Today is the 40th anniversary of the so-called "Rodney riots" in 1968. Dr Walter Rodney, a native of Guyana, was a lecturer at the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies. In October 1968, Rodney attended a conference of black writers in Montreal, Canada. When he returned to Jamaica on October 15, 1968, he was not even allowed to leave the Air Canada plane. He had been expelled from Jamaica by order of the government.

Asked to comment on his being declared persona non grata, Walter Rodney said, "This is not a surprise to me as I have always known that to be a black man in Jamaica is dangerous." At the time of Rodney's expulsion, the Black Power Movement was growing in Jamaica. It was in its full bloom in several parts of the United States of America and Jamaica was feeling its heatwave. Twelve years later in 1980, Walter Rodney would be tragically killed in his homeland Guyana in a bomb blast that went off as he sat in his car. Rodney's literary legacy is in his two books How Europe Underdeveloped Africa and The Groundings With My Brothers.

On the day of the riots, what started off as a mild protest by UWI students turned sour as the masses took over the demonstration. Stores were looted and gangs of teenagers drove buses from downtown Kingston through Cross Roads to Half-Way-Tree. At least one bus was driven into a store while several others were burned.

Opposition leader of the day Norman Manley, who would give his valedictory address to the People's National Party in November 1968 and step down from active politics in February 1969, protested against the manner in which Rodney was expelled. During the demonstration, Rodney's pregnant wife had a placard which read, "Where is my husband?" She did not even know where he was. Please remember that it was not like these days where one can make a telephone call to virtually anywhere on earth.

I recall the day of the riots. It was Wednesday, October 16, and it was cadet meeting day at Jamaica College where I was a student and a cadet, and approaching my 15th birthday. I had worn my cadet boots to school which in those days had soles made of steel. The JOS bus service (the era's equivalent of the present JUTC) had been suspended to prevent any further damage to the buses and to protect the bus crews. I got a lift from the parent of another student (Wayne Turner, where are you these days?) who could help me only part of the way.

I walked the rest of the journey home, about three miles in my steel-sole cadet boots. As it became dark, I made a short cut through a neighbourhood where a woman in an upstairs house called to me and told me to look up at a star in the sky, which was moving (you astrologers know more about such things than me). She told me that it was sign that the world was coming to an end as manifested in the riots earlier that day.

But was I ever glad to remove those boots from my feet when I got home! And as I got home Prime Minister Hugh Shearer was on the TV promising to make a statement to Parliament the following day. And when he addressed Parliament, Mr Shearer produced a pamphlet which he said had come from Rodney. He gave that as evidence that Rodney was carrying out subversive activities against the government and people of Jamaica. He said that the government acted in the interest of the nation.

In response to Shearer, Opposition MP David Coore said that there was not a shred of evidence that the pamphlet was written at the university. And if that were so, then it seemed to me that Rodney was thrown out of Jamaica for going into the inner city of Kingston and St Andrew and teaching the poor black people about their African cultural heritage. Rodney was the "Marcus Garvey" of the Caribbean during the 1960s and 1970s. And what is sad about it is that the prime minister was a black man.

At the time both Bruce Golding and Peter Phillips were students at the UWI Mona campus. Golding had been head boy at JC when I was in second form and Phillips had been a prefect when I was in third form. At the time of the Rodney riots when Phillips was at UWI, he was a Rastafarian. Golding gives the story that at the time, the government wanted to expel the Vincentian president of the UWI Guild of Undergraduates for leading the demonstration.

The guild president asked Golding, the son of a member of parliament and a previous Speaker of the House, to talk up for him. So they approached then Finance Minister Edward Seaga at Vale Royal who evidently "worked a thing" for the Vincentian as he was allowed to finish his studies at UWI. Today, that Vincentian is the prime minister of St Vincent, Dr Ralph Gonsalves.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/html/20081015T20...NG_WALTER_RODNEY.asp

i don't like that fellow rodney, he was against burnham and got himself killed fiddling with bombs.

benny where were you weh n Rodney died and how old were you.rodney fiddling with bombs Benny don't make a comment on facts you are not aware off ....Rodney was murdered

gbana, i was around and well aware of what transpired. he had a bomb in a walkie talkie and it went off. LFS said that you live by the bomb and you die by the bomb. why was rodney against burnham when the man was so dedicated to developing the country and making it self sufficient.

