Time foh us to unite again

After 38 years, could someone please direct me to any Food Place in town way ah could carry ah visitor, any day in de week foh ah meal of “Roasted Breadfruit, Fry Jack-Fish and Golden Apple Juice? Ah promise ah would eat dey foh ah month. Just foh de records, dat Roast Breadfruit, Jack-fish and Golden Apple is de “Official Nah-shun-all Dish of SVG,” doh mind KFC claiming “Unofficial National Dish of SVG,” dey’s no such thing. Lie-Za say KFC is de leading franchise foh “Official Foreign Dish of SVG!” But watch see how SubWay and de Shy-Knees Chow Ming (mein) cook-shop will be on dey case foh making such claim.

Ah have ah problem wid our choice of “Jack Fish, Golden Apple, Breadfruit and Golden Apple”, knowing dat these ingredients are among de more seasonal ingredients. And de same thing goes foh de Nah-shun-all-Flower, de Soufriere Flower, ah Tree dat found at La Soufriere volcano. Lie-Za was betting me dat de Nah-shun-all Flower is “Jump-up and kiss me.” She only trying strokes.

Again Lie-Za drew my attend-shun to ah lovely Back Page story on de Searchlight Newspaper wid photos of 29 young and worthy Scholarship Awardees. And ah told her therein lies de future of SVG, tomorrow’s great leaders: de Doctors, Engineers, Economists, Accountants, Lawyers, Prime Ministers, and those who will reluctantly end up in de classroom. Wid no malice or disrespect she said: “Lovely, ah Degree in every house and dat is good. It takes care of de bigger picture, but de smaller picture is equally as significant. We need to strengthen and enhance de level and quality of our productive sector, our Artisans, Tradesmen, bakers, cooks. Our Farmers, Yam-diggers, Banana grower; Cocoa and Coffee growers, who all need to be equipped with de skills and tools to Add Value to dey produce.

Wid all de financial help in our Fishing and Agriculture from Tie-One and Jah-Pon, we are yet to deliver quality Smoked or Salted Fish, canned Tuna or Robin! Our young people in cottage industries e.g. Jams, cakes, sauses etc need ah station to display and sell dey products. Our ripe mangoes continue to block de gutters, ah waste of resources. We need to tek care ah de pennies and de pounds will follow.

Our young people from de rural communities involved in Sports, Arts, Drama, Music, Dance need training abroad and den return to dey communities to deliver.

Ah burning issue is de alienation of our lands. In de last 38 years we have alienated more of our treasured land to white Far-reigners dan we have kept in reserve foh future generation. And it seems like we are ready to shoot we-self in we foot again wid dis Medical Marie-Warner. Dey must be ah conversation based on truth. We are blessed to have we own Caribbean people, Dr Manley West of Jah-mek-her and our own Vincy, Dr Albert Lockhart, big names dat could be considered de God-fathers of Medical Marie-Warner, for dey work in de production of de Therapeutic compound from de Herb, producing medication foh Glacouma, Asthma and motion sickness. Ah would imaging dat Dr Lockhart should be invited here to literally “Open we Eyes” on what is about to become ah Pull-it-tek-all Foot-bawl.

Our biggest challenge as an In-deep-and-dent people is foh us to unite again. De divide is bitter, deep and wide. De Political wrong-doers, aided by corrupt supporters including prominent Church Leaders will bun in hell fire. Who among our Church Leaders will be ah John de Baptist? No not one! But we will all be beheaded. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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