First tings first. To Hate is to be Silly, and when dey’s Hate, is time to Wreck it.

In other words it is time foh Wrecking-Silly-Hate. De Guv-ah-mint should cancel de Bills and de NDP candidates should drop all cases dat caused de Guv-ah-mint to seek refuge wid de Bills. All cases and charges brought against Linch, Matthew Thomas, Junior Bacchus, Dug-he De Freitas should be dropped, in return dey should be no more venom and Hate talks coming from talk show hosts on both NICE Radio and Star Radio.{{more}} Speaker Alexander must be ah man wid guts and spine, dey’s life after ULP Guv-ah-mint, he is clearly too buy-us, he’s me family and since ah can’t disown him, ah will correct him. And Mr Minister ah Wrecking-Silly-Hate-shun, when are yuh going to start yuh wuk? Ah recommend Mike Findlay to cheer dat Committee, and please no Church people wid pull-it-tek-all colour. And put ah Whistle-stop pon Julie-Ann-Fran-Sis, tell hi to “whistle ah happy tune”

OUR ANCESTORS DE CARIBS WERE CHRISTIANS

At school ah found History one ah de most boring subject. It was all about de British and de French and Spaniards, nothing bout SVG. Was not until Doctor Fraser started to write His-story bout SVG in his series “From Whence We Came” dat ah got interested in de subject. Doc Kirby and Cims Martin wrote a very informed account ah de “Black Caribs of SVG” also. Ah enjoy every one ah Doc Adams publications on various aspect of Vincentian His-story. Ah can’t wait to read de everlasting His-story Book dat Dr. Cleve Scott, Sound Engineer, was supposed to be writing nearly ten years now? Ah remembered talk dat de ULP Guv-ah-mint either subsidized or promised to subsidize dat publication. Lately ah getting to love His-story, not every and any kind though, Bible His-story and SVG. Right now I am fascinated wid a publication “The French Church and the Caribs”, written by Fr Mark de Silva an R.C. Priest. Doc Fraser in one of his article did ah review on the book when it was launched. It’s ah Brief History of the early R. C. Church in SVG (1652 -1797). De likle book is written in frank, fair and fear-less language. But dat is Fr Mark’s style, dat’s de way he preaches, de way he conversate wid his friends; he’s simply one ah dem radical Priest, in de cents dat he wants to be “ more and more like Jesus”: no luxuries, no nice car, actually he doesn’t have ah drivers Lie-sins! no fancy clothes or quarters either. He comes from a famous white middle class family, but he gave up all ah dat to follow Jesus. Mark lives or pastors at Mayreau, de least developed island of de Grenadines. But de Book is about de struggles of de early R.C. Church, de bold and even fatal efforts of de French Missionary Priests in converting de Caribs to Christianity and doing ah good job. Of course even back den Christianity was not widout its Pull-ah-tricks. De English plundered and exploited our people and our land; de French were less mercenary, and de were better accepted and appreciated by de Caribs. Fr Mark’s account of de events leading up to de murder of two Priests by de Caribs at Barroualie is very interesting. All yuh will have to read dis beautiful piece ah we His-story foh all yuh self; but what touched me is de harsh and primitive living conditions, de constraints, de risks dat de early Catholic missionaries endured while sharing and witnessing foh Christ, converting and baptizing Caribs whom de British described as cannibals. Dey even taught de Caribs to read as well. Now my mischievous question is, what has gone wrong in de R.C. Church in SVG. If yuh are Catholic and yuh looking foh ah revival, that yuh should be, den yuh would be inspired after eading Fr Marks book. Oh ah have news foh Fr Mark, he quotes de R.C. population in de Caribbean as 90 percent, just to let him know in SVG it’s less dan 10 percent. Ah overs dey’s ah sequel to de book, two to be exact to come, one is “de present-day R.C. Cathedral (St Mary’s (1815-1970)” and de other “de history of de R.C. Church in SVG (1800 -1970)” ah can’t wait to read dem.

DON’T KISS ME ON MY DAY OF REST

From de Catholics to de Seventh Day Worshippers (Adventists). Lie-Za say she was hopping mad last Friday night when she heard Dr Friday addressing Par-liar-mint on de Dread Bills, he was complaining to de PM about his rush to push de Bills thru, and lamented dat three members, including Senator Baptiste, Lie-Za’s pick foh de first female PM, had to leave foh religious reason, it was dey Sabbath. She say she is almost certain dat on de day Sis Aneisia was sworn into de house, she told reporters she welcomed de opportunity to defend de People’s God given Rights. Interestingly, de first opportunity given her in de House, she was not dey to vote, she and two others gone pon dey Sabbath. Ah didn’t know Lie-Z knew bout Jesus, she say yuh didn’t have ah bigger Seventh Day Worshipper dan Jesus. And even though de 4th commandment says no wuk pon de Sabbath, not even yuh animal (sheep), dat Jesus healed ah man on de Sabbath and when de Pharisees challenged Him on de Day, He asked dem if dey animal (sheep) was henging on de Sabbath, would dey leave it to die. What is significant is De Rights of de Lord’s people (sheep) were about to be taken away in SVG on de Sabbath, what did de Far-ah-sees do, dey walked out gone to keep dey Sabbath. Lie-Za disappointed dat her future PM will not be hoisting ah stoke pon ah Sat-dey! Ah reminded her dat dey’s ah song dat says “Yuh can kiss me on ah Sunday, ah Monday, ah Tuesday, ah Wednesday, ah Thursday, ah Friday, but never on ah Sat-dey, for dat’s my day of Rest”! She say dah’s ah good one to sing give Lie-Owe! And wid dat ah gone again. One Love Bassy

Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.