The Grand Cayman Islands

Visiting the Grand Cayman islands was an eye opening experience for me. I had never been to a British overseas territory before, and truthfully, until then, I was not aware that so many existed. The moment we arrived I noticed a glaring difference between this island and every other island I have ever visited. The streets were pristine and well paved, there were no dilapidated buildings and the latest models of foreign cars were cruising down the highways. This was odd to me because Caribbean islands are faced with a unique development challenge: they have to import more goods than most developing countries because of how limited natural resources are on islands. This makes for a huge financial strain on citizens and governments and it is evidenced by the infrastructure on Caribbean islands. The Grand Cayman Islands seemed to be an exception to this rule.

At first glance, life seemed great on the Grand Cayman islands, it truly lived up to the grandeur promised in its name. As a tax haven, the Grand Cayman islands are a magnet for extremely wealthy individuals and businesses who would like a tax break. This makes for a greater than usual number of foreign owned companies and foreigners on the island who own and control the wealth, while the locals struggle to gain access to that wealth. Being on the island gave me a chance to witness what modern day colonialism looks like and to reflect on a disappointing argument I once heard.

My cousins and I were talking about Zimbabwe and how difficult life has become there. The lack of clean water, the food shortages, the inconsistent supply of electricity, hyperinflation, soaring unemployment and corruption in the government make living in Zimbabwe an extreme sport.  At the end of a rant about life in Zimbabwe my cousin suggested that Zimbabwe would’ve been better off if we had remained colonized. I was disappointed in that argument because I know that you can’t put a price on freedom and sovereignty, but when I reflect on the quality of life in Zimbabwe, it makes me wonder whether it is better to suffer at the hands of foreign power, or to suffer at the hands of your own people, because suffering remained constant.

Speaking to a coconut vendor gave me insight on what life on a British territory was like for locals. Turns out the same old story of institutionalized discrimination and racial inequality was prevalent on British territories, no surprise there. However, at the very least they have world class infrastructure to facilitate better health care and education unlike other islands. Admittedly, I’m not sure if locals have access to that health care or education. They also have robust financial institutions that can buffer the effects of climate change like drought and subsequent food shortages, which is more than most developing countries can say.

Even though the basic needs of Caymanians are met, I can only imagine what life is like for locals who are a minority on their own island. It must be very conflicting to be surrounded by so much wealth and to not share in any of it. To know that the best opportunities are reserved for other people, to embrace the fact that your role is to bear witness to a lifestyle of luxury and decadence and to accept your life of hardship and poverty. Although it must be hard, It can't be harder than living with the illusion of freedom, and the extreme poverty that Zimbabweans have to contend with.

When I think of how many family members I have in England, it makes me wonder what Zimbabwe’s independence even means. It seems colonization was a time when we had no choice about British imperialism, then independence became a time when we would choose Western imperialism by relocating in large numbers to England and America. I wish people of African descent across the world weren’t faced with choosing between a dignified standard of living and their sovereignty. I wish we could have them both. I wish colonialism had not left a stain on the psyche of our leadership who seem to repeat the oppression of our former colonizers through misappropriating public funds and having no sympathy for the plight of the people that suffer at their hands. I can’t blame the state Zimbabwe is in solely on leadership, there are other factors beyond our control like the sanctions imposed on us, and Western institutions like the IMF that encouraged us to embrace economically harmful policies like neo-liberalism. This all goes to show that there isn’t much of difference between Caymanians and Zimbabweans we both live at the mercy of the West, the extent is what varies.