Philip Wells posted a report on last Thursday's meeting at the Bermuda College, attended by about 60 people, on his web log "A Limey in Bermuda".

He said Dr. Brown, of the United Nations Committee on Indigenous people, whose talk was titled "Protecting the rights of indigenous people", spent some time defining what the term "indigenous people" meant, but then blurred the meaning of the term by trying to equate that term with "minorities".

According to Mr. Wells, a 32-year-old Yorkshireman married to a Bermudian, whose web log is sub-headed "Getting Bermuda Talking", she said a group that suffered racism could claim indigenous status and thus UN protection.

He believed that by suggesting that the two terms were interchangeable, Dr. Brown was "implicitly encouraging black Bermudians to consider themselves more indigenous than Bermuda's whites, and thus fuelling the victim mentality that is at the root of Bermuda's racial problems".

The Foundation for Bermuda Studies' executive comprises lawyer and former Progressive Labour Party Member of Parliament Arthur Hodgson, lawyer and former United Bermuda Party Senator and party deputy chair Lynda Milligan-Whyte, international businessman Michael Markham, and photographer and former National Liberal Party chairman Graeme Outerbridge.

Calvin Smith, political commentator and activist, was also present at the meeting, and while he agreed with Mr. Wells' report of what Dr. Brown said, he took an entirely different view of the meaning and reasonableness of what she said.

"Dr. Brown certainly didn't define indigenous in the usual sense, like Native Americans or original peoples. She defined the word to mean the people who were occupying the space for a relatively long time, whether they be natives, strictly speaking, or European settlers.

"Referring to Bermuda, she meant the original people who came here, the slaves and the white settlers. I thought it was an interesting way to look at it. (Mr. Wells) quoted her correctly, but I didn't think it was too much of a stretch, not if you accepted her definition."

Mr. Smith thought that what Dr. Brown had to say was very important and she pointed out that major international bodies such as the UN and the World Bank followed that definition, and allowed oppressed minorities to seek assistance from them. "She had also picked up and referred to a comment I had written about white Bermudians being an indigenous minority, in the purely numerical sense, and in terms of the vote, not in terms of economic wealth."

Mr. Wells was no more impressed by the second speaker, Dr. Waldaba Stewart, whose lecture, "A Comparative Study of the Impact of Colonialism in Indigenous People", was "based on a diagram consisting of a horizontal line with the word 'Colonialism' written at one end, 'Neo-Colonialism' in the middle, and 'Post-Colonialism' at the other end.

He asserted that the countries of the Caribbean were progressing from one end of this line to the other, most of them (including Bermuda) currently being just over half-way through the 'Neo-Colonialism' phase."

"He peppered his talk with incendiary phrases. 'Colonialism is based on the theft of the resources of a country', he said. 'The rest ? all that genocide stuff ? are details.' His definition of neo-colonialism as doing the same things as were done during colonialism, just more subtly, drew applause and murmurings of agreement from the audience. 'Who has more clout', he asked,' the Prime Minister or the Governor-General?' At least now the Governor-General is mostly symbolic, he said, 'but that's because they have the Prime Minister in their pocket'!"

At this point, Mr. Wells "started to feel like I'd stumbled into a PLP rally. Dr. Stewart said that as colonies moved toward the post-colonial state, they would become 'less vulnerable to the machinations which result in the destabilisation of our countries', and asserted that the motherlands would soon have to govern taking into account the wishes of their colonies' people, not just themselves and their corporations.

" 'We don't want the foreign companies ? unless we have to,' he said. 'They are identified with the scars we carry on our back'."

Mr. Wells was dismayed to hear "mutterings of agreement in the audience." He wondered if these people felt that international business was at the root of all of Bermuda's problems. He noticed that Dr. Stewart had a tendency to use "us" to mean "blacks", even though there were a number of whites in the audience.

"Dr. Stewart rounded off his tirade by addressing the issue of Independence more directly, characterising the movement from neo-colonialism to post-colonialism as 'from the wilderness to the promised land'. He talked of the desire of the Caribbean countries to reduce their debt and get to a state where everyone has a job. 'We wish Bermuda was with us in this project'," he added.

Mr. Wells was unconvinced. While Dr. Stewart made it clear he envied Bermuda's over-employment and low debt, he "somehow failed to acknowledge that this had been achieved without the need to move to a post-colonial state and with the aid of these evil foreign companies. On his diagram he wrote the words 'creation of new wealth' under 'post-colonialism', as if this was something that could only be achieved after independence."

Again, Mr. Smith heard the same words but understood Dr. Stewart's lecture from an entirely different perspective. "He got to me. I talked extensively to him, and I was just thrilled at what I was hearing. I thought he hit the nail very correctly on the head. I come from a completely different background to (Mr. Wells) and he and I couldn't possibly hear that speech the same way.

"We never seem to take that into consideration when we are talking to each other. If he reads his own history written by Englishmen, he'd know damn well that the colonists were there to take the resources of the colonised lands."

Mr. Smith liked Dr. Stewart's speech, and warned that it should not be considered only from the perspective of the colour of the listener, because it reminded him of a very similar speech given by a Dr. Simey many years before.

"When I came back to Bermuda in 1965, I was invited to a similar forum at the Devonshire Recreation Club, and the speaker, Dr. Simey, an Irish lecturer brought here at the instigation of Dr. Eva Hodgson and the Bermuda Union of Teachers, blew my mind.

