primary mass communication tools used by The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre during the 2020–21 eruption of La Soufrière volcano in St Vincent. This study analyses public response to hazard and risk information shared via Facebook. A thematic analysis of user comments and iconographic reactions during the eruption revealed a complex social response to the event and information on the event shared by scientists. Direct access to scientific information was widely appreciated, as was the scientific team, with whom the public developed a familiar relationship. The interplay of faith and science remains a key feature of risk perception in Caribbean society. Findings also highlight the utility of combining old and new broadcast technologies to engage diverse audiences.

The Aboriginal Australians and the League of Coloured Peoples in London

During the 1930s and into the 1940s, the League of Coloured Peoples in London, part of the Black diaspora with links to the West Indies, included Aboriginal Australia among its global concerns. This article sets out to investigate the LCP’s efforts, through its newsletter and by direct appeals to Australian governments, to promote the rights of Indigenous Australians. It did so as one aspect of its larger agenda as a Black organisation to shape the future of the British Commonwealth and end white racism globally. This hitherto overlooked aspect of the League’s history was informed in part by its interactions with the Anti-Slavery Society and the British Commonwealth League, two networks with Australian participants based in London that are more usually associated with internationalising the Aboriginal cause in this era. At the same time as the LCP was claiming to speak for Aboriginal Australia, however, Indigenous activists were promoting their own reform agendas and actively engaging in internationalism largely from within Australia.

“Dishonourable Blacks”? The 1983 “Rebel Tour” and Jamaican Nationhood and Identity

The efforts at nation-building in the West Indies have had to (and still have to) confront obstacles that are legacies of centuries of European colonization and enslavement in the region. Postcolonial challenges have included overcoming structural racism and the negative impact on identity of limiting stereotypes and prejudices; the empowerment of marginalized populations; the provision of greater socioeconomic opportunities; and the creation of more just and equitable societies. These were challenges they had in common with many other colonial and postcolonial societies across the globe. Cricket played a significant role in many of these struggles, and in so doing became an important part of anti-imperial movements within the region. It was, therefore, unsurprising — and perhaps inevitable — that West Indian nations and the West Indian cricket world would become involved in the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Examining social attitudes towards the anti-apartheid campaign within West Indies cricket provides us with insight that can help us to evaluate the broader nation-building efforts. One particularly illuminating episode was the formation of a West Indian “rebel” cricket team that toured South Africa in 1983 and 1984 in contravention of an international sporting boycott. These tours were a shock to many in the West Indies, with one commentator referring to them as “a collective affront to West Indian society, nationhood and history”. However, attitudes in the West Indies to the tour were by no means uniform: in fact, there were many voices in support of the cricketers. This paper examines the reactions in Jamaica to the initial announcement of the “rebel” tour in 1983 to see what light they shed on perspectives of identity and nationhood in the Jamaican society, and what they reveal about the state of the postcolonial project. It poses the question: was the action of the “rebels” an affront to Jamaican society, or rather a reflection of it?