Caribbean Correspondence #1 (1975)

The cover of the publication, it depicts a Black youth resting his head in his hands with the caption "I am exactly six months older today there are many things I want to do" , This Publication is free for you, if you don't have money, and donations are free for those who have

A 1975 publication of the Jamaican libertarian left, two homegrown articles, the first on the magazine itself in its wider context and a second on workers self management by Montgomery Stone titled "Misrepresentation of Self-Management in the Caribbean" and one republished from Point Blank! on a strike/occupation in France.

Submitted by muttworks on November 2, 2024

Montgomery Stone was a pseudonym of George Myers (aka Joseph Edwards and Fundi, the "Caribbean Situationist,").

The Point Blank! article is available in its original form on Libcom here.

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westartfromhere

2 weeks 5 days ago

Submitted by westartfromhere on November 3, 2024

Historically, one of the worst handicaps of the poor and oppressed has been their own illusions

Really!?!? We thought, The rich man's wealth, his strong city; destruction of the poor, their poverty.

We must be thankful then that the good fellows of the Caribbean Correspondence are here to dispel our illusions and thus set us free. Their answer to our conundrum can be found in France, in 1973, by means of workers' self-management of the production of, wait-for-it, TIMEPIECES!

Submitted by muttworks on November 3, 2024

westartfromhere wrote:

Historically, one of the worst handicaps of the poor and oppressed has been their own illusions

Really!?!? We thought, The rich man's wealth, his strong city; destruction of the poor, their poverty.

We must be thankful then that the good fellows of the Caribbean Correspondence are here to dispel our illusions and thus set us free. Their answer to our conundrum can be found in France, in 1973, by means of workers' self-management of the production of, wait-for-it, TIMEPIECES!

Jump off of a bridge, cracker

westartfromhere

2 weeks 4 days ago

Submitted by westartfromhere on November 4, 2024

Take us to the border and we will step across. We won't jump no fence. Caribbean lore

Fozzie

2 weeks 4 days ago

Submitted by Fozzie on November 4, 2024

Thanks for uploading this, muttworks. Your intro says 1979 but the cover seems to say 1975?

westartfromhere

2 weeks 4 days ago

Submitted by westartfromhere on November 4, 2024

That's correct, Fozzie.

The cover art is taken from a written work of Gwendolyn Brooks, an American author and poet. She wrote a wonderful poem, Have you seen my baby, which we will try to recall from memory:

Have you seen my baby?
Last seen hanging 'pon a tree
In the City of Peace.
He is described as
Tall in stature
But small in height,
Ruddy complexioned
With pock-marked face.

Always took it to be Mary's lament for her executed son but poetry is open to interpretation.

muttworks wrote:

westartfromhere wrote:

Historically, one of the worst handicaps of the poor and oppressed has been their own illusions

Really!?!? We thought, The rich man's wealth, his strong city; destruction of the poor, their poverty.

We must be thankful then that the good fellows of the Caribbean Correspondence are here to dispel our illusions and thus set us free. Their answer to our conundrum can be found in France, in 1973, by means of workers' self-management of the production of, wait-for-it, TIMEPIECES!

Jump off of a bridge, cracker

It's true though isn't it? Self-management is just us managing our own slavery. It has no impact on the political economy at all. The pillars of the building are left standing. In actual fact, we mostly manage our own work anyways.

Self-management is an illusory reaction to working class struggle, just as the Garveyite illusion of economic self-reliance is a reaction to the African liberation struggle. Just one more vestige of historic social-democracy, tinkering.

Workers' self-management of timepieces is just irony upon irony.

Submitted by muttworks on November 4, 2024

Fozzie wrote: Thanks for uploading this, muttworks. Your intro says 1979 but the cover seems to say 1975?

my mistake, I'll update this now

Submitted by Fozzie on November 4, 2024

muttworks wrote:

Fozzie wrote: Thanks for uploading this, muttworks. Your intro says 1979 but the cover seems to say 1975?

my mistake, I'll update this now

No worries, much appreciated.

Submitted by westartfromhere on November 4, 2024

muttworks wrote: Your opinion does not matter, mayodemon

Ain't that the truth!

EDIT: For those ignorant, "cracker" and "mayodemon" are US racial epithets, of which there appear to be a plethora in the racially charged Land of the Free. The most powerful US epithet must be "honky", perfectly describing the pent up aggression caused by White Man's appendage to the machine.