From Charlotteville with love – Jaba's mission of peace

ALVA VIARRUEL

THERE’S a disarming calmness about Irwin Hercules. On any given day, Hercules can be found in the kitchen of his Tobago restaurant, churning out great-tasting local dishes (anything involving fish) and making himself available to anyone who needs advice to settle a dispute with a friend or family.

Tall and square-shouldered, the grey-haired Rastafarian from Charlotteville, who is known as “Jaba,” champions the cause of peace, and openly expresses his desire to share love with all.

“‘I Lion Jaba,’ that’s what they call me. They gave me that name because even as a youth, I was always for dispute-resolution strategies – it’s something you can do to avoid the violence…So people used to come to me when they had their lil problems, and we sit and discuss it and come up with a solution,” he explained with a broad, toothy smile.

Hercules and his cousin Winston Irving Sawyer Jr came up with the idea of a cultural festival of sorts (though in truth it was a very small showcase of the village’s pool of talent), which was their way of “giving back to the community that has supported us over the past year.”

They’re both members of the Charlotteville Beachfront Movement, which Hercules described as “a movement to share the love, if you want to use that term…We believe in giving back (to the community).

“Our young people tend to gravitate towards violence for some reason, I don’t know why.

“So we’ve decided to change the narrative. As elders, we’re going to try to get the young people on board, to encourage them to do constructive things, you know: like open small businesses, do some agriculture, instead of sitting on the street corners every day.

“We want to inform, inspire and educate young people. That’s our mission. We’re hoping that with proper guidance and leadership we can bring back some form of direction to the young people – try to encourage positive behaviour.”

Irving lives in Calgary, Canada, and runs a charter service called Blue Caribbean, which brings tourists to the Tobago carnival. The guests all stay in Charlotteville.

The event was held on the Monday after this year’s October carnival. The pair want that to become the date on which other Tobago business owners can choose to “give back,’ too.

There was a gentleness to Hercules’ voice as he spoke about the event, at which they gave food and drink free to all who passed by his small corner café/restaurant he opened in 2022.

Hercules is the chef, serving up meals principally made with fish: “Fish broth, fish stew, everything fish. I’ve been cooking all my life, and was taught by my grandmother.”

He also has a super kitchen assistant in Zorida “Sally” Ali, who handles the roti and doubles menu.

Learning from loss

Hercules’ desire for peace may owe something to his own painful experiences of tragedy and coping with life’s challenges.

The restaurant is named after his son Ayo, as a tribute to the young man, who was murdered in Trinidad some years ago.

Sitting on a rough wooden bench outside the restaurant, Hercules shared his experience of losing his son.

“He was 25, and he was about to go to Boston University that year…

“His life was cut short. Up to today, I’m still suffering from feeling the loss of my son, and there are a lot of young people who’re dying innocently, and I know there are lots of parents out there who feel like I do.”

His son had gone to Trinidad, where his grandmother lived, to help with her small business.

“He went not long after his mother had bought him a new Nissan Sunny, and one night he went to Coconut Drive, Morvant, to visit some girl he had met earlier.

“Now, he’s fresh from Tobago, naïve, doesn’t understand how Trinidad rolls, and I’m told the girl was the woman of a gangster.

“He was about to head back home by his grandmother when a gang of fellas blocked him in the street and tried to take away the keys out of the ignition.

“Not understanding the situation really, he should have given them the car (and walked away with his life) – but he tried to drive off, and they shot at the car and he got hit in the head. The car crashed into a wall.

“He was taken to hospital and died 11 days later.”

Hercules said his son’s death “really affected me immensely. Even up to today, I still think about him and shed a tear for him when I’m in my lonely moments by myself…I recall how wonderful a kid he was, and to see he didn’t get a chance to experience his full life.

“So that still bothers me – and how he died, too – the violent death was not called for, it was not necessary.”

Tough times as a boy

Hercules himself had his childhood cut short.

Born in Louis D’Or, an agricultural village in the countryside of Tobago East, he became what he called “a force-ripped man” when his father was killed in a car accident. He was just 13; and right after the death of his father, his mother suffered a nervous breakdown as she grappled with the immense challenge of coping with the loss of her husband and caring for their seven children on her own.

“I was at Roxborough Secondary at the time, and I had to drop out to help look after my siblings and my mother, as the eldest in the family. Three of them had just started secondary school, and I had to take care of everybody, plait my sisters’ hair and all that.

“My mother couldn’t do nothing, and I became the breadwinner of the home. I used to do everything to make a lil money. Hunt (for wild meat), catch crab, work garden, climb coconut trees and sell the nuts. I did everything. There were times I went hunting and I was afraid – at 14 years old in the forest with my dogs – but you know it was for a cause, a genuine cause, so I put everything behind my back and pressed forward.”

He eventually found his footing selling produce on the waterfront in Charlotteville.

“I bought 100 oranges and a box of bananas and my granny gave me an old scale, and I started selling on the seawall here at Charlotteville. To me, it was more busy as the town, so it was either here, Roxborough or Scarborough.

“But I chose here, because to me it was kind of idyllic, it’s a pristine village and most of my extended family live here,” Hercules said.

He reflects now, at 69, how tough it was. But they made it through.

He’s had seven children, aged between 45 and 22, of his own and was married once. His wife lives in the US with their two children, who go to school and work there, he said.

“They come home every year to visit me, and we keep in close contact. Usually we would come together as a family at Christmas time, because they love a Tobago Christmas.”

He smiled, stroked his beard and looked off into the distance, no doubt reminiscing about fond memories.

Zone of peace

Still, the loss of Ayo left a wound that has not healed.

But the tragic death of his son has not made Hercules bitter. Instead he has used it to reach out to the youth in his area in pursuit of his advocacy for peace.

“I try to encourage dispute resolution, instead of turning to violence. Let’s dialogue – sit and talk out the issue.

“So I engage the village council, the police youth club and sports clubs, all the youth organisations, and lend my support to encourage love and unity among the young people.”

Hercules’ desire for peace extends beyond the village and even the country. He’s concerned about the current situation between TT, Venezuela and the US, which has everyone on edge.

“I am a bit worried, you know. The country is heading in a direction that I think it should not be heading. We’re hearing about violence, wars and fishermen being murdered on the seas, and I think it’s time for the leaders to come together.

“Venezuela is our neighbour, we’re supposed to be talking about sharing the resources, because Venezuela and Trinidad are actually joined together. The narrative is supposed to be about, ‘Let’s live together in peace and harmony,’ instead of cutting each other’s throat. We should not be having battleships in the Caribbean Sea.

“As you can see in Tobago, this place remains a zone of peace, and we want to keep it like that. So let’s discuss the issues among ourselves, settle it without resorting to outside interference in our territory.

“I am totally for peace. Let’s stop these stupid wars and share love among one another. There is too much violence in the world today.

“I’m calling on all leaders: Please, it’s not too late to turn around. Let’s stop the killings, let’s stop the violence and say no to war – that’s my plea.”