Herman Ouseley

Belonging: Fate and Changing Realities is a compelling account of one man’s extraordinary life experiences. As a twelve-year-old born into an impoverished single parent household in what was then British Guiana, Herman travelled unaccompanied across the world to Britain to be re-united with his mother in Peckham, south London. Low in self-confidence and self-esteem, he regarded himself as a “nobody” in this new world as he struggled to come to terms with the harsh realities of brutal abuse, discrimination, exclusion and the necessity of survival.
This memoir vividly describes how he learnt to cope with all challenges, finding his own unique ways of winning people over and encouraging them to mix with others who are different from themselves. Along the way, he learnt how to develop methods to convince and persuade powerful people to use their influence and decision making to help eliminate the adverse effects of institutional discrimination, reduce prejudice and bigotry, and to build social cohesion.
Over a period of 56 years dedicated to public service, he became a “somebody” at times, as he challenged the ‘good and the great’ to use their resources and power in pursuit of the goals of equality and cohesion. But, in spite of the opportunities to access such places of power, he never felt a full sense of belonging and his focus has always been to hold on to the different realities of his own experiences.
As he now reverts back to obscurity, he reflects on contemporary Britain, knowing that there is still a struggle to achieve responsible and accountable leadership on matters of equality, without which many people like himself will continue longing to feel that they also belong.

• 216 x 138mm
• 208 pages
• Paperback

Collin Leroy Carter

An engaging and insightful look at growing up in Barbados in the 1940s and 1950s through the keyhole of one man’s experiences ... part historical text, part ‘coming of age’ story, part Pan-Africanist manual. This publication speaks to many themes that easily resonate to persons of Afro-Caribbean descent, and indeed any person who wishes an insider’s view into the origins and realities of working class Caribbean persons of that generation.

"Walk With Me looks back across three generations, but each era is presented via the lens of the writer, a ‘self-made’ man who over a period of time and character-shaping experiences has come to a greater understanding of self, purpose and his unique place in Caribbean diasporic history.

In telling his story he has touched on many themes: the persistent legacy of slavery and plantation life; the institution of matriarch-led homes; the commitment to family; the importance of pride, self-respect and personal discipline; the need of hard work and sacrifice towards accomplishing major goals; and self confidence in pursuing business opportunities towards self and community empowerment.

• 216 x 138 mm
• 280 pages
• Hardback

Collin Leroy Carter is a Barbadian national who divides his time between ‘Umoja’, his home in Barbados, and London. He is the founder and owner of African-Caribbean Funeral Services, the first Black-owned funeral service in the United Kingdom. He also owns Jetload Trading Limited, a freight-forwarding company, and Jessbank Limited, a property management and development company.

Over the years, his friends often told him that he, “has a book in him,” but it was only after making a promise to his wife, Lynne, and his family, and with the help of author, Annette Ione Smith (whose research was invaluable to its completion) that the publication of this book has come to fruition.

Collin is an activist and committed Pan-Africanist; a truly conscious African. Walk With Me is the fulfilment of a lifelong dream of telling his story by following in the footsteps of the ancestral griots. He is grateful to be able to share his life’s experiences and the knowledge he has gained.

Foreword by the Prime Minister of Barbados

Introduction by the Rt. Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers

Guy Hewitt

Barbados acquired the reputation of a country that punches above its weight. Ranked highest in the Caribbean and one of the highest globally as a developing country in the UN Human Development Index, this island paradise is the birthplace of The Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers, The Honourable George Lamming, and the multitalented Rihanna. It is also the ancestral home of Walter Tull, Shirley Chisholm, Irving Burgie, and Eric Holder Jr, among others.

It is also the birthplace of both the sugar cane industry in the then British Empire, then the most valued commodity, and rum, with the island producing some of the finest quality blends internationally.

The only country that George Washington, the first President of the United States, visited outside of the North American mainland; through its 1651 Declaration of Independence and 1652 Charter, Barbados is credited with influencing the Founding Fathers and the framing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.

On 30 November 1966, this phenomenal heritage was given focus and direction by The Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow, the first Prime Minister and a National Hero of Barbados. Proclaimed the “Father of Independence”, it was said that this close friend of the leaders of his era including Michael Manley, Pierre Trudeau, Lee Kuan Yew, and Seretse Khama, “found Barbados a collection of villages and transformed them into a proud nation.”

