Have mercy on can-one

Ah want to appeal to de Guv-ah-mint to pay some attention to de people ah Can-one. Ah was down dey November last year and again on Monday dis week and what ah keep seeing, mek me wonder who cares about d’s folks, de locals. Ah went into Mrs Sandy shop, nicely stocked place and ah was able to get a cold bottle ah Mountain Top Spring Water for $3.00 quite reasonable. Ah couldn’t help remembering forty years ago when ah first went to Can-one to wuk, it was de dry season, no rain at all and it was easier to get ah bottle ah (contra bond) Sugar Cane Brandy or French wine foh $ 3.00, dan ah drink ah water from any ah de four lickle shops on de island back den.{{more}}

Today de island is ready to move if only de locals knew how, trouble is, dey don’t have ah clue, dey don’t know how or way to start, and nobody cares. De whole hotel development on the northern side of de island came like ah shocker, hundreds ah mainland vincies moved down to tek every conceivable job available, from driving tractor, laying bricks, planting grass, cutting lawns to selling weed. It was too much foh Local Activist Terry Byno, de politicians on both sides feasted on de situation.

D’s wukers were making money but dey needed some-way to stay, restaurants, some-way to relax and have ah drink after wuk; but de local Can-ah-wonians were not ready, were in no position to cater foh de mainlanders needs and mek ah dollar foh demselves. It’s over ten years since de project going and still de folks in Can-one ain’t get started yet. Dat main street along Grand Bay cloe to de sea, should be lined wid small restaurants and bars.

When it was lunch-time on Monday dey was only one lickle snack-it way ah could ah get ah bite. Ah called foh fish but de young cashier told me no fish, only chicken and chips, however de lady in de kitchen remembered me after forty years. Ah was pleasantly surprised when she brought me ah fish lunch and said to me: “Yuh don’t remember me, but we are name sake, I am Allan’s (Alexander) wife.” De food was excellent, ah know when yuh hungry any kind ah food does taste good, but Can-one people know how to cook ah good fish, Ah lady named Gladys Farrell cooked foh us in de 1960’s, she could ah wuk in any hotel.

But Can-one needs an SOS. Firstly, de island needs something like a local Council wid individuals being responsibility foh de various portfolios. Tourism and Garbage disposal are like “horse and carriage” dey can’t go one widout de other; and Can-one, dah uses to be so clean many years ago, is very untidy looking. I was told dat de developers divert from passing thru de town wid de guests. Dat’s shameful! De few Vincies ah met complain dat dey’s no way to go and hang after wuk. Life on de island is boring.

D’s guys are wuking and have money to spend. Ah saw ah fenced property wid ah building and lawn marked “de pan yard”, courtesy de developers. Ah was told dat dey’s no one to teach pan. What ah golden opportunity foh de youngsters to be playing nightly at de Resort. Ah saw two playing fields, one wid basketball courts, courtesy Ah-done-all-foil, I think. There isn’t ah blade ah grass on any ah dem fields. Ah want Dr Warrican at de Community College to visit Can-one and get de school doors to remain opened until night, so dah de young adults can receive training and better equip demselves in some related skills. Lots ah talk bout dem three hundred plus teachers dat got degrees under de Rev-all-yuh-shum. How many ah dem did training in ife-saving skills?

It didn’t call foh 2020 Vision to seek training foh ah few teachers in life-saving skills. Ah forget 2020 Vision is time not sight, time foh win ah seat in de UN Security Council.

NO GUN…JUST DE PEN

Jazz on de Green turned out to be a lovely evening foh Jazz music lovers. Ah got to big up Keith Boy-yeh and Andre Eye-tun foh coming up wid de bold I-dare. Dey on to ah good ting, ah was going to say people my age group need dat kind ah laid-back entertainment, but ah was quite impressed wid de number ah young people present.

Our own local band “Impact” made an impact indeed, dey are on de way up. My two picks ah de evening would be de Trumpeter Charles from T’n’T and de Bassman from Bo-bid-us. De beauty wid Jazz, is dah one musician, could make yuh night; well veteran Guitarist, Ernie Wrangling, seventoeight years young from Jam-down, did just dat.

Talking bout Jam-down, ah give prime minister Bruce Golding one more week in office. He made ah mess, but he’s not de only prime minister to have drugs-man foh fren. And de Man-in T’n’T wasn’t so bright after all when he called snap elections. Unlike de Jah-mek-hans who resorting to Guns and Bullets to retain corruption, ah like how de Trinnies use de Pen and Ballot and rid demselves ah corruption! What is interesting is dah like Jah-mek-her, we got Guns and Bullets hey; and just like Trinny-daddy-toe-big-oh, we got Corruption hey too, but guess what, we got Pen and Ballot paper waiting to mek we “X”! And wid dat is gone ah gone again. One Love Bassy

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