By Otti Thomas
The Netherlands has more than 150,000 residents with roots in Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba. Thousands of these residents are successful in their own way. During 2018, Foundation Ocan, originating from the Consultative Body for Dutch Caribbean persons, will put one of these persons in the spotlight every week. In the spotlight this week is Statian clinical manager Kenneth Cuvalay, initiator of Mental Health Caribbean, and chairman of The Quill Foundation.
In his own words:
I started working from the age of eight because my mother was poor. She had 13 children to raise: seven children and six grandchildren – after my eldest sister passed away. I went to St. Maarten when I turned 12. With the money that I made as a pool and beach boy at Little Bay Beach Hotel, I would buy clothing and various items and send them over to my mother.
I travelled to Curaçao as a stowaway on a cargo ship when I was 14. I did not have any money for a ticket. I worked for two years at the Hilton and then another two years at the Sheraton on Aruba. Eventually, I left for Amsterdam where I worked at the Hilton and obtained my MAVO diploma within three years. After some years, I returned to St. Eustatius together with my wife and two kids and worked for Statia Terminals – now NuStar – but due to principled objections against pollution, I quit that job.
I wrote for the Amigoe newspaper about local corruption and other wrongdoings until I became persona non grata on St. Eustatius. I had to sell my house and move to Saba due to the reprisals.
The choice for nursing came about due to a suggestion made by a lady I was speaking to. When she had heard how much I was concerned for my people, she said nursing formed a good starting point from which to help them.
I did the internal course at St. Elisabeth hospital in Tilburg where I had worked for several years. After a brief stint in the Intensive Care Unit, I went to work in psychiatry and addiction – first with Symbion in Rotterdam; and after a few years at Novadic-Kentron in North Brabant. Eventually, I was asked by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport to set up psychiatric and addiction health care on St. Eustatius.
Obstacle
I left behind a fine legacy when I left Mental Health Caribbean last year; but that institution did not fall out of the sky. There was no single form of psychiatric or addiction care on Saba and St. Eustatius aside from a psychiatrist that visited the islands. I had begun work in a vacuum. I had no staff or backup in the beginning but did everything myself. I sometimes conducted admission interviews under a tree. At a certain point, I said I would quit because I was in essence functioning as a psychiatrist and psychologist, while those were not my authorisations.
Eventually, I was given room at the RCN building and later, there came support from Dutch and local social-psychiatric nurses. A contract was also made after plenty of lobbying, with psychiatrists from St. Maarten that could visit St. Eustatius and Saba. It was not practical to have psychiatrists fly over from Curaçao and Bonaire. That which now exists is the result of years of fighting about everything, even for the logo.
Help
My daughter once asked why I did not start my own business in order to make money; but you obtain the most wealth through helping people. Taking someone out of the gutter and witnessing that person blossom – you cannot replace that with money. My whole life therefore is centred on helping others.
It remains a necessity to carry out quantitative and qualitative research on the psychiatric problems among the populations of St. Eustatius, Saba and Bonaire. As the founder and chairman of The Quill Foundation, I have been petitioning for this three years already. When I speak with the youth, I notice that there is a need for attention socially and pedagogically.
Clients are indeed being treated now, but there still is no good in-depth and qualitative data about what is taking place in our society. We are not examining the causes of the problem.
Inspiration
Many are ashamed of their heritage, but why should I be ashamed? My background is my strength. I would have had a much different stance in life had I not grown up in poverty. My origin is the foundation and I value and cherish it. That goes back further than my youth on St. Eustatius. I conduct a lot of research on my African ancestors and how we came to be in the current situation. Little is actually changing.
There may be black actors and politicians, but we possess nothing. I try to bring about change through my work in the labour unions and politics. I established the European Anti Racism Network (Europees Anti Racisme Netwerk) that analyses and publicizes cases of racism and exclusion. I fight together with organisations in England, the United States and France for reparations for slavery.
Grateful
My mother inspired me and gave me the power to look forward. She came from St. Kitts, which, just like the other British islands, does not have much, but they are independent. The inhabitants possess a strong historical understanding, are progressive and active. Inhabitants of the other islands are often passive and biding in their way of thinking and actions.
I used to ask my mother why she would get down on her knees to polish the tiles in the home of rich white people. She would say to me: “Listen, Kenneth; it is not about what I do, more important is why I am doing it. I do it to provide you with a better future.” I could not attend school as a child due to circumstances, but even then I knew that I needed to develop myself in order to help my people on St. Eustatius.
Advice
Everything starts with a positive self-image. The inferiority complex that many of our people carry needs to be broken through. That is why it is good that there are role models through which people can really recognise themselves. It is also important to involve youngsters with the development of society. Do not talk about the youth, but with them. They will then feel that what they see, what they feel and what they want matter. It stimulates their own sense of awareness and sense of responsibility.
Foundation Ocan supports Dutch Caribbean persons in the achieving of their individual and shared ambitions and objectives. Visit www.ocan.nl and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
