A Small Place By Jamaica Kincaid

Continued conflict is found in many countries that were once colonized or controlled by Western powers. The sources of many of these prolonged conflicts are a result of governmental infrastructure, mistreatment of the indigenous population and the uneven distribution of wealth. As explored in A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid, the negative aspects of colonialism have taken place for centuries and are still prevalent in the contemporary societies of many colonies. Political policies and current government systems in these colonies may be perceived as a greater power indirectly maintaining influence over the native population. The fragments of the master/ slave relationship by the ‘dishonest people’ who colonized the nation can be linked to the

The people of Antigua lack the ability to understand the development of their history considering that it was shaped by colonials and the current government fail to preserve the countries’ libraries. Lost of records or documents aimed at maintaining the history and culture for the people will prevent the colonized native people to distinguish the difference between what have been taught to understand and the reality of their situation. Education was provided to the colonized by their colonizers, however the account of the historical past has been altered to the preference of the colonial rulers. Kincaid states that “ you loved knowledge, and wherever you went you made sure to build a school, a library (yes, and in both of these places you distorted or erased my history and glorified your own)” (36). Nonetheless the problem lies not only in the lack of interest in education but in the failure of the current leadership to foster different values. Unpredictably, in postcolonial Antigua, library buildings and educational facilities are not maintained, the ‘temporary’ location is on top of the dry goods store in a concrete building and cannot fit most of the books (46) .The government is unable to restore the old library buildings due to improvements needed to be done at St. Johns, which is intended to be a commercial area. The government has clearly neglected the needs of the

The same few who owns majority of the business and resources in the country, strengthening disparity in the country caused by the uneven distribution of wealth. Education is a large representation of the progress of a nation and without education the citizens of the country are unable to advocate for themselves or hold their government accountable for their malpractice. The politics of knowledge, control and distribution, has a functional relation with social and political power of the colonizer and the colonized, for that reason it is adequate to view the actions of the government as a form of neocolonialism. The governments’ violation of basic human right (education) is comparable to the master/ slave relationship, limiting the power to have knowledge. Kincaid’s disbelief of the current situation led her to visit the Minister of Education and Culture, but he was away. She distinguished that the lack of concern for education in a country “ means there is no culture” (49).

Neocolonialism, the modern colonialism, is not only shaping individual cultures but has emerged as an influential force in global cultures. A quest for control of power and money in Antigua has resulted in postcolonial government refusal to give up political power by safeguarding their position in society,