It is now two weeks since Kirani James has created not just history for Grenada but the international recording-breaking achievement of being the most decorated 400m male athlete in the entire existence of the Olympics.
Kirani’s name is now fully entrenched in the conversation about the greatest 400m runners of all time. Not only his athletic prowess but his assuming courtesies on and off the track his knack for the avoidance of controversies and his overall ‘good-guy’ demeanor require that he is put on the highest pedestals possible to serve as a beacon of hope and motivation for generations to come.
In an article entitled St. James penned on August 06th, 2021 I offered five suggestions that can be actioned as ways of honoring the achievements and personality of Kirani James.
We revisit some those suggestions with more substantiated information to have them implemented by September 01st, 2021 – Kirani’s birthday.
- The renaming of a school after Kirani. He attended the St. John Anglican School and there has been no opposition to date for that school to re-named. The Government of Grenada foots the bills for most of the traditional ‘church schools’. The time for a complete handover is now beginning with this well-deserved name change.
- The renaming of the main thoroughfare in Gouyave after Kirani James. Depradine or de Pradines was prominent French family in Grenada for much of the 18th century, with one serving as the Governor under French rule – information from John Angus Martin author of A-Z of Grenada Heritage. As Grenada draws closer to its 50th anniversary of Independence we can express true independence by finally shedding some of these colonial yokes and reminders. We can utilize Kirani’s success to usher in a new sense of awareness, pride and independence in the truest sense of the word. The signage along the streets in Gouyave will be financed and maintained by the proud citizens and businesses of the Town.
- Contracting of Kirani by the Grenada Tourism Authority to a life-time ambassadorial contract. In October of 2015 during a meeting initiated by the author between Kirani James and the then CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority, Kirani expressed interest in such ambassadorial duties. Unfortunately there was no follow-up by the Authority, however this endeavor can now be revisited when Kirani’s stock on the global market is even higher and Grenada needs to benefit from his image and brand more than ever.
Additionally, since the August 6th article, several Past Students and present Teachers of GBSS have reached out to me with suggestions. The renaming of Kirani’s old house – Hughes (green house) and the renaming of the school’s auditorium are suggestions that the GBSS fraternity believes can be undertaken in time to coincide with the re-opening of school in September.
How we treat the success of Kirani after Tokyo, how we honor him, the messages we send by the silence or noise associated with arguably the greatest 400m athlete in history will say a lot about us as a people. It will send a strong signal to young people, it can pave the way for grandeur (on and off the fields of sporting competition) it can allow us to challenge post-colonial norms and customs.
How we have treated Kirani has left a lot to be desired. We can begin a new era of post-Independence Grenada by celebrating one of Us not celebrating what was handed down to us.
The accolades, the honors, the tributes and the salutations will never be too much. The young athlete didn’t just do what no other Grenadian has done he has done what no one in the history of the storied Olympics has done – let that sink in!
Dexter Mitchell