In this, the 50th year of Barbados’ Independence, this publication, with contributions from national, regional and international leaders and key speeches by Barrow himself, is a tribute to this extraordinary man who gave Barbadians the ability to hold their heads high and proud in this world, as a people worthy of respect. Like George Washington, he, and his name, are revered for his fathering a nation.

This is a must read for citizens of the modern Caribbean and those interested in leadership and the history, economics, politics and international relations of small states.

• 215 x 152 mm
• 428 pages
• Hardback

Guy Hewitt has spent his entire career working in the public sector in Barbados, the Caribbean and internationally. Passionate about the development of Barbados, within a CARICOM context, he currently serves as the High Commissioner for Barbados to the United Kingdom and is also the Permanent Representative to the United Nations International Maritime Organisation and a Governor of the Commonwealth Secretariat. A graduate of the University of the West Indies and the University of Kent at Canterbury, this minister of religion has previously co-written and edited three books. He is married with two children.

Ameena Gafoor

Ameena Gafoor’s book offers a rare insight into Muslim life in Guyana. It is rich in detail, its realism enhanced by her equally rich imagination. Muslim existence is rarely described or represented in Caribbean literature, so Gafoor’s book fills a significant gap.

Her tribute to her mother is so painfully moving and beautiful that I had to pause from reading so as to catch my breath. Her description of being an immigrant in London is, again, a relatively rare revelation of female experience, and complements Sam Selvon’s beautiful novel, The Lonely Londoners.

Emeritus Professor David Dabydeen (University of Warwick)
Director, Ameena Gafoor Institute

• 216 x 138 mm
• 168 pages
• Paperback

Ameena Gafoor is the Founder of The Arts Forum Inc; the Founding Editor of The Arts Journal; and author of Aftermath of Empire: The Novels of Roy A.K. Heath (2017). She has received two National awards as well as recognition from the Guyana Indian Commemoration Trust and the Guyana Cultural Association of New York for her outstanding contribution to the literary arts of Guyana and the Caribbean. She has also received an award from Caribbean Voice for her social work with Support for Vulnerable People through The Gafoor Foundation. Her critical articles are published in selected Journals.

Tony Talburt

Foreword by Lord Herman Ouseley

Today, seeing Black footballers playing the game at the very highest level is considered very normal. This, certainly, was not the case one hundred and forty years ago, and this is what makes the story of Andrew Watson so remarkable.

It seems hard to imagine that a Guyanese-born Black man could head the Scottish national football team in 1881 in a game against England. Not only was he captain, but he also led them to a 6-1 victory in London – an achievement that still ranks as England’s heaviest ever defeat on home soil. If this were all that Watson had been able to accomplish, most people would agree that he should be commended for being the world’s first Black person to captain a national football team. But there was so much more. He was the world’s first Black football administrator, as well as the first Black player to win three national cup winners’ trophies.

During the 1870s and 1880s, when Watson played, he was regarded as one of the finest players in Britain. The word ‘pioneer’ is often used to describe certain players, but this would certainly be a most fitting expression to encapsulate the remarkable achievements of Andrew Watson.

This book reflects upon the legend, legacy and pioneering endeavours of a truly great Black British football superstar.

• 216 x 138 mm
• 136 pages
• Paperback

Tony Wade, MBE

Tony Wade and his business partners, Len Dyke and Dudley Dryden, pioneered the development of the British Black hair care industry in Britain creating thousands of jobs. His vision and business savvy influenced the spirit of enterprise in the Diaspora community.

This story demonstrates an unswerving belief in self-worth and the community of a people, as they managed the challenges of the time. It clarifies how the dynamism of self-help and self-reliance can remove barriers to progress.

This success story reveals just how steadfastness and determination to succeed can be a guiding star for a new generation of Caribbean peoples in the Diaspora.

• 216 x 138 mm
• 256 pages
• Paperback

What would the world look like if a woman ran it? This book chronicles the beginning of a new time in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago as the reins of national leadership are taken over by the remarkable Kamla Persad-Bissessar – the country’s First Woman Prime Minister. It also demonstrates the path taken by one of a growing number of women who are now leaders of their nation.

