My banana is it!…Still??

As dead as Banana is in SVG de fruit just keep showing up on my Raid-yuh, my TV and on me phone. Sunday my sister-in-law in Montreal was on Whats-Up showing me her dinner plate: “Bull-Jow (Salf Fish and Green Bananas).”

When ah asked her way she got her Bananas, wid ah tight fist she said: “Cuba!” Earlier dat afternoon, while watching de French Open Tennis Tournament, in between Sets dey was ah break, Coach ‘A’ went to give his player a tip, first “he push in his thumb and pull out ah (not plum) ah ripe Banana,” gave it to her with a glass of water.

Dat never happen long ago; players uses to snack on oranges, grapes, apples and so on, but not now, every athlete having ah Banana and a glass ah water!Ah does feel humbled when ah see how all over de world “My Banana is It!” How sportsmen/women catching dey breath and thirsting foh NRG, grabbing it all back wid one bite of ah Banana and ah sip ah spring water.

It does remind me when SVG uses to export to de UK, over $120 million worth ah Bananas ah year, today we can’t even export $120 worth to dem. As ah matter ah fact, yuh can hardly get ah good eating ripe Banana to buy hey.

Ah was so upset right in front de TV, ah let loose some Dutty-Word pon Sore-butt-ah and de Come-Red. Ah lucky ah was not at de AIA, Mr Millar would ah fine me $5, 000, 00! Farmers hopes were high 17 years ago when de ULP did promise to revitalize de ailing industry and export more Vincy Bananas to de UK.

Dey even brought ah member of de British Par-liar-ment to calm-pain and N-dorse dat promise. Ask de late Glen Jackson if ah lie-in.AH CRYING FOH OUR-ROOTTwo days Before de tennis game, ah was already riled-up wid ah release from de Man-in-jaw of de Our-Root factory, Come-rod Sell-Man Walters, promoted from Sell-boy, he’s Man again as in Man-in-jaw.

No offence personally directed to Sell-man, but it is an oversight putting ah former Head-Teacher to manage an Agricultural Industry wid nuff potential, never mind it’s in serious cry-sis. Sell-Man needs at his side de Gurus of Our-Root Allison Balcombe and Freddie Olliverre.

Like somebody wants to set up Sell-Man or kill de industry. How can he operate an industry as important as Our-Root widout ah decent subvent-shun.

We hearing dat Our-Root rhizomes harvested and rotting in de Factory Compound waiting to be processed, but no money dey to operate de factory. De release however stated dat de Factory Workers received outstanding payments. And de Farmers will be paid at ah later date, WHEN?.

Is dat all de respect we have foh Farmers. Sore-butt-her again!VIN-SEE PEOPLE WICKED OOOHWe got some ah de wickedest criminals in Sin-Vin-Sin. Seven-year-ole girl kidnapped and raped, 12-year-ole pregnant, father raping daughter mud-ah-wuk! Now it took de ULP Go-venom-mint nearly 15 years to full-fill ah promise of ah Die-ah-nah-stick or Die-all-assist Centre in Georgetown, courtesy de Cuban Government.

Every time someone dies of Kidney failure, we would beat up de ULP foh failing on dat promise. Now de Facility is ready to operate, and foh once ah felt like crying wid Ralph, when he reported dat thieves broke in de building and stole ah quantity ah important items.

In some country dey does cut off yuh hand when yuh found guilty of stealing,. We ned dat Law here in SVG, never mind ah lot ah me friends would have “haff-ah-han” and watch foh de amount ah Politicians/pull-it-tek-all party supporters dat would be walking round wid no hand and no foot.LETS ALL SUPPORT DE FOBHThere is ah “Friends of Bequia Hospital Trust (FOBH)” and from all reports dey doing ah darn good job.

De members became inspired when a Die-ah-beat-ache died foh lack of Insulin on de island (Bequia Hospital), same thing happening on de mainland at de MCMH. Ah gather from ah Bulletin dat de Trust trying to mek de Hospital friendly to staff and patients and done spend over $ 50, 000.

De Hospital now has computer and printer network, linked to de Health Service System.

An immobilizer is to be presented and ah fully functional modern Ambuance and X-Ray machine are on de list of priorities. De ultimate goal is to offer a centre of medical excellence, unparalleled in the Southern Caribbean. Dis is commendable and is inspiring, thanks FOBH. And wid dat, is gone ah gone again.One Love Bassy

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