Hoping all is Well-in-town Dr Ramos

Dear Dr Ramos, blessings from de Love Vine and Lie-Za, de Vine keeper. She is de kind ah lady dat yuh will love from de word go. She has ah great scents ah humor which people interpret as rumor, she sips at times and gos-sips all de time, but unlike yuh, she is big into she politics. In fact she had ah good laugh when she heard yuh saying things like “yuh don’t rule out any political party in St. Vincent! yuh don’t support no political party in SVG! yuh have to communicate wid all parties way yuh live! and yuh don’t tell your people how to vote!” Lie-Za got news foh yuh Doc, she say to tell yuh dat in SVG yuh either join de choir and sing from de same Song Sheet or else?{{more}} Foh example in SVG de word Political means “pull-it-tek-all or pull-it-to-kill party, but yuh are cautious so yuh are pull-it-tek-ill!” Secondly, “yuh got to rule out any and every other party except Gone-Soft and his ULP, and remember, dat is de only party with which yuh communicate, finally, yuh better start telling yuh people plain and simple “Vote foh PM Gone Soft Party!” So now yuh know why our Pry-Minister has no interest in dealing wid yuh and Arm-in and all-yo “Ah-nah-wary citizenship,” dah’s foh people who clean and believe in too much ah PH as in Pull-it-tek-ill High-gene!

But she is convinced dat yuh are ah scents-able man, yuh have vision and yuh timing is good. In Mr. Eustace sorry, let me say it like Garry-foh-Una, in Mr. Use-taste yuh have found ah since-hair friend, (ah say “since-hair” because is ah long time since he had hair grow pon dah head). His head is as clean on de outside as it is inside. He does not fool his supporters wid untruths, ah did not say Lie, dat’s foh Lie-Za to say. But if Mr Use-taste gives yuh his word or his promise yuh can trust him. Ah was saying yuh timing is good, Elect-shuns is anytime now, de indications are dat de people of SVG are about to vote Gone-Soft Party out of office, Mr Use-taste NDP is heavily favoured to tek over de challenge. So de good news is dat yuh will have yur wish, dat is, yuh will not necessarily be required to support de ruling party (NDP) in order to get ah fair-foh-able response to your and our reasonable request to unite wid our Gary-foh-Una ancestral brothers and sisters. Ley me again say Welcome to Kingstown, enjoy yur ancestral homeland in other words: “Ah hope all goes Well-in-town, Dr. Ramos.

WHEN CONSCIOUS TURNs CONCE-HUSH

As ah youth, August Monday or de First Monday in August was celebrated as E-man-see-pay-shun Day. In fact we all looked forward to de August weekend. Sat-dey was half-day foh de stores, and ah day off foh public servants and bank wukers. So was party and fete on Sat-dey night! Sun-dey morning everybody went to church to hear de Freedom Message beginning wid Joseph, he was sold as ah slave by his brothers, but later became an Egyptian Administrator or Governor. Or dey’s de other story way Moses negotiated wid Fear-oh de Egyptian Ruler foh de freedom of de children of Israel enslaved foh over 400 years; and den de Priest or Pastor went into de August First Freedom story. De holiday Monday was de Day of Celebration: excursion, boat-rides, Picnics, Sports, Block-O etc.

Well de ULP took office, new kids on de block, hot, fresh and swetty! Dey changed everything, beginning wid Labour Dey from de first Monday in May to de First Day in May, serious business. Remember dis was ah Go-venom-mint of First Timers. So naturally August Monday was brought in line as well. No more desecration of de significance of de day our Ancestors were freed, yuh notice ah ain’t say freed from what! Man de Progressives and de Full of Consciousness among us, including ah cadre of Lawyers and Doctors and University Graduates took it over Activities wid a Mas Rally at Heritage Square. Nuff Pull-it-tek-all messages and ah-dresses, cultural package, dances, music, poetry and de full works. We were told dat was de first time Vincent-shuns ever celebrated E-man-say-pay-shun Dey.

But lo and behold, today fourteen years after there is ah Hush We move from Conscious to Conce-Hush! Not ah drum! not ah note! Not ah sound to remind us of dat great Day. Lie-Za wid she mischievous self want to bet me dat if dey have any kind of activities come dis Sat-dey August First, dat it will be watered down like de “water-down Red paint” dat somebody put pon de NDP headquarters up Sion Hill, trying to mek NDP office luke Red like de ULP Office next door. Lie-Za playing close to de edge she will get Sue dis Elect-shun. Emancipate yo-self also from pull-it-tek-ill slavery! And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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