Dr. Jacinth Howard: Exploring Caribbean Literature and Gender Perspectives

In commemoration of International Women’s Day, Barbados TODAY highlighted women working in various fields – from health to telecoms, from development to politics – as they share their sources of success and triumph over challenges they have encountered. Below is an interview with Dr. Jacinth Howard, PhD, Author and Lecturer, about her journey.

Meet Jacinth Howard: talented author, devoted mother, and astute scholar.

Her most recent published work, The Mother Island, provides a richly layered examination of the issues women often confront such as exhaustion, illness, loss, and loneliness, as well as the societal expectations placed on women, particularly as mothers.

Jacinth chats with Barbados Today about how she Accelerates Action through the power of the pen and the care she takes in teaching the next generation.

1. Have you encountered any biases as a creative due to being a woman?

I have been fortunate not to have encountered many negative biases in my writing career as a creative and a critic. It’s only a natural consequence that because much of my work appeals to the experiences of motherhood and womanhood my audiences tend to be primarily female. As a result, the importance of these experiences could get downplayed by audiences and experiences outside of motherhood and womanhood. I also get support from male colleagues, family members and friends. However, there are occasions where I may have been overlooked for better-known writers, but I have found writing and reading spaces I am overwhelmingly greeted with a welcoming reception, strength, encouragement and guidance.

At one point, women’s writing did not exist visibly within the Caribbean literary landscape and now, they dominate it. Older women have also come alongside me and helped me to grow exponentially.

2. How do you feature women’s voices and agency in your work?

Women’s voices are central to most of my fiction and poetry. Marginalised voices feature often. I think about historical absences and how women’s lives can fill them up. In my short stories, Snow on Banana Leaves and Salt published by Intersect, I focus on a poor, elderly woman affected by the volcanic eruption and a young, brilliant Garifuna girl trying to preserve her heritage. Giving these characters the innovation and willpower to fight in the face of natural disaster is one of the tropes I use regularly; the connection of these women to their land and the knowledge of their ancestry and community drives them toward their goals of not just personal but joint survival.

These are ideas I also focus on in my poetry. Poems like Black Dog, Silent Night and Horseman Pass By from my Poetry collection The Mother Island tell the stories of women who have suffered child loss, domestic abuse and consequent silencing because of the trauma. Although often I foreground women who cannot speak, it is to give them voice through their narrative. Where often women are unable to speak, I believe it’s the responsibility of their sisters to amplify their voices and support the validity of their stories.

3. What is the importance of making decisions within your life and work to promote gender equality?

Helping to shape young women’s writing careers through my teaching is of paramount importance to me. It’s also necessary to foster through scholarly material, conversations about gender, gender roles, relationships between men and women and female empowerment in classes. I think that it’s also important to empower male students to succeed and to develop a strong sense of self and ability. When all parties are encouraged to have open conversations and to seek respectful strategies for conflict resolution, I think that we can build more equal relationships. I think Literature is such an essential tool in teaching the importance of empathy, historical events (which often act as cautionary tales) and recommendations to avoid the repeat of similar problems. These fora give students a chance to talk through issues from start to finish as a simulation to sharpen their reflective and critical skills which are necessary for the establishment of gender equality.

This article appeared in the March 8 International Women’s Day Magazine by Barbados Today. View the magazine here.