Havana we are sorry los sentimos

ONE OF MY fondest memories of Nine Mornings was about 17 years ago, when Hon. Dug-he Slater, ah medical doctor trained in Cuba turned up at 4 a.m. wid about 12 Nurses (male and female) from Cuba.

Dey had just arrived in SVG de night before, as part of an arrangement between de Go-venommint of SVG and Cuba.

So Dug-he like he was doing Ah “Round-declock” wid de new ambassadors. On dey way to de hostel, dey ended up at de Nine Mornings Street Concert. Dey were in ah nice party mood and Dug-he asked us to allow dem to introduce demselves on stage, dey won our hearts when dey sang one of Cuba’s most popular patriotic song: “Guantanamera!” We invited dem to have some “bakes and salf-fish” and when dey tasted it one ah dem shouted out “Bacalao!”

I do not know Arianna Duharte Taylor, de Cuban nurse who last Thursday was brutally murdered on the St Martin’s School compound, shot several times allegedly by her husband, in de presence of her elder son, Mitch, who is in his early teens.

Mitch plays ah mean Tenor Pan.

Ah read dat she was married for over 15 years, which means that she most likely was among de Batch of Nurses who was on stage on that unforgettable early Nine Mornings show.

It is also ah-ledge dat like de relay-shun-ship wid her husband had gone sour and she wanted out. Dat she made several Reports to de Police about threats on her life; dat de ah-ledge-he owned ah licensed Firearm. Word on de street is dat the police acted very unprofessionally in dealing wid her cry foh help. Word is out also dat on de very day she was murdered, she had gone back to de Police to find out what de heck was going on. De woman saw her destiny coming, but her appeal foh help from de Police was completely disregarded, oops… ahledge.

While crime is not prejudice, does not discriminate, it is very painful to hear ah Cuban sister or any Far-rain-her getting murdered in our country. Arianna’s death, including de ah-ledge Police negligence, is like ah slap in de face ah de Cuban People. Now Cuba is not ah wealthy country in terms of money, but de Government and people are Rich in spirit and generosity. We in SVG have been getting lots ah help from Cuba in Medicine, Agriculture, Engineering, doh even men-shun Training, man de number ah scholarships foh our young people is unbelievable.

Lie-Za is Pee-Eye-Double

S-Ee-Dee off! Arianna had nursed her and dey had become friends.

She says dat Thursday, January 30, was another sad day in SVG; and Arianna must be remembered as one who came here to do nah-shun-allall service in our poor de-lap-he-dated Hell’t services. She fell in love wid country and ah man. De rest is her-story.

So ah joining Lie-Za and from de bottom of our hearts we want to say to our brothers and sisters of Cuba: “Havana we are Sorry, Lo Sentimos!

LADIES AND MEN TEK WARNING Lie-Za say she dreamt she saw her Spiritual Baptist deceased Grand-mother who told her, to Call-in John and tell him he is head of ah De-man-ache Force dat needs Prayers and weed cutter to get rid ah his NMEase.

We not getting any way in de fight against Crime, in particular Crime against Women, all Woe-men. We pointing our fingers “Hey-Dey and every Way” except inwards, towards ourselves. We are not doing e-nuff. We go to church every Sunday, we shout Amen foh everything de Preachers/Pastors say, dat’s because dey doh call-out de men in dey congregation who does beat dey wife and vice versa. Lie-Za got she finger on de spot. She say is time we become our Near-bar’s keeper again.

When yuh see and know foh certain dat yuh nearbar and he wife or she husband, or even his/ he partner, threatening to beat-up or kill each other, doh just peep thru de louvers to see way ah go on. Find ah way to get involved, forget about dis non-cents dat “When Husband and wife fighting, strangers is to keep out” and den quote scriptures “What God has joined together, let no man put assundah!”

Dat is de Police method.

And woe-men doh fraid to call foh help.

Children who witnessing violence in de home, doh fraid to tell somebody, tell Granny or Tanty, tell ah family member. And when ah woe-men report dey man to de Police, ley de Police take act-shun.

Never mind ah woe-man reported her case to de Police and she got shot dead! Dis is serious business. And wid dat is gone ah gone again, One Love Bassy!

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