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Kamau B a hwai e’s En i onmen al Sensibili ies: An Ecoc i ical Reading o Bo n o Slow
Ho ses
ABEGUNDE, Clemen Tayo (Ph. D)
Depa men o English and Communica ion
Kwa a S a e Poly echnic, Ilo in.
Tel: +2348096757655
Email: [email p o ec ed]
And
MORONFOYE, Taiye Olayiwola
Depa men o English and Communica ion
Kwa a S a e Poly echnic, Ilo in.
Tel: +2347037379359
[email p o ec ed]
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17741203
Abs ac
Pos colonial w i e s ha e aken ime o explo e he consequences o impe ial expansion and
colonialism on he en i onmen al condi ions o he e s while colonies. Impac s o pos colonial
des uc ion a e el mos ly in all he Ca ibbean Islands, which we e buil on plan a ion and land
exploi a ion. These make Ca ibbean ecologies become a ea o in e es o c ea i e w i e s and c i ics
om he egion. While w i e s like Ha is and Walco ha e a ac ed p aises o concen a ing on
Ca ibbean ecologies, li le o no in e es has been paid o B a hwai e’s wo ks in his di ec ion. The
pe inen ques ion is ha : i is possible o a w i e o B a hwai e’s knowledge o Ca ibbean his o y o
omi such an impo an heme in his wo ks as he his o y o his egion is ha dly sepa able om i s
en i onmen ? This pape is an ecoc i ical eading o selec ed poe y om B a hwai e’s collec ion Bo n
o Slow Ho ses (2005). Th ee poems in he collec ion, “The Mas e o Ma y Jones”, “Guanahani”,
“Namse u a” and “9/11” we e pu posi ely sampled and examined. The poems we e subjec ed o
con ex analysis wi h he in en o o eg ound he poe ’s conce ns wi h na u e and he en i onmen .
B ai hwai e in e na ionalizes his ision and ea he damaging e ec s o colonial and impe ial
ac i i ies a ound he wo ld in con inen s a away om his Ca ibbean. The s udy e eals ha
B a hwai e’s ision is in e na ionalised and he damaging e ec s o human in e ac ions wi h
en i onmen become a global conce n. This pape concludes ha B a hwai e, like o he Ca ibbean
poe s ocuses on Ca ibbean and wo ld ecology in his wo ks. I is he e o e ecommended ha o he
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B a hwia e’s poe y is open o ecological hemes and equi es o be explo ed u he in his wise o he
han hose examined in his s udy and c i ics should he e o e concen a e mo e on his heme while
app ecia ing hese wo ks.
Keywo ds: En i onmen , Pos colonialism, Ecoc i icism, Ca ibbean and Landscapes.
In oduc ion
Since he 1990s, schola s o pos colonial p eoccupa ion ha e ocused on he des uc i e e ec s
o colonial and impe ialis incu sion in o he e s while pos colonial e i o ies. The engagemen wi h
e ec s o colonialism on pos colonial landscapes in o ms Ha is desc ip ion o Ca ibbean landscape
as “a landscape sa u a ed by aumas o conques ” (Ha is, 1992). The pos colonial c i ic aces he
consequences o colonialism on he colonised s a es’ ege a ions and en i onmen s. Though Buell
kicks agains such adical ad en u ism, he e is e e y likelihood ha he consequences o colonialism
a e el beyond he human psyche and in na a ing he human his o y o colonialism, he consequences
on he places whe e he e en s ook place a e no le ou (Buell, 1995). This is e iden in he impe ial
expansion d i es which came wi h indus ialisa ion and ace o land acquisi ion in A ica and he
Ca ibbean. The human his o y in Ca ibbean is in e wined wi h he na u al en i onmen his o y as
Deloughe y opines ha he “Ca ibbean is one o he mos impo an a eas o an ecoc i ical discou se
because he egion's his o y does no allow o a acile di ision be ween humans and na u e, an
opposi ion ha o en de e mines he dominan ecoc i ical p oduc ion o No h Ame ica” (Glo el y,
1996, x iii)
While poe y by o he p ominen Ca ibbean w i e s like Glissan , Ha is and Walco ha e
ecei ed c i ical a en ion as ecoc i ical wo ks, he e is dea h o wo ks dedica ed o B a hwai e’s
p eoccupa ion wi h Ca ibbean and A ican eco i icism. The dea h o wo ks on B a hwai e’s
ecoc i icism may ha e been due o he loud appeal o B ai hwai e’s obsession wi h cul u al and
his o ical hemes o c i icism. This pape is a s udy o he ecoc i ical ea u es o Kamau B a hwai e’s
poe y Bo n o Slow Ho ses. Fou poems om he collec ion, “The Mas e o Ma y Jones”,
“Guanahani”, “Namese u a” and “9/11” we e chosen o his pu pose.
