There has been much negative thought and talk surrounding these Covid-19 vaccines. Conspiracy theories such as Bill Gates wanting to monitor our every move, the illuminati wanting to wipe out half the world's population, and the threat of widespread sterility.

As a country, we need to be open about why many persons are hesitant to take the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Colonial genocide

People of colour and Black people, specifically, have more than enough valid history to show where medical and biological warfare have been used against them.

For the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, they merely have to point to smallpox and measles, introduced by various European nations, which wiped out millions of their people — from Canada all the way down to South America.

For those of African descent, the list of atrocities committed over the past five centuries is endless.

Whether it be poisoning of food supplies in Namibia, forced sterilisation of Aboriginals in Australia or medical experiments/studies in rural America, we have been in the crosshairs of the very same European colonial powers as our Native American kinfolk.

Right here in Bermuda, we have had Margaret Sanger, who had plans on mass sterilisation of Black Bermudian women during the late 1930s.

So, yes, after careful review of recent history, the question rightly should be asked: “How can we trust anyone now?”

Global suffering

Lets review the events of the past year:

• January 2020: we first start to hear about this mysterious virus out of China.

• March 2020: the entire world begins to go into lockdown as a global pandemic is declared

• April 2020: we have no more commercial aircraft flying into the island and the hospitality industry effectively shuts down with the net result being thousands of residents out of work

• Over subsequent months, we witness the global death rate surpass two million persons, with 12 Bermuda residents and one Bermudian living overseas passing away

Pause for a minute: in a small population such as ours, each of us knows someone who either tested positive for Covid-19 or passed away — whether it be neighbour, family member or co-worker.

Just as intimately, we each know others who have either lost a job or their regular job because of the economic fallout of Covid.

So, with all that in mind, we have to ask ourselves two simple questions:

• Do we want ourselves or our loved ones to catch Covid-19 and possibly die?

• Do we want ourselves or our loved ones to lose their source of income ?

Facts over fiction

This is where reality kicks in. Contrary to the words of those who suddenly have medical qualifications, Covid-19 will not be cured by the following remedies: sunlight, ginger tea, Match-Me-If-You-Can leaves.

In our sister islands and in other countries, they are witnessing spikes in their numbers of persons testing positive and have had to take drastic actions.

The Government of St Lucia has announced that liquor licences are suspended as of January 20. The liquor-licence suspension will continue for 21 days and is intended as a measure to address the spread of Covid-19.

Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness has announced changes to the containment measures as the country deals with the spread of Covid-19. Effective February 10, an island-wide curfew came into effect, between the hours of 8pm and 5am.

So ask yourselves, if every government in the region, including the Bermuda Government, is in on a mass conspiracy.

If the answer is “No”, then the next logical question is this: ”What else are they wrong about?”

• Is there one vaccine for Whites and another for people of colour?

• Is the Government going to poison all of its doctors and medical workers?

• Is the Government going to poison all of its security services?

• Is the Government going to poison its legislature of senators and Members of Parliament?

Reality check

The sad reality is people poison themselves on a daily basis with the foods and drinks that they freely consume. Just look at our national rates for hypertension, obesity and diabetes. People should spend more time sending warnings about those preventable diseases than conspiracy videos.

Recognising the atrocities of our colonial history is a must; we can never forget what was done.

However, we must be mature and do what we must to ensure our health and economic wellbeing.

• Christopher Famous is the government MP for Devonshire East (Constituency 11). You can reach him on WhatsApp at 599-0901 or e-mail at carib_pro@yahoo.com