Grenadans celebrate
The highpoint came when Coard announced the premier, Maurice Bishop, had landed at the airport and was on his way to the rally. There burst of cheering. Bishop was returning directly from the meeting of the Nontheir revolution in the face of US threats aligned States in New Delhi.
On Sunday, March 13, military parade. The orchestra played "Capitalism Gone Mad," a popular song by the Mighty Sparrow, a soul-calypso artist from Trinidad. After that, motorcade went the island. Everyone who wanted to, jumped on a truck and came along.
In the context of the escalation of imperialist-backed attacks on Nicaragua, Washington has also begun issuing threats against Grenada, a tiny island in the eastern
Grenada lies just off the coast of Venezuela, far from Central America,
Cuba or the United States.
It is obvious that Grenada can constitute no material threat to the U.S. or any
U.S. interest.
Its total population is just over a hundred thousand. The island is physically too small to conceal any military bases.
In fact, the threats against Grenada make it absolutely clear what Washington is worried about in the Caribbean area.
The only way that Grenada can threaten U.S. imperialism is by the power of its example on the masses throughout the English-speaking Caribbean and among the
Black population of the United States itself.
The danger that Grenada represents to the United States is that it has a government based on mobilizing the people and on serving their interests.
tiny, economically dependent country, this has made possible real benefits for the population at a time when the already abysmal standard of living and public services in the region are declining further.
Grenada has a government that tells the truth about imperialism and its responsibility for the poverty of the West Indies and Latin America, a government that appeals to the people to mobilize themselves to change their fate. That makes even a tiny island a big threat to the world power that dominates the region.
Grenada's foreign minister Unison Whiteman said at a news con-
"If our tiny country is a threat to the United States it's ference in New York:
not difficult to imagine what the United States plans to do to remove the threat."
The following article describes the reaction of the Grenadan people themselves to the imperialist threats, which coincided with the fourth anniversary of the
The following article is from the April
7 issue of Internationalen, the paper of the Swedish section of the Fourth International. It has been slightly shortened.
A military parade that ended with a swinging West Indian hit about how crazy capitalism is, then a caravan of trucks in which everyone could ride free.
was the Grenadan celebrating its fourth anniversary.
occasion was marked by mass enthusiasm but also by the threat of a U.S. intervenhanging over the tiny Caribbean
This year the commemoration of the revolution was planned to be smaller than in previous years.
Instead of having a mass rally, the idea was to hold the celeresources were to be concentrated on the commemoration next year, when the government plans to open the new airport.
Nonetheless, the festival week got off
On Tuesday, to an energetic start.
March 8, there was a contest of local calypso bands.
On Wednesday, calypso bands from abroad performed in Queen's
Park, outside St. George's.
music and a pleasant atmosphere that lasted long into the night.
On Thursday, President Reagan made a heavy attack on Grenada over the Voice of America. This, along with the deployment of stronger U.S. naval forces in the area, marked the festival and the com-
Even in such a
FOR POO
EDUCATION
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memoration for the rest of the week. It reinforced the mobilization and the unity
On Saturday, March 12, the Sandino Plant was formally opened. This is a cement factory that is to produce cement for 500 houses a year and at the same time help supply material for the building of the new airport. After Reagan's threats, the ceremony at the Sandino turned into a big rally, at which Deputy Premier Bernard Coard sharply denounced U.S. imperialism.
In the evening, after the motorcade returned to St. George's, the general of the People's Revolutionary Army gave a speech calling on the people to defend the revolution and fight the threat from U.S. imperialism. Bishop ended the commemoration with another appeal to the people to remain prepared and alert.
Monday, March 14, was an official holiday. In the evening the foreign calypso bands played for the last time at The Dome in Grand Anse, where the rally is usually held. Three leaders of the
Revolutionary spoke - Maurice Bishop, Jaqueline Creft (the minister of education), and Selwyn Strachan (minister of mobilization).
was an outburst of cheering when Maurice Bishop - at the urging of Blue Boy, one of the most popular singers - joined in the chorus. flew off. Then people's spirits started to rise, and some people started dancing. The imperialist threat seemed very far
The answer to those who claim that the popular support for the revolution has diminished is very easy - Come to Grenada and look for yourself!
What is the meaning of the fact that the Grenadan Gross National Product increased by 5.5% over 1982 and that an increase of 3 to 4% is projected for 1983, when the GNP in most other countries is
What is the meaning of the fact that the proposed budget has been discussed by about 20,000 people out of a total population of 110,000? meaning of the fact that all pensions are going to be increased by 22% over two years, after public workers have gotten a similar wage increase?
There are problems, but the leadership of the country is not afraid to discuss proposed measures with the people. Unlike the other Western governments, the authorities in Grenada are trying to solve problems, not to cover them up.
The authorities have chosen to stand on the side of the working people. They are trying to end the country's economic dependence, they are trying to eliminate the effects of colonialism and underdevelopment.
The mass involvement in the discussion of the budget shows the determination of the people to participate in political life and decide their own
We need many more such examples to advance the fight for socialism.
A touch of the Cold War
Franco-