#246toDeWorld

Greetings to my various readers - even you from the "Unknown Region" (which makes me wonder if my blog is being scrutinized by a  secret service 😲).

On another note, I am happy to see that people from Grenada, Belgium, Portugal and Ukraine have been on the page. I hope I can continue to inform, enlighten or entertain you with my musings. 

It is November! The month of this nation's independence from Great Britain (52 years ago).
                            

                                     Ambassador, Robin Rihanna Fenty

Given the interest in last November's postings on our Ambassadorial Queen of R&B, Her Excellency Robin Rihanna Fenty, and local music in general, I'll introduce you to some of Barbados' other musical exports - all with varying degrees of success in other nations. None with the degree of success of Rihanna, but all are brimful of talent.

SHONTELLE
I love Shontelle's sound. In the first few years after Rihanna began to make waves internationally, a few other Barbadian gems were "discovered". One such is Shontelle, who has had more chart success in the United Kingdom than in the USA. I had planned to feature her today, then I decided to share a few as they each have their own sound. While I prefer Shontelle's video for her debut single "T-Shirt", I like this song better. Ladies and gentlemen here is Shontelle's sultry vocals on "Impossible"...

                           Shontelle - "Impossible" (Credit: Shontelle Layne, 2010)

  

COVER DRIVE

Then there is Cover Drive, which lit up the UK music charts upon debut with their energy and sass in 2010. Their sound is rather more of a fusion of genres. This is "Sparks".

                             Cover Drive - Sparks (Credit: CoverDriveVEVO, 2012)
JAICKO 
This young man has singing in his blood. His dad, Philip Forrester played and sang in the popular local band in the 80s, Second Avenue - another of our wonderful local talents. Not recent work either, but it's the month for local music regardless of genre or age. This is Jaicko with "Oh Yeah", which as the song says, gets your head bobbing - I find it infectious. It's very youthful and exuberant!

                                      Jaicko - "Oh Yeah" (JaickoVEVO, 2009)

HAL LINTON

Now this young man is a great talent - he sings and plays both piano and guitar. His voice has a jazzy soulful feel. This one is just brilliant, but also dated. I've chosen to only link the video as it's not really PG13: Hal Linton and "Southern Hospitality".

                                       Barbadian musician, Hal Linton

MALISSA ALANNA

And if you thought Barbadian artistes only sing soul, R&B, rap, soca/kaiso, this young lady sings country music. Malissa Alanna, as a teenager, got the chance to go to Nashville to have music produced. Like  the others, she is another example of the variety of musical talent in Barbados - and like Hal, she plays the guitar. This clip from a local production company, Balcony TV, gives some insight into her sound and her musical influences.

                Malissa Alanna - "I'm Your One Regret" (Credit: BalconyTV, 2014)

For decades Barbadian artistes have been blazing their own musical trail. During this month when all things Bajan are celebrated nationally, look for more of our outstanding talent - 2 Mile Hill, Philip 7 and Ayanna John and perhaps clips of local productions.

'Til next time...

Wind Beneath Their Wings

As I pondered the subject for this entry and having once promised to highlight people with an interesting story to tell, I found a delightful feature by Barbados' Government Information Service (GIS) on one of our recent centenarians. Yes, this lady blew up social media with photos of her as she celebrated 100 years of life a few weeks ago.      

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to Mrs. Avis Carrington, a beloved educator in my country, Barbados. 

                                               Retired Educator, Mrs. Avis Carrington 

The feature is in two parts so I will only provide the links to the documentary and cricket fans may want to see this as the internationally-renowned Barbadian and West Indies cricketer, Sir Wes Hall, also remembers her as his teacher when he was at a public primary school. Below is the BGIS trailer. (Now the opening theme music may seem a bit tinny, but bear with it and if you did not click the link for the feature before, most likely you will after seeing the clip).

                                 We Bajans Avis Carrington Trailer Credit: thebgis [August 2018]

In the second part Barbados' first female Prime Minister, the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, speaks of her in a very down-to-earth manner. Actually, I know someone who taught briefly at the school in the very early stages and she recalls Madam Prime Minister, at age 7 or so, correcting some error she made at the chalkboard.  I can only imagine it. One of my friends is an alum of the school founded by Mrs. Carrington, Merrivale Preparatory School, which finally closed its doors 10 years ago, when Mrs. Carrington retired at the great age of 90.

