Who Says Life Is Easy?

A sunny welcome to the reader from Japan, Cambodia (who I think is a regular who is travelling 😉), Belgium and Ireland. 

I did not post in January so best wishes for every success in 2019 to all my readers. 

As I pondered the subject for this blog, I thought of highlighting the wonderful achievement of the West Indies cricket team, which beat England in two successive games to win the series and the Wisden Trophy. I thought of featuring my fave gospel songs nominated for the Grammy Awards on February 10, 2018. Then, I heard a caller on a local call-in programme reveal that a guy is so despondent over not finding a job, that he said it is better to kill or rob others to get by. 

A torrent of criticism followed and one well-known social activist called to give her testimony admitting to being poor and working at various jobs at different times in her young life before establishing herself in a career.  The clip is 45 minutes and this discussion occurred in the last 10 minutes or so, which means you will hear a good deal about Barbados - our imperfect society and all. It is real people speaking their mind so this is as real as it gets in this island.

That excerpt will be the focus of this blog for my generation raised this "entitled" generation that wants opportunity to drop in their lap - or so it seems.

Just like the social activist who was saddened by the other caller's revelation, I was flabbergasted that this is how our young men are thinking - moreover there was a spike in violent crime in Barbados in the month of January. It was very unreal.   

I will be sharing this entry with my teacher contacts because everyone, not born into privilege, has to work hard to be successful and the generations after us need to know this. The problem is that our young people see others who have achieved and believe they were always there. Look at the cast of Black Panther, comprising stellar African-American talent, yet as actors they have been told over the years there are no parts for them. Thanks to TNT for posting this clip for posterity.

Black Panther: Award Acceptance Speech | 25th Annual SAG Awards | TNT [Source: TNT 2019]

Look at former first lady, Michelle Obama, who does not hesitate to share her experience especially with young people. Imagine, she was told by a school counsellor that her expectation to get into Princeton may be too high. Imagine her outspokeness early in her husband's campaign for the 2008 Presidency earned her the label "angry, Black woman". Click on the link to hear what she said at a college registration programme in 2018.

Becoming - the memoir by Michelle Obama

We have disappointed our children. We have not raised them to focus on character - but on possessions. We have not raised them to value determination - but position. We have raised them for with a quick-fix mentality rather than to take the time to get a task done right. We need to do better to not lose our grand-children's generation in the same way.

As it is Black History Month in Barbadian schools, I'm sharing this clip on the baseball great, the late Jackie Robinson...

                                  

                                       Jackie Robinson: This I Believe [Source: knickerbockervillage, 2013]

The fact is, life is not easy. Sometimes it is not even fair, but we owe it to ourselves to be the best we can be and to do our best and to influence others to be and do the same. It is time to heal our children - and the world.

Michael Jackson, "Heal The World" (Official Video) [Source: Micheal Jackson, 2009] 

Happy Chinese New Year and Happy Valentine's Day. 

  

Merry Christmas Wishes

Tis the night before Christmas and all through Bimshire (another nickname for Barbados), people are "pulling down" their houses after a weekend of painting, cleaning windows and scrubbing floors. Hedges and lawns have been cut. Driveways power-washed. It is a Bajan tradition. By Christmas morning, new curtains will be up, new table-cloths and table-runners will be adorning tables. Children's eyes will be sparkling with glee at the thought of the presents under the tree. 

In Barbados there is no snow, so it's the music and the traditions that proclaim Christmas is in the air. 

After attending the 5:00 a.m. services at various churches across the island, people will go to Queen's Park to hear the Royal Barbados Police Force Band serenade them. Dressed in their Christmas finery, it is largely a national fashion parade.

Here is a clip of this well-known, internationally-acclaimed band playing in the park one Christmas morning.

         Christmas in the Park: The Royal Barbados Police Force Band [Sou: michigancoppins, 2015]

As a girl, it was these songs on the radio that heralded Christmas for me - and I still enjoy them.  

                             Christmas Feeling - The Merrymen of Barbados [Edward Spencer 2013]

                             "The Things of Christmas" - The Draytons Two [Credit: bajanmusicfan 2010]

                                      A Bajan Carol, The Cecilian Singers [Credit: Bajan Music Fan 2013]

Now, just for my new reader from Colombia, this is a parang song by a Barbadian who made her home in Trinidad, Singing Francine. Apparently it is still heard on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, during this season!

