TNN 48

Hello folks … (deep voice)..  Dis is TNN, bringin’ you de news, views an’ lifestyle of  TnT….

CLEAR (sorry, PAVE) DE WAY...........

Yeah, dey start up again.. like ah migraine…..  yuh remember Carlos “Don Juan” John (Carlo) did pave ah piece of de Savannah some months ago?   Well because of all de protests dey drop gravel an’ t’ing an’ den steamroll de 5 acres dey did dig up.   

Of course when las’ ah walk dey, gravel start tuh fall apart, sand in-between de gravel wash ‘way, an’ stone jookin’ yuh foot even if yuh wearin’ hiking boots……!    So of course it couldn’t stay so forever… ah mean Carnival comin’ an’ unless yuh want mas people tuh mash up dey self comin’ up de track, somet’ing have tuh be done.    So what is de solution…..?  Observe government 2000…

De Savannah under de control of Ministry of Agriculture, so dey pass ah law givin’ de National Carnival Commission (National Clowns Council…oh, am... alyuh know  dat Carlo is de chairman…) control of de paved section to do what dey want wit’ it…    

Soooooo… de Ministry have control over de whole savannah except dat little section…an’ weeks later truck back up an’ is more gravel an’ asphalt an’ dey pavin’ de Savannah like ah highway.. dey even wanted tuh pave ah section from de stage to Marli St…. right across a section of de Savannah….   De same Savannah wey I does get meh col’ coconut water, de same savannah ah does walk over so ah could feel some grass under meh foot, de same savannnah ah does stop an’ get ah lil somet’ing tuh eat when ah limin’ late, de only large open natural space left in  Port of Spain….. if yuh see asphalt.. is like de Pitch Lake move..!

One damn fool call de incident “unfortunate”!     Look yuh nearly kill ah man who tell alyuh dat alyuh breakin’ de law (dey was pavin’ outside de area the Ministry give dem) an’ dat “unfortunate”…. de only unfortunate t’ing is dat it have people like he around…..!    An’  ah fella who representin’ mas bands (or so he claim) say dat is ah good t’ing, since de Savannah mus’ look nice, because so mucha tourista does come here an’ dey mus’ be comfortable…..   

Ohooooo!   So Carnival is for tourists now… is not for we…?!   ..nice, man, nice…. dey shoulda dump ah truckload ah gravel in he bedroom….. an’ den t’row some asphalt…!   

An’ tuh complete de ugly picture, dey say TIDCO have plans tuh put ah Cultural Centre…where?   In Queen’s Park Savannah!   So dat mean dey go have tuh have car park…more pavin’ again!    

Oh, by de way, ah hear de present pavin’ cost $3M , but’ dat is small change, man…even though de POS nurses protestin’ dat de government owe dem less dan dat in increment… but dey eh have money for dat…. so brudder, dese people supportin’ culture… if yuh sick, toooo bad.  If yuh eh join we in de National Carnival is better yuh dead…!

LAND OF CALYPSO..... WELL IT USED TUH BE.....!

Ah did promise tuh get back  to alyuh on dis one…. de usual debate on calypso dyin’, an’ how after Carnival yuh have tuh beg tuh hear ah kaiso play etc..   What is de real situation,  what all ah dis mean?   Again, yuh doh have tuh be ah philosopher…..

Ah lotta dem young people admit dey grow up hearin’ dub an’ dancehall outta Jamaica, so dey makin’ songs like dat… when we was tellin’ dem maxis an’ dem tuh stop bombardin’ de nation wit’ wit’ de music, we didn’t realise we was really beggin’ tuh keep we culture…  We let dem continue, an’ dis is the bitter fruit from de tree we plant…   

Now, most of  dese young people dey complainin’ about never hear ‘bout  de struggles of steelband men, calypsonians, tamboo bamboo rhythms, chantuelle and jali man traditions, de griot, de gayelle, de kalinda call an’ response etc….nothin’…we never teach dem in school an’ dey certainly eh go see it on tv or in cinema, so how yuh expeck dem tuh appreciate, know or propagate anyt’ing….? Eh? Tell meh?!  

De government in Jamaica put dey weight behin’ reggae an’ make sure it seep into any place Jamaicans went…what we do…?   An’ yuh openin’ yuh eye big like ah gozee (go-zay) when yuh look around?   Dis country invent calypso, soca, rapso, pan, chutney styles, adapted parang to suit me an’ not an single government ever lift ah hand tuh help put up one, not ONE, recordin studio?! We on kicks man……..!

But at de same time, ah believe if yuh intend tuh be ah entertainer an’ yuh goin’ away tuh represent den take de time tuh fin’ out what yuh doin’ or wey yuh come from, nah..! (most ah dem jus’ see it as ah way tuh make money….. dey eh have dem high ideals.  De way I see it, some ah dem go sell dey mudder if dey get enough money!).  Which is why all ah dem talkin’ like Yankee an’ dressin’ like people who Fashion Police would place under arrest!   Imagine man singin’ song wit’ NY rap accent an’ Jamaican style… we style eh good enough…?