Benford,

Burnham could never be half the man Rodney was. Rodney had integrity and was love by many. Forbes had no integrity and was despised by all... except you. But then again you are an idiot

quote:

Originally posted by stalin:
Benford,

Burnham could never be half the man Rodney was. Rodney had integrity and was love by many. Forbes had no integrity and was despised by all... except you. But then again you are an idiot

Actually, it does not take much to exceed the integrity of Pfatt-Boy. But have to agree, Rodney was promising, though he never lived to have to deliver that promise. Jagan did, and he disappointed.

quote:

Originally posted by stalin:
Benford,

Burnham could never be half the man Rodney was. Rodney had integrity and was love by many. Forbes had no integrity and was despised by all... except you. But then again you are an idiot

what integrity rodney had? he barely made a political splash, he didn't even contest an election or govern over a nation or small town. what experience did he have as a leader? he was just a theorist who had a following. this is no indication that he would have been a good leader of a nation. burnham on the other hand ruled with an iron fist, all this drug running and killings did not happen under his watch, the place was safe.

quote:

Originally posted by Benford:

quote:

Originally posted by stalin:
Benford,

Burnham could never be half the man Rodney was. Rodney had integrity and was love by many. Forbes had no integrity and was despised by all... except you. But then again you are an idiot

what integrity rodney had? he barely made a political splash, he didn't even contest an election or govern over a nation or small town. what experience did he have as a leader? he was just a theorist who had a following. this is no indication that he would have been a good leader of a nation. burnham on the other hand ruled with an iron fist, all this drug running and killings did not happen under his watch, the place was safe.

Yeh? But he scared him shitless that he murdered him. Yes, Burnham ruled with an Iron fist, around the necks of the Indians. Some testiment to good leadership, one who destroyed his nation. Mugade is also ruling with an Iron fist, see any parallels there meat head?

quote:

Originally posted by baseman:

Yeh? But he scared him shitless that he murdered him. Yes, Burnham ruled with an Iron fist, around the necks of the Indians. Some testiment to good leadership, one who destroyed his nation. Mugade is also ruling with an Iron fist, see any parallels there meat head?

there is no evidence that rodney was murdered by burnham, from the facts presented we can surmise that he died while testing a walkie talkie which was illegal at the time. the source of the walkie talkie was said to be from a certain smith who only donald rodney knew. now if burnham wanted to kill rodney, why would he go to such elaborate means instead of just sending an executioner with a gun? There is no real evidence that links smith to burnham, for all we know the execution order could have come from the ppp who were afraid that rodney was taking away their limelight. notice how they ignored attempts by the family to reopen the case.

Coolie Benny again. Rodney was and remains a true Guyanese hero.

quote:

Originally posted by Benford:
there is no evidence that rodney was murdered by burnham, from the facts presented we can surmise that he died while testing a walkie talkie which was illegal at the time. the source of the walkie talkie was said to be from a certain smith who only donald rodney knew. now if burnham wanted to kill rodney, why would he go to such elaborate means instead of just sending an executioner with a gun? There is no real evidence that links smith to burnham, for all we know the execution order could have come from the ppp who were afraid that rodney was taking away their limelight. notice how they ignored attempts by the family to reopen the case.

You are hereby appointed President of the GNI Flat Earth Society. These are people who still believe that the earth is flat. Tthey are still to accept that that argument was decided a long time ago and that there is nothing that they can do or say to change that. Likewise, the argument about how Rodney met his end is over - he was assassinated by Burnham. If it makes you happy to believe otherwise you can do do so. You cannot change that reality.

A poster circulated after Dr. Rodney's death depicting Forbes Burnham and Sgt. Gregory Smith, the soldier alleged to have given Dr. Rodney the walkie-talkie in which was contained an explosive device. Some believe that Smith was not the man who killed Dr. Rodney, but was made the "fall" person. Some have claimed that a few soldiers who were very young but involved in the plot, is currently a retired brigadier of the GDF, who is one of the "masterminds" of the Buxton gangs.



Allegedly, the house in Tucville frequented by Sgt. Gregory Smith.

quote:

Originally posted by Errol Arthur:

quote:

Originally posted by Benford:
there is no evidence that rodney was murdered by burnham, from the facts presented we can surmise that he died while testing a walkie talkie which was illegal at the time. the source of the walkie talkie was said to be from a certain smith who only donald rodney knew. now if burnham wanted to kill rodney, why would he go to such elaborate means instead of just sending an executioner with a gun? There is no real evidence that links smith to burnham, for all we know the execution order could have come from the ppp who were afraid that rodney was taking away their limelight. notice how they ignored attempts by the family to reopen the case.

You are hereby appointed President of the GNI Flat Earth Society. These are people who still believe that the earth is flat. Tthey are still to accept that that argument was decided a long time ago and that there is nothing that they can do or say to change that. Likewise, the argument about how Rodney met his end is over - he was assassinated by Burnham. If it makes you happy to believe otherwise you can do do so. You cannot change that reality.

Errol, get your head out of the sand, you have come to accept these theories that burnham killed rodney as gospel. i am saying that without a thorough investigation we can never be sure. it could have been the ppp who rightfully refused to join with rodney with his fight against a great leader.

yes exactly what did rodne do other than cause trouble, picketing and have police working overtime.

Rodney another dead Commie/Marxist. Its a pity that bomb didn't also claim Cheddi and Burnham.