Isn’t dey trouble everywhere?

Of course we should all know dat dis is Holy Week. But if we doh know or doh remember, suggests dat we eat we Sunday School Fees. Holy week starts from Palm Sunday, one week before Easter Sunday. Palm Sunday was when Jesus in all Humility rode on ah colt, ah young donkey (not ah chariot or ah BMW), from de home of Mary and Martha in Bethany which in Hebrew means ‘Poor House’, down thru de streets of Jerusalem. Dat Sunday de people came out to greet Him (de King) waving palm leaves along de way shouting Hosanna (Save us Please). De story state dat four or five days later, he was crucified and buried. But on Easter Sunday he arose from de dead and was alive again. Ah very startling but true story, de Root of de Christian Faith.

T’n’T SPIRITUAL BAPTISTS CELEBRATE

Dis year however, Holy Week means ah lot to Spiritual Baptists in T’n’T. In 1917, practising their religion was prohibited under the Shouter Prohibition Ordinance. The reason given was that the noise created during dey services was “disturbing the peace and an “unmitigated nuisance.” And behind de scenes the leaders of the other established religions saw the popularity of Spirtual Baptists as a threat.

Back den de same non-sense uses to happen hey in SVG. Ah know bout dat because Pointer Bailey, my maternal Grand-father of Irish descent, ah white man (Doshter-Hill Bajan), was ah Spiritual Baptist; he had his own Meeting Room, Praise House, Sanctuary whatever, in de downstairs of his home in Richmond Hill/ Dorsetshire Hill. Maybe police were afraid to touch de White Bishop.

SVG Shouter Saints have been active here years ago. Worshippers were dragged into Courts foh praising God in public.

George Mc Intosh, Nah-shun-all Hero to be, advised dem to turn out in full membership in dey regalia, head-tie and gown, on de day of de Case. Well when de Mad-is-straight saw de crowd and heard de singing and chanting, de dup-shun, de hand clapping, de bell ringing, and de candle and incense burning, he couldn’t tek it, so he dismissed de Case and he was out ah Bagga in full flight.

However; Back in T’n’T on March 30th 1951, de Shouter Prohibition Ordinance enforced by the British colonial government in 1917, was repealed. That meant “Freedom of Worship to all TnT Spiritual or Shouter Baptists.” So Choose-dey March 30th ah bank holiday in TnT, marked de 70th Anniversary foh de worshippers in dat country.

LA-SEW-FRAY NEED PRAYERS

And dis Holy Week, Good Fry-dey to Good Fry-dey, we in SVG should be celebrating wid Praise and Thanksgiving; it is de 42nd Anniversary of Erupt-shun of de La-Sew-Fray Volcano. Anyone over fifty years old should remember something bout dat Good Friday morning eruption.

Now after forty-two years, we still at square one, or even worse. Whereas in 1979, widout any warning, dey was ah big blast, de island shook and everybody could ah seen de mushroom clouds rocketing up to Heaven. Today thru Technology, de info is available; fortunately, de scientists, and not de polly-trickans are de ones giving first hand technical info, wid regards to de volcano. Interestingly de scientists say to be prepared just in case worse comes, dey are not committing dem-self to two things: (i) if de volcano will definitely blow now; and (ii) when is it likely to blow. De decision to evacuate or not to evacuate now, lies wid de Go-venom-mint or polly-trickans. Sadly it seems like de Go-venom-mint is in shock. Don’t know what to do! So don’t expect ah miracle from Go-venom-mint. Sooner or later La-Sew-Frew is going to Blow, only God could say when and only God to stop it. If we pray in all earnest to God, he will answer our prayer.

I wish dat in de critical times we live, de Church would not wait fuh directives from politicians before de could encourage dey members to tek Vaccine, or call foh Day of Prayer for any eventuality. Ah want to suggest dat Believers, individually dedicate Easter Sunday foh ah Day-of-Prayer and Fast, asking God foh Deliverance from de possible ravages, disrupt-shun and destruct-shun if de volcano erupts; I believe dat God will hear our cry and pardon us foh de umpteenth time. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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