November 3 is a date Bajans, de majority, ef not all, gine remember wif great sadness! De date when we finally say farewell to David Thompson, Buhbayduss beloved Prime Minister!
After tropical storm “Tomas” hit we two Sarrduh’s ago, an’ knock out all de light, water an’ phones, I was prayin’ dat my current would be back by de Wenesday so I could see de State Funeral ’pon TV – an’ I was lucky! So Philomena an’ muhself decide to watch de proceedin’s ’stead o’ goin’ down to Kensington.
In dah way, we was able to be in several places from de time t’ings start right to de en’ when de Prime Minister get laid to res’ in Sin John cemetery, t’anks to de excellent coverage CBC was able to gi’e we ’pon dis occasion! As far as I concern, it was a job well done, de bes’ CBC evah produce!
I always like to gi’e Jack ’e jacket an’ dis was one time ’e deserve it!
Wif one slight exception! Now, I only went school in Augus’, so nowadays when I see strange words dat I never hear ’bout, I always ax somebody dat might know mo’ dan me, wuh de word mean an’ how to pronounce it. Ness, yuh cyhan imagine how annoyin’ it was to hear a announcer doin’ de broadcas’ from Sin John, changin’ de word “cortège” over an’ over into “cortage”, I en know how “è” could become “a”.
At one p’int, it soun’ like she was sayin’ “corsage” an’ it mek muh begin to wonder ef she was talkin’ ’bout de flowers we would be seein’ later! Ef yuh come ’cross words yuh en know nutten ’bout, don’
be too proud to get de right pronunciation from somebody dat know mo‘ dan you.
After all, we all hey to help out one anethuh an’ dah is one way yuh widen yuh knowledge! But dese days, evahbody is a boss ’bout evaht’ing ’bout hey, an’ ef one or two people mek dese TV an’ radia announcers feel duh is stars, dah mek it even wors’!
T’ousan’s turn out at Kensington, includin’ dignitaries an’ leaders from de Caribbean region an’ beyon’. Lissenin’ to de beautiful tributes, one from a personal frien’ sence school days, anethuh from
’e political adviser an’ close frien’ Hartley Henry, an’ a t’ird from de Prime Minister o’ Jamaica, mek yuh realize de high regard people had fuh David Thompson!
’E was a man much loved by all an’ it en only Bajans dat gine miss David, but all t’rough de Caribbean people gine remember ’e! Hartley din de onlies’ body cryin’ at de en’ o’ ’e speech, de water was pourin’ down muh face, an’ I sure nuff mo’ people was goin’ t’rough de same t’ing, it was so touchin’! Dah man know how to string words togedduh, an’ I sorry to hear ’e feel ’e should gi’e up de job!
Ness, I had de shock o’ muh life when I look at de clean, litter-free streets de cortège was travellin’ ’pon to get to Sin John! Evaht’ing was ship-shape an’ in order, not a scrap o’ litter anywhey! I onderstan’ even some washin’ tek place to mek it happen. It had to tek dat long, sad journey to mek Bajans rise to de occasion an’ spruce up t’ings!
Now, ef dat one area could sparkle so, one way we could honour de PM mem’ry is to stop all de litterin’ an’ try we bes’ to keep de res’ o’ de islan’ jes’ as clean! Positive action like dat would speak much louder dan all de words we been hearin’ over de pas’ two weeks!
When de dus’ settle, Ness, yuh don’ t’ink it would be a fittin’ tribute to ereck a statue in mem’ry o’ de late Prime Minister in Sin John?
Tek care o’ yuhself
Yuh frien’ Babsie
