Culture Matters
DARA E HEALY
SUPPORT, nurturing and love. Experts believe that these may be the difference between a stable group of people living harmoniously and a family in crisis.
When a two-year-old boy wandered outside his home, people along the road saw him. He walked, caught up in his own world, following whatever spiritual energy or instinct that led him out the door.
The adults around him - at home and on the streets - failed to protect him. To cover their shame, they threw stones, they resorted to blame. Maybe too afraid to admit that our problems with family did not begin with 'Mani.'
We are used to hearing that family is the foundation of society. Families guide us on how to communicate, negotiate conflict or navigate the world.
Yet as we peer through the window, the picture we see is far from perfect. In the presence of so much trauma, how do we repair the emotional cracks in our families?
First, should we reconsider our definition of family? One description is 'a social institution that binds two or more individuals into a primary group.' This group may contain people related by blood, or some other bond, such as an organisation or a gang.
Families are different, depending on time, place, belief or social circumstances. So an East Indian family in Barrackpore would have a different understanding of family from an indigenous community in Arima or residents of the predominantly African community of Roxborough.
Families in TT and the Caribbean are predominantly female-led. In rural areas, the matriarch may be head of an extended family, while urban settings often feature single-female households.
Families have many forms, including 'blended…grandparent-led, foster and group home, adoptive parent, sibling families and co-custody families.' I imagine we also have families with same-sex guardians.
The point is, no one solution can work for everyone.
In this society of whispers, you are almost guaranteed to speak with someone who knows of a parent (usually they will say the mother) who knowingly sent their covid19-positive child to school, because they have to work. Daily, commuters battle tens of thousands of vehicles on our roads. In scorching heat or pouring rain, those who do not own cars are subjected to the whims of maxis, p-cars and all the variations in between, simply because we lack a functional public transport system.
Thus, until we develop a holistic philosophy of work, ensure better delivery of social support and properly integrate culture into education and other aspects of society, we will persistently weaken our family structures. This trauma will not just be reflected in the now, but will continue to be intergenerational.
With so many pressures facing parents and families, is it reasonable to ask people consumed by survival or fear of being caught in a gun battle to care about what happens to someone else's child?
As we commemorate Internation