The e has been a con inuous compe i ion be ween an h opocen icism and an h opomo phism
deba e in ecoc i ical s udies. While he o me ad oca es he supe io i y o humans o e o he
en i onmen al elemen s, he la e ad oca es equal ea men o hese elemen s as in e dependen
ecological a iables. Conside ing B a hwai e’s app oach in he ou poems unde s udy, his pape
adop s Heise’s (2016) mul ispecies jus ice as a heo e ical amewo k. The heo y p oposes a holis ic
sense o ecological su i al whe e bo h human and nonhuman o ms enjoy equal igh s o su i al
and can h i e wi hou one causing ha ms o he o he . B a hwai e has ad oca ed collec i e su i al o
all en i onmen al elemen s h ough his poe y.
Concep ual Cla i ica ions
The wo d ‘ecoc i icism’ was c ea ed om a combina ion o wo wo ds ‘eco’ and ‘c i icism’
bo h o which a e de i a i es o he G eek wo ds ‘Oikos’ and ‘K is is’ which all oge he mean “house
judge”. ‘Oikos’ e e s o na u e/en i onmen while ‘K i is’ is a peacemake who wan s he house kep
in good shape. Ecoc i icism hen conno es he s udy o he ea h/uni e se. Buell (1995) de ines
ecoc i icism as “ he en i onmen ally-o ien ed s udy o li e a u e and (less o en) he a s mo e
gene ally, “ he s udy o he ela ion be ween li e a u e and en i onmen conduc ed in a spi i o
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commi men o en i onmen alis p axis” (p. 430). In ano he s udy, Buell, Heise and Thombe (2011)
iden i y wo phases in he s udy o ecoc i icism. Acco ding o hem, he i s phase, which hey call
i s wa e ecoc i icism, ocused on such gen es as “na u e w i ing, na u e poe y and wilde ness
ic ion”. The second phase which hey ag second phase c i icism inclines owa ds en i onmen al
jus ice issue and deg aded landscapes jus as se iously as “na u ed landscapes” (419). This
classi ica ion po ays he mul iplici y ha esona es in he ield. In his p e ious wo k, Buell iden i ies
aspec s o li e a y ecoc i icism o include en i onmen al c i icism, li e a y-en i onmen al s udies,
li e a y ecology, li e a y en i onmen alism o g een cul u al s udies, ecopoe ics and en i onmen al
li e a y c i icism.
Buell, in he same s udy, s a es ha ecoc i icism has h ee du ies: he scien i ic s udy o na u e;
he schola ly analysis o cul u al ep esen a ions; and he poli ical s uggle o mo e sus ainable ways
o inhabi ing he na u al wo ld (Buell 1995). Some o he ing edien s ha migh be conside ed in an
ecoc i ical ex s, in his iew, include:
• he p esen a ion o he nonhuman en i onmen no me ely as a aming de ice bu as a p esence
ha begins o sugges ha human his o y is implica ed in na u al his o y;
• ex ension o in e es o elemen s o he han human;
• human accoun abili y o he en i onmen ;’ and
* some sense o he en i onmen as a p ocess a he han as a cons an o a gi en is a leas
implici in he ex (Buell, 1995).
The e m ecoc i icism acco ding o Glo el y (1996), is he “s udy o he ela ionship be ween li e a u e
and he physical en i onmen ” (x iii). He also comes up wi h lis o some o he pe inen issues ha
ecoc i ics o eco heo is s migh add ess when app oaching a wo k o li e a u e. They include:
• he ole he physical se ing plays in he plo o li e a u e;
• how me apho o he land in a wo k o li e a u e in luences he way i is ea ed;
• should in addi ion o place whe he o no ace, and gende become a new c i ical ca ego y; and
• ways and o wha ex en he en i onmen al c isis is seeping in o con empo a y li e a u e and
popula cul u e.
