In praise ah music

Last week ah read de Prime Minister’s statement on crime and disorder in de country. Yes there is disrespect foh authority and property and things really getting out ah hand in de country, but only ah few short years ago members ah de PM’s party were not satisfied wid de election results, dey not only called foh de Guv-ah-mint to resign but threatened or promised to mek de country ungovernable. While dey didn’t tell anybody to tek up guns and weapons, today when crime hitting us left right and centre no doubt, de PM is regretting dat such ah statement was ever made.{{more}}

No sooner ah read de PM’s comments ah mek ah block thru Paul’s Lot, and right at ah street corner in de wide open, was five youth-men ages 14-18 smoking ah weed. Smoking ah weed is illegal, but sending dem youths to jail foh smoking weed is no solution to de problem at all. But d’s lickle youth-men were on de Block way we been having ah series ah shooting and murders recently, way ah mobile police unit is now stationed to keep things quiet. While de authorities seem baffled foh solutions, some people done come up wid ah solution to leave dem ley dey shoot up and kill off one another, when all de bad ones dead, de killing will stop and de place will be calm again! Dat’s our own children we talking bout yuh know.

So while we still looking foh short term solutions, de sticking plaster thing, like everybody else, ah think ah have ah two cents bit to offer, and why not, me ah Vincy too. It’s long term as it involves de very young, ley de police and rehab people dem deal wid de older youths. My belief is dat every part ah man’s body got its role and function, de brain is de boss, she controls de whole wuks. But dey will always be an argument as to which other body part is de most functional, some say de eye, some de ears, but simple as it sound, only de other day my bottom decided to show me who is boss and shut up shop, ah couldn’t too-too! My choice foh functionality is de hand, mainly dem lickle fingers, including de PM worthless middle finger, ah didn’t say de worthless PM middle finger, did I? Yes, ah talking bout dem fingers dat does pull de trigger, flick ah switch-blade to knife-up ah man, grab de cutlass, pick ah lock or break off ah bank door. If only we could get ah hold ah dem same fingers early and condition or train dem to hold ah paint brush, ah pencil, cover de holes on de Recorder, ah Flute or Trumpet; strum ah Cuatro or Guitar, fiddle wid de strings of ah Violin, run over the Keyboards and Tenor Pan. Simple combing and platting hair; what about holding ah hammer, plane, saw, pliers or screw-driver, massage de body oooh, Lie-Za say to mention dat some parts ah de body out ah limits.

How about getting dem fingers into sports very early as well, learn how to turn ah googly or china-man in cricket, gripping de baseball, controlling de squash and tennis rackets, man ah feel dat to every negative use ah de fingers and hands, dey have dozens ah positive ways dat dem same deadly digits could be used to help people better dem-selves and mek dis land ah better place. De problem or solution is dat we have to trap or catch dem hands and fingers early, too late and we loss!

So very early in dey Education we got to bombard de youths wid opportunities, engage those hands and fingers in positive and fruitful exercises, of course de brain is ah part ah dis. My theory is dat if ah child is given ah musical instrument, ah pencil, paint-brush or whatever early in his/her development, de chances of dem fingers ever diverting to guns and knives are so remote it is almost unlikely to ever happen.

Ah would plug foh de musical instrument approach. Just like how Karate, Scouts and Guides instill discipline in de young minds, my belief is dat Music sharpens de brain and is like ah cat-ah-list foh strengthening or stimulating de maths and science cells in de brain. Ah know de local pundits laughing at my theory, but ah bet if tomorrow dey read dat scientific tests have proven dat “music is de link to children mastering maths and de sciences” every parent will send dey child music classes.

Ah would love to see de day when in every community there is ah musical band, whether steel, brass, string or ah combination of all three. It is not impossible, we have de venues, de Learning Resource Centres, we could ask our Jah-pon-ease friends to equip our Centres wid Yamaha Musical Instruments, send some ah we up and coming musicians to study music in Jamaica, Cuba and Venezuela and let dem come back and teach at de Centres. Utamo Rose’s performance at Common Entrance was no fluke, music played ah part, at school de youngster played three musical instruments and he is into sports.

LOOKING FOH TURTLES

Ah might offer ah solution foh crime, but ah don’t have ah clue foh de story ah hearing bout ah senior Policeman, ah senior Pull-ah-trick-han and ah senior businessman whose line ah business was not stated, went fishing on ah beach widout net, hook, line or sinker. Reminds me of Winking, Blinking and Nod. Well lie-Za say any mission during dem wee hours ah de morning, got to be sea turtle dey went looking fah. And den de Police responding to rumors, denied any truth dat some members ah de Black Squad got transferred foh leaking info to de press about de walkers on de beach because dey refused to tek Lie Detector test. Lie Za say she hear is no Lie Detector test, dey count dem out from dey Body Language!

SUGAR BUM SUGAR BUM

Last week ah truly enjoying Dr Anita Ramsetty’s “Myths and Facts about Diabetes” in her “Sugar Matters” column. She writes wid humor and mek ah killer disease like Die-or-be-tease look lovable and sweet. Oh man, Lie-Za who thinks she is well endowed at de rear, enjoyed de part way de Doc say dat Vincy love round bottom but dat could lead to sugar problems. Now dat is ah revelation foh de men who all along knew round bottom sweet, but never had ah clue way dis sugar came from, not even Lord Kitchener knew, he kept asking: “ Audrey, way yuh get dat Sugar? Sugar Bum! Sugar Bum!”

And wid dat, is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy.