BEST WEEK EVER

Tue Mar 17, 2015

In 2013, calypsonian Denis Bowman wondered “Wey Ye Dey?” But last week, National Hero Joseph Chatoyer was everywhere:

In 2013, calypsonian Denis Bowman wondered “Wey Ye Dey?” But last week, National Hero Joseph Chatoyer was everywhere: starring in a successful international Garifuna Conference at the Peace Memorial Hall, featured in replica Garifuna villages in Greiggs and Kingstown, honoured in an emotional tribute at the obelisk at Dorsetshire Hill, and inspiring Heroes Day celebrations from Fancy to Heritage Square.{{more}}

220 years after his assassination, Chatoyer’s spirit lives on. He is an international hero, revered in Guatemala, Belize, Nicaragua, Honduras and his home in SVG. But Bowman’s critique remains urgent: in a country where Kings have their Town, Victoria has her Park, Elizabeth has her Port, Princess Margaret has her Beach, and even wannabe heroes ET Joshua and Milton Cato have airports and hospitals, our hero’s name is missing. How about renaming Dorsetshire Hill, site of his tragic demise, as Mount Chatoyer?

Runner-up:

Orande “Bomani” Charles, president of the Association for Music Professionals (AMP), organized a successful Music Awards show, AMP’s second such event. The show recognised local talent from Becket to Luta to Skinny Fabulous, as well as home-grown producers, musicians and up-and-coming performers across a host of genres.

Of course, with every success comes backlash, so the petty griping by the Police Band about its exclusion from the list of nominees was almost predictable. More serious are the questions Bomani will continue to face about his support for a poorly thought out system of royalties for local artistes. What no one can question, however, is Bomani’s dedication to honouring and improving the lives of Vincy musicians.

In the storied and successful life of businessman Ken Boyea, last week is one he’d rather forget. Stripped of his “bread and butter” KFC franchise. Placed in receivership by his bankers. Reduced to a political football by opportunists. Challenged in court by the family of deceased property owners. Laying off 190 employees.

Has Arnhim Eustace ever attended an official Heroes Day or Independence Day celebration in his 14 years as Opposition Leader? The “unavoidably absent” excuses start to wear a little thin after a decade and a half of no-shows.

Eustace compounded his churlish boycott of national events by sending his emissary John Horne to Dorsetshire Hill with a prepared speech about partisan politics and public servants. Whatever the merits of his observations, there was no worse place or time to air them.

… I’d ask if the revenue and organization aims of the Government wouldn’t be better served by placing parking meters throughout Kingstown, rather than the sporadic outbreaks of clamping that generate more irritation than income.

Media Watch!

Nowhere was the politics-first nature of our media more evident than their handling of Ken Boyea’s recent difficulties. “Is the Delayed Airport to Blame for KFC’s Demise?”; “Did Ralph Throw Ken Under the Bus?” Only one publication even bothered to idly speculate as to how much Boyea may owe to VAT, NIS, Income Tax, Scotia Bank and KFC. A few pointed questions, or some legwork through public documents in the Registry and the Commerce and Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) might’ve answered far more significant questions: Just how deep is the hole that Boyea is in? Will the state ever recoup the money it is owed? And did the Government refuse to throw Boyea a lifeline, or did they give him so much rope that he hanged himself?