Cleanse de spiritual garbage

“Oh how exciting…all de roadside dey cleaning; De real cleaning dey would not do….De Garbage in dey head needs cleaning too.” Powerful lyrics from ah Calypso, “Clean up the Environment” sung by de late Hezekiah “Jessie” Culzac, a former Calypsonian also former male vocalist in El Grupo Amistad (no long functioning), Jessie who passed away quietly on Independence Day this year, was ah foundation member of El Grupo Amistad dat started in 1986 at de Venezuelan Institute of Culture.

De Group sang both English and Venezuelan Folk Songs and it was in de Spanish Folk dat Jessie, along wid his singing twin Marco Francois also deceased, made ah name foh dem-selves. El Grupo Amistad’s introduction of Spanish Folk Music to SVG was timely, unique and well received by audiences. And Jessie got many encores rendering Spanish Folk songs like: “Mi Mama no Quiere” and “La Bamba“. As ah Calypsonian he came close to winning de annual Independence title in 1980 wid his song “Garbage in dey Head.” But dis Lickle Man wid his crisp and clear tenor voice would have made ah great contribution to Culture in SVG in de field of Calypso and Spanish Folk, is some-way up in Heaven rehearsing in ah
Gospel Choir… May he rest peacefully…

IN DE NAME OF JESUS CHASE DE DEVIL OUT

But Jessie’s “Garbage in de head” goes way beyond “waste material discarded by us, humans.” He’s referring to ah Demonic Garbage dat breathes Hatred, Envy, Spite, Victim-I-say-shun, Crime, Homicide which by any other name is still Murder. Yes, dis year we are 49 going 50 in de Murder count in SVG. Is like T 20 cricket, we seeing how fast we could mek ah 50 and set ah record. But statistics or not, Homicide or wilful murder is our Garbage and our responsibility to Cleanse.

Doh blame de Police whenever dey’s ah Murder hey in SVG, Dis is Demonic, people upstairs doing Wickedness in High Paces. And Lie-Za who is blessed wwid Spiritual Discernment, speaks constantly about ah Spiritual War-fear in SVG, and lays blame on those of us who call we-self Christians, from de leadership at de Pulpit, to de humble soul who sits at de back. We have laid down, surrendered our weapons in dis Spiritual Bombardment.

My Girl says de only weapon dat can destroy de Devil and Sin is Jesus Christ, de same Jesus who walked past two Demon-possessed men near ah “Cemetery”(hmm) in Galilee When de Demons felt de crushing Power of de Holy Spirit in Jesus, dey bawl foh murder and beg Jesus to release dem, if even it means taking residence in ah herd ah pigs nearby. And so she is appealing to de membership of our close-to 200 House of Worship in SVG, be it Spiritual Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist, Pentecostal, member churches of de Christian Council et al, to re-Arm our-selves wid Bible and de Holy Spirit; visit every community thru-out SVG. She says Satan already has ah Roster, ah Time Table and ah Road Map wid every district he plans to launch his attack. When his demons visit let dem meet Saints of God in full worship, shouting: “ In de name of Jesus Chase de Devil out!”

Ah doh know how to phrase dis one, but Lie-Za ask dat ah tell dem Church Leaders dat de Pulpit in Church or Rallies is sacred grounds and only Born Again Believers should be allowed to sit, read, pray or address de crowd in Jesus name, Demons laugh at us when dey see dem on stage.

And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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