I DOES SEE and hear some foolishness sometimes, but I ain’t got nothing to say, so I gine leave you all to cogitate on some conversions I overheard over the past Crop Over weekend.
Now Saturday gone was Emancipation Day; a bank holiday. So I happened to be in the company of a group of people and the conversation went like this.
One fella said: “I still ain’t understand this Emancipation bank holiday thing though, them should put it after Kadooment Day, so people could rest themselves.
A next fella chimed in: “Man them mek that holiday for Comissiong and them back-to-Africa people, cause nobody ain’t care bout that.”
The first fella added: “It is true, cause only them like them does celebrate it.”
So that was one conversation, here is another one. Saturday night I left the MQIPic-o-de-Crop Finals and went to a fete. When we get inside a young lady in her mid-20s asked, “who win?”
She was told that Classic won the crown. She replied, “Who? Classic? Who is he? I never hear bout he yet, wuh he does sing?” That was another conversation I walked away from.
The last one I will mention is this. While at the same fete in the wee hours of the morning, we heard a loud crash and someone shouted, “Ian, a man just hit your jeep.”
We rushed outside to see a small car, another vehicle and Ian’s truck all damaged. Apparently the small car which was driven by a young man, skidded, struck the oncoming vehicle and smashed into Ian’s truck.
Police and ambulance quickly arrived, and while there I overheard one police telling another, that the small car which caused all the damage had only hours before been reported stolen.
Now I ain’t gine comment on nothing at all I just said, I will leave you all to ponder on all of that.
Anyhow, let me congratulate Classic on finally winning the calypso crown. I don’t think that anyone could begrudge him. This man has been on the calypso plantation toiling for years, sometimes even with great songs not being able to make it out of the tents, and not once did he give up.
In the 32 years that he was competing and in my estimation being harshly treated by the judges, not once did he come out and publicly chastise the judges for “unfairing” him. Not once did he come out and cry down the system, or other calypsonians.
Year in year out he would pick up his basket and hoe and head out to the fields and return with minimal reward.
A few years ago, one calypsonian even told me that Classic would never win a crown; his time had gone. He explained to me that there was a window of opportunity to win a crown and if you don’t use it, the judges move on.
And I wouldn’t tell you a lie, he had me convinced. I saw the competition moving from lyrics and melody, to a sweet singing one. To me and to other observers, it moved from having great lyrics and melody, to being able to sing sweet.
Three nights before the finals I told Classic that if the judges judged on traditional kaiso, witty lyrics and good rendition and ignored the “sweet singing” element he would win the crown. All he had to do was put the horse out front and keep running.
Another fella I am really happy for is Peter Ram, who won Party Monarch, Tune of The Crop and the Foreday Morning Jam Tune.
He is another one who was out in the fields toiling long.
For Classic and Peter Ram, all ah we real happy. See ya.
Email: madderic@hotmail.com twitter:@madderic