Is clean up time

Dem ole people had ah rule foh correctness dah dey uses to drive in we head: “Nothing done half-way ever done right”! And while ah want to big-up de CDC foh putting down de clamp on dem Vulgar and smutty Calypsoes during de Junior Carnival Parade ah de bands; my girl Lie-Za, who is ah Miss J’ouvert say, don’t worry wid CDC, dey playing Mas and fraid paint, she want to know way kind ah half way measure CDC imposing.{{more}}

In other words what is CDC planning to do bout de playing ah any de-rag-ah-trees lyrics during J’ouvert and Mardi Gras street jump-up, dah’s when everybody, kids, teenagers and adults will be in de way-lay-lay; what is good foh de goose good foh de gang-dah.

Or will CDC ask DJ’s on vehicles playing de music, to display signs on de trucks mark: “Dis song contains smutty lyrics ‘PG’ as in Parental Guidance is advised”.

All of ah sudden de too-too like it is about to hit de fan and everybody, even Mr Kaiso, de PM and Mr Pan, Commissioner Me-Law behaving like smutty songs entering de air-wave foh de first time.

What is happening now to Vincy Mas is not ah overnight ting. Over de years, while de authority and de concerned citizens closed dey eye, de Soca lyrical descent gradually wormed its way, to ah point ah no return, into de big shows: de Glows, Soca Monarch, Wet Fetes, de street jump-up, de street bars even parading pon de stage.

Over in Bo-bathe-us, who started dey Bajan Crop Over Carnival long after Vincy Mas, de authorities saw what was coming, and early o-clock, dey put ah ban pon de vulgar ting in public; but in SVG it became de norm. When dem big batty women in bee-key-knee and skimpy shorts, even de lickle children too, dey mashing down de streets and Victoria stage wid vulgar wine, de crowd dey screaming foh more.

Ah hope ah wrong, but we miss de Van, we too late, Vulgar songs and dance have become de hallmark ah Vincy Mas.

Lie-Za asking, where was de Church groups, de Women’s dis, and Concerned dat when dis same pulsating rhythm wid its smutty lyrics and vulgar behave-yah was germinating and gathering roots, branches and leaves.

No wonder de Artiste and dem hitting back saying de listening public got warped minds, we are de corrupt ones, we reading more dan what is written in de songs.

Commissioner Me-Law has ah mouth-full to say about one song in particular, and quite rightly so.

However, if only we had more Kaisonians like Ah-Bay-Jaw and Sully, who would sit down, clean up de thoughts and write all de wrongs way going on, Mr Me-Law would ah have to go pon de defense; or would ah bin probing and arresting ah lot ah people in high places.

My interest in Carnival is its power! Power to change direction or misdirection thru de Kaisos, de Ole Mas, de Picong, de creativity in de costumes and music, Pan; so that de records would show dat over de years, ah would have been among Columnists like Blazer, Renwick, de Doctors Care-not and Adrian and others, wid my own funny lyrics, come-plaining bout dis set ah what-less behavior, and we still come-plaining.

Ah want to agree wid Lie-Za dat what’s happening in de Carnival, de dress code and de smutty Kaisoes, is ah reflection ah way going on in de country.

Was Sir Vin-Sin Beach ah first heard dis saying: “When fish stink it start from de head”. Every-ting seems to be at de cross-roads in SVG, de weak-con-ah-me; prices going up, salaries stuck in gear; we note dat Re-jected, Re-cycled and Re-tyred pull-ah-trick-hands who remain loyal to de Rein-in party continue to hold high posts in Guv-ah-mint drawing huge cheques foh doing nutten.

Oh what ah mess, de Guv-ah-mint dah can’t even Run ah supermarket, say de running country. Dey failed to Run ah Bank, now claiming ah master stroke, after being ordered by de CDB, to sell out de said nation’s bank, but dey want to Run country.

Is several ways to Run ah ting yuh know: is Run-into trouble! Run-Up de national Death! Run yuh fowl- mouth pon others! Run-down de country now yuh Run-out ah I-dear!

Lie-Owe who is not in politics like his woman, Lie-Za was saying, wid such scarity ah jobs, how can any reasonable thinking PM shut down Bigger Bigs, de biggest crushing plant, because de operations violating de conditions ah de contract, ah simple correction to de operations could ah solve de problem.

Ah not making excuses foh de Kaisonians, but it is possibility dat all ah de frustration is ah reflection ah way going down, and it just got to come out sum-way, unfortunately it’s in de Kaisos. Kaisonians have given up dis double entendre style ah writing, and coming out bold and say way de got to say, vulgar, lode, smut.

Dey may be allowed to sing Baptist man jump sheep and get away, but deer not touch other corruption and sex scandals in high places. Having said all ah de above, de problem remains crucial. “Two wrongs don’t mek ah right”, and “Nutten done half way, ever done Right”!

“We got ah country to build” dat positive quote comes from ah Kaiso by “De Man Age”, and we got to clean up our Country, clean up our Act foh Carnival, if it means banning dirty songs foh ah start. All dis slogan bout Vincy Mas being “De Hottest Mas” is non productive and ineffective.

How about “De Cleanest Carinval”! Clean de garbage, Stop de Littering, remove dem unsightly objects on de streets in Kingstown, Clean up dem dirty Lyrics and clamp down on de Vulgarity. And most importantly clean up de Victim-I-say-shun, de Corrupt-shun de mal-add-me-knee-stray-shun, oh, and don’t even mention de high fuel prices at de Gas-stay-shun!

And wid dat is gone ah gone again!

One Love Bassy

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