                                "Hurray Hurrah" - Singing Francine [Credit: Edward Spencer, 2012]

This one is a contemporary TrinBajan connection - two young gospel singers Joshua Ali of Trinidad and Jai Simone of Barbados, who collaborated on the traditional hymn, "O Holy Night" and what a rendition it is!

"O Holy Night" - Joshua Ali featuring Jai Simone [Joshua Ali 2018]

Local radio stations have been creating nostalgia with some oldie Christmas Barbadian songs - and the thing about Christmas songs is that no matter how many years pass, many of them still sound as fresh as when they were released that first Christmas season, well for those of us who love the Christmas season. For those who don't, they are just cheesey.  

As someone who enjoys cheese, take these two for the road. One is by the recently departed, Sir Don, and is a great promotion for our world-class rum industry; the other is by Nathalee Burke, who was featured for my Independence Day entry.

                                                 Drunk for Xmas, Sir Don [Credit: bwe music, 2015]

                                       Caroling, Caroling – Nathalee Burke [Bajanbloom Bloom 20101]

On that note I say as Clement Clarke Moore's Santa Claus chuckled in 'A Visit From St. Nicholas': "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night". Ho! Ho! Ho!

It's Barbados I Come From

Greetings to my readers, especially the one from Suriname - or maybe it's a regular reader who happens to be in Suriname. Grateful as usual to all of my readers - including those from an "Unknown Region", which I find really fascinating, but no more on that. Continue to enjoy my attempts to showcase what I can of Barbados. 

On November 30th, Barbados celebrates Independence Day, annually. This year, it's the 52nd anniversary. Beginning with my Buzzing Around blog of 2016 and continuing with last year's Keeping Buzzy, I highlight our nationalistic songs in celebration of the day.   So in keeping with the national mood, here are more of our nationalistic songs.

This one is a collaboration for the 50th Anniversary of Independence and it features many of the artistes I have featured before such as Mahalia of 2 Mile Hill and Philip 7 (looking like he has not aged a day since the "Sweet Surprise" video); cultural ambassadors - Soca Queen, Alison Hinds, Lyrical Master, Red Plastic Bag and the Maestro Gabby - among so many others. 

Barbados 50th Anniversary of Independence Song: Our Home Barbados (Legends to Legacy) - OFFICIAL [Source: Barbados 50th Anniversary, 2016]

"Barbados Ah Come From" is a traditional fave of the season, made popular some decades ago by the folk group, Sing Out Barbados. Now sung in schools during their Independence concerts. Thanks to bajanmsicfan for saving it online for posterity as there were no digital versions of this song back in the day. 

                           

                               Sing Out Barbados -  Barbados Ah Come From [Source: bajanmusicfan 2011]

November is the month for Bajan delicacies. One such is conkies, usually served wrapped in banana leaves.

                                                                  Conkies

If you enjoy cooking, here is a recipe for it:

                                             VisitBarbados – How To Make Conkie [Source: Visit Barbados, 2018]

The national colours of ultramarine (blue), gold (yellow) and black are a popular choice in November. Children wear t-shirts in these colours with jeans on the last school-day before Independence. Adults are encouraged to wear polo-shirts in the colours with suitable skirts/pants to work on Fridays during the month. Some people even colour co-ordinate their regular wardrobe in the colours throughout the month. Many women wear brooches in the colours and for local craftswomen, it is a good opportunity to earn extra cash by selling their handiwork. 

Speaking of colours, a couple of popular Crop Over renditions mention the national colours. One such is Peter Ram's The Pledge.

                                                             Peter Ram

Another is Nahtalee and Shontelle (the same Shontelle featured in #246toDeWorld) who collaborated, and won the Tune of the Crop in 2005. Here a group of fitness enthusiasts, perform a wukup workout (not describing it as the workout speaks for itself) to Colours in tribute to Independence. Note there is hardly a beer-belly among them. I'm told it's a great workout but I have 2 left feet and very little rhythm. Give me weights and machines any day. However, they look like they are having the time of their lives.

                           Happy Independence Barbados from Wukup Workout [Wukupworkout, 2012]

On that note, Barbadians everywhere wear your colours, make your pledge, internalise our motto and have a very Happy Independence Day 2018! 

From Right Here So

As promised, homegrown musical artistes are featured today. As these songs would not be familiar to non-Barbadians, I invite you to enjoy... 

