Library has taken the children off the streets

THE EDITOR: The sensational headline screams ‘Chaos in Library’. The children are savaging the library pretty much like the American and British troops are savaging Baghdad.

The terrifying invaders creating the chaos are our children, descending on the new pristine National Library, in all their smelly hordes, coming down from South East, Belmont Junior Sec, Tranquillity, Mucurapo, Morvant/Laventille. Funny, how it is the same catchment area for the bandits, the castaways of the society. These problem children, largely illiterate in any real meaning of the word, with troubled family backgrounds — ‘miss, my mudder in foreign and I eh have nobody to sign mih card miss’. Deemed problems at home, at school, they seem already condemned to achieve recognition and visibility solely through banditry.

Sacred Institution my foot! A library is not a monument! It can only achieve sacredness by the contribution it makes to our society. And it is great that the National Library has brought these children off the streets from the malls, into the self proclaimed learning tower of Port-of-Spain. What does the society do? Recoil in horror from the youth we have produced. They smell so bad! They talk too loud! Their language and behaviour are as foul as their smell. We do not even want them in a school in Westmoorings. The comments about their urban children of ours do not differ (except for the smell) from the comments made by the Chair of the Senate, as she sought to extract some degree of behaviour form our supposed exemplars in the Senate. They are learning well from their mentors, the priests, politicians, policemen, businessmen. The stench of venality, corruption and bad behaviour stalk the corridors of power. What do we expect from them! What indeed! What! When the areas which spew them forth are by words for generations of neglect. Morvant, Laventille are high on the list.

So, they are off the streets and in the library. Let the Ministry of Education, let the TTUTA, come forward to work with the libraries to see how we can keep them there, let us find the resources to run special programmes for them. You would think someone from the Ministry or from TTUTA would call! Let us get rid of the offices for which the building was never intended and give these youths the space to BE, create, find self, expression. Let us challenge them to be the best they can be behaviourally, educationally, for themselves first, then for the nation. For welcoming them in the space is not to assume the condoning of negative behaviour patterns! Let us call in the artistes, Leroy, Ataklan, Mavis, Resistance, Bunji, Sandra and Fay Ann to vibes with them; to read for them. The nice middle class children don’t need the library. Don’t need the computers. They have them at home. They can go to lessons after attending their prestige schools.

Once again, we are saying to these children, we don’t want you. How will they give themselves a bligh! How will they give themselves recognition and visibility, without which human beings really cannot live. How, except through bad boy/girl rankings. In 1970 we used to say the children you do not educate will come through your windows with a gun! And what about our striking librarians. Mostly women, (and, it is not an insignificant fact that this new National Library was conceptualised, nurtured, fought for by a group of professional women). Is my profession gone to mercenariness, everyone! Just like the doctors!

True, the staff is swamped — But, the library administration, did during the last year, anticipate this very situation and make recommendations for additional staffing which has not been provided — But the staff attitude stinks! It reminds me what a introverted, middle class profession librarianship is! And of the scorn and rejection I remember experiencing as a young recruit into this browning profession; in those days black, natural hair, from the bush of Santa Cruz and from a country school St Georges; and, bold and shameless enough to admit publicly that my mother did domestic work to feed and educate her children! Snobbery is still evident. Though some of the skins are darker, the problem of class is a very real one! Frankly, I have been amazed that the administration of which I am proudly a part had the courage to take the stand it has; but then the Executive Director, NALIS is an amazing person.

It is clear that when no one nourishes the self esteem of our children, they cannot be expected to care about what becomes of the pampered darlings of the society. Make an industry of them. Who cares! Any one of these rejected children could have been birthed from me. I tell you, we are creating aliens, and all that aliens do is destroy. And yet every day, every night we feed them with the diet to ferment destructiveness. The one-eyed monster spews the violence, the sex unceasingly into their minds. Whether it’s the films, or the news — right is right, and arguments are to be settled with a gpun — and if you have the bigger gun — well! Where is the relief in selfhood when our music, our plays, our soul still are denied in the very media that continually condemns them a quota. We have created them. They could have come from my womb. They could possible come from you. Will we reach out to them. And we ready for le Deluge! I think it is already upon us. If this problem exists in this section of society, make no mistake — It is the problem of the entire society and will engulf us if we do not deal with now. For then, truly will come, the CHAOS!

EINTOU SPRINGER
Maraval