You Raised Us Up

May seems to be a strange month. Last May, I dedicated my blog entry to remember persons I knew who had passed on in the previous months. As May 2020 closes, I find myself having to pay tribute to three women of excellence who all died in the month of May. 

They were all retired principals of an alma mater, the secondary school I attended, the St. Michael School. A secondary school is really a combination of junior and senior high school in the USA. We enter at age 12 and leave at age 16 or 18.  Our secondary schools prepare us for life after school. Yes, we learn subjects but it is where we make friends for life. Our teachers do not only teach. They counsel. They guide. They discipline. They pass on knowledge about the subjects they teach and life in general.  Well, I can say mine did and that's why I begin with this song, dedicated to teachers.

                                                        In this Moment [Source: Billy Barker]

The co-ed St. Michael School has a quasi-elitist reputation today since most of the graduates acquitted ourselves well and entered successful careers in the teaching, administration (both public and private sector), nursing, medical and the legal professions. The school was founded in 1928 to fill the need to provide a solid, post-primary school education for girls from working class families whose parents could not afford to pay for them to attend one of the private girls' schools. With only a primary school education, girls had to learn a skill such as dressmaking or find work as maids or shop assistants in grocery or corner shops or become hucksters (vendors). The St. Michael's Girls' School was opened by the vestry to provide girls with an education in the hope of providing opportunities for upward social mobility.

Here's a shot of the St. Michael's "museum":

The uniform when I was at school is the one on the left. 😀

Constance Inniss (1916-1920)

                

As headmistress, Constance Inniss is credited with instilling the girls in the girls' school with the importance of being independent, self-assured and cultivating the social graces. She taught Spanish, having earned a degree in Spanish, French and Latin from London University. She introduced science subjects, school meals and the Spanish Club. Born in May, she died some days before her 104th birthday.

Dame Olga Patricia Symmonds (1925-2020)

Dame Patricia, as she was more popularly known was headmistress at the school when I attended. She presided over the first cohort of boys. Her tenure as headmistress began in 1976 and ended in 1985. An English teacher, she was known for her poise, articulation and her graciousness. Everything about her exuded old-world charm. She was able to instill in her charges the importance of character and civil conduct in the pursuit of excellence. In 2000 she received the honour of Dame Commander of the British Empire for her contribution to education, civil life and politics. 

Dame Patricia Symmonds and Dame Maisie Barker-Welch 

Dr. Wendy Griffith-Watson 

Dr. Griffith-Watson served as another of the School's English teachers before becoming Head of the English Department and then  Deputy Principal. She was Principal (Headmistress) from 1994 to 1996. In 1997 she became Barbados' first female Chief Education Officer serving in that position until 2009. Warm, witty, eloquent, firm, fear and fearless are words used by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley to describe her as she was Minister of Education during the tenure of Dr. Griffith-Watson.

Three outstanding female educators, who all taught at the same school, who all impacted the lives of their charges, mostly for the better. I don't often weep (there is a touching movie now on TV too), but I am weeping now. They raised us up.

         Al Josh Groban Children Choir from Africa - You Raise Me Up [Source: Boon Ming Ng]

May they rest in peace. 

We Need to Breathe

Hello to readers from Japan, Czechia, Italy and Germany. I am happy to see someone reading the blog from a new country. I am always thrilled to welcome back previous readers from places like Ukraine, Mexico, UAE, Vietnam, UK, India and my Bajan connections. 👋

As I write this, I am watching the demonstrations across America due to the recent death of unarmed African-American, George Floyd, after a white police officer kneeled on his neck during his arrest. He was pronounced dead thereafter. It was recorded and shown on social media sparking outrage everywhere. I have a nephew and my niece has two sons. Two of my undergrad college friends now live in America. One has two young sons. The other has a teenage boy who thankfully will leave for university in Canada in the fall. In 2010 I refused to renew my US VISA as I did not think it was safe to be a person of colour in that country - and Barak Obama was President at the time but I noticed there was growing racist rhetoric from certain segments in the country during his presidency. Since then we had the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Laquon MacDonald, Walter Scott,  Castile Philando and earlier this year the jogger, Ahmaud Arbery and the emergency medical technician, Breonna Taylor. These were the high profile deaths of unarmed persons. Others were armed and killed during their arrest so that's another matter.