Her older sister, Ms. Constance Inniss is another centenarian. She was a principal of my alma mater, known as St. Michael Girls' School at that time, which Avis attended when she was young. Boys were admitted in my first year there when it became The St. Michael School, Nisi Auxilio Dei Nihil! Ms. Inniss is immortalised on a commemorative set of stamps produced by the Barbados Postal Service in celebration of Barbados' centenarians. She is 103 years old now and is alive, as I write this.

                             Retired Educator, Ms. Constance Inniss featured on a commemorative stamp issue

So here's to all educators. May you leave with your charges the kind of legacy that these wonderful women left with theirs. Here's the classic Bette Midler "Wind Beneath My Wings", just for you. May your students be able to say the same of you. 

            Bette Midler - Wind Beneath My Wings (Official Music Video): Credit: Rhino [September 2014]

Tell It Like It is

Greetings to readers from Bangladesh, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India and the Seychelles. It's been a while since my last entry but it is great to see a reader from a new country - or someone who is travelling from country to country. 😎

It really shows this world is a global village.

There was so much happening over the past month. I pondered what I would write about next. The contrasting responses to men accused of sexual misconduct - Bill Cosby at age 81 and blind is being painted as a sexual predator and sentenced to prison while the Supreme Court nominee is being backed at the highest level in the land. Then there are the Stormy Daniels revelations.   

No offence to male readers, but some of you guys know of the tricks some used to have their way with a female "conquest" - plied her with alcohol, drugged a drink, convinced her "no" is really "yes". It happens. Young men (and these days girls) are not thinking of being role models in 20 years. They are not thinking of being a household name one day. They are not thinking of being a national leader. They are not thinking about being a Supreme Court nominee. They are looking for instant gratification.

Then there are the national disasters - Hurricane Florence's flooding, the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia and here in Barbados Tropical Storm Kirk's flooding. September always seems to be an eventful month. It is also the month when 9-11 is remembered. 

So what could I feature in September? 

Then I saw our Prime Minister, the Honourable Mia Mottley, give her maiden address to the United Nations - and I had my answer. A woman of substance who says what needs to be said. A woman of substance who will represent the interest of the small island developing states. A change maker - or at least someone who will try.

Here she is ladies and gentlemen...the Prime Minister of Barbados speaking at the United Nations on Friday, September 28, 2018:

Barbados - Prime Minister Addresses General Debate, 73rd Session [Credit: United Nations, September 2018]

The speech was compact, to the point. No need to say more. And she left to return to Barbados to see the damage for herself after no doubt seeing images of flooding like these on social media before giving her speech.

                                                         This police car sits in flood waters.

                                                        Another flooded street

Some people actually thought the worst was past when night fell on Thursday. Then Tropical Storm Kirk dumped 12-hours of continuous rain on Barbados. It did not take long for some of the flood-prone areas to flood and nearly a dozen persons were rescued during the weather system. While no lives were reportedly lost, there would be hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of property damage. The Prime Minister has already toured the most affected areas. Luckily, two days of sunshine have caused the flood waters to recede. 

We are thankful that it was not worse, that Kirk was only a Tropical Storm. As the Prime Minister said to the UN, GDP cannot be the only measure for a nation's positioning on the development index and therefore access to development funding. All small islands are susceptible to natural disasters and it is time the most developed nations took their responsibilities for preserving the environment seriously. It is not fake news.

Until next time.

#CricketPlayedLouder

Summer time in the Caribbean is also the season for the Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament. Anyone interested can visit the link for videos of interviews and match highlights. 

As my international readers may not know what cricket is about, in this version of the game there are 20 overs (6 balls make an over) and the objective is to score the most runs. The bowler bowls at a batsman. There are two at each end of the pitch (the grassless square where the ball is bowled). The batsman has to hit the ball far enough and run to the other end of the pitch while the other batsman runs to his opposite end. That's one run. If they do it twice, it is 2 runs. Now, the rest of the field (around the square) has grass and is encircled by a rope. Any balls going to the rope is 4 runs and the batsmen do not have to move. If the batsman hits the ball over the boundary, it is 6 runs. He does not have to move. 

