Where is the cane?

Working for Pinelands has really taught me so much in such a short period of time. Its almost as if im hesitant to continue to learn more, as the more im exposed to the inequalities and unfairness of the world the more i find myself resenting living in it. I was talking to Curtis, the Cultural Manager at Pinelands, the other day about the history of the Barbadian economy specifically the emergence of the Crop Over festival and the importance of the development of the tourist industry. (Crop Over is a festival to celebrate the end of a long and hard cane season.)

Everywhere you look in the Barbadian country side you can see cane fields for miles and miles. Why is it then that the local people find it so difficult to find a piece of raw cane to enjoy? When i first started to read up on Barbados I was looking forward to having a piece of cane at my side as a staple side dish, little did I know cane comes more easily accessible in Canada than it does in this cane producing country. I enquired with Curtis because i couldnt stand not understanding where the cane gone. What i had learned is that because it is cane season all of the fields have been cleared mainly for export to the EU. It turns out the EU has a arrangement with Barbados which entitles the Bajan government to meet a quota to export enough cane sugar to the EU, and if the quota is met and their is not enough cane left for Barbadians, they then have to import lesser quality sugar from other sources.

After talking to Curtis and other Bajans about my cane cravings i began to realize how deeply rooted the situation really was and it had me thinking about 'developed' vs 'underdeveloped' and privileged vs. oppressed . To me it didn't seem right that this stipulation caused such a backwards effect on the Bajan community. It was interesting, though that after i spoke to many people about this issue i began to realize that though some were informed none were really upset about it. It had me wondering why the heck i was so bothered by the situation and it donned on me! For the first time i was in a position to see and feel the effects of our desire to have it all on a country that we're taking it 'all' from. It was an interesting perspective of our and my privilege and position in the global community.