Ah chilling out this year

Culture is basically what comes out eventually from the human thoughts. Ah believe that many years ago, somebody thought of getting out ah they bed fore-day morning, foh nine days before Christmas, and just walk the town or village, others followed and soon that became ah part ah we Culture; then ah smart-he decided to Christen it, and call it Nine Mornings. The thing about Culture is that it like Pumpkin Vine or even Love Vine, it needs no water or manure, just lef it and it will spread; the moment yuh try to cut it and shape it, it will dry-up. Culture is like ah river, let it follow its natural course or else pay the consequences. {{more}}

So we don’t mess with Culture. Ole Labour under Milton Cato didn’t overs that, they uses to Ban the Kaisoes that opposed their backward Administrative Practices. Cato and Dacon instructed the CDC in 1979 not to pay de Man Age his prize money; even the stooge in charge ah lights at Victoria Park turned off the lights when Age began to sing his Kaiso: “Dey go Ban it”! Molly Arthur and those of us on the Committee disregarded Dacon’s instruction and today Kaiso is richer foh it. That is why ah decided to withdraw from the Nine Mornings Committee this year, not when ah member ah the ULP who was not appointed ah minister or even ah elected member ah Par-liar-mint at the time, could order BDS, the hired Sound Providers, owned by Dug-he De Freitas, to tek down their sound system. This is not going to help in healing our land that is writhing in agony.

BDS was given the job by the Nine Mornings Committee, only after the Cheerman had cleared the matter with the Permanent Secretary, who in the absence of any appointed Minister, was the officer in charge ah the Ministry. The Committee was disrespected. My fear is that next in line, they will be dictating which Community should or should not get financial support based on who’s ULP and who’s NDP. Then they will be selecting the Judges for the Lighting and Community Contests; finally they will select the members ah the Committee, and who knows Glen may just get his street jump-up foh Nine Mornings. That was certainly not the vision of El Grupo Amistad when we revived the Nine Mornings fourteen years ago. We started independently and deliberately kept the Pull-ah-trick-hans out. The Churches, the Crowds, the Banks, Lotto and the Business houses responded readily. It was always ah people’s thing on the street. how come all of ah sudden Guv-ah-mint thinks that Nine Mornings is theirs to dictate?

TIT FOH TAT WONT WUK

Nine Mornings and Carnival belong to the people. it is what comes out ah the people or the Masses, what yuh call “Upside-down Power.” It cannot be controlled directly from the top, not foh long. While Pull-ah-tricks in isolation is ah part ah Culture that must tek its direction from other aspects ah Culture, one cannot deal with Culture from ah warped or jaundiced Pull-it-tek-all perspective. Rene Baptiste seems to understand this more than all the Ministers ah Culture that ah wuk with. She dealt with this Committee in a very professional and respectful manner. She met the Nine Mornings Committee using the services ah BDS, we explained to her why BDS; that from the beginning BDS was there providing the services foh free; they are present every morning at 3:30 am; BDS’ fee is now $12, 000 ah season, this compares well with the next best offer of $32, 000. The very first opening morning that she attended five years ago, there was ah technical problem with the sound, she challenged us to improve on it and that lady never interfered thereafter.

The Nine Mornings Committee was always aware that Dug-he De Freitas openly criticizes the Guv-ah-mint on his Radio Station, that is his Dem-muck-rat-tek Rights. If he chooses to Lie-bill the Guv-ah-mint in the process, the Guv-ah-mint also has Dem-muck-rat-tek Rights to challenge him in Courts, if found guilty, Dug-he will have to pay the consequences. No Guv-ah-mint is above criticism, any pull-ah-trick-han who wants to play Tit-foh-Tat and wield his/her power on any individual, does so without my support. Where did these men get this power from? man, I serve ah Great, Big, Wonderful God and he doesn’t behave like these men who are less than chaff that the wind blows away. That’s why “ah chilling out this year”, and ah thank El Grupo Amistad foh being in solidarity with my decision.

WHAT’S ON THIS WEEKEND

The Baptist Church at Garden’s Gate presenting “The Nativity”, ah production that they been doing foh years. Ah live so close and never got to see it, as ole people does say “near to Church, far from God”. Sleepy Richards is involved and we done know that Sleepy got the Midas Touch; The Production is on this weekend, starting Friday and it’s free. Lie-Za goes every year, she say it so vivid that she does feel she in Bethlehem.

Ken Boy-yeh tell me that he’s taking up my challenge to Business Houses to open during the Nine Mornings and offer Nine Morning Christmas special. Aunt Jobe will be opening 24- 9 “Wall-Mart Style” foh the Nine Mornings. The compound will be lighted up, live entertainment, ah think Snuffy is planning to do ah Carry-yoh-key too. There will be Creole Foods, bakes, codfish, bush-tea etc. This is ah progressive step in support ah the Nine Mornings, the Culture. The mid-night shopping lime could be fun foh the family. I’m sure Uncle Freddy “Black Wine” Gonsalves will be excited about this.

And Mrs. Olive Ash will be lighting up the home at Lowmans Hill on Sat-dey night. Yes, Kenneth is the architect, but Mrs Ash is the… yuh know what! Man, everything Kenneth wants is: “Olive, where is this, Olive, where is that”? mind yuh that’s how it should be, but that tells me Olive is the weight! Yuh will hear cussing when ah go there Sat-dey night, but any rudeness from Kenneth, ah will just put the Boss .. yuh know who, on him.

Finally come to my Church this Sunday evening: “Christmas with the Salvation Army”. Candle Light March along Melville Street and family concert. Come and hear Evangelist Melcher Hamilton, ah visually impaired Preacher, Musician, Gospel Singer, Entertainer, Comedian, ah real smasher out ah Jamaica. And remember when yuh go shop, shop with more sense than cents, buy only what yuh really need. And with that ah gone again.

One Love Bassy.