Now the object of the  bowler is to get the batsman out. He has to hit the stumps (called wickets)  or cause someone in the field to catch the ball after the batsman hits it. It cannot touch the ground. It must be a straight catch. There is also another way for a batsman to get out, called "lbw", which is best explained by a cricket officianado.

This year, there have been some tremendous scores and wonderful performances. I will share a couple with you, beginning with the highlights of the Barbados Tridents first match - and they won against the Guyana Amazon Warriors. Two young cricketers shone like diamonds in the match. Raymon Reifer (a bowler) got a five-wicket haul and Shai Hope scored 88 runs. I just love the graphics!

              Barbados Tridents' Raymon Reifer grabs five wickets in the team's first win in the Hero CPL 2018

. 

Another really brilliant youngster is Guyana Warriors' Shimron Hetmyer who blazed a century (100 runs) in a match against the Jamaica Tallawahs (JTs). 

                                 Young Shimron Hetmyer celebrates during one of the Hero CPL 2018 matches

The "old Guard" Kieron Pollard of the St. Lucia Stars and Andre Russell, captain of the JTs were also scoring 100 runs this season. 

So guys enjoy your moment in time for another year.

Whitney Houston - One Moment In Time (Official Live Video)

(Credit: WhitneyHoustonHD)

    Here's to #CricketPlayedLouder!            

The Crop's Over for 2018

It's hot! Hot! Hot in Barbados today. The temperature rose to 30.9 Celsius. Nothing compared to some parts of Europe, I understand. Speaking of Europe, a sunny Bajan hello to my reader/s from the Netherlands, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, Portugal, France, Peru and of course my Barbadian family.

Today, August 6, 2018, is Kadooment Day in Barbados. Costumed bands paraded in beads, rhinestones, feathers to the rhythms of the season's popular party songs. Kadooment is a culmination of a month of fetes, calypso competitions and many other activities. Check the promotional video of the National Cultural Foundation - the organisation tasked with producing the annual event. 

                   
                                      Crop Over 2018 Calendar - NCF (2018)

Lil Rick continued to have a great season, going on to win the Sweet Soca Monarch title with "Breakfast In Bed", while Mikey won the Party Monarch title with "My Kinda Party". Rick also had the three (3) most frequently played songs for the Foreday Morning Jam in the wee hours of Saturday morning. 

                                     Mikey, My Kinda Party - Mikey Mercer (2018)

Only the day before, Mikey's "Feting Family" beat out Lil Rick's "True Story" for the People's Monarch, a fan voting competition organised by Starcom, one of the local radio networks. Both songs were frequently played for the first stage of the judging for Kadooment at the National Stadium.          

In parting, here is a touch of Kadooment colour and movement, with cultural ambassador and Barbados' soca queen, Allison Hinds, looking splendid in her 2018 costume. 

 

                                                    Barbados Today, August 6, 2018

As the dust settles after another Crop Over season, the song writers, fete promoters and the National Cultural Foundation's personnel  will be working on what they will do for next year; while the feting family will settle down to their regular lives for another year and break loose once again next August. 

Until next time...

Summer In Barbados Is Party Time!

A warm hello from sunny Barbados to my many readers from around the world. My posts have been sporadic of late. Life happens. 

'Tis the season for feting can't done - well for younger people. At my age and stage of life, I might injure myself! 😄 Summer in Barbados means party-time, Crop Over, or the Sweetest Summer Festival, as the National Cultural Foundation dubs it. 

ncf.bb photo promoting the annual Crop Over Festival

So I am dedicating this entry to this island's biggest party, Crop Over. The season features calypso competitions, parties and costumed revellery - culminating with Grand Kadooment on August 6, 2018, which is a parade of costumed bands. If you do not believe me, you can read the West Jet Magazine article on Barbados' premier festival.

July 6, 2018, was the first officially judged event - the International Bashment Soca Competition, won by the inimitable Lil Rick. An entertainer dominating the party scene for nearly 30 years, the older man proved that even in this newer genre he can emerge champion over the youngsters.

LIL RICK: 2018 International Bashment Soca Winner

It is not my fave genre; still the song is catchy and you can check his winning performance followed by a nice interview by him in the link above.  Caution: Twerking warning at the beginning of the video!! My style of music is more staid, so Marvay is again singing one that I do not mind listening to this season. I appreciate the lyrics for the season it is. A very sweet-voiced youngster he is.

