De Cubans Are Welcome ANYTIME

Ah must add-myth dat up until ah had turned 17, in 1958, de only thing ah knew about Cuba den, was dat ah lot ah Vincy farmers, all cane cutters, had gone to cut Sugar Cane in de Spanish speaking Countries (Spanish Maine), Panama, Santo Domingo and Cuba, de main island.

It was like everybody had ah relative who had gone to Cuba to cut cane and had never returned. Den came de January 1st 1959, Rev-all-yuh-shun way
President Batista, ah notorious dictator was overthrown by ah group of Guerrella Fighters, led by two young Marxist Revolutionaries, Fidel Castro (Lawyer), and Che Guevera (Doctor). And dat Baptista had fled de country. Dat was de beginning of ah complete turn-around in de long, unending story of de Cuba Rev-ah-luh-shun, ah lickle country, maybe divinely placed; as some Bible Scholars keep thinking dat maybe de licle Nay-shun dat de Prophet Isaiah men-shun in Chapter 60 vs 20 dat “ah small nation shall rise up and will rule the earth”; could turn out to be Cuba. De USA is uncomfortable wid dis lickle country tucked-away uncomfortably like ah “pain-in-de-butt,” .

Now before de Rev-all-yuh-shun, Cuba was like ah playground foh US million-heirs, Dat was not Castro’s vision foh his country. So he sought Greener Patsures and went “To Russia wid Love!” Russia who badly needed to be as strategically close as possible to de USA, readily accepted to be ah good adopted father to Cuba, and began pouring it on. Until de USA discovered dat Russia had quietly began setting up ah Missile Stay-shun in Cuba. Dat development was around 1962, it triggered de infamous Cuban Blocade or Embargo and almost caused World War 3.

But thankfully Russia never failed to honour its commitment, and much of de progress dat de Cuban people attained over de last sixty-five years, was graciously passed on to us, dey Carry-Beyond Near-bars; and indeed de wider world.

Today Cuba is like ah model, De Best Medical Services in de Region, possibly de world transporting to Cuba over 20,000 people with eye problems foh surgery, free medical treatment.

Hundreds of doctors and nurses have been trained in Cuba, SVG got ah gift of a die-all-assist centre. Hundreds of scholarship in Cuban University and, ah can go on and on, dey played ah big role in de construction of de AIA (Airport).

So who gave de Trump USA Go-venom-mint permission to even suggest dat we deport our Cuban brothers and sisters, highly qualified professional working hey, and contributing to de development of our country. Presently millions of Cubans are widout electricity, why doesn’t Trump transfer to Cuba, some of de billions he spending on weapons in de Ukraine and Israel destroying innocent people and energy plants. And Maybe what we need urgently is foh our Pry-minister to keep himself in SVG and get things right, instead ah meddling in other countries affairs. He gone Venezuela, and Guyana to advocate Peace, and right hey at home deys no Peace between him and his un-vaxinated public servants. Did he read dat de Jah-mek-anns complain how he was dey meddling in dey calm-pain. He had so much to tell de Garifuna visitors except dat he objects to dem getting citizenship. Oh what ah tangled we weave, and continues to deceive. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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