La sen (2007) in a simila ein de ines ecoc i icism as a discipline ha “deals wi h he way
li e a u e con ibu es o he a icula ion, in e p e a ion and ans o ma ion o bounda y be ween na u e,
cul u e o , e en s b oade , be ween he non-human and human” (p. x iii). While na u e emains he
cen e piece o ecoc i icism, i is no iceable ha humans ha e ecei ed mo e a en ion han o he
na u al elemen s. This s ance has p omp ed Iheka (2018) o c a e o a balanced ecoc i ical
explo a ions, ha would pay equal a en ion o bo h an h opocene and an h omo pheme elemen s.
Ecoc i icism and Ca ibbean Li e a u e
The impo ance o Ca ibbean ecology in he egion’s li e a u e has been widely acknowledged
in his o y om he dawn o Columbus’ oyage bu in e es in he Ca ibbean landscape did no begin
un il in he 90s. The la eness in awa eness o ecoc i icism in Ca ibbean li e a u e, acco ding o
(Deloughe y, 2011), is no a esul o lack o conce n abou en i onmen by he w i e s bu a he a ise
in ecological hinking as a me hodology in he 1990. The his o y o he Ca ibbean poin s o Eu opean
and Ame ican g eed o land g ab and exploi a ion o bo h human and na u al esou ces. Hence,
ecoc i icism is a non-negligible subjec in he his o y o he egion. A eassessmen explo ing e ec s
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o colonialism and impe ialism e ealed a lo o damages on he lo a, auna, human and nonhuman
and na u e in his egion. Na u e in Ca ibbean his o y is no i ialised because na u e and he egion’s
his o ies a e in ica ely in e wined.
Glissan opines ha “in he Ca ibbean, an engagemen wi h he en i onmen means an
en anglemen wi h he his o y o empi e and pos colonial na ion building. This his o y o empi es,
diaspo a, and ese lemen necessa ily o eg ounds he ways in which he iolence o plan a ion
socie ies up u ed con inuous human ela ionship o place” (quo ed in Delough ey 265). The his o y o
impe ialism, colonialism, mig a ion and inden u e is impo an o he egion’s people’s iden i y
o ma ion. So explo ing ecoc i icism in Ca ibbean li e a u e is deepe han we ealise and i is complex
ecologies. Ha is (1992) wa ns ha “ his ma e o landscape is a mo e impo an han we ealise.
And i is essen ial o see how a eaching his is, because un o una ely in he humani ies i is aken
o g an ed ha landscape is passi e” (quo ed in Deloughe y 266). These c i ics’ asse ion all con i ms
Mi chell’s (1994) wa ning ha he idea o landscape should “no be educed o an objec o be seen o
a ex o be ead, bu as a p ocess by which social and subjec i e iden i ies a e o med” (1).
A s udy o i s poe y collec ion, The A i an s, is necessa y o o eg ound B a hwai e’s ecoc i ical
ision in his poe y as a whole. Ecoc i ical elemen s a e p esen in The A i an s as B a hwai e deploys
na u e- ela ed wo ds displayed in images o sea, lands and plan s in A ica and Ca ibbean en i onmen s. An
ins ance o his is displayed in he ex ac below:
I will be a long long ime be o e we see
his land again, hese ees
again, d i ing inland wi h he sound
o su , smoke ising
I will be a long long ime be o e we see
hese a ms again, so we slow g een
again: Abu i, Akwamu,
mis ising (The A i an s 11).
He mou ns he ich A ican ege a ion ha he “A i an s” a e lea ing behind as hey a e o cibly emo ed
o he new wo ld. Added o hese a e se e al e e ences o sea and o he li o al images ha also poin o he
ecoc i ical essence o he poem. He desc ibes Ca ibbean landscape in he i s poem o Mo he Poem as a
co al island wi h an unde g ound wa e supply, il e ed h ough he po ous limes one co al ock:
The ancien wa e sou ces o my island
echo o i e , ickle, wo n s one,
he sunken oice o gli e inching i s pa e n o he sea,
memo y o o m, ossil, e ased beaches high abo e he ea en
boulde s o S . Phillip.
my mo he is a pool. (Mo he Poem 3)
Abo e all, B a hwai e’s heo y o idalec ics e eals he impo ance o he sea as ecoc i ical image y in
his poe y. DeLough ey (2007) has desc ibed idalec ics as a “geopoe ic model o his o y” and a
“me hodological ool ha o eg ounds how a dynamic model o geog aphy can elucida e island his o y and
cul u al p oduc ion, p o iding he amewo k o explo ing he complex and shi ing en anglemen be ween
sea and land, diaspo a and indigenei y, and ou es and oo s” (2). Fu he mo e, “ idalec ics” engages wha
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B a hwai e calls an ‘al e /na i e’ his o iog aphy o linea models o colonial p og ess. This ‘ idal dialec ic’
esis s he syn hesising elos o Hegel’s dialec ic by d awing om a cyclical model, in oking he con inual
mo emen and hy hm o he ocean. Tidalec ics also o eg ounds al e /na i e epis emologies o wes e n
colonialism and i s linea and ma e ialis biases” (2). Reckin (2003) p o ides a help ully simple de ini ion
o idalec ics by desc ibing i as a ‘ ans-oceanic mo emen -in-s asis’ o which i e co e cha ac e is ics a e
a ibu ed (2).
