I recall an early incident in my ministry along the coast (Berbice)of Guyana. In one of my sermons, I attempted to respond to the economic state of the country, the effects of the IMF and global economics. In retrospect, this has been a revolving theme in my ministry in Guyana and later in Grenada. At the end of that service an old rice farmer got up (as he would always do!) to say his few words about the sermon. He said: "Pastor, all dem fancy big words you throw at us in dat sermon boil down to one thing: greed - pure damm greed. Call it what what you wish or dress it up in fancy clothes and words: it is still greed." His words, and they were many more on a number of other occasions, have stayed with me. In a curious way this man's thoughts like so many others were beating my theological reflections into concrete and connecting shape(s) in the harsh context of the increasing impoverishment of many many people.
Yes, greed (pleonexia) - the inordinate desire for more and more - may change shape, colour, size and hands, sometimes unrecognizable, but still remains greed. These thoughts and others [that is, the new forms of colonialism] were present as I read that the decline in oil output will incite more wars. Greed, especially in the context scarcity, knows no limit. And as such, it is not surprising to learn that the UK and other nations as well are preparing to submit to the UN its claim of sovereign rights over a vast area of the sea-bed off Antartica.
Remote is one of the words used to justify the right to that claim. This certainly sounds like the earlier and later colonial soundbites of European hegemony.The Caribs, Arawaks, Indians and Africans who lived in the remote Heart of Darkness must be civilised and taught how to live in their own ancestral lands; but first the "civilising agents" must grab all their lands and natural resources.
A difference in this later/new case is that God is not mentioned - perhaps just thought of. Or maybe there is no longer a need to talk about God as in the 1st place that was an excuse to lay hands on the lands of the natives. No need for that now, as the voters will find such an argument unconvincing and besides, God has a chronic housing problem in the UK. It may also be, that it is yet to determine whether Penguins have souls and are in need of salvation. In fact, I wonder what these inhabitants of Antartica would say if they are given voice and agency. Who knows, it may be that a lot of theological ink can yet be spilled on this matter.
And, it is not only the Antartica that the British want to plant their flag on: there are claims in the Atlantic on Falkland Islands, Ascension Island and even a joint claim lodged at the UN by France, Ireland and Spain for a large area of seabed in the Bay of Biscay. With the recent discovery of oil and natural gas in Guyana the Conquistadores will be returning in hordes to the loss city of Eldorado.
Forget the environmental impact and the 1959 Antartica treaty of which these nations have all signed. King Oil, Gas and Greed - the trinity is calling the shots. How do we do theology with this? Where are are the prophets and prophetesses? How do we undress the lies? Eduardo Galeano puts these lies nicely: "Traditional geography steals space just as imperial economy steals wealth, offical history steals memory and formal culture steals the word." Look closer: eurocentric theology or more properly white theology has a hand somewhere in the schooling of all such stealings - whether by guile or by force!
copyright jagessar
Image Credit
The Trinidad Guardian (Sunday 26th Feb, 2006)
Photo by Shirley Bahadur
Photo by Shirley Bahadur
