Our most famous West Indian

Trivia questions and answers intrigue even the best among us simply because we are all possessed with egos of such size that make us wonder whether by some accident we might just make, nay, head such a list.

When at the end of the last millennium the universal question was asked who was the outstanding individual of that thousand year period, William Shakespeare and Mahatma Gandhi beat out every other candidate and it was justified (in Shakespeare’s case) that there isn’t a moment in any given day when his name was not called, when he was not being quoted or taught at someplace in the world.

Such a question should not be difficult for a Trini because not only do we suffer from the worst case of the god complex, but we actually boast that God is a Trini and in that self glorification we have the winner: the Trini God!

But back to earth and reality, who really might we crown the most famous West Indian of all times; the one with the most recognisable name and face across the globe?

There must be a yardstick to measure how that person qualifies for such stardom.

To begin, the one and only must be known or known off not just in Port- of-Spain or Kingston or Bridgetown or even the Commonwealth, but in judging greatness of that nature one must immediately consider the impact of that person in India and China whose 2.5 billion population alone could make or break a person’s candidacy to be numero uno.

Internationally, persons who shine in sports, politics and the entertainment business are the ones whose names and face we recognise even when we look in the mirror of life.

In India Amitabh Bacchan and Sachin Tendulkar are the human gods of that country’s hundreds of millions; in America, superstar’s world capital, their current president, Oprah, Rihanna; and in England, the Queen and her family.

Our famous personalities in the West Indies also emerge from a similar genesis. Out of politics Jamaicans might refer to Garvey, the Manleys and Bustamente; Barbadians might pull the names of the Adams as their big heroes; Guyanese Jagan and Burnham would hug centre stage there; and in Trinidad Dr Eric Williams might tower over everybody else. In sports, West Indies cricket stands above everything else – with many individuals lifting themselves to such transcendence that in their time they so dominated, so predominated over their team-mates that they reduced what is essentially a team sport to something akin to an individual event – of them against the rest: of Garry Sobers, Viv Richards, Brian Lara etc

In the entertainment business, the Caribbean is world famous for at least four types of music that is indigenous to us: Jamaica’s reggae and Trinidad’s steelpan, calypso and chutney.

And while it was a writer in Shakespeare who was voted the individual of the millennium, and while the region has two literature Nobelists in Derek Walcott and Vidia Naipaul, these two seem more likely to get their recognition posthumously – which in any case would be very Shakespearean in nature.

Out of this compendium of West Indian personalities and heroes who would qualify as our most famous; whose name is as well known here in the region as it is in London, New York, Beijing and New Delhi.

Because of his world record breaking performances, Brian Lara is a household name to hundreds of millions — in India, Australia, England, South Africa, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and that should place him high up in the reckoning as our most famous glitterati.

What works against him is that outside the cricket world – in China, Russia, Eastern Europe and the Americas, the name Lara would be the equivalent to just another John Doe. So the one name that we arrive at must be someone who has achieved stardom not just in our region, not just within the Commonwealth, but worldwide.

Who can that be? No woman no cry, but unfortunately it is not our Prime Minister and also not her favourite singer Bob Marley who ranks second as the most famous West Indian of all times. Marley’s music is played in nooks and crannies across the globe; his name is universal – as is his message.

Number one for a long time, but in the last five years he’s been pipped at the line: Usain Bolt must now be the most famous ever, as on the day of the Olympics 100 metres final the world stops — just to watch that event, just to watch Bolt, be part of the moment.

Who doubts Bolt is the man? Think about it.