Sin Vin Sin will rise again

Before ah forget, ley me big-up GHS National Heritage Parade Committee, foh putting on ah good show wid de parade thru de streets ah Kingstown on Choose-day.

Dis ah overs is de prelude, de build up to de Miss Heritage Pageant dis weekend which, from all indications, and weather permitted, has success spread all over it! Lie-Za is asking de present Carnival Queen’s Show Committee to please step aside gracefully, just foh one year and give de GHS Heritage Parade Committee ah shot at de Queen Show! {{more}}

Our Heritage Parade is meaningful Pageantry, it growing fast and very appropriately timed and tied to In-dip-and-dance celebrations. Was not no Carnival Jump-Up, and dey was Rhythm and colour, Dance and Order, but civility and good behave-yah reigned supreme on Choose-dey! De atmosphere was sparkling wid Patriot-is-him, ah really felt 100 percent Vincy wearing national colours, walking alongside dem young people dress-up in uniform and costumes, displaying only de Yellow, Green and Blue colours ah de national flag. Ah marched wid de Nation Builders section, and dat out ah place Lie-Za say she saw me in de Jerry-ah-tick Citizens Group. Dey Organizers opted foh only indigenous music wid Starlift Steel Band leading de way, along wid ah number ah Drumming Groups; dis year dey was just one large float wid local plants and produce. Ah section from Blondie Bird’s Carnival Band was dey. Ah large number ah spectators, school children and adults lined de streets to show support foh dis In-deep-and-Dance Spectacular.

Forgive my Co-loan-all-is-him, but dis event reminds me ah de twenty-fourth ah May, “Empire Day.” In Kingstown Scouts, Guides and Students representing de St. Mary’s, Anglican and Met-dis schools, armed wid our lickle Flags, de Union Jack of course, march round Victoria Park to sing British Patriotic Songs foh de Administrator: “I vow to thee my country all earthly things above” and “Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves! Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.” Those songs served dey purpose, Empire Day was to remind us of our loyalty to de glorious British Empire, and we were never to forget dat de strength (sugar, rum and banana) of the Empire depended upon us, British Subjects. Unfortunately today In-deep-and-dounce is about ah Military Parade, highlighted by de Prime Minister’s Pull-it-tek-all speech. Shouldn’t we parade thru de streets to Victoria Park wid de School Children singing Patriotic Songs and Kaisoes like Becket’s:” St Vincent, I Love you,” and De Man Age: “We Have ah country to build. I believe in Youth Power and if what was demonstrated by de GHS National Heritage Committee on Choose-dey is any yard-stick, den we should be singing Homie’s kaiso foh 2013: “Sin Vincent will rise again,”

WHO JAH BLESS

EHS principal Greaves gave me ah book entitled “The life and times of Dr John Parmenas Eustace” and literally begged me to read it. Ah dey in de middle of ah de book written by country boy, Vin Samuel from Windward Lowmans. Nice and easy reading, Vin is ah Christian and dis is evident all thru de book. Ah like de way he drew ah parallel wid de Life of Doc and de local and international events (implications and so on) as dey would have occurred during Doc’s Time.

I am on Page 119 way de writer recaptures his first day at Doc Eustace’s Emmanuel High School in Mesopotamia. Back in dem days, was only a few families in dat Lowmans village could ah boast students who had completed Elementary School; so having ah child attending ah Secondary School was an honour, like going off to University today. Vin was de first member ah both sides of his family in Lowmans to be attending Secondary School. According to him, it was early one Monday morning in January1966, dis 14 year ole youth-man got up at de break-ah-dawn, headed down de water foh his usual dip in de “deep hole” way de water was cold like ice. He thinks dah de cold water is wah invigorated him foh dat three mile walk from Lowmans up to Maroon Hill and down to Mespo. Over anxious to get started dat he could ah only gulped down de hot “cocoa tea” and walk wid de fry-egg and bakes his Mom had prepared foh breakfast. De villagers no doubt gave him ah fitting send off, smartly dressed in his Khaki uniform wid tie, if yuh please, calf-length socks and ah new pair ah brown shoes. He recalls handing over his $15.00 school fees and receiving ah warm EHS reception from his Principal Grace Eustace, ah tremendous Woman Principal she was. Vin had ah painful experience at age 12 when he was in de scholarship class; de Head-teacher, his name is mentioned, gave de students evening classes in preparation foh de Exams. One Monday morning de Head-teacher reported to dem dat de date foh de exams had already passed and dey had missed de exams. Dey later discovered dat de Head-teacher lied to dem, he had taken his daughter to do de exams on de date and she won ah Scholarship to GHS.

When God is foh yuh no man can block yuh. Vin completed secondary Education at Doc’s EHS, got his Cambridge School Certificate; taught at his Alma Mater foh ah year, den migrated to de US Virgin Islands. Today he has Degrees in Law, Business Administration, Agricultural Economics and Marketing, he wuks as an Economist wid de Govt. of New Jersey. Reading de mans style, ah believe he done forgive his Headteacher “70 times 7 !” And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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