Know way we going eh

Nuff respect to Terry Pratchett foh his Quotation: “If you don’t know where you come from, then you don’t know where you are; and if you don’t know where you are, then you don’t know where you are going. And if you don’t know where you going, you are probably going wrong.”

We know how to “Con” everything, so foh our con-venience, we say: “ If yuh doh know way yuh come from, yuh won’t know way yuh going.” Maybe dah’s why every time Carnival come round, ah doh know way we day, so ah keep going back trying to find way we come from.

Ah lock-up me-self all week-end watching de Carnival on TV, Flow service was terrible, dey should refund us. Anyhow, by Tuesday Mardi Gras, ah needed to get out de house and get some Fresh Air, some Oxygen! Ah went to assist “de wife” correction, “my wife” she not in dis “de wife.” She was invited by Toy-Yah’s “Best of SVG” Jo-Che Moments, to serve her “Touch of Dawn” Cocoa-Tea, during de breakfast foh Oxygen’s Mas Band. Oxygen is a new Band foh dem Veira girls, Karen and Carol. It was well organized. Dey father Candy was ah Ole Mas man, still is, ah remember him playing “Ah Stop Sign” foh Jouvert. Lie-Za say he always playing Stop Sign.

Cruise Ship Berth was dressed-up like ah Coney Island wid white tents, food stalls, tables, chairs, Two trucks were mounted with Music, but not loud eh, playing Minister Julie-Ann Fran-Cess’ fear-foh-hit song, Funky Business. Ah couple hundred masqueraders, young people including visitors from France, US, Jam-Down, Beer-Johns, Lou-shuns, Trinies and so on.

Good foh de Mas Tour-is-him. Ah had to put on me dark glasses when de party got started wid Breakfast in Bikini at eight on de dot! After breakfast, Cruise Ship exhaled its Oxygen as de lickle colourful Band took to de Street to party minding de own Funky Business ah suppose. Ah few hours later dey were back at de docks foh Lunch; den back on de street foh ah ‘last lap’ and finally, dinner and more partying at de Berth.

Sadly dis Band did not qualify to be judged at Victoria Park. Might as well dey didn’t. Nutten ah gwarne round dey! Gone ah de days of “Mas! Mas! Mas at Victoria” wid Becket blasting down de place. Foh years Mardi Gras at Victoria Park has been ah disaster, admittance is free, CDC literally begging people to come to Victoria Park to mek de parade look good, and yet dis breath ah Fresh Air Band, Oxygen playing foh de second year, did not qualify to be judged. What ah non productive Rule. Ah few long years ago, when some ah we older heads were involved, Mardi Gras had several categories of Bands: Historical and Original like Sailors, Cowboys, African; we had ah Military Band dat played “To Hell and Back,” dey built tanks wid guns, ah swear dey had dynamite in dem guns, ah section of de stage got blown away, Dah year was “Kingstown Mash Down!” Dey was also Fancy Bands like Blondie Bird and Friends.

What is important is dat Victoria Park was packed and Spectators were treated to an entertainment package, while waiting foh de Mas Bands to appear on stage. Gate fees were small, Go-venom-mint sponsorship was equally as small, so CDC never made money. But some ah de members had vision. Cheerman Molly Arthur, Omar Davis, Bamba Providence, Randy D and Buns Bun-ah-dey came up wid de Lotto I-dare. CDC convinced Premier Cato dat Go-venom-mint doh have to finance Carnival again, de Lotto will tek care of Culture and Sports in de country.

So de Lotto was created foh CDC to finance Carnival. Today Go-venom-mint ministers bull-dozing de Nah-shun-all Lotto to subsidize dey Funky business. Books, lunch and transport foh children in de Constituency, while Carnival finish and some Kaisonians ain’t pay foh de music, participants can’t by books foh de children. Look not even ah lickle refreshment foh dem young school children playing at Junior Panorama. What ah shame.

So good to hear de Cheerman say he was satisfied wid dis year’s Festival. Lie-Za is happy foh CDC, she wondering however, if dey know way dey dey right now, and secondly, if dey know foh certain way dey going. If not dey might, just might be going de wrong way. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy