Lonely London Interracial Relationship

from the Anglophone Caribbean
"Love is blind despite the world's attempt to give it eyes." This quote by Matshona Dhilway speaks volumes in the way he describes love as an abstract feeling, not an aspect of life that can be observed. However, this idea of blindness could be challenged when observing interracial relationship, specifically for black men, throughout history, but exclusively after the abolishment of slavery and post-colonization in areas of the Caribbean. Colonization affected black men in the multitudes of ways for their master and other colonizers challenged the black man's manhood by raping black men's wife or other family members, beating them mercilessly, and stripping any dignity remaining. These traumatic events and the

Interracial relationships can trigger hatred and cause hardships within a relationship, due to the history of colonization and forced acceptance of people of color. Postcolonial ambivalence also occurs when attempting to decipher a partner's true intentions with a relationship, for interactions potentially are based off exotic fantasies or revenge as a way of restitution for slavery. Too often the uncertainty of interracial relationship causes many to, not want to explore new experiences with different cultures due to the prior behaviors of their ancestors. This is not fair for those who love blindly, for now, their intentions will constantly be questioned. In the novel Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon, there are several men who solely use their sexual adventures with white women as means of revenge or attempts to achieve social status. Yes, people are not defined by their race, however, the chances these interactions are based on love's blindness, are slim. There are acceptations to the rule, however, one just does not forget the abuse endured by a person and start dating a person who looks like their abuser. Postcolonial ambivalence can also occur when exposed on a societal level in which the partners are then forced to choose a race to assimilate with, especially in the

Sex between the races became a trend long before slavery ended for white women have been involved with black men the same amount of time white men have, however many used sex for power. Sure, some white women fell in love with black men, however, their initial attempt to were fantasies. Sexual experiences of opposing races deemed exciting for there are several reports of people visiting the Caribbean just to encounter black men (Berdychevsky, Poria, Uriely 144) which are noted in the four S's - Sun, sea, sand, and sex. In Lonely Londoners Cap used this theory to his advantage in the way he womanized English women. He only gave them what he thought they wanted and after he finished with them, he tossed them to Daniel. Sex with the other race was a sport to the men in this novel and is still a sport for when thinking of the Caribbean men or women, sex is an important factor and assumption (Sharpe and Pinto 248-249). This trend of womanizing causes doubt, for how can one be perceived as just flesh to sex with instead of organic desire based on