Reflecting On The Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow

This is the weekend of a national holiday in Barbados. January 21 is the birthday of the national hero, the Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow (1920-1987). So, I'll reflect a little on his contribution to Barbados.

The Rt. Excellent Errol Barrow was the first Prime Minister of Barbados. He was the country's national leader at the time when Barbados successfully gained independence from Great Britain in 1967. 

The era of the 1960s saw the rise of remarkable national leaders throughout this region. They were known for their no-nonsense approach to matters of equality and imperialism. Here is a reported comment from his First Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposal presented in Parliament in 1962: 
  
"I think that we in the West Indies should not be afraid to speak our minds. I think that we in the West Indies should not be looking around for somebody to lead and work out our own political and economic philosophy and I do not think that it pays any West Indian politician to either look too rapidly in the direction of Europe or Asiatic countries for our basic philosophies of life.”     (Barbados Nation, 21 January, 2016)

Check this clip from the Errol Barrow Freedom Fighter (2016) trailer in which a frankly-speaking leader throws down the gauntlet on perceived capitalist exploitation.

                    Errol Barrow: Freedom Fighter Trailer (Credit: Dave Weekes, 2016)

However, much of the credit for this island's social engineering is attributed to his visions, although all political administrations have made a contribution to Barbados' socio-economic development over the last 51 years. This clip from the Barbados Government Information Service captures his contribution to this island state.

Barbados National Heroes Explored - The Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow - Episode 2 (Credit: thebgis, 2015)

Known for his outstanding oratorical skills, one of my fave excerpts is his speech given before the United Nations in December 1966 - the month after the first Independence Day was celebrated.

"We shall not involve ourselves in sterile ideological wranglings because we are exponents not of the diplomacy of power, but of the diplomacy of peace and prosperity. We will not regard any great power as necessarily right in a given dispute unless we are convinced of this, yet at the same time we will not view the great powers with perennial suspicion merely on account of their size, their wealth, or their nuclear potential. We will be friends of all, satellites of none.”        (Barbados Nation, 21 January, 2016)

One of the more charismatic of Barbados' national leaders, he has been honoured in song by more than one local artiste. This is one of my faves:  

                Errol Walton Barrow Tribute- Kid Site (Credit: Carson Howard, 2009)

Today, Barbados is at a crossroads - approaching national elections. What will be the vision of the next leadership of this island?

Saluting Soca Royalty

Well, it's 2018. For some the new year begins with trepidation. Who knows what it will hold? For others it's a time of anticipation...new possibilities, new adventures, new achievements. I'm usually rather blasé about it. Still to have reach the age I've reached, that's an achievement. So, this year, I'm going to use this blog to encourage, to inspire sometimes and certainly to showcase local talent. 

Thank you to everyone from the different parts of the world, who've been viewing these posts. I see viewers from the UK for the first time. My writing's not viral, but it's good to know someone sees these posts - and views more than one sometimes. 

Today, I'm going to highlight the work of three of Barbados' cultural ambassadors, so honoured for their body of work over the last 20-plus years and their contribution to national culture - albeit our Crop Over festival. I've highlighted their work before so I hope these are as enjoyable.

Our Soca Queen 

This young lady has been making music since her teenaged years, when she was one of the lead singers of a popular band on the local hotel and nightclub circuit, Square One. Then in the 1990s, they forayed into Crop Over as a group. In 1996, their Crop Over hit and that year's road march tune, "Ragamuffin" with Alison on lead vocals took Barbados and the region by storm. In 1998, Alison led on the song "Faluma", which was rendered in the language of the Saamaka tribe of Suriname. That was another huge hit across the Caribbean. Then in 2004, Alison left the band and pursued a solo career. Here she is with "Faluma" and the 1992 Caribbean Song Contest-winning duet with John King, "Hold You In A Song".