Born into humble beginnings in a farming district, the young Kamla Persad grew up with few material possessions. However, it was her mother, Rita, who would give her the gift of courage and the passion to dream. These attributes would first take her to London, England, as a teenager to study and become a social worker, and to marry fellow Trinidadian, Greg Bissessar. But as Kamla matured, so too would her dreams; she became a university lecturer and then a lawyer. But her connection with ordinary people would ultimately inspire her to become a ‘representative of the people’ in her native Trinidad and Tobago where, at successive levels of Local Government, Parliament and Government Minister, she would support and encourage her constituents.

Now, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar – wife, mother and grandmother – has dedicated the next chapter in her life to share and implement her vision of a nation and a world where children can receive the best health care and education regardless of their parent’s financial circumstances, and where women are given equal opportunity to develop themselves in spite of their gender.

This lavishly illustrated book is a pictorial reflection of Kamla’s activities during the first year of her premiership and provides an insight into her thoughts and dreams for the future of Trinidad and Tobago.

• 280 x 215 mm
• 240 pages
• Hardback

Maxie Hayles

This is an autobiography of the life, times and adventures of Maxie Alphonso Hayles, a community and human rights activist who eventually settled in Birmingham, England where he has lived and worked for the past fifty-six years after his early Jamaican upbringing. Maxie Hayles has spent most of his adult life fighting for social justice and equality both in Britain and abroad and has achieved a lot in that time. As a devout Christian with a firm belief in humanity, a belief underpinned by his deep spiritual values and principles, Maxie has never wavered from ‘the struggles’ in wanting to make the world a better place, as he takes it to the maximum level.

Along the way there have been many adversities filled with trials and tribulations which have tested Maxie’s strength and resolve at times to the limit. However, he has managed to overcome these and moved on with sheer determination, faith and strength of character.

• 216 x 138 mm
• 120 pages
• Paperback

Influences of Indentureship, Evangelisation and Education

H. Joy Norman

Around thirty-five per cent of Trinidad and Tobago’s population are of Indian descent. From 1845 to 1917, indentured labourers from India arrived in the former British colony to address the labour shortages following the abolition of slavery in 1838.

This book examines the lives and work of two descendants of Indian indentured immigrants who lived and worked in the north of Trinidad. Samuel Ramsaran and Leslie Sankarsingh – father-in-law and son-in-law respectively – were raised in the Christian tradition, but each made different life choices in their careers.

The colonial rulers were unconcerned with the welfare of, first, the enslaved Africans and, later, the indentured Indian labourers. It was, therefore, fortuitous that the Canadian Presbyterian missionaries intervened to improve the lives of, in particular, the subjugated East Indian population. Baptism into the Christian faith, however, was a requirement in order to receive a formal education, and it was this directive that provided the first steps towards a better way of life.

Reverend Samuel Ramsaran believed that relating the Christian Gospel to the local culture had to be redefined. He was aware that the Gospel should be communicated in a meaningful way to the East Indian community.

Leslie Sankarsingh, on the other hand, was opposed to a teaching career imposed upon him by the Church authorities. Instead, he turned to the world of business and was also a prolific writer of poetry in the vein of the Romantic English poets.

The work of these two Indo-Trinidadians and, indeed, many of their contemporaries, was to be a significant contribution to an emerging independent nation.

• 228 x 152 mm
• 284 pages
• Paperback

Patricia Grant-Morby

In this candid and heartbreaking memoir, Patricia Grant-Morby reflects upon her troubled life. It is a life filled with sorrow, misery and pain – both physical and psychological. She has faced the many challenges with courage and determination, but not always with successful conclusions.

The daughter of Jamaican parents, she was born in England but raised in Jamaica until her teenage years, after which she returned to England. Her father spent most of these early years back in England, working and sending money home to his family. So, Patricia and her siblings were raised by their mother, and also their grandmother. And it is this relationship with her mother (and at times, her grandmother) that has affected her to the present day. It was a relationship characterised by verbal and physical abuse; of neglect, ridicule and the constant threat of severe beatings.

Patricia Grant-Morby tells her tragic story straight from the heart. Throughout, it is a tale of her fight for survival. She has written this memoir as a cleansing experience in the hope that it would unburden her mind and help to alleviate some of the mental anguish she has experienced since childhood.

Told in her own words [for which the publisher makes no apology], this is a frank and harrowing narrative of a deeply troubled life.

Published to coincide with Jamaica’s 60th Anniversary of Independence (1962-2022)

• 216 x 138 mm
• 112 pages
• Paperback