Ah war go back school

Ah left Grammar School some 57 years ago and ah never once felt dat ah wanted to go back to my All-me-Matter like ah did last Monday morning. Dey were having Assembly, something dat ah look forward to now-ah-days. Sound like ah idle eh, no it’s unavoidable. Dey’s an uninterrupted line of sight and sound from both GHS and BGS grounds to my porch, so ah does listen to both Assemblies. But Monday morning de Boys from my All-me-Matter put on ah “Praise and Worship” session, man dey could hold dey own at any Gospel Fest!{{more}} Ah overs dat de session was led by de Peer Counselors (students) wid Mukassa Gaymes of Bagga as lead vocalist. De youthman has ah clean, strong voice. De group was accompanied by ah small (student) Ensemble wid key-board, bass and drummer; de music was spot on, dem students sang and clap lustily, imagine Boys singing and clapping? Ah good way to start de day. De musical genre was Caribbean Influenced Gospelypso, ah bit ah Pentecostal and ah bit ah Spiritual Baptist, all lively choruses: “Underneath de Blood”… “Dis is de Day”… “I am a Promise”… how good to hear de Boys singing “I’m Saved and I know dat I am” dey will be “Going Up! Up! Up!”…and “When I get There” dey sang “I will Enter” den dey closed off wid “Amen!”

Truly inspired, ah called Headmaster King to get permission to attend de next Assembly, ah will put on my “blazer and tie” tune my Cuatro and join de Boys. By contrast, in my day Assembly was uninspiring and boring; nothing to shout about, no outdoor singing and clapping.

Nuff respect to Junior Sutherland, Musician/Teacher who is involved with de music and Mrs Odle, wife of de Rev. must be ah task coping wid our men of tomorrow. Based on what ah heard from ah distance, dey’s Hope! Nuff Hope foh my All me Matter! Ah war go back School.

WE NEED DAT OLE BOYS ASSOCIATION

De flip side ah de coin is dat ah few Sat-days ago, ah was coming up from de Thompson Home area, which is adjacent to de BGS. Ah parent stopped her car and urged me to go quickly and talk to some young people sitting outside de school compound “smoking weed!” she said. Dey were dey in truth, five ah dem in dey early teens, four boys and ah girl, puffing away. When dey felt my presence towering over dem, dey literally froze. Ah don’t know who these kids are, dey could be from any school, because on Sat-dey mornings, dey’s activity, boys and girls in and outside de BGS compound; extra lessons for students preparing foh de CXC; some ah de kids just liming. Ah spoke very gently to de Quintet, dey were silent, nobody moved an inch, nobody wink! Ah think dey believed dat ah was ah Cop. Dat ought to scare dem, de way dem Cops been behaving in public, video-taped skylarking at “High Noon” firing-off gun in de street. Ah say all ah dis to remind de Ole Boys of BGS dat we have to meet and get de Ole Boys Association going. Dem young people need we help, parents need help. What ah saw dat Sat-dey morning was five innocent faces, weedy red eyes staring at me, no anger, no aggression, just ah latent expression dat was saying: ” Sir, don’t yuh see we got nothing else to do, can you please help us.” Ah shame.

CLEAR YUH NAME IN COURTS

Rape Again or is it alleged child molestation! What’s de difference? Lie-Za’s humble suggestion is dat people accused of Rape must be made to “Clear dey Names” in a Court of Law! Dis I-dare wid de DPP tun Judge and Jury, deciding particularly in de case of Rape, who should be tried and who should not, lacks transparency. So ah asked her how many chances does ah man have to “Clear his Name”?. Once, he “Clears his Name!” Twice, he “Clears his Name!” Thrice, four times? She watch me and said “By den he would have lost Name, Face or Place! But dey’s ah worst sit-yuh-hear-shun, she says. “How about when he refuses to Clear His Name?” And she wants to know while everybody playing politics, trying Rape Case from de Party Block, who is taking care ah de Victims? And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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