Lent was well spent

Ah want to thank de Met-dis Church Kingstown, in particular de organizers of de Met-dis Mid-dey Meditate-shun (MMM) committee, foh adding purpose to my Lenten Season dis year.

De First Session was on Ash Wednesday, and ah did make men-shun how piano-maestro, Kendol Bacchus, another talented country-boy from Richland Park, and singer virtuoso, Stacy Lyttle opened de batting wid ah die-nah-might performance. De following Wednesday, ah Ex and ah Vex Grammar School duo wid cuatro, her-monica and tambora drum batted at No 3. Kioka Cruickshank batted at No 4, remember her?{{more}} She was de first Digicel Best Song winner. And de batting line-up got progressively better and better, wid some star studded performances right down to de last pair at de wicket, Cantemos at No 10 and Kingstown Chorale at No 11.

Ah didn’t know is so easy people could get addicted. Religiously foh de last seven Wednesdays, ah spent me lunch hour, 30 minutes to be exact, in de Met-dis Church, soothing de Soul wid Contemporary Christian Music, ah special and rare Jon-raw of music. Ah would not be inaccurate if ah say most ah de two to three hundred of us patrons, did not miss ah session; and strangely enough, everybody was seated at 12:10 noon-time, taking up de same seating position, is like we all had booked and Reserved our seats. Ah wonder if is because it was ah Free Show.

De Artistes were all home-grown. So good to hear Calypso Monarch, Skarpyon thrilling de appreciative audience wid his 2013 Kaiso, “Until.” It was not ah matter ah who or which group was de best, everybody delivered. De Calliaqua Chimers were unique and different; ah still hearing de sweet, young voices of de Met-dis Junior Choir from Gomea; and in matching contrast was de Arnos Vale Met-Dis “Not so young anymore Choir” ah know dey will tek offence, even though ah bigging dem up, especially de golden boys at de rear, ah rare appearance. When certain people perform, yuh simply just sit back and listen and nah comment: Ken Isles, Cantemos and Kingstown Chorale. The Kingstown Chorale is special to me. Ah was ah lickle youth back in de 1950’s when de Late, Great, Pat Prescod started dat group sixty years ago, plus or minus one or two years. Ah lot ah de foundation members, are now his-story, great singers dead and gone. And ah lot ah dem, my contemporaries, classmates still dey singing, not as strong as dey were sixty years ago, but just as melodious as de day dey started. Yes Kingstown Chorale is one ah SVG’s Legend, and we must recognize dat Magnificent Group. Last Wednesday when dey performed, ah noticed three clergymen at de back, decked in Clergy Collar, ah know is “dog collar ” ah trying to be pull-it-tickle-he correct. At de end ah de show ah had to go closer to see who were these two Bishops or Archbishop singing in Kingstown Chorale, who else but de ever green, Lennox John, Victor Peters and Hamilton.

Now de Lenten Season is over and de Midday Meditate-shun is no more, ah really miss de sessions. Ah go have to find sum-ting spiritually uplifting to do at lunch-time pon ah Wednesday. So thanks again to de MMM, folks like Gill John, Brenton Bailey and de group of selfless Christians, who year after year deliver dis one-dah-full program. It’s ah simple I-dare dat was germinated and nurtured single handedly by Pat Prescod, part of his Pilgrim Journey, ah Gift to dis nation and by extension de Caribbean Christian Community during Lent. Please help it Grow!

YUH OWN FAT DOES FRY YUH

Reparations is not by any means ah new topic. From time to time, individuals from de Progressive Movements have been keeping de subject alive. When Jomo Thomas had just returned he was quite vocal on de topic. Actually, was only when Prime Minister Gone-soft tabled de Issue of Reparations in Par-liar-men’t dat de matter got into motion. Den he was selected or paved de way foh selection to head de process. At dat point he should ah step aside. It’s not Race-is-him, but Racial Indignity! Was Black People who suffered under severe and inhumane wuking and living conditions during Slavery. So it is only reasonable dat Black People be giving dis one, and maybe last opportunity to lead we own struggle. Dis not all about money, Dat image is ah factor in de Restoration ah we Dignity and Pride, we want Respect. If dey care to help us reconstruct our lives dat was stolen and never returned when slavery was abolished, den by all means do dat!

So is not all madness in de method ah de group ah concerned Vincentians in de Die-us-poorer, who circulating ah Pity-shun to “Black Ball” de Prime Minister from delivering an address at de “Re-vital-lies- de Reparation Movement” conference. Over de years de PM has been feeding on words and insulting language; he has become verbosely Fat feasting on Words. What is interesting about dat Pity-shun is how de Die-us-poorer group is attempting to use his own words to prove him “Eminently Unsuitable to lead Reparations!” Dey want to fry him wid his own Fat! And wid dat, is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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