Historians deliver first volume of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ official istory

Four Vincentian historians commissioned by the government to document the nation’s history have completed and presented the manuscript of the first official volume, covering events up to 1838 and the abolition of slavery.

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Drs. Adrian Fraser, Michael Dennie, Arnold Thomas, and Cleve Scott handed over the work to Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves on Monday. The government plans to publish the book by Oct. 27, in time for the country’s 46th independence anniversary.

The project marks the first time a comprehensive national history of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) will be made available to the public. According to Scott, the team — drawn from different generations and meeting regularly over several years — set out to tell the stories of “real flesh and blood people” rather than rely solely on statistics. Among them are accounts of women in Fair Hall who waged a decades-long campaign to burn an estate, and Nelly Ibo, an enslaved woman from Mayreau who killed a planter.

Scott said the book challenges traditional labels, referring to the 18th-century conflicts as the First and Second Wars for Sovereignty rather than the First and Second Carib Wars. The introduction also highlights unique cultural markers — from the global recognition earned by Kevin Lyttle’s 2003 hit “Turn Me On” to the local phrase “bottom foot” — and aims to foster national pride.

Dennie emphasised the resilience of Vincentians, noting that their resistance to colonial powers spanned three centuries, making SVG the last battlefield in the Caribbean’s fight against European domination. Thomas pointed to SVG’s distinctive history with slavery, which became entrenched later than in other territories and served as a refuge for runaways from Barbados for over a century.

Fraser’s contribution details the transition from slavery to freedom, including acts of resistance during the apprenticeship period, such as widespread arson. He noted that within 15 years of emancipation, many villages were established by freed people, laying the groundwork for modern SVG.

The historians are now turning their attention to the second volume, which will chronicle the nation’s journey from emancipation through the building of a post-slavery society.