 

              Faluma/Makelele, Alison Hinds (Credit: alisonhinds, 2012) 

 Hold You In A Song, Alison Hinds and John King (Credit: Bajanbloom Bloom , 2010)

The Lyrical Master

Stedson "Red Plastic Bag"/"RPB" Wiltshire is a multiple winner of Barbados' national calypso competition, during the annual Crop Over Festival. He first won as a young man in 1982 with "Mr. Harding" and "Sugar Made Us Free". He continued to win the title several times over the next 30 years before moving on to the more recent Sweet Soca competition, which he has won as well. 

Here he is with the song that marked his move into ragga soca, "Ragga Ragga" - a social commentary on the then emerging dancehall movement's effect on party-goers of the day. It was the first song, by him, expressing sentiments with which I agreed 100%! 😀

          Ragga Ragga, Red Plastic Bag (Credit: Clayton Mann, 2012)

This one won road march (the most played song on the road for the parade of costumed bands, Grand Kadooment) in 1987! He strung together the name of almost, if not, all of the places in Barbados named Hall as he sang about the disappearance of a fugitive from justice, Winston Hall (now deceased).

Can't Find Me Brother, Stedson "Red Plastic Bag" Wiltshire (Credit: Scorpio Petey, 2008)

The Maestro

Dr, Anthony "Gabby" Carter is another multiple calypso monarch having won a title or two in each of the last 5 decades. His vocal orchestration is one of his unique features. Very few calypsonians subsequently have been able to replicate his vocal skills - no matter how fine a rendition they give . Here he is with the classic, "Jack", which won the road march title in 1982. Today, he still rocks the house with it when performed nationally - and every bajan can sing along word for word with great verve.

          Jack, Anthony "Gabby" Carter (Credit: Bajanbloom Bloom, 2012)

Today (January 7, 2018) tribute was paid to these three artistes as they were officially celebrated as Barbados' cultural ambassadors.

Here's to you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wishing my readers a most fulfilling 2018 with success in your careers and personal life. May this be a fabulous year for you in which you achieve the goals you set and you overcome any challenges you may face. 

It blesses my heart to see I have readers from places like Austria, Ukraine, France and Haiti. That's awesome. Je vous souhaite une Bonne Année mes amis.

The year-end is a time for reflection and review for some. So, just for my readers not living in Barbados, I'll share five of my fave local songs of the year (well, one is regional).

Crop Over is Barbados' annual summer festival featuring lots of fetes, music (soca, calypso etc.) competitions and ending with a parade of costumed bands that are judged for Best Band on the Road (in terms of creativity, representation of theme, colour, durability). For the young-at-heart, it's a great experience. My first 2 faves are taken from the 2017 festival.

First up is this sweet, melodious rendition by a talented, young man, Marvay, who has the antidote for those stressful days. Enjoy these scenes of life in Barbados in his lyric video...

             Marvay ~ Antidote (Credit: JulianspromosTV | 2018 Music 2017)

 Next up is the calypsonian dubbed the "Lyrical Master", Red Plastic Bag, one of Barbados' cultural ambassadors. He won the year's Sweet Soca Competition during Crop Over with this performance. Check here for the nicely recorded version in full effect. I think he wears white as well as he wears red. 😀

     Red Plastic Bag ~ Boat Ride (Credit: JulianspromosTV | 2018 Music 2017) 

Now to my favourite genre...

This was gibberish to me until I saw this lyric video, still I couldn't resist the melody and sang along with the hook-line every time I heard it from day 1. Carry on de beat boi!

               Blessed Messenger ~ Praises Tun Up (Credit: Nicholas R. 2017)

Of my personal three faves for the year, there's no video of Sherwin Gardner's "Trouble" other than a clip so I'm choosing another Trinidadian native, who now lives in Barbados and is married to a Bajan. Blessed Messenger, Sherwin and this lady, Sherry Ann Maughan, all hail from Trinidad and Tobago. 

               Sherry Ann Maughan ~ Shine (Credit: Sherry Ann Maughan 2017) 

The final song in my "countdown" of 2017 faves is this one by fellow Barbadian, Nicovia. Love it to bits and it's a toss-up between this and "Trouble" for my all time year's favourite. They were both in the top 2 of a couple of stations I listen to.

                                   Nicovia ~ Tek Ova (Nicovia 2017)

One love people...blessings...