The thousands of African slaves who died on the journey to the Americas must not be forgotten. Neither must those who survived the Middle Passage be forgotten by their ancestors.

That was the overall message of a Mass – Remembering the Passage of our Ancestors, celebrated two Tuesday’s ago by Rosary/Gonzales parish priest Fr Clyde Harvey at Rosary church. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the end of the English Transatlantic Slave Trade.

The event began with a ritual of remembrance in the courtyard of the nearby St Rose’s Girls’ RC school.

Fr Harvey explained to the 70-odd crowd, some dressed in African-styled garb, that after speaking a few weeks ago at a service organized by the government to commemorate the abolition of the slave trade, had stirred up much discussion.

He explained that the ritual was to honour the memory of those who made the Middle Passage. But he pointed out that not only did African slaves make the journey, but so too did other ethnicities – some of whom did not survive. “We remember them as well,” he added.
 
The ritual began with the playing of Mighty Sparrow’s haunting calypso Slave. Fr Harvey then read of a 1997 visit by Pope John Paul II to the island of Goree, off the coast of Senegal. During the slave trade, the island was a Dutch transit point for slave ships bound for the Americas.

The Holy Father was taken to the main building which housed slaves on the ground floor and Dutch soldiers on the second floor.

The Holy Father spent most of the time in two particular rooms. One opened into the sea and slaves deemed unable to make the journey due to sickness were placed in that room. When the tide came in, the slaves drowned, their bodies eaten by sharks that infested the waters.
 
The ‘Door of No Return’ opened into the second room. Slaves who had been deemed healthy enough were placed in this room and forcibly boarded onto ships for the Americas, never to see their homeland, never to return.

After a moment of reflection, African names were called at random and participants were invited to light their candles from a burning fire.

Members of the congregation at a Mass honouring ancestors

Four participants then performed a libation, pouring water facing the four cardinal points, representing the past, present and future generations.

Fr Harvey then led the singing of the Libera and then blessed the gathering with water. The group then moved into the church for Mass, striking an African drum as they walked past it on their way into the building.

Mawasi Experience led the music for the ritual and the Mass accompanied by a parish choir. Their music and drumology provided a powerful addition to the Mass.

In his homily, Fr Harvey said the African diaspora in the Western Hemisphere continues to face many challenges, for example, there remains tremendous discrimination in Latin America. “But we rise to the challenge. That strength is borne out of the Middle Passage,” he said.

He said the Mass can be used as a moment to heal a wound. “Part of what needs to be done as a people may be to heal the spiritual wound and find the energy and creativity to shake off the shackles that bind us” he stated.

A drum was among the gifts presented later at the altar.

Before the final blessing, Fr Harvey led the congregation in acclaiming the descendants of those who survived and who today “speak to us of excellence”. “We need to thank God for those who did make it.”

Well-known names were called, from labour leader ‘Buzz’ Butler to the nation’s first prime minister Eric Williams, novelist Earl Lovelace, artist Andre Tanker, businessman Cyril Duprey, activist CLR James, economist Lloyd Best and recently-retired West Indies captain Brian Lara.

There were grins and smiles when Mawasi founder Peter Telfer called out Fr Harvey’s name. Other names included Archbishop Anthony Pantin, Sir Vidia Naipaul, ANR Robinson, Ras Shorty I, Rex Nettleford and Pat Bishop.

Before the final blessing, Fr Harvey thanked all for attending, and recognised Sr Gabrielle Mason, Provincial Superior of the Sister of St Joseph of Cluny.

He noted that the congregation was started by a woman who was deeply committed to the education of African women.

See Letter to the Editor - Remembering our ancestors