"He was discussing political development in the Caribbean and he covered very much the same ground as Dr. Stewart, and he was speaking nearly 40 years ago! Dr. Simey described the various stages. Colonialism involved the blatant exploitation of resources and cheap labour, and the next stage, Neo-Colonialism, when a country becomes self-governing or even Independent, but the new government takes on the trappings of the colonial government and quickly forms alliances with them, most of the time not even realising what they are doing.

"The people were now exploited even more efficiently because now they have a government that looks like them! Typically, a huge resentment sets in as the ordinary people realise that they are still getting 'screwed'. Trade unions challenge the new black elites, who have 'sold out' and can't be trusted.

"Of course, the trade union leaders who take over, do some good things for the people, but too many of them find it hard to resist the temptations of power. Post-colonialism is that stage where educated technocrats take over from the failing union leaders, and understand what must be done for their country and their countrymen. They may be tied to the colonial powers, but they will resist being exploited by them."

Mr. Smith learned from Dr. Simey that Bermuda would probably have to endure all of those stages, and with the wisdom of age, has come to realise that that is not necessarily a bad thing.

"New governments have to go through a learning period, and it is hard to do that and be very creative at the same time. The PLP Government is learning how to govern, but is following policies and procedures put in place by UBP Governments to preserve the existing power structure.

"I thought that Dr. Stewart defined these various stages very similarly, and that should not be surprising, since these political models have been tested by experience over time. This term is the real examination for the PLP, not the last one. Right now, they are following the path cut by the UBP, a 'path of least resistance'."

Arthur Hodgson found the Brown/Stewart lectures to be "an interesting contrast" with the first lecture presentations by Governor John Vereker and former British Columbia Attorney General Brian Smith, QC.

"Dr. Brown addressed the problem of protection of indigenous population from a global perspective, and described the work the UN was doing. Dr. Stewart talked in terms of the historical development of colonialism and its aftermath. He stressed that we need to look to the future and develop models by which we can improve the livelihood of people.

"All in all, I thought they were very interesting. It is not the purpose of the Foundation to be concerned with advocating any one position.

"Next time, we may have a speaker who is diametrically opposed to a previous speaker. We are pleased that we have had different perspectives, different points of view. Of course, Foundation members do have their own opinions, and I will participate as a lecturer on June 24, and invite audience members to examine some points of view in terms of our own philosophy and moral principles. Also, Ian Kawaley will talk on the development of Bermuda's Constitution."

Mr. Hodgson agreed with Mr. Wells' report of some of the comments made by the lecturers, but, like Mr. Smith, did not think that Dr. Brown had gone too far in equating the problems of indigenous peoples and minorities.

"It is not a stretch of the imagination to envision that there were peoples who were faced with a clash of cultures and needed protection. It is a matter of definition, and she gave several. Depending on definition, the term 'indigenous people' may or may not be applicable to oppressed or victimised peoples.

"Dr. Stewart's remit was to focus on the Caribbean, and I think it would be fair to say that he was taking decolonisation for granted, that it was a progressive movement in the Caribbean, and that he hoped that in the post-colonial period the governments would be in a position to create new wealth.

"In so far as Bermuda was concerned, I think he took it as a given that we wanted to move forward. I think he was saying that simply acquiring Independence was not, in itself, 'the promised land'. Beyond gaining political Independence, you had to do meaningful things in the lives of the people of a country.

"He was inviting the audience to think in terms of future prosperity, when he talked in terms of creating new wealth, and not to be occupied by the past. He was speaking broadly, and not referring specifically to Bermuda. His knowledge of Bermuda would have not been that great."

Mr. Wells understood that "everyone is entitled to their viewpoint, and the things Dr. Stewart was saying clearly resonated with many black members of the audience. But if the Foundation for Bermuda Studies is to be a tank, then I believe it needs to offer speakers who argue their case logically without resorting to displays of exaggerated emotional behaviour. People such as Dr. Stewart, who appeal to hearts rather than minds, belong at an election rally, not in a lecture theatre."

Political activist Dr. Eva Hodgson takes the view that the FBS fills an important need because it is not politically affiliated, and because it encourages discussion of important subjects. "These topics should be of interest to all Bermudians. More importantly, it is an opportunity for blacks and whites to discuss these issues across racial lines. The founders of the FBS come from different political perspectives and from different races, but the idea is for the organisation itself to be apolitical."

Dr. Hodgson described the lectures and pointed up the extent to which race still defines Bermuda's political and social experiences. "The first lectures were given by the Governor and the visiting Canadian, Mr. Brian Smith, and while the organisers were happy with the turnout, the audience was almost all white, because they were white speakers. At this second meeting, the two speakers were blacks from Panama, and the audience was almost all black.

"Dr. Brown made the point that the UN and other international bodies have to be concerned about indigenous people, because, in most cases, those who come in often oppress or dominate those who were there first.

"She understood that blacks and whites arrived in Bermuda at about the same time, and they were both indigenous people from her perspective. When she talked in general terms about oppression and domination, it was an audience member who raised the point that blacks had been the oppressed minority here, and should be considered the true indigenous people.

"In fact, Dr. Brown made the point that if white Bermudians were oppressed at some future time, she would treat them as 'indigenous people' for her purposes."