Happy crusader

“Why did it take so long?” Pastor Everette Howell asks about Government’s ban on smoking in public places.

By GERCINE CARTER | Sun, August 15, 2010 - 12:00 AM

In the mid 1970s, the young people of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Barbados took up banners and placards and marched through communities with a message of abstinence.
They were led by Pastor Everette Howell, youth director for the East Caribbean Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists who packaged alcohol, illegal drugs and tobacco in that message of abstinence from “that which is harmful and the judicious use of that which is good”.
About 100 Master Guides and Pathfinders, uniformed groups within the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, were in the forefront of the marches, bearing words designed to convey on communities the devastating impact of drugs like alcohol and tobacco on the body.
The large groups assembled at Queen’s Park and attracted many others willing to listen to health care providers lecture on the subject.
The recent announcement of Government’s ban on smoking in public places is therefore music to the ears of Pastor Everette Howell who is now retired.
But he asks: “Why did it take so long?” He acknowledges the contribution of fellow pastor Victor Roach whom he said preached against tobacco and alcohol consumption when no one seemed to be listening, and who attracted much ridicule for his efforts.
“I must give credit to Victor Roach because he was a part of that group in the 1970s to get this thing going.”
Those were the days of no protection for non-smokers from the dangers of exposure to second-hand smoke.

Rented a booth

Howell’s church often rented a booth at the Annual Agricultural & Industrial Exhibition and showed the film One In 20 000 to get the message across. At that time it was estimated that there were about 20 000 people dying in the United States each year from tobacco use.
“What is surprising to me is that there are so many organisations and organisational leaders who are coming on board now and saying we agree, but I wonder where they were before,” Howell remarked.
To those people questioning the effect of the smoking ban on Barbados’ tourism, Howell simply says tourists will have to conform to Barbados’ rules.
In any event he thinks there are individuals who are glad to kick the habit, while governments are aware that their health bill is costing more than the taxes they get on the tobacco products.
“Anyone who is concerned about people should be concerned about what we should do to help safeguard both the innocent and the guilty,” Howell says.
“In the First World countries where you have restrictions and control on the advertising, the manufacturers carry their advertising campaigns to the Third World countries where there is no ban, where individuals who can least afford to buy tobacco products get the greatest exposure.
“Why can’t we see the harmful impact?’ Howell asks.
“It was the early days and I thought we were making a great impact on the young people. We also combined our non-smoking crusade with healthy-eating.”
Unfortunately the Seventh-Day Adventist anti-smoking crusade waned as others took up the fight. Yet Howell is happy to hear so many voices in support of the legislation.
“I am hoping that we can continue and add to it, because I am looking at the impact of our national pastime Crop-Over and the impact it is having on homes.”
Just as the smoking issue has been addressed, Howell hopes attention will be turned to curbing the abhorrent behaviour he associates with the national festival.
He told the Sunday Sun: “When you combine flesh exposure with alcohol consumption and music, you have a cocktail that is deadly. Music is a tremendous influencer of the human mind.
“When you combine music as an influencer of human behaviour with skin exposure, where you have the audio and the visual combination, and a man is overwhelmed by the visual, and when you start to rub up and wine up, no wonder there must be so many more condoms at the time of Crop-Over.”
Howell questions whether the “canine winding and connecting” is in fact Barbados’ culture.
“We have to ask ourselves the question to what extent this type of exposure and behaviour contributes to the abuse of women? To what extent does it contribute to single parenting? To what extent does it contribute to our devaluing ourselves publicly?
“I am appalled that women have not stood up and said enough is enough, we don’t want to be treated as sex objects.
“I am wishing that more women and men would arise and shout, and say enough is enough. We can do better than this. We are not only from the waist down. We are also from the waist up.”
Howell suggests: “Let us cultivate the better part of us and leave that carnal aspect out of it – projecting it to our young people as if this is the best we can offer.”
Calling for balance, the former president of the Eastern Caribbean Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists wonders: “What do we want for the next generation?”