This was not my intended topic for today so I will post two entries to make up for the lack of an entry in May!

It amazes me that 50-plus years after the civil unrest of the 1960s, not much has changed in America. I will not comment on the political rhetoric that encourages extreme right wing xenophobia and outright racism. 

African-American parents have "the talk" with their children (both boys and girls) to try not to provoke attention from police officers, to be careful where they go, what they wear, how they respond to a police questioning them.

                         Black Parents Explain How to Talk to the Police | Cut [Source: Cut]

Still, every time something like this happens I get angry and the Floyd videos are just so blatant. I have to be concerned because I have black relatives in America. The extent of the protests is telling. I ask that we uphold both America's young people and its law enforcement in prayer. 

This is a favourite song of mine and is so fitting for the times. George Floyd's blood is red. So is that of the four officers. We all bleed the same and we all need to breathe.

     Mandisa - We All Bleed the Same ft. Toby Mac, Kirk Franklin [Source: MadisaOfficial]

Enough is enough. 

                                      

All Masked Up

A warm welcome to my blog readers - in particular the reader(s) from Japan, Chile and India. 👋 

Much of the world continues to shelter-in-place. In Barbados, we too are in a lock-down. We can go to the supermarket and the bank on days assigned to us based on the first letter of our last name. We can also go to the pharmacy, keep our medical/dental appointments or such emergencies; we can go to the gas station as needed as well as the corner/village shop or neighbourhood bread shop. The government finally recommended that we wear cloth masks or cover our faces when out in public. It's the creativity of  some masks that I will highlight today. 

To encourage everyone to wear a mask, the local Roteract Club of Barbados South initiated a #maskedup challenge. I am not famous enough for such a challenge! Still here I am in mine. It is my best selfie to date; readers who do not know me can now see what I look like - well half of my head anyway. 😁 

                                                 Here I am all #maskedup

This is not my fave mask. The first time I put it on, it was upside-down - yes imagine putting on a mask upside-down! My glasses slid straight off my nose and in grabbing at them I lost a plate of food! 😞 That was my lunch that day. On another occasion I felt like I was suffocating. The third time, I took a colleague's advice and put drops of peppermint oil on it to avoid that suffocating feeling. My eyes  and nose flowed like an open tap. So much for that idea. I will see what happens the next time.

Now here are a few local personalities who accepted the #maskedup challenge (you will need to have a Facebook account to view the video link provided) and who clearly had no issues with their masks!

Popular entertainer, Mikey, accepted the challenge. 

                                               Soca artiste, Mickey, in action 

The multi-talented Zhané Padmore, an entrepreneur, creative director, mental health advocate and dancer also took up the challenge:

                                                           Zhané Padmore

Sports journalist, Ann-Marie Burke, is another Barbadian personality who accepted the challenge: 

                                                               Ann-Marie Burke

So I hope you are masked up when you leave your home. I hope you are practising good hand hygiene. Most importantly, I hope you are safe.

Let us, who are praying people, pray for the healing of those still with the virus and the protection of all frontline workers in those sectors deemed to be critical or essential by our national administrations.

As you are aware, I do not hesitate to showcase local talent, so I am sharing this lovely rendition by another local entertainer - known more for his achievements in the soca arena but who won the local Teen Talent competition with a rendition of "Ben" by Michael Jackson, as a young boy. Here is Barbados' own Edwin Yearwood paying tribute to our frontline workers with a cover of "Bridge Over Troubled Water". 

         Bridge Over Troubled Water (Cover) by Edwin Yearwood [Source: Edwin Yearwood, April 2020]

 Yes, there is much singing talent in Barbados - far more than the few who have graced an international pop stage.

Until next time, stay masked up.😷

Bajan Artistes Lend Voices to COVID-19 Awareness

🖐 I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read this blog. To date it was read/visited  more than 2,600 times. So I am very pleased. 

I want to greet the reader(s) visiting from Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Greece, Mexico, Sweden, Singapore, Turkey and the British Virgin Islands. We are all in this COVID-19 together, so let us keep praying for the front-line workers and those who have tested positive who have not recovered.

