Bienvenido a San Vicente y Las Granadinas

Last week ah took an easy piggy-back ride borrowing material from JIRIE (Jah-Irie’s) publication, in which dey had paid tribute to Top Carry-Beyond Leaders, as well as de 5 Most Influential Carry-Beyond Pull-it-tek-all Leaders.

Among dem; leaders who have made exceptional strides throughout this year (2022). Among de Top 5, ah deliberately omitted two ah dem, so dis week ah picking up from way ah left out. Dey are No 2, de PM of Jah-mek-her, ah “Holding” he back foh ah rainy dey. But ah Lickle Birdie had given Lie-Za ah scoop, dat El President Miguel Diaz-Canal of Cuba, numero tres (#3) on de Top Five, is likely to spring ah surprise visit to his Come-Red in SVG, when he visits de Southern Caribbean foh de 8th. Cuban CARRY-COME Summit. And of course Me-Amore Mottley is Top ah both groups De talk on de street is dat she gun-in foh de next Secretary General of de UN.
So we welcome El Presidente Diaz-Canal wid open Arms and warm Heart. He is de only Cuban head during de post 1958 period who is not ah Castro, needah by name or nyda by nature.

Different in style but similar in Mission. An Engineer by profession who has developed ah reputation of an even-handed Public Servant with ah different Political Outlook to his predecessor.

Now we overs to which generation our Come-Red belongs when he sent home all de Front Line workers widout pay or Pen-shun.

President Diaz-Canal is very humane and Liberal in his thoughts and act-shun, lending support to people of different preferences: de LGBTQ movement (Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer): paying personal respect foh his people by going door-to-door (homes) and “bed-to-bed” (hospitals) apologizing to Cubans foh an electrical black-out in 2015. He is no do as I say and den does differently.

With petroleum in short supply, Díaz-Canal gained attention for choosing to walk or ride a bicycle to work rather than be driven in the government-provided automobile to which he was entitled. Admirers pointed to this action as proof of his down-to-earth every man qualities. Maybe El Presidente could drop ah hint to his Come-Rede to walk from Largo High’t to de Complex sometimes, dat’s too complex. But Lia-Za say dat man Diaz-Canal is “ah Blessing sent from above” and warning him to separate himself from among dem leaders who all time love to quote Scriptures dan de Pope and calling down God from heaven.

During his visit ah hope dey planning to take him up to de Red Zone, de original home of our Garifuna Nah-shun-all brothers and sisters, maybe his ancestors too. Show him de Hot Spot, de bridges over troubled rivers above Rabacca all de way up to Fancy, where dey’s no ends of de aftermath of de recent Volcanic Eruption, where Rivers overflowing banks and washing way bridges. Give him something to think about. Ah Cuban team of professionals maybe.

His Right Excellent Joseph Chatoyer Award

What appropriate Gift or Souvenir do we have foh de President of Cuba?

De seamstress Lie-Za has designed and made ah Sash wid de letters: “His Excellency Joseph Chatoyer First Nah-shun-all Hero of SVG Award.” Awards are all about Me, Myself and I alone. Is ah shame dat “Foh all Cuba has done, and all dey doing; foh more to come and de Blessings on de way!” We can’t even Sash de president. “El Presidente, Bienvenido a San Vincente y Las Granadinas!
And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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