Ever heard of Silvio Valerien? Not sure. He is one of the thousands of unsung heroes that our national history, or even village history, has bottled up. Not necessarily on purpose, but there are such twists of events that keep history rolling on and on. And if we leave no one behind, we shall do justice to many a hero or heroine. Silvio is one of these – not a folkloric figure but a citizen who has always given meaning to his life.

What do you do after you have ceased attending college for lack of finances at 12? Silvio ran the streets in pursuit of a job, and he came across his elder brother Simon cutting cane on the Savannah Sugar Estate. He did not load the cane, as cutting in itself was torture for an adolescent who soon got under the protective umbrella of his father, a mason by profession on his own. In the aftermath of cyclones Alix and Carol, there mushroomed either concrete or iron sheetcovered houses, subject to the capacity of households. This is where Silvio got the knack for his trade, so much so that his name became a household word, along with his father’s, in L’Escalier. However, he changed professions, taking on that of a watchman on the sugar estate until his retirement.

Gassen, Gian, Jayraj, Ramdeo, and others...

What would a lad do in his free time if he wanted to be useful to his fellow villagers? He had his mates – Gassen, Gian, Jayraj, Ramdeo, and others – to found the Southern Club, similar to hundreds of youth clubs across the districts. They were assisted by none other than the country’s prominent author and journalist, Tecklall Gunesh. The club merged with another one, giving birth to the Olympic Texas Football Club, which created eventful matches on the weekends. On a personal level, motivated by his friends, Silvio took up boxing in an MBCTV competition when the station was directed by Jean Delaitre. The young men – basically, the clubs in those days enrolled male members – organized ‘Semaines Civiques’ for almost ten years. They reached out to the village people through talks and competitions, of which the crosscountry run on a Sunday morning attracted quite a crowd, the author of these lines being a privileged witness. The club members often supplied free manpower ‘pou koul dal,’ casting roof slabs, in a spirit of self-help.

What would a young man, conscious of the vicissitudes of the rural working class, undertake? Silvio sought ‘informasion ek formasion’ by attending political meetings and ideological sessions. Standing as a candidate was quite a n a t u - ral gesture to advance a cause: creating work opportunities and alleviating the economic situation of the working class. In the 1976 General Elections, he and his supporters recorded his name 100 times and those of two stalwarts in politics, they too being first-time candidates – one of the Labour Party and one of the MMM. Silvio stood sometime after at the Village Council elections, with an electric bulb by his name on the ballots. His popularity gained him some 25 votes, which were rejected. Twenty-five voters of two main groups had voted for their nine favorites and for Silvio. A few of those who cast their votes in his name still jokingly claim their allegiance to him, though he has already sloughed off all political ambitions.

What would an ‘older man’ do at 74 after he has traveled to the Manchester United Stadium and stood by David Beckham at Madame Tussauds? Well, Silvio is not the sort of man to rest on his laurels. He is a founding member of the Scorpio Cooperative Society, with the objective of farming that includes growing crops and keeping broilers for egg production. He recognizes that it will take some time to put in place the ecosystem required to achieve their goals.

Listening to Silvio, one finds he was justified in saying he has always given meaning to his life. He will continue to do things without fanfare.