It eh all gloomy, it have some who tryin’ like dem rapso fellas who have ah offspring of de calypso an’  usin’ de rhythm tuh not only make yuh dance, but talk to yuh…..  de res’ ah dem say dey singin’ tuh mash up de place an’ some dee jays say dat is wat de people want… so if people want tuh tar an’ feather yuh in Woodford Square, dat okay den, ent?   You jus’ followin’ de crowd.. you doh intend tuh try an’ influence  de masses atall..?

Now, ah eh have no problem wit’ new styles or creativity, but ah have ah problem wit’ borrowin’ everybody music an’ tryin’ tuh graft it on to mine as if mine eh good enough!   Ah mean we had new styles in calypso all de time, from Kitchie, tuh Sparrow, tuh Shadow, tuh Shorty, Maestro, Lancelot Layne (Rapso), Rudder, Machel… but yuh realise each time it was out ah WE it was comin’…...yuh couldn’t fin’ it anywhere else….   Now, man jus’ grabbin’ anyt’ing from anywhere, put it together on ah mixin’ board an’ dey ready tuh go….!  Party!  Wine like yuh mad!  Get on bad!  Fullstop…..

KITCHIE'S LAST ROAD MARCH....

Well, de grandmaster took to de road for one las’ time las’ week.   De procession start from Arima tuh town for de service an’ den back tuh Arima again…. in de early mornin’ in Arima, Pan –Round-De Neck bands pass like ghosts playin’ Kitchie tunes….  den de long drive tuh de church ..

An’ if yuh see people..!  Young, old, middle age an’ all in-between…..  Ah went down to de funeral but ah had tuh stay outside an’ listen from speakers.. people climb up on de side of de window an’ peepin’ in, nex’ t’ing de wood dey was standin’ up on start tuh give way… 

Yuh couldn’t stick ah magga pin in de crowd inside de cathedral!  People stan’ up on pew… everybody jus’ wanted tuh see what was goin’ on.. dey felt dey had tuh be dey tuh say ah farewell…. Den some calypsonians sing some ah he songs in de end…outside Renegades pan side was dey tuh play de swan song…. in de street opposite Woodford Square, it had ah combo side beatin’ some rhythm an’ ah young moko jumbie fella dress up like Kitch in ah black suit an’ hat dancin’ up to de music…

It was good, man.. except de crowd coulda behave deyself l’il bit…. ah mean is ah funeral man… yuh shouldn’t push an’ justle as if yuh ketchin’ de las’ bus to San Fernando…… An’ yuh t’ink de poilce woulda know better… no crowd control at  all…. even de family get push aside…. dat wasn’t de way man….

An’ yuh believe dem politicians still manage tuh try an’ get somet’ing outta it.. man stan’ up an’ shout how Kitch was ah supporter of PNM (so?)….. de government man reply dat de Opposition tryin’ tuh get political mileage….   Ah nex’ one say dat de PNM hijack de funeral…  hear nah, if de man was ah PNM supporter for donkey years, yuh doh expect dem tuh turn out..  what wrong wit dat?  

But dat wasn’t enough, de PM eh show up…. dat make meh frown like ah labour union leader…. he did ask if de family wanted ah state funeral, an’ dey say no, den he eh show up… now if yuh offer somebody ah state funeral, I woulda t’ink de person important enough for you to show up….. but he say he had odder engagements (dem engagements had tuh be damn important!).   Of course de PNM pounce on dat an’ say because he get refuse he ent show up….

Ah mean, oh gorm, EVERYTHING have tuh have politics in it..?   Ah man cyah even dead in peace now if somebody eh walk ah political mile on it….?

YUH OWN DOG BITIN' YUH....

Jus’ ah short note to say dat  PM Manday now startin’ tuh see enemies inside he own party…… he tell Tunapuna dey is de worst constituency an’ if dey continue wid dey infightin’ dey go destroy de party… everywhere he go now he t’reatenin’ de party supporters an’ sayin’ dey eh united enough, an’ dey eh doin’ enough ground work, an’ people feelin’ alienated….. up to now is everybody fault…. he eh make ah mistake yet!    Poor fella…. why everybody against him so…..?!   Buh doh worry Bas, full steam ahead!   Dat so-an’-so rock go have tuh move out de way……!

Remember any comments, queries, questions, ole talk, write to we anchorman Cobra at ttcobra1@hotmail.com, we always happy tuh hear from yuh…..  Ah gone…  Is Trouble (In Arima!)….Is trouble (If dey touch me!)…(background music.Kitchner)…Peace..!

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