During the Crop Over season, the focus is on soca, calypso and more recently bashment rhythms. However, it is not just our international musical exports who sing in mainstream genres. These are a few of the home-grown fusion specialists: 2 Mile Hill with a contemporary urban-pop sound; Philip 7's pop, rock/alternative sound; and of course, Pastor John Yarde's unique approach to gospel renditions. Here they are...

2 Mile Hill
This 5-member band changed their name from Nexcyx (pronounced Nex' Six) to 2 Mile Hill. They founded the local musical showcase Mahalia's Corner (Mahalia being the lead vocalist). To their credit, they have performed with international and regional artistes and have ventured as far as France and as near as the USA for performances. This is one of my faves by the group. 

                                        2 Mile Hill - It’s Over (Source: 2 Mile Hill, 2016)
Philip 7
Another hot local vocalist is Philip Scantlebury (known as Philip 7) who was the lead singer with the group Masala, and he plays guitar. When this rendition hit the airwaves, I was convinced it was a North American singer. Then I realised he was from 'right 'bout here'. "Beautiful Surprise" is an oldie but a goodie.

                                  Philip 7 - Beautiful Surprise (FierceMusic DerekBrin, 2007)

Philip 7 is also a featured vocalist on my fave Banks beer (the Beer of Barbados) commercial, usually featured during the month of Independence celebrations (November). Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Banks Beer Anthem...

                                            The Banks Beer Anthem (Banks Beer, 2011)

John Yarde

I need no excuse to feature the work of Pastor John Yarde. His latest release, "Friends and Family" is an appreciation to everyone for their support. I had to hear it a few times before it grew on me, I must confess. Still, I dedicate it to all of you, my readers - in particular my repeat readers. I am thankful for everyone who takes the time to read my posts.

                                 John Yarde - Friends & Family Lyric Video (John Yarde, 2018)

'Til next time...

On the Lighter Side – Comedy the Bajan Way

I celebrated my 1,500th page read earlier this month. 🎆Thank you for the support. Shout out to a reader/readers from Anguilla, the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates and Belgium. Hope you will visit often.

In my last post, I promised the possibility of Bajan-made movies. There are so many but the vernacular is mostly used and for non-Barbadians, there is no translation so it may get lost. Still, I found a few comic clips that seem suitable to share. I hope you enjoy.

First up is the late Alfred Pragnell, a local actor and first-rate story teller. In this clip he begins with a couple of jokes and ends with a poetical piece by an esteemed Barbadian writer, the late Jeanette Layne-Clarke. 

                 Alfred Pragnell – Some Bajan Jokes – Keeping Bajan Time [Source: Bajanbloom Bloom, 2010]

Then there is the duo, Rum & Koke (a play on the name of a popular drink mixing Barbadian rum and Coca-Cola). They were regulars in the cast of Laff-It-Off, a troupe with an annual comic production usually poking fun at social and political events of the day. In this live performance using comedy and mime, Rum & Koke joke about the trouble men get into when their "outside woman" (i.e. the other woman) calls their cell-phone. They also contrast how women and men park their cars. I must confess I do often have to make more than one attempt when reversing – but I don't usually crash into anything.😃 

           Rum & Koke Barbados – Cell phones and parking [Source: Rum and Koke Barbados, January 2017]

The final comic piece is a song from the 2016 Crop Over season from Madd – a group that has been around for a couple of decades...and you can tell from the size of "PC Broomes' pot-belly" (the man in peaked cap who is parodying a police constable). They began their comic presentations right after school and although they have "day jobs" they produce a calypso tent, Bacchanal Time, at Crop Over and they operated a clothing store, Up Beat (which is still in operation, however I cannot say if they are still the principals). 

This song is intended to discourage Barbadians from littering and it addressed a popular news and social media controversy over a school girl who refused to pick up a piece of litter at her school upon a teacher's instructions. Everyone had something to say about it. This was Madd's approach.

                                              Madd – Pick It Up Crop Over 2016 [Source: KING PIN, 2016] 

In terms of film clips, as the Bajan accent may be challenging I am sharing a beautiful 6-minute feature on Barbados. There are underwater views - the baby turtle heading out to sea is touching. The gorgeous west and east coast views remind me why hundreds of thousands of tourists visit every year. I couldn't be more nationalistic than that.

                                      Barbados movie [Source: GoodTimesCatamaran 2016]

'Til next time...

#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]