BETWEEN MY ROCK & SOME HARD PLACES by A Grenadian storyteller

By Arley Salimbi Gill

I always heard about the “Wharf’’, maybe long before I heard about the Carenage; and, I always wondered where the Wharf begins and ends, viz-à-viz, the Port and the Carenage. 

After all, a wharf by any dictionary definition speaks to the mooring of vessels to load and unload goods. And, as a Grenada Boys Secondary School (GBSS) boy (and by the way, great is the GBSS) from the west coast, I walked across the Carenage to and from the Esplanade five days a week for five years. 

On those walks, I observed vessels loading and unloading all along the Carenage, but surely that could not be the “Wharf’’ often referred to.

It is with Clevroy “DEPO’’ Depradine, who in his recently launched book, that I finally get to understand what, where and who is this “Wharf’’, which I have heard so much about growing up. “The Wharf is the tarpaulin spread of communities extending to Green Street (Herbert Blaize Street), Park lane, Cooper’s Hill, Goat Hill, and a section of Tanteen by family association; but, it was even more than just a geographic location”, as defined by Depo in his book “BETWEEN MY ROCK & SOME HARD PLACES”.

So, the Wharf is more than a geographic space, and one gets the sense that Wharf people determine who – and where – they consider to be part of their community. And, they made that determination since before 1974. So much for Uncle Gairy being father of independence!

BETWEEN MY ROCK & SOME HARD PLACES is a socio-historical text that provides quintessential information on the origins and development of the steelband movement in Grenada, the playing of Mas’, and on calypso tent and calypso; as well as touches on the socio-economic conditions of the pre-independence urban Grenada. It includes a brief introduction of Sir Eric Mathew Gairy, among other invaluable happenings of 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s Grenadian society. 

Depo’s book is more than a worthy addition to Grenadian literature and I highly recommend it to all Grenadians.

It is no surprise that the immediate surroundings of the Port St George will be the first place of call for things good, bad and ugly from outside of Grenada. Vessels, as the main mode of transportation in those days for passengers and goods’ transportation, will make the Wharf the obvious first beneficiary of good, bad and ugly. An understanding of the migratory construct of Grenada in the last three decades – and as far back as pre-independence in 1974 – will inform us that many Grenadians migrated to the United Kingdom, the Netherland Antilles (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao), North America (United States and Canada) and Venezuela. 

But, it is arguably Trinidad (not so much Tobago) that Grenadians had the most vibrant migratory relationship – the close proximity, booming oil industry, family relations and similar island life, made Trinidad highly attractive. No wonder, the introduction of the steelband movement in Grenada would have reached the Wharf and its environs early, if not first. So that Hells Cat, Harp Tones, Teensville, Angel Harps and Panasonic were a few of the early steel orchestras in Grenada. 

Thus, BETWEEN MY ROCK & SOME HARD PLACES is a fair place to start in understanding the origins of the steelband movement in Grenada. Now, mind you, that may not have been the intention of the writer; one senses that all he wanted to do was to talk about his beloved “Wharf”.

The same can be said about the origin and growth of costume design and building, and mas’ bands in Grenada. So that George Coard, Arthur “Pumpkinbeard” Coard, Willan “Dupp” Dewsbury, Arthur Ramsay, John Bruno, Ken Sylvester, Robert Patterson, Dennis “Away” Lindsay, Daisy Commissiong, and Francis Redhead are referred to as some of the pioneers of “real mas’’. These mas’ men and women are followed by Robert and Dorothy Patterson, Derrick Clouden, Winston “Tan Tan” Julien, Waterman, Sykie Redhead, Pamela Douglas and Wilbur Thomas. The latter names I am more familiar with. 

The writer consistently makes the distinction between “real mas’’’ and what he terms “easyism” and “skimpyism”. I get where he is coming from and I have to concur. He included Peter Bain – a “non-wharfian” – as a real mas’ man and that cannot be debated.

I must confess that this is my first lesson about Rupert Glean, an iconic individual masquerader. I grew up with Waterman being the repeated winner of King of the Band. There are real lessons to be learnt here, and I urge our mas’ band leaders to have a read.

As a calypso aficionado I always heard about Lord Melody, given name Wilfred Baptiste. But, I mostly learnt about him and Papitette by listening to fellas like the Black Wizard and Cyril (liberator) Dixon. In Depo’s book, however, for the first time I get to understand Melody’s heroic role in operating the “Firestick Calypso Tent” in the drill yard. Here again, the Author provides a good starting point to the origins of early calypso tent in Grenada.

Depo takes us through the first Black carnival queen, J’ouvert, masquerades with steelpan music, Sailor mas’, confrontation between Vieux Cour and steelband men, and other highlights of carnival in the early days. As I said, the emphasis of the Author is about his community; but, there is national learning from the script, which kept me fascinated that I just kept reading and reading.

Then, there is the story of Chinatown and its characters: The girls – including Petrolina; can-can and sailors. Here, I am of the view that the Author could have been more forthright with the details; but, one can understand if he wanted to browse through the “ugly” – shall we say – like a Hollywood director of his community. Here his language is diplomatic – teasing the reader to imagine.

The salivating tales of Grubay and Leon more than made up for the missing salaciousness of Chinatown. The immortalizing of James Clarkson and Dr. Winston Thomas’s contributions stand out.

Clarkson’s contribution, of course, deserves the highest national award and if I were a Royalist, I may have campaigned for him to get a knighthood.

Dr. Thomas, whom I knew personally for many years, and fought alongside him until his death, was the most selfless, committed human being that I ever knew. If only he were a good Catholic, he may have achieved sainthood.

The enlightenment of Charlie Hood and Big Bear are refreshing. I’m familiar with both men. But now, I know that I knew nothing about them. 

I’ve learnt a lot about the Wharf and wharf people. And, when I see my good friend posing with a T-shirt saying, “If I get loss drop me on the Wharf” – the pride of a community – I now understand better.

However, I am still at a loss as to why the Author – as a Depradine and so proud of his community – is yet to launch a campaign for the relocation of Depradine Street from Gouyave; to have the street relocated to somewhere in the alleys and shortcuts on the Wharf.

Apart from the light and entertaining moments of the Wharf, the Author gives a good insight on the socio-economic conditions of the community; that is, the fact that community members were neither wealthy nor privileged. The discrimination they faced as students in their quest for an education, much like other communities and families in the Grenada of the 1960’s and 70’s; a discrimination which lingered well into the 80’s, although I dare add that maybe not to the same extent. 

The influence of religion on education and which school one attended are very telling lessons in the genesis of an independent Grenada society.

To the non-readers this book is blessed with pictorials which leave you with images of the characters, terrain and sites. One can put a face to a name and a place to the name. I now know the significance of the ruin building that is now called the Ghetto, as well as the building that now houses Dr. Bert Brathwaite’s office. Oh, how things have changed!

It is a good read and it is a well written.

Reading it, one does not feel that they are between a rock and a hard place.