And Still I Rise

Tuesday October 27th will mark thirty years of Independence. This year's independence celebrations will see the culmination of The Vincy Homecoming activities. This excerpt from the Vincy Homecoming site explains the rationale . Over the years, we have had a voluntary migration of Vincentians to other lands in search of opportunities to uplift themselves and their families. They have contributed tremendously over the years to our economy in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and so we are extending an invitation to all Vincentians, wherever we reside in this universe, to journey to St. Vincent and the Grenadines during 2009 as we reflect on who we are and to celebrate our achievements.

Vincy Homecoming 2009 presents an opportunity for all Vincentians to rediscover St. Vincent and the Grenadines as we are placing a premium on showcasing our various communities. Thus far this independence month has seen the following

Vincy Homecoming Conferences which took place from 21st to 22nd Oct
23rd October Miss Heritage hosted by the Girls' High School
24th International Music Night
25th Nostalgia( featuring acts who have reunited for this moment)
26th Musical Xtravangaza featuring strictly Vincentian acts

Happy Independence SVG. We still have far to go but I live in hope that the generations to come will get it right.

Lately, my blog has been a bit glum but today I'll attend a funeral for a slain classmate. We sat together at the Kingstown Anglican School and like all children we dreamed big dreams that would take us to the top of the world. Never did we imagine that death would visit one of us at the tender age of thirty.

In 1991, we parted ways when I went to the Girls High School and he to St Martin's Secondary but still the friendship remained. It took a log in to Facebook to realise that Cuthbert May was the man shot in a bar whilst playing his favorite game of dominoes. I don't know why he was shot and I'm not going to speculate. The tragedy is a young vibrant man was brutally taken from us and increasingly there is scant respect for the sanctity of life.

As I write I am thinking of how our lives become interwoven with the persons we meet on our journey. While we were not best buddies in our adult lives the news of his death has made me nostalgic for a time when life was simpler. I remember Kingstown Anglican School when the most important thing was passing tests, playing games in the school yard and trying hard not to offend Mrs Ackie and Mr Kirby. I remember crying my eyes out because I had to kiss Olson on his birthday and how some the boys teased us mercilessly. Not Cutty though, he was always cool; to me at least. I remember how excited we all were when we passed Common Entrance but sad to be separated from each other. On another level it forces me to look at my own mortality when someone my age passes. It just doesn't feel right.

My heart goes out to his girlfriend a fellow Kingstown Anglican and GHS classmate, and the people who knew and loved him. I will have this abiding image of him with his glass of red wine and playing the game he loved dearly. Blessings Cutty, so sorry you had to go this way and I hope somewhere there is a safe game of dominoes waiting for you.

I keep expecting to see the party shirts because we have already had the rallies or gatherings of the faithful. Silly season has come a little earlier and persons are bleeding yellow and red. These days it is so hard to find a Vincentian as people prefer to identify themselves as NDP or ULP. All of this as come November 25th it is referendum day on our proposed constitution.

On a basic level I like the idea of a constitution created by Vincentians but I also wish I could make the time to read more of it. As it is I am anti queen so the removal of the Queen and her representative as head of state sits well with me. As a side note I've posted here already that national awards should have long replaced MBE's, OBE's and all other E'S. I don't really follow the death penalty argument because as far as I know hanging is very much on the books but the drawn out appeals probably allows for these death sentences to be reduced to life imprisonment. That aside I am in favor of the CCJ as it is high time for Caribbean people to legislate for ourselves. I am not in favor of the increasing the constituencies. Why does a 2x4 place with about 105 or 110 thousand citizens need more constituencies?

I fear though that the whole exercise would turn out to be one waste of funds.The preparation of this final document did not happen overnight and there must have been significant costs attached to its creation. Getting 66% is going to be a very tall order and more than likely would not be achieved. It would be a brave government to resurrect the constitution debate if this one dies at the polls so effectively I think we would stuck with the old one. This makes me wonder if there was the need for a Vote no and a vote yes campaign. Is it naive of me to think that educating people about the proposed constitution without all the drama was the way to go? By that I mean use the airwaves, the town halls but steer away from telling us how to vote. Then again what do I know?

I didn't know Agasssi Fraser but I know with the discovery of his body a household in Green Hill will never be the same again. Apparently, the 18 year old Community College student went missing on Thursday and at some point his kidnapper/s demanded ransom. I am in shock that kidnapping has come to our shores. Kidnapping is what I associated with Trinidad and Tobago, not St Vincent and the Grenadines. In my naivety I reasoned the country is too small, everybody knows everybody hence the ridiculousness of carrying out kidnappings. Now, my theories have been thrown on their head because kidnapping is here and most likely will have an extended stay.

I hate to say this but lately I have problems with fellow Vincentians referring to this country as "Home of the Blessed". Yes we are blessed with natural beauty and fertile soil but we are not acting like blessed people when raping, killing and maiming one another seems as easy as breathing. Couple weeks ago the list of murder cases for the Criminal assizes gave me the shivers. No doubt the assizes would have had its share of woundings and sexual crimes as well. Where are we going?

Something has got to give. I don't know about others but at times I feel so uneasy here. So many people seem to be so tightly wound that you avoid bumping into them for fear of being on the receiving end of their frustrations. As a woman, given the prevalence of rape I find myself worrying about my safety a little too often for my liking. Strangers in the neighbourhood give me cause to pause and I feel uneasy when men give me more than the passing glance. Ever so often the unthinkable-leaving St Vincent comes to my mind all because at times I feel as if I'm walking on a tightrope. My heart goes out to the Fraser family whose grief was so hard to watch. I have no quick fix remedy to offer but I trust with time healing will begin. As for my beloved St Vincent I am just not that optimistic.

In case you didn't know Farmville is one of the biggest games on Facebook. Every man jack seems to have been infected by the fever including yours truly. So far, I've not set up my own farm but have been busy reaping and helping to maintain my friends farms. Apart from being highly addictive my friends and I acknowledge that there are some life lessons to be learnt from the game.

Lessons like the value of team work as farmers are expected to help their neighbours by sending gifts and helping in the general upkeep. Neighbours in turn reciprocate. It also teaches commitment since you must invest time ensuring that crops come to fruition.The old adage what you sow you reap comes to mind. It also shows that a little healthy competition is not all bad as it inspires you to work harder. After all there are many farming ribbons to be earned. Lest I forget, Farmville forces you to save coins and dollars if you want to jazz up your farm with vehicles, barns, cottages and the like. Oh yeah, Rome wasn't built in a day.

However, the irony of the Farmville craze is that despite the exuberance we show for our virtual farms not one of us has a kitchen garden. This despite our constant moaning over the cost of vegetables. Earlier today, I mentally chose some spots in the backyard where a garden could be started but procrastination will be the death of my ideas. It's beginning to look like I will be a farmer with spotless hands.