And Still I Rise

When I was much younger the late musician Andy Palacio came to St Vincent as part of a Garifuna contingent establishing or reestablishing ties with the homeland. During that visit he was a frequent visitor to our home and due to his friendly,outgoing nature we all warmed to him.

I was paid special attention because he had a daughter whose name was Kami.When he went back to Belize I received a letter from my namesakea nd for a while we exchanged letters. He told us stories of Belize and the Garifuna history. We heard about the music called punta and felt slightly envious that the Carib/Garifuna community of St Vincent had lost the native language while it was alive in Belize.

News of his death reached me over the weekend and it triggered all those memories of yesteryear. Gone at 47 which seems too soon. Rock on Andy P

Apparently,St Vincent is third in the world for rapes. I would assume if it is true that it refers to rapes per capita but either way it's a very shocking state of affairs.

Am kinda lost for words and sick of the gruesome rapes reported in the newspapers. As a woman it makes me jittery and at times very concerned for my safety which means I find myself being super cautious. Who knew one day things would get this bad? Not me and it saddens me on so many different levels. We all have our work cut out to reverse this trend so that this violence against women won't continue unabated.

Meantime, the list of walking wounded continues to pile up.

While on the bus on Saturday the radio station was playing a tape by our very own late comedian Saluche. Note to self,must try and get a copy. Anyways, I thought this was pretty funny so am sharing

A man tattooed a hundred dollar bill on his love muscle. When asked what were his reasons he replied "there are three very good reasons"

Three reasons? asked his friend. What could those be?

Lemme tell you them said the man

1. Ah love to have cash in hand

2. Ah love to watch my money grow

and

3. If mih wife want to blow a hundred dollars,she doh have to go to town

And as Saluche woulda said..."Yuh have to clap for that"

So, Barbados has a new government following the January 15th elections. Most people I talk to can't seem to understand how such a thing happened. They point to Barbados's ranking on the HDI, the education system, the strength of the economy etc. That would lead one to believe that Arthur was doing a fabulous job.

So why then did the Bajan electorate sweep him out of office? I definitely don't have the answers but most long serving governments always have to face charges of corruption as well not being in tune with their constituents needs. Apparently, the Arthur govt had its fair share of accusations as well as a lot of complaints about the rising cost of living.

I am thinking that all the rankings on the HDI etc mean very little if persons on the ground are finding it increasingly hard to live comfortably. That is when you make your objections known in the most telling way you can. It's not going to be a piece cake for the new govt given the international climate but there is always the hope that new persons bring fresh ideas. Time will tell

Recently, I read Corentyne Thunder by Edgar Mittelholzer; an author that I like a lot. I think it was a little over a year ago that somebody pointed out to me that he had committed suicide. However, am reading the aforementioned book and one of the characters mentions that one day he would kill himself and the world will wonder why.

So now am wondering if the Geoffrey character was autobiographical and if Mittelholzer struggled for years with suicidal thoughts. Or,if it just turned out to be prophetic. I think my curious/morbid self needs to go do some research on the author's life. Maybe,I would get some answers/insights into the thought processes.

As my friend Dekkah said earlier to me tonight "These talented peeps just seem tortured". I think she is right

I am tired of wearing glasses. If am not falling asleep with them on(hazards of late night reading) am constantly misplacing them and have to be frantically searching the house.

Apart from those incidents there are times when you just want to go out without them. Over the holidays, in one my vain/blonde moments I decided I was going out minus them and ended up having the menu read to me. Needless to say I was the joke of the evening. Suddenly, contacts are looking more and more inviting if only I can get past the squeamishness of placing objects in my eyes.

Whenever am searching for my glasses I often wish there was some sort of sensor built in that could lessen my frustration. At least when the cell phone is misplaced you have an option to dial the number and most times you can track it down. Opticians,are you listening? Oh well, I can always attach string and make my own retro look. Somehow,I think not.

In Vincy we have a new friend and his name is Strike. When things not going right we can always count on him to make his presence felt. He is so feared that sometimes the mere thought of his appearance is enough to get results that benefit his friends.

Wednesday and Thursday, Strike and his teacher friends will be taking centre stage in protest over the newly concluded Reclassification exercise. From all reports persons being promoted will (in most cases) be getting a lesser salary than the incumbents. Given the economic situation it is no wonder many people are disgruntled with what the exercise has to offer. However, as usual it is the teachers and their vibrant union leading the way and speaking out even though other classes of Government workers have been affected.

Am not sure how this one will pan out but I do know whose corner am in.

Apparently, Movado will be banned from having a concert here on January 19th. With 36 homicides recorded last year it seems as if the last thing we need is a performer glorifying the gangsta life. Or so goes the the murmurings on the ground.

Personally, I find some of Movado's songs to be quite crass but there are others I tolerate or actually like. However, am not certain whether he is glorifying the gangster life or just singing about the reality of life for many. I guess am a tad confused given that I read where Movado was spearheading a project to get computers to every school in Jamaica.

Yesterday, my friend Bart and I had a little discussion about the role of music as a stimulant on impressionable minds. We both agreed though that music in and of itself cannot be seen as the cause of crime. That,in my opinion is just too simplistic and ignores the root cause of the spiralling crime situation.

Anyway, I am curious to know if the music will be banned from the airwaves as well. Somehow, I suspect not which makes the banning pretty pointless to me.

Goodbye 2007. Some of the events that stood out were:

36 murders on our little island. None more gruesome than a father shooting his daughters. Thankfully,one survived. Sadly, the majority of these murders are connected to the growing drug and or gun culture.

A Virginia Tech student goes on a rampage killing 32 persons on campus

Cricket World Cup came to the Caribbean


Asafa Powell lowered his 100 metres world record

Marion Jones retired in disgrace after admitting to steroid use


We were introduced to the VAT

Political parties in the Caribbean took camapaigning to new heights with the use of the internet(youtube and blogs in particular)


Pavarotti died

Benazir Bhutto assassinated


The final Harry Potter book released


Gas prices kept rising


LIAT fares kept gaining altitude


Not to be left out general cost of living followed suit.


The word prolactin became part of my vocabulary.


one November afternoon, the earth shook for what seemed like an eternity.

Feel free to add what stood out for you