What has that got to do with a hurricane?
It is not my point to nag at the Bahamas, a country I have never visited. And besides, the Hurricane Dorian is representative for many countries, whatever natural forces they are exposed to. No doubt, this was one of the worst storms ever to hit the Bahamas, with a possible link to Climate Change.
Nonetheless, as a disaster manager, I know there are no such things as “natural” disasters. The storm, the earthquake, the volcanic eruption are natural phenomena, but the ensuing damage is not. Disasters are man-made, and never coincidences. Disasters are largely the product of decisions and behaviour that make up the culture of a society. Often including traditions and practices generated in the past.
Back to the Bahamas.
Since I am curious, I wanted to find out what in the history or the culture of this Caribbean Island could explain why the hurricane was able to wreak such havoc. Why all the wrecked houses? Why so many deaths? The reports from the international news channels are seldom a good source. Those reporters do not know the country, they focus on the most dramatic events or interview desperate people.
Hence, I started to search for domestic voices. What I found was Bahamians who have expressed a deep concern about the dominant anti-intellectualism in the country.
One such voice is Joseph Gaskins:
“…we prize ignorance. To think critically, “speak smart”, or even dress smartly, is offensive to our very understanding of what it means to be Bahamian.”
Anti-intellectualism leaves little room for forward thinking. Anti-intellectualism does not foster an ability to deal with complex causes and effects. Such as disasters.
In order to reduce disaster risk, you need an informed population. You need citizens who have comprehended that you have to sacrifice something today so that we are all better off, and safer, tomorrow. That you have a responsibility not just for yourself and for your family, but also for those around you.
Apparently, 50 % of the Bahamian students leave high-school without a diploma. [2012].
Latrae Rahming, the Managing Director of a holding company writes:
“One of the biggest problems in the Bahamas is some people want to be entertained, not informed.”
Education is not just about learning facts. It is just as much about learning to be critical, to seek information on your own and to reach your own conclusions. If you do not do the thinking yourself, it means you leave it to somebody else.
In the case of the Bahamas, Rahming puts it like this: “Bahamians except without questioning; believe without weighing the choices; join the pack because it’s the modern or convenient thing to do.”
Bahamas is a democracy.
But, if you have no interest in rational thinking, you will not vote for the most sound and level-headed candidate.
Instead, you vote for the one who can promise you instant gratification. Or you do not vote at all.
If leaders give priority to short-term gains, then both they and their constituency will also be happy with an economy based on cheap labour, mainly provided by immigrants from Haiti.
The root causes of the Dorian disaster are, of course, more complicated than what I have mentioned.
The Bahamas being a British colony until 1973, is, most likely, among those root causes.
However, I am pretty sure that a culture where, allegedly, a “thinking-takes-too-much-time” attitude is prevalent, played a crucial part.
