If ah was ah CDC judge at de J’Ouvert/Ole Mas competition, ah would ah bin forced to give ‘first prize’ to de man who went on stage wid “ah Beer in one hand and ah Cross in de other”, and ah placard marked “Me ah beer me Cross!” But ah have serious reservations wid Fireman Hooper’s presentation at Soca Monarch, wid dozens ah supporters on stage wid de same Beer (and Rum) in one hand and ah Cross in de other, gyrating, jumping-up and whining-down Victoria Park shouting Amen five times. It was an overdone dramatization.

De Cross in Christianity is about ah Man, The Son of God whom de people brought to trial on false charges, got ah guilty verdict and dey murdered or crucified Him on ah Cross. Christians cling to dat ‘Ole Rugged Cross’ in song and testimony. De Cross dat Jesus carried was solid plank from ah tree, dey was no way He could ah gyrate or dance up and down, carrying de Cross on Calgary Highway; in fact, when He stumbled, He was beaten wid many stripes and bled on de way; thirsty and exhausted, Simon of Cyrene (a Black Man) was ordered to help Him carry our burden.

As Christians we are pained when we look at paintings depicting de nail prints in His hands and feet. Trust me, dem nails had to be twenty-penny size in order to hold His hanging body on de Cross foh hours till He died. How come no masquerader has ever played Mas wid ah crown of thorns on his/her head? The Cross is the symbol of the Christian Faith. It is Sacred and must be treated as such.

AH MUSIC INFUSION

It was ah full house last Sat-dey night at Peace Memorial Hall, wid lots ah chopping… oops, Fryderyk Chopin’s music, as ah highly appreciative audience, was made to sit back and relax to “Infusion”, ah musical presentation in which our own Sean Sutherland, ah Piano Maestro and Pennola “Tanny” Ross (lady wid ah golden voice) injected music in our veins foh two hours.

It was ah stunning performance by Sean, who played foh close to 90 minutes widout any scores whatsoever. He is one of de shining Stars dat passed thru de late Lois Williams School of Music, and has been in music foh as long as he has been around. At age 14, Sean and another young, talented Pannist, Lance Belgraves delivered outstanding performances during ah successful tour of England and de USA wid the Kingstown Chorale.

When he was only 15 years ole, he had to turn down ah full scholarship from de Royal School of Music (UK), opting to finish secondary education. Brilliance and Stars are synonymous, and Sean, after copping ah prestigious Island Scholarship, attended MIT, one of de US top Institutions, way he obtained a Bachelor’s in Music and both BSc and MSc in Electrical Eng.
and Computer Science. Talk to anybody in de music ministry and dey will tell you dat Sean is de epitome of humility. Always willing and ready to drop what he’s doing, way ever he dey, and come home to share his musical talent (freely), whether it’s Starlift Steel Orchestra, Kingstown Chorale or whatever nah-shun-all function. Ah great young man.

Not to be overlooked is our talented Pennola Ross, whose commitment to Church and Music is inseparable. She is all Cat-lick, student of St Mary’s Primary, St Joseph’s Convent and now Music Teacher at St. Martin’s Secondary. Tanny got her first break at Edna Manley College, Jamaica, and had ah (financially) interrupted stint at Berklee College of Music in de US. Determined to make it in Music, Tanny completed ah Bachelor’s in Music Education at St. Scholastica College in Minnesota. She was at her very best on Sat-dey night and wid Sean’s golden fingers, we had two of de very best of SVG. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.
One Love Bassy

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