Ecoc i icism in Bo n o Slow Ho ses
B a hwai e published Bo n o Slow Ho ses a decade a e he publica ion o his X/Sel . A he end o
Bo n o Slow Ho ses, B a hwai e explici ly de ines he new phase o his w i ing as a con inua ion o his
“pos -ca as ophe” poe y, e e ing o he wo k he comple ed in he yea s ollowing h ee majo auma ic
e en s in his pe sonal li e – his wi e’s dea h om cance , Hu icane Gilbe ’s des uc ion, and he expe ience
o being assaul ed and obbed in his own home – all o which he documen s in Sha (1990), The Zea Mexican
Dia y (1993), and T ench Town Rock (1999). B a hwai e names his pe iod o in ense pe sonal
auma isa ion his “Time o Sal ,” which he cla i ies “as he yea s 1986-1900 which wi nessed in apid
ca as ophic succession, he dea h o his wi e Zea Mexican (1986), he des uc ion by hu icane o hei home
& a chi es a I ish Town in he high hills ou side Kings on (1988) and his own nea dea h a he hands o
b igand gunmen in his Kings on apa men in 1990, all ch onicled in his g oundb eaking ‘pos ca as ophe’
wo k” (BTSH 142).
“1986-1900” is no a mis ake he e; i appea s ha way in he collec ion, possibly es i ying o he
way B a hwai e manipula es ime and causa ion in hese ecen poems. A he same ime, in his sho hi d-
pe son au obiog aphical passage, B a hwai e gi es he eade he imp ession ha his body o wo k has
p og essed in a somewha linea sense, explaining ha his “pos -ca as ophe” wo k he e has gi en way o a
new phase which, he explains, “should be ead in he con ex o KB’s pos -A i an s, pos Ances o s, pos Sal
wo k ”(BTSH, 142). A e e ence is made o his pe iod in ‘Kumina’ when he poe ’s pe sona (his wi e) says:
on he nine een h day a a my husbann gone
A seem so long i seem
wi a ha now al ho / n knw no a ha
- My husbann gone back
To he S a es o inish up im wo k
- ew insigh s ago he y o ouch me. wake me up yu know
As o com o ?De would help
…
ah well, … he had his 10 yea s o sal al eady an he wen h ough hell
and now he ma ed me he poo man like he ha e o wea my hell
he ne e ush me. dough ..e mean he mean me well
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(BTSH 80 emphasis mine).
While he emphasis on he cen ali y o ca as ophe o Ca ibbean li e a u e o loss sugges s some
sense o con inued, un esol ed loss, he admi ed ansi ion om his “pos -ca as ophe” wo k o his
“pos Sal ” phase i sel indica es some p ocess o wo king h ough hose e en s which shaped and con inue
o shape his poe ics. Howe e , i akes place h ough an expansion in o wha B a hwai e calls “a signi ican
ansbounda y de elopmen ” ha d aws e en he egionally ocused poems ou o hei egional bounda ies.
As he explains, “Bo n o Slow Ho ses is he i s majo appea ance in his coun y o his new (?4 h phase)
o B a hwai (e)’s poe y; a wo k which in a sense, su eys o makes na u al e e ence o he en i e idalec ics,
bu a he same ime ma king, e en wi h he mos ema kable o his ‘Ca ibbean’ poems he e, a signi ican
ansbounda y de elopmen ” (BTSH 143). McSweeney gi es he ollowing ema ks in his e iew o he ex :
B a hwai e’s new book, Bo n o Slow Ho ses (Wesleyan Uni e si y P ess), ep esen s a
edoubling o all hese ene gies. I ’s a composi e ex , including p ophesy and anecdo e, d um
songs and jazz i s, uncon en ional o ms wo king pe sonal, na ional, and in e na ional e en s
in o he mo he ma e o his o y and memo y. The book also ecoun s a isiona y inciden in
which he spec e o an ances al sla e woman, called Namse ou a, appea ed o B a hwai e a
his home in CowPas o , Ba bados. An ang y Namse ou a e ealed he spo o be a sac ed g a esi e
and cha ged B a hwai e no o lea e his land, which had been exp op ia ed by he go e nmen o Ba bados
o an ai po oad. This li e-changing isi a ion has echa ged B a hwai e’s s yle and sense o pu pose
and also locked him in a ba le wi h his go e nmen which is s e ching owa ds i s en h yea .
Indeed, Bo n o Slow Ho ses is one o B a hwai e ex s ha o m and p ojec his ision abou Ca ibbean as
a egion and he wo ld a la ge. I ouches many aspec s o in e ac ions be ween humans, nonhumans,
landscapes and se e al conce ns. I s co ne s one is ca as ophe which e e be a es in all ami ica ions o he
ex .
B a hwai e desc ibes he Ca ibbean ecological o ma ion as a iolen o sla e y, inden u e and
colonialism. The co ne s one o Bo n o Slow Ho ses is ca as ophes and he e o e i seems absolu ely
impossible ha such a ex would be a om he his o ies o auma ha ocus on he in e ac ion
be ween en i onmen and human. In ac , one o his majo conce ns in he ex is he a e -e ec o
colonial and impe ial expansion which b ough wi h i mode nisa ion ha des oys he na u al habi a s
(Abegunde 2021).
The Mas e o Ma y Jones
This is he i s poem in he collec ion. “The Mas e o Ma y Jones” The poem lamen s he
indus ial killing o sha ks p omp ed by he u ge o ca e o he hospi ali y indus ies, a di ec
consequence o colonialism, ha has become a booming business in he Ca ibbean. As his usual
p ac ices in his o he collec ions, B a hwai e ies o b ing bo h he ic ims and pe pe a o s oge he
hus making he s o ies mo e eal and poignan . The encoun e be ween he ishe man and a ish clea ly
po ays his ac . In his poem, B ai hwai e ies o b ing in human ( he ishe man), he sea and he ish
oge he gi ing he de ec i e na u e o colonialism which ins i u ed ou is a ac ions – a majo ac o
o economic expansion and ecological damages. As he indus y pays handsomely, he human ac o s,
who hemsel es a e pa o he eco-sys em is no bo he ed abou he e ec s o hei ishing ac i i y.
Ins ead, he ishe man is despe a e o make his income. He could no sleep h oughou he nigh o his
expedi ion:
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Fo wha ha e he wa ch in he ish
Cold nigh , sewing he le ia hans in o his eyes .
Fo wha ha e e wish in his deep ishing d eam o he whi e
eed hai o hugging bo omless ides?
he ha e sail so long and ha e sea-
saw sea-wa ch, silen ly si , wai ing he g een
bach a homless ish o c oss his aps wi h i s ail (BTSH 3)
B a hwai e’s p eoccupa ion wi h he sea is aceable o his i s ilogy The A i an s. He pe cei es he
sea in bo h nega i e and posi i e ligh . He sees i as a ha binge o sla e y and he mis o une made
possible h ough he con ac be ween A ica and Eu opean colonise s. B a hwai e con as s he sea wi h
he land by placing he ishe man ‘deep in he hea o he sea’. Again, he sea in his poem is he
con ac zone be ween he ishe man and he ish. The las s anza exp esses he ishe man’s joy when
he succeeds in apping he ish. His joy knows no bound as he would
… d ag his wish om he sea
achle he moon and cu down g een
lea sun . blue boy again in he an ail
day o his d eam come ue in he a homless ish
ca ch in his all nigh eyes .
A las he cd u n in he ain blue whi e
O his oam joy haul and bi d sail home on he ides (BTSH 6)
The sea, which loses one o i s inhabi an s, is dis u bed h oughou he nigh . The poe con eys his
no ion by e e ing o he sea as ‘ ides’ mos o imes. The sea ha is impo an o he common good
now becomes he ‘lonely ishe man’s’.
B ai hwai e deploys colou image y o demons a e his p eoccupa ion wi h ecoc i ical elemen s
like sea, plan s and e en imes and seasons. All hese elemen s a e, in one way o he o he , dis u bed
by he ishe man’s ambi ion ( e o he i s s anza quo ed abo e). Ph ases like ‘g een back clo hs’;
‘black clo h da k’ (da k nigh ); ‘g een back a homless ish’ ( ish), ‘g een s a ’ (plane ), ‘ ain blue
whi e’. All hese colou s a e linked o plane s o en i onmen : g een is o ege a ion, blue o sea,
ainbow i sel is o g ea e impo ance o i s connec ion o he ecosys em.