Marvay ~ At Large “2018 Soca” (Barbados) [Red Boyz] {Credit: JulianspromosTV| 2018 Music}

Of course, the lyrical master and cultural ambassador Red Plastic Bag (RPB), has what I consider the sweetest calypso of the season, I Am Alive. It's inspirational so it's not likely to be very popular this season, except among the mature crowd.  So, I love it. 💕💕 

Red Plastic Bag “RPB” ~ I’m Alive (Crop Over 2018) [Credit: Alwyn Kirk (June 2018)]

Although RPB is the reigning Sweet Soca Monarch, he has opted not to defend the title and has withdrawn from competing, having won Road March and Sweet Soca titles more than once and the Calypso Crown multiple times from the 1980's through to the first decade of this century. 

Other inspirational work by younger artistes are: "Superstar" by Sir Ruel, a former Junior Calypso Monarch and finalist in the Pic-O-De-Crop (the social commentary calypso competition) and Donella. 

N.B. As the only clip of "Superstar" is on Sir Ruel's Facebook page, the link will only be accessed by persons with a Facebook account. 

As for Donella, one of the best female voices for rendering calypso. Check her audio for this year:

Donella ~ Pray for de Children [Credit: Mr. Richard Antonio (May 2018)]

And on that note, I wish Bajans everywhere, A Happy Crop Over!! 🎊🎊 

A Political Tsunami

Well, it seems that I have too many European readers, I've had to provide a Cookies Policy for this blog. Still, thanks for reading. I really appreciate your interest in my thoughts.

At the end of my Freedom Fighters entry in May, I wrote that "Barbadians will suffer in silence a long time, when we take action, it is well taken." Little did I know how well taken the action would be. On May 24, 2018, the island had its national elections. There were only three weeks of activity, but it was intense. 

When the ballots were counted, history was made in Barbados. The island was swept by a political tsunami. The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) emerged victorious winning all 30 seats. For the first time ever since Independence in 1967, there was no opposition party to take a seat in Parliament. Also, for the first time, a female Prime Minister, the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley (large and in charge in the red dress) took the oath of office to lead the country for the next five (5) years.

Throughout the season, massive crowds followed the national meetings of the BLP. They were bouyed by campaign songs by the island's most popular entertainers, such as Lil Rick, the Mighty Gabby, Adrian Clarke and Edwin Yearwood. Indeed there is a delightful picong promoting one of the BLP candidates for fans of the genre by two of the region's finest exponents of the art form - Gabby himself and Gypsy of Trinidad. 

                               Enuf Uh Dem! Lil Rick (BLP News, February 2018)

Known for her intellectual prowess, ability to ad lib on a wide range of topics and accessibility to the media (the latter characteristic which tended to be lacking in her predecessor, to the chagrin of a large segment of the population), she has engaged with the public via the media almost daily since being sworn into office on May 25, 2018.

However, she has inherited the worst economic situation in the island's history. As she mentioned during the campaign she would call on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a last resort. Following an analysis of the state of the country's economy, the last resort was sought and an IMF team will be in the island from June 5, 2018. Keeping true to her campaign pledges, she met twice in the first week with the social partnership [a combination of government, business and labour (unions)]. Following the final meeting, she presented a united front with representatives of these sectors in the background as she addressed the nation to inform them of the state of Barbados' economy. 

                             

                        Prime Minister the Honourable Mia Mottley Press Briefing 
                        (Meeting of the Social Partners) - BLP News, June 2018)

The matter of an Opposition Leader has since been settled as the BLP member for St. Michael West, Bishop Joseph Atherley, decided to cross the floor and take up the role of Opposition Leader - to much condemnation by the masses of Bajans who did not understand that his move averts a constitutional crisis.

                                Leader of the Opposition, Bishop Joseph Atherley

One thing is certain, there was not a dull moment in Barbados over the last four weeks - first with the campaign action, then the public swearing in of the new cabinet, the Prime Minister's revelations about the state of Barbados' economy which really should have overshadowed the rants over the reduction of the Government by one member. This week the action continues with the opening of Parliament and the arrival of the IMF team. Then it will be the Crop Over season - and these past weeks' happenings are more than enough fodder for social commentary calypsos this season.

🍷 So here's to Barbados' newest Prime Minister, the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley Q.C. M.P. May God grant her and her finance/economics team the wisdom to steer Barbados' economy back to safer waters.