In Barbados our artistes have been lending their voices to the public awareness cause. 

Let's begin with the Soca Queen herself Alison Hinds, who remixed one of her regional hits to promote hand-washing:

  

                                    Proper Hand-washing to Combat COVID-19 – Alison Hinds [thebgis March 2020]

Then there is the #extempochallenge begun by a former calypso monarch, Ian "IWeb" Webster on Facebook (to view you need to have an FB account as they're not on YouTube so click on the links below) ...

                                              IWeb began the #extempo challenge

There were some real gems in reply:

Three-time regional calypso queen, Crystal Cummins Beckles:

Winner of the World Championship of Performing Arts, Trinity Clarke:

Gospel artiste, Arnal "Gozzy" Goslin:

Calypsonian, Colin Spencer:

Remember the world-wide craze with toilet paper? Nesha Woodz mentions it 😆:

Here is Antoine Williams, whose comedic acting skills won him acclaim as Brother Daddy in televised skits in the '80s, in character: 

Another popular Crop Over soca artiste who accepted the challenge is Natalie "Nathalee" Burke. She is the niece of the late William "Smokey" Burke featured in the February blog:

I mentioned Ishiaka McNeil in my last blog also. Here is his #extempochallenge:

Not everyone participating was an entertainer. Two female doctors also accepted the #extempochallenge. Dr. Dionne Johnson is one of them. I have exhausted my images. Sorry. I had a really cool Super Doc with a 'fro cartoon to represent her.

I hope you were able to hear all of the contributions and that you enjoyed them. 

Be safe everyone.

Where He Gone? Paying Tribute To William Smokey Burke

Firstly, I send greetings from sunny Barbados to my readers from: Spain, United Kingdom, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Turkey and the British Virgin Islands. 😎

I thought of highlighting Rihanna's stirring acceptance speech at the NAACP Image Awards on receiving the President's Award for her wonderful philanthropic work. It would be quite popular and if you've not seen it, you can follow that link.

Then I remembered that a couple of years ago, I noted on this blog the desire to feature interesting Barbadians. On February 26, 2020, 69-year-old entertainer, William "Smokey" Burke passed away. So I am highlighting Smokey today. We share an alma mater - Harrison College - in different decades. 

                                       Calypsonian William "Smokey Burke" (1950-2020)

These clips show insights into Barbados' past - both in the lyrics of Smokey's calypso rendition and his details about the local music scene.

Known in the recent past for his contribution to calypso in Barbados, what I discovered in putting this tribute together is that he used to sing other genres and he played both drum and bass guitar. He also toured with the international group The Drifters, so he was no "fly-by-night" entertainer - to use local parlance. 

This is one of my favourite calypsos by him as it reveals the wit of the artist. The Prime Minister at the time was the Right Honourable Owen Arthur and the song really is saying that he has complete control of everything happening in Barbados:

         “Barbados Calypso Music” – Smokey Burke – Arthur Seat (Crop Over 2004) [Cheyne Jones 2015]

This clip shows a much younger Smokey performing a duet with a former band member, Cynthia Layne. What I love about this is the vocal quality of these two middle-aged persons who had not sung together for 25 years or so - and this is a recording from more than 20 years ago! It is also a great historical record of a youngster in the annual Richard Stoute Teen Talent contest, Ishiaka McNeil, who since went on to perform in the calypso arena as well as to become a member of the Laugh it Off crew (a popular comedy revue). At the end of this clip, he is rendering a spouge song, which is a sound unique to Barbados in the late 1960s/70s and a groove that I love because it was kicking on the radio when I was a child. 

                                            Smokey Burke & Cynthia Layne  [Jeff Grannum 2014]

Finally, this face-to-face interview produced by Jeff Grannum, seven years ago, provides a rich glimpse of Barbados' entertainment scene decades ago in Smokey's words. He is an excellent story-teller. It was an interview with him during his recovery after a battle with cancer.

                                                  Off the Cuff! Smokey Burke [Jeff Grannum 2013] 

Smokey went on to compete in the national calypso competition again. Then in 2018, when he came with two very strong songs, he took ill suddenly and was unable to compete in the finals. Over the last year he was trying to rally from that illness, however as February drew to a close, he lost his final battle. 