“Guanahani” is a compendium on he wo ld’s landscape wi h each sec ion dedica ed o di e en
coun ies and opog aphies. C ucially, his jou ney by ai , om he poe ’s pe spec i e, ook place on
12 h Oc obe , 1492, balancing i agains Columbus’ expedi ion ha changed he wo ld his o y and
ecology. The iming and he medium adop ed in his poem a o d he poe a means o c i ically
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eassessing consequences o Columbus’ oyage. Columbus in his con ex s ands as symbol o
colonialism, impe ialism and hei Eu opean expansion agenda. By using he ai plane ligh , he
al i ude and speed o he plane B a hwai e e okes a pa icula ease o passage be ween bounda ies and
a he same ime p o ides a elescopically pene a ing insigh s in o he landscapes and people o he
con inen s – all h ough he ligh o imagina ion. In all sec ions o his poem, B ai hwai e’s
consciousness o he imes, he seas, he land, he plan s and e en he humans inhabi ing hese places
a e o eg ounded.
The i s wo sec ions o he poem ell us i s majo subjec -ma e which is a desc ip ion o
physical p ope ies o he en i onmen s o e which he pe sonae a els:
(1)
How come
Along he Eas Coas o No h Ame ica.
Almos o noon . he hin whi e line o he long beach
he clouds coming igh down on he wa e like ice lows
like housands o iny loa ing highlands in an o ange in o wa e
wha makes me say Sou ia e a he beginning o he wo ld
(2)
The midday now x ac s he colou om i s genesis
so ha he e is his da k blue . deep-smoke almos indigo
a o al absence o mango . illa a o he land
lakes make mi o s . w iggles o sil e i e s
spo s spo s spo s o b igh islands in he dead landscapes
u ning away om he A lan ic a 11:34 on his F iday Oc obe 12 (BTSH 7).
B ai hwai e expe ly c a ed he poem in a way ha each sec ion ocuses on a pa icula geog aphical
landscape dealing wi h he his o ical ea u es, ege a ion and he people ha inhabi such places and
memo ies commemo a ing uins, ubbles and dissipa ion o loss in o “landscape and memo y” which
allows him o co e bo h anima e and inanima e habi an s o he en i onmen .
By his o icising he landscapes and he seas, B ai hwai e is able o b ing oge he he pas e en s
in his egion wi h he p esen e en s. In sec ion 8, he b ings oge he England 78 ibes wi h si ua ions
in cen al Asia lamen ing man’s inhumani y o man in Guan anamo, a p ison acili y whe e ha dened
e o is s a e b oods on he epheme ali y o his o y:
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And i ealize ha i ha e been hinking o hem all mo ning om his high
F eeling ai . Wa ching he clouds changing shade in o he a e
o hei u u e . in o landscape and memo y
in o he bleak beau i ul meaning o eali y
plumme ing owa ds my own ho se o uins
& d eams . o how hey oo will be o go en in ime (BTSH 11-12)
The his o y he poe ies o e i e will also su e a simila a e jus like he landscapes ha e been
damaged, des oyed and o go en. This po ays B a hwai e’s melancholic s ance which he main ains
h oughou in Bo n o Slow Ho ses - he sees e e y hing in uins and hopelessness. The so-called
mode n man is no di e en om he man in he Columbus gene a ion.
Sec ion 10 looks back a he des uc ion o he A awaks and he o he ibesmen who we e i s
dwelle s o he islands in Guanaahani. The place had been h own in o da kness since i s in asion by
Colombus and his c ew ollowed by sla e ade, inden u e and colonialism. The sec ion is no silen on
he des uc i e e ec s o human ac i i ies on all o he en i onmen al elemen s like land, sea, ice and
ege a ions:
(10)
A 12:50 pm
Lucaya Abacos And os & now Eleu he a comes in o iew
co al necklaces w i ing on he wa e
cosmog ams o ish and he halls o sunken ships
hie oglyphs o he beginnings o blue
and now i begins o ge e y g een
like he i s e e ligh which will be Guanaani. a ligh
you ha e n seen be o e. like a he back y eye
in i s p i a e oom
like a he bo om o he ocean beyond sunse & dawn
