Talk talk and more talk

Ah had fun wid my lickle ten year ole son preparing his Earth Day project. He’s very artistic, think he tek after his Mom. His own I-dare foh ah project was to show de earth void of any trees. He did ah fairly good job, think he had more problems getting me to keep my mouth shut and not prompting and telling him what to do. Is nuff times he kept telling me “Daddy is I who supposed to be doing this project and not yuh, yuh know”. {{more}}

After all ah dat supervision, nutting could ah keep me home on Tuesday from going to de Earth Day Rally at Victoria Park. And let me say here dat de organizers would have done dey best, but clearly what ah saw on Tuesday smacks of ah hurry-down something; dey even forgot to say dat it was another Rev-all-yuh-shun!

Ah sat in de stand wid Clive “Bish-I” and we agreed dat while de kids may appear excited and bursting wid N.R.G. sadly de real NRG source is dead. From Cabinet down to our Ministry of Agriculture de N.R.G. source has been missing in action way back when. Remember when P.M. Sir James took one disgusting look at de ton-load ah officers’ vehicles parked up in the ministry yard and asked, “who is tending to de farmers in de field?” Lie-Za thinks dey’s more Pal-ah-trickers in dat ministry dan Agricultural Officers. Lots ah talk at press conferences, from minister to chief to captain to cook. We tired hearing bout food plan talk, talk but where is de N.R.G?

Agriculture is about going in de ground and plant food, dat fill-us-ah-fee has not changed from de day Joseph mek de children of Egypt plant grain, corn, wheat, beans and rice foh seven years in preparation foh seven years ah famine. We have ah famine on our hands but nobody cares. Ah only wish our P.M. would spend ah tenth of his Argyle Airport N.R.G. on Food Security. Is de Mexico dat our P.M. begging foh Airport Money de same Mexico way daily, hundreds ah Mexicans breaking de border wire fences to cross into de USA to escape de poverty dat knocking down dey country. Lie-Za say she feel shame.

Talk! Talk! Rev-all-yuh-shun foh dis! ah Rev-all-yuh-shun foh dat! but never ah Rev-all-yuh-shun foh de Farmers, we Bananas. Just look how we Banana come, thank God foh Renwick Rose, otherwise Banana would ah been dead, bury and rotten. Renwick over de years has displayed ah level ah sincerity, respect and love foh dis country and our Banana Farmers greater dan de Prime Minister, Minister and entire staff of de Ministry, he cares foh de Farmers wellfare more dan some ah dem care foh demselves. Renwick has what Bish-I and I call de N.R.G. dat is now generating in Fair Trade, but which is noticeably on vacation or has resigned, dead at de Ministry of Agriculture in SVG.

Die-foh-see-if-he-care-shun is de biggest Talk Talk subject in Agriculture. Tell me how many reputable Farmers got de kind ah financial assistance dat is required foh serious die-first-see-fee-care-shun. Lie-Za keep telling me to visit Zerah Sutherland in Georgetown who makes flour from Breadfruit. Zerah struck luck two years ago when a group ah University students from Canada who were heading to Haiti to show dem de technology involved in making flour from de Breadfruit, diverted to SVG and showed Zerah de process. Lia-Za say she tasted dumplings made from Zerahs’ Breadfruit flour and it Barrrd! He been trying to source funding from de millions at de NDF and de Ministry of Agricultural Die-first-see-if-he-kill-shun program to no avail; after two years ah frustration, he received some assistance only last week, he got less dan half de money he needs to purchase equipment, things done by half are never done right. Flour gone up and will go up further, but here is ah chance to tek Breadfruit and Banana to mek flour and dis is de support are we giving de man? Ah tell yuh dis country is governed with Talk! Talk! Talk!

GOD IS STILL OUR COMFORTER

Lorna Small was murdered and buried in ah shallow grave at Belair. Apart from being my dear friend she was de sister of Errol and Oscar Allen and nephew Andrew Cummings, persons whom I consider my most faithful friends. Lorna was ah lamb ah gentle soul and it pains to think dat people in SVG no longer care about ah ting called soul. Has our country lost its Soul?

In dis country morals keep passing thru de front door now-ah-daize, not de back door like long ago. In ah society way criminals setting free before serving dey full time, way de people who are supposed to process de law have become judge and jury, untouchable status is being given to de high-rocky while lesser folks are denied ah chance to even seek justice; den surely de wrath of God is bound to fall, but lets us not be fooled, God’s wrath falls on de unjust as well as de just, innocent people like Mrs. Small. Slowly His grinder will turn and none, de do-her as well as de uphold-her, shall escape de Wrath of God!

To Lorna’s family I say dat God never promised us ah life dat is free of pain and suffering, dat we will be safe, what he did promise was to be de comforter and friend and dat we will never be alone.

JULIE WAS AMONG DE BEST

Bequia has lost ah great son with de passing of Julie Mc Intosh who would have made ah valuable contribution to SVG, in particular his homeland Bequia as ah Builder/Contractor and Hotelier. Julie wid his superb building skills was ah major player in de building of de new-look Bequia. Samples of his work would be evident in almost every district in Bequia, but where and when he really established his authority as being among the best house builders in S.V.G, was back in de 1960’s and 1970’s on dat Spring Estate tourism Project ah US concern. Julie was bigger dan de Big Man himself and did an excellent job as supervisor of all construction work on de hundred acre hotel development, complete with ah hotel, roads, private bungalows owned by rich, foreign based US citizens. Ah great host as those of us who ever stayed at de family Guest House named in his honour would appreciate. My personal experience as ah Surveyor was all to my benefit, ah joy dealing wid him. He was ah kind and helpful individual in de building business. Wid his warm, genuine smile was comforting and people gravitated to him easliy. Ah great husband and father who commanded respect from de greatest to de smallest and loved by all in Bequia. May he rest in peace. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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