SILVER AND GOLD AH DOH HAVE

Ah have glorious memories of my youthful days as ah “Village Barber.” Ah was in Junior Form in Grammar School, making me matinee change trimming mainly de villagers hair. Barbering was no big profession, but when ah came across de title “Tonsorial Artist” ah hair-dresser or barber from de Latin verb “Tondere,” meaning to shear or clip, cut hear; ah began to boast how I’m ah Tonsorial Artist. Barbering is ah powerful media centre; lots ah Come-mess and useful info, could be collected just sitting in ah Barber Shop or Hairdresser Salon. Ah can’t explain, but from de time someone sits in ah Barber chair, It seems like hip-nose-cess, dey love to open up to dey Tonsorial Artist. Lie-Za would call all de time and tell me she got ‘breaking news’, and when ah ask her way she get dat from, she would say: “Ah went Hair-dresser today!” Simple as dat.

In my day, ah hair-cut was ten cents foh kids and 25 cents foh adults, not ah big set ah money. When yuh see Sunday morning ah busy. When yuh see de De Freitas gang turn up ah uses to feel Nice, Great and One-dah-full. Four youngsters, including Marcus and Dug-he, de baby among dem. Even at dat tender age Marcus was very much into his animals, he saw himself as ah future farmer.

Lie-Za remembers him leaving Murray Road and go all de way to Cane Garden to graze his animals in front de Hamlet’s residence, she sware he just wanted to see ah certain beautiful damsel, but Marcus had it worked out, “way animal tie is dey dey hve to graze.” He married Sylvia and moved into Cane Garden. He however went beyond farming and got into trafficking, exporting to North America every conceivable food iten dat grew in SVG soils, including Corrilla Bush. So popular he was, in 1984, three weeks before de elections when de NDP was scrambling foh candidates, de voters in West St George told Sir James dey wanted de Corrilla Man. Needless to say Marcus won, and de rest is pull-it-tek-ill his-story. His trading business operations and location created problems in de near-bar-hood and Go-venom-mint close him down and acquired his property, but after 10 years he hasn’t been paid yet, dat too is his-story.

Now last Sunday at de NDP Con-vent-shun was hopefully de beginning of Marcus’ day of Redemption. His faithful constituents now ably led by Kay Back-us Baptiste, who is beginning to look like de next Rep for West St George, honoured Marcus. He was very humbled in his acceptance speech dat was like ah Believers’ testimony, was very inspiring. Congtrats Marcus!

Who say lightening doh strike twice in de same place? Only two weeks ago, Marcus’ brother, Dug-he de Fearless Lion, de Freedom Fighter on Radio, who speaks like ah man inspired and led by de Holy Spirit. Dug-he is de modern day John de Baptist who dared to challenge de Status Quo, de Herods, de Pharisees, de Hypocrites wearing dog collars and bearing de names of Bishops, Tele-vamdalists Pastors. His Radio Stay-shun continues to con-fuse de Authority, dey have done everything to shut him up, close him down, ransack his home at dawn wid 19 SSU Police armed wid guns looking foh evidence to convict him. Dey drag him before de High Courts, mek him pay hundreds of thousands of dollars all to no avail. Dug-He continues to be treated like ah Prophet, one without honour in his home land. But Alas! He was however honoured last month in de USA by ah far-reign-based Vincent-shun Organ-I-say-Shun, all for his contribution on Radio, foh his consistency in being de voice of de Voiceless, de thorn in de flesh of de Powers dat be, exposing all dey corrupt-shun..

And so Lightening struck twice in one month, when two brothers were honoured foh de same cause: Love Peace, Justice and Godliness. Listeners start de day right, inspired by Dug-he’s famous house-hold phrase: “ I’m Nice Great and One-dah-ful! And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy,

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