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]

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!