Veteran Grenadian broadcaster on his show, Sundays with George Grant, on Grenada Broadcast
This post was written in response to Mr. Kellon Bubb’s article in Medium, The End of an Era for Quality Grenadian Broadcasting, dated April 28, 2020
It's Sunday. A holy day when just a few months ago I anticipated tuning into to Mr. Grant's radio program--to learn about contemporary life in Grenada and interact with people in Diaspora. I never met this man. I always assumed I would. I loved it when he gave me shout-outs! One year Mr. Grant wished me "happy birthday" on air. "Where you been girl?," he had said. I cried. Me all the way out here by myself in Minnesnowtah!
A few years ago when I was doing research on the Grenada Revolution for my solo, " Yam, Potaoe an Fish!" I held (and still hold) a holy reverence for any discussion on those days, as it is still a contentious subject. There are many who were hurt by the actions of Maurice Bishop's and Bernard Coard's PRG and still so many Grenadians (and global citizens) who know little about the first socialist revolution carried out in the anglophone Caribbean.
As Mr. Bubb reports, "Grenada lost a man who carried with him great institutional memory of a time when Grenada...exhibited the highest standards of Journalism and Broadcasting in the Eastern Caribbean." And so, I felt so lucky to be tuning in every week. I looked forward to eventually being a guest on Mr. Grant's radio show on a trip to Grenada. I would share my archival work in dance, take classes...you know, the whole Thing. Learn, grow and meet new people.
So a few weeks I realized FB stopped notifying me that the program was on. I thought that maybe Mr. Grant had just taken a break during the pandemic? Well, he did take a break. When I inquired if the radio show was still on listeners responded that he had died suddenly-- passed peacefully at night.
....
After a long cry I started thinking about the future of journalism. Who would fill that gap that Mr. Bubb articulates so well in this tribute?
I say farewell to Mr. Grant through the lens of a Pan-Africanist. There is an ole saying that, in Africa, when a griot dies it is like a library is destroyed. Nothing can replace that embodied history and lived experience!
I started looking around and found Mr. Bubb's program, while concurrently, some Facebook folks also highlighted the Bubb Report, unanimously. I have been tuning in. Think in two weeks I've caught up on all the programs since May! Mr. Bubb is amazing. His program carries the legacy of Mr. Grant and takes us into the future with solid journalistic integrity and scissor-sharp reporting.
Still, the anthropologist in me is sad at this loss (as well as the daughter in me.) Thank you, Mr. Grant, for all the work, for all the years, and for keeping it uplifting. We lift you up.
Rest in Peace.
Below is Mr. Grant’s last aired program on Sunday April 26, 2020. Guests are Leader of the Opposition, Member of Parliament, Tobias Clement and Journalist, Kellon Bubb
