GRENADA ART by Eric M Johnn ...


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Despite its natural beauty, Grenada has experienced turbulent political upheavals in the past. Since the coming of Europeans, the Indians who lived there was forced into war to defend their island. It took the Europeans many years before they finally eliminated the Caribs and Arawaks from Grenada.

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"Portrait of a Grenada Man"
(pen & pastel on paper 11x17) 1997.

Nearly 80% of Grenada's population are descendants of African slaves. Yet as time went by other races have intermixed with blacks. This gentleman, despite his very pronounced African characteristics, the high cheekbones depict a connection to perhaps, the Caribs and or Arawaks or the East Indians who were brought into Grenada as Indentured slaves after Emancipation of the Africans in the 19th Century.

(Available in original & print: price for original US$210.00)

French and British colonialists fought for ownership until the British conquered and won in the end. The travails of the island did not end there. Thousands of Africans were shipped to work on tobacco, sugarcane and coffee plantations for European merchants. The island prospered, but very little of the wealth stayed in Grenada. The island went through dozens of social and political unrest since and during slavery up until 1983 when thousands of US-military troops intervened to squash a military junta that assassinated several ministers in the ruling government at the time. These days, Grenada is enjoying stability and with the tourism industry booming and nutmeg price at a comfortable rate, there's no reason why the Spice Isle of the West cannot even be spicier than ever.