The Lion Has Learned to Write!

                       

 Until the lion has learned to write, every story will glorify the hunter.   - An African Proverb

Photo showing Manchile at his book launch in Grand Bay

 Historian and author Mr. Harian Manchile Henry is a true son of the soil. He attended the Grand Bay Boys School and then moved to England, where he furthered his education. 

In 1982, he attended a lecture series by Mr. Yosef Benjamin Jochannan and Ivan Van Sertima. Two great men whose findings have had a tremendous impact on Black history.

Manchile has made considerable contributions to Dominican history. He has lectured in St. Lucia, St. Thomas, and Dominica. In 2020, he hosted a radio show on Liberty FM in St. Lucia. Mr. Henry firmly believes in passing on the knowledge of our past to younger generations to ensure posterity. Hence the reason he frequently visited schools such as the Pierre Charles Secondary School in Dominica.

In his recent contribution A Brief History of Grand Bay, he retells stories of origin, triumph, and tenacity of his people. 

Working with this gentleman has been one of the most notable moments in my career. His passion and zeal for our Black heritage are nothing short of contagious. I learned several lessons from this life teacher, and I have decided to cherish these gems forever.

Black Is Beautiful.

Regardless of what we learned about beauty and Blackness, they can co-exist. There is beauty in our coarse hair, in our skin, in the way we speak and tell our stories. There is beauty in our rebellion.

We Ought To Be Proud Of Our Heritage. 

There is no shame in where we come from as Black people. If anything, we should use it as inspiration. A people ripped from their homeland and brought across the Atlantic into slavery. Yet hundreds of years later, their descendants are making history and breaking every ceiling used to conceal their magnificence. 

Question The Stories They Tell Us. 

If history could speak, it would tell us that most of what we learned in school and society (about ourselves and our history) was not the truth. We have to find out the truth and pass them down. 

i.e. They Came Before Columbus is a must-read.

A Dream Deferred Is Not A Dream Denied. 

Mr. Henry tells the story of wanting to get published for years and having that dream denied. At one point, he wondered if he would ever see his dream come to fruition, but it did. 

Indeed the lion has learned to write, and I can not wait to hear what other stories he has to tell. 

                                            

To check out A Brief History of Grand Bay use the link below: 

https://www.blurb.com/b/10800769-a-brief-history-of-grandbay