Skinny was Fabulous

“I must congratulate the Faculty, Staff & Students including the College’s Faculty Band, ‘Just in Time’ for a job well done. Skinny’s Address to the Graduates was Fabulous; one ah de best Feature Addresses at any Graduation Ceremony.

My son and his peers graduated and ah was happy dat Skinny was dey to tell dem “ah ting ah two” about de way forward. Thanks Skinny and wid dat is gone ah gone again.”

That foregoing paragraph, short as it is, was the closing paragraph in my column on June 30, 2017. The occasion was the Community College’s Graduation Ceremony. And of course the Feature Address was delivered by none other dan Nay-Shun Builder of de year 2019, Skinny Fabulous! De audience was comprised of over 700 (teenage) College Graduands, accompanied by parents, relatives and well-wishers; de venue was Victoria Park, Skinny’s stomping ground, he was appropriately dressed foh ah Soca Monarch Show! He spoke to de youths in de language dey understood best. He was excellent, bearing in mind dat he is ah Graduate of de College and he also holds ah Bachelor’s Degree from UWI. He presented himself as an example of Success, not as ah Doctor or Lawyer or crooked politician who steals down to elect-shuns, but as ah disciplined, committed and hard-wuking Entertainer!

Ah writing dis article on Wednesday morning; later (tonight) at Heritage Square, on de eve of Nah-shun-all hero’s Day celebrations, dey will be ah Big Bashment following ah He-rows welcome at Argyle Inter-nah-shun-all Airport foh Skinny and his T’n’T 2019 Road March winning team. By now Carnival and Soca Fans de whole world over, know dat de Three Kings of Soca and currently de three top Caribbean Entertainers, Machel Montano and Bunji Garlin of T’n’T and SVG’s Gamal “Skinny Fabulous” Doyle stormed T’n’T 2019 Carnival wid dey winning Road March Song: “Famalay Lay, Lay, Lay, Lay-Lay-Lay! De song was written by Skinny and out-ah-place Lie-Za she knows what de title ah de song means: “ de Famalay (family), Lay (relax); Lay (to let or allow); Lay (other members); Lay-Lay-lay (have fun)!” Ah suppose is like saying Creole: “Dey Dey Dey,” meaning “They are There!”

T’n’T Carnival has finally come around to reality. Carnival Oldies like Renwick Rose and John Horne will remember de days when Vincy Soca Artists were denied T’n’T Road March Honours because dey were deemed Far-Rainers. All yo remember Winston Soso’s “I doh Mind” and “Big Batty Woman,” den Scorcher’s “Party Fever” and Becket’s “Oh La La!” those songs took de streets of T’n’T Carnival by Stormn but were not judged. So it took de wisdom of ah Skinny to team up wid T’n’T’s Bunji and Machel to beat dat obsolete system. Congrats fellars!

Nuff respect to de Indigenous peoples of de villages of Greggs and Fancy led by Culture man Tajoe, dey will be activities reminiscent of our rich Heritage Traditions in these villages. Skinny’s latest plunge makes him Lie-Za’s pick foh Nay-shun-Builder of de year 2019. He has been around and dis year could be his biggest so far.

According to Lie-Za, we not short ah Nay-shun builders. She say SVG got ah machine dah does crush and destroy Nay-shun Builders and even mek dem martyrs. Just look how Go-venom-mint digging ever possible hole to destroy and bury Bigger Biggs, ah man who has done and continues to do his lickle or bigger bit as ah Nay-Shun Builder; even more dan all ah dem dat trying to destroy him. De man born and bread hey! Why de heck de Go-venom-mint doh leave de man alone, lef him wid de lickle piece ah land at Rabacca dat he sweat and toil to own. Dey close down his Sand Mining and Stone Crushing operations, falsely accusing him of environmental violations, while another Far-rain company wid similar operations, under similar conditions was allowed to function. De greatest honour we could give our Nay-shun builders is Love, Support and Respect. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

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

One Love Bassy