May he rest in peace. 😢

Celebrating The Motherland

The month of February is celebrated as African Awareness Month in Barbados. Local school children were taught British History during the colonial era; then we were introduced to Caribbean history in the post-Independence era. More recently, children are learning about Africa and the untold stories of great achievements by persons of African heritage. That will be the focus for today's blog entry. 

With that let me shout out the person in Zambia who visited the blog. 👋 Someone in Indonesia also visited recently. Hello from the gem of the Caribbean, Barbados.

Coinciding with African Awareness, is the national release of the regional film, JOSEPH - the story of a West Indian professional, who reconnects with his African roots in Ghana. The movie has been receiving some acclaim internationally. Ladies and Gentlemen, the official trailer for JOSEPH...

                                  JOSEPH Official trailer [Dave Weekes, November 2019]

Coincidentally,  in December 2019, Barbados' Prime Minister, the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, reciprocated a visit from the President of Ghana, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyata. Here is a clip of her brief speech on the occasion of the 56th Jamhuri Day celebrations. 

                      Mia Amor Mottley’s during Jamhuri Day celebrations  [DailyNation, December 2019] 

As Barbados' Prime Minister mentioned the word "battle", I considered sharing Shontelle Layne's "Battle Cry" - one of several songs by her that I enjoy immensely. She is Barbadian for anyone who did not know this and she is one of the actresses in JOSEPH as well. Then I opted for Barbados' own Alison Hinds' collab with Richie Spice, which celebrates our people as Kings and Queens - after centuries of being brainwashed into thinking we are slaves, property, a different species, "hewers of wood and drawers of water". The whole purpose of African Awareness month is to remind our children of the great continent Africa has always been and to instill pride in our African heritage. Note also that Alison Hinds is starring in JOSEPH.

                                     Richie Spice & Alison Hinds – King & Queen [Jay Will, July 2009]

In parting, I say here's to our Kings and Queens everywhere.👑

Happy New Year From Barbados!

Hello from Beautiful Barbados.  HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🎆

For checking out the blog, I  thank my readers from across the globe - the United Kingdom, USA, Belgium, Germany, Ukraine, Poland, Portugal, Canada, France, St. Lucia, Greece, United Arab Emirates, Ireland, Peru, Spain, Russia, India and of course Barbados. I am pleased to share some of my thoughts with you. 

The year 2020 is the year for WE GATHERIN' - an initiative by the Government to invite Barbadians to return home to their family, to their alma mater, to their heritage. Who would not want to return home to scenery such as this? Although sun, sea and sand are outmoded in tourism marketing these days, the beaches are still a hit with visitors.

Click for the lively We Gatherin' jingle 

There is a calendar of events for the year beginning with an Old Time Bajan Excursion (Picnic) to River Bay in St. Lucy on New Year's Day. Each month there is a focus on a different parish. It all begins with St. Lucy and via the link, you can view the Animal Flower Cave, North Point, one of the places of interest in that parish.

Before signing off for 2019, since many get glammed-up on Old Year's, I will show a few images of the fashion parade that occurs in Queen's Park on Christmas Day every year thanks to Kenmore Bynoe of Babes & Dad Photography. Red carpets around the world have nothing on Barbadians when they stroll in Queen's Park - though nowadays, they do line-dancing as if on cue (I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself in 2018). 

Ladies and gentlemen from Queen's Park Barbados - the 2019 fashion parade...

                           It is not only young people who step out in style, check these couples!

                                                         No description necessary for the Queen in blue 

                                                                        All dressed up and line dancing

                                                                     Dapper dudes in a row

I heard an interview with one of them once and he said that they put a lot of thought into what they wear at Christmas and some begin working on the ensembles from around September. Clearly the matching walking sticks take time to obtain.😀

                                                                   Once, twice, three times as nice

On that note I wish you a most fulfilling 2020 and I leave you with Auld Lang Syne rendered in bagpipes - no sweeter version of this New Year's Eve traditional song (well until I find a rendition in steelpan 😃). 🥂

                                        Scottish Bagpipes - Auld Lang Syne [Credit glasgow1284 July 2013]