Dear Nesta,
I en got to axe how you spen’ dem four party days celebratin’ de Queen Diamon’ Jubilee. From watchin’ TV, it look like wunna went wile. Well, it good to fuhget yuh hard times li’l bit, ’til yuh get back down to earf. Money enuff mussee get spen’ to put on sech a show, but Diamon’ Jubilees don’ come too reg’luh so I suppose it worf it.
One t’ing dese celebrations show, hard times or not, de monarchy en gine nowhey. It hey to stay fuh a long, long time. I too love Camilla hats doh, ’specially dah outlandish-lookin’ one she had on at de church service. Philomena say it remin’ she o’ a birdbaff.
But don’ fear. We had we celebrations down hey too. Wuh, after all, we belongks to de Commonwealf an’ even ef dah wasn’ so, don’ fuhget we name Li’l Englan’ so we woulda ha’ to rise to de occasion an’ light we Beacon as well. Wuh, we jes’ c’n get leff out. I din dey, but I hear de parade at de Garrison was gran’ enuff.
I been hearin’ guvment en got no money fuh dis or fuh dat but duh certainly fin’ some dah time.
Well, my muddah used to say even ef yuh poor, yuh shun ack poor, so dah might be de way guvment look at t’ings. I hear Budget Day is June 26 an’ I lookin’ to see hummuch mo’ duh gine spen’ to put we in a happy votin’ mood.
But enuff o’ de Diamon’ Jubilee celebrations. Down hey, dis time o’ de year is Crop Over time an’ Bajans beginnin’ to get in de mood. Fuh my one part, I don’ get too involve nowadays as I cyahn tek de bad behaviour dat go on, but I really mus’ t’ank de NCF fuh puttin’ on de Firs’ Citizens Bridgetown By Night Crop Over Heritage Tour recently.
Dah was some tour. De NCF should feel proud o’ duh efforts. Duh had few hiccups durin’ registration as nobody din’ expeck de humungus crowd dat turn up, but after dat, t’ings went awright. I t’ink crowd control mighta been a li’l problem an’ I won’ be surprise ef people din slip t’rough de net widout payin’. Y’know we Bajans an’ a freeness. Anyway, once de tour begin, apart from a big monster rat runnin’ ’cross Philomena foot shortly after we start walkin’, evuht’ing turn out fine.
We mek a step back in time goin’ t’rough de various side streets an’ alleys in Bridgetown – de moonlight was purty enuff – rememberin’ de people dat help buil’ dis country. I en got de space to gi’e yuh de whole story, but I see Samuel Jackman Prescod, de firs’ coloured person to enter Parliament – he ’pon we twenty-dollar bill – and Clement Payne, man o’ de hour in de ’37 riots an’ Shillin’, de entertainer.
I see Clennell Wickham too, de newspaperman dat used to fight fuh poor people . . . an’ even King Dyall was dey in ’e red suit. De women din get leff out, neithuh. We hear stories ’bout de two bizness women, Rachel Pringle an’ Carolina Lee, an’ also Sarah Ann Gill. She is we onlies’ female National Hero, y’know. She was a fighter fuh social an’ religious freedom fuh black people in de early 19th centry, while helpin’ to push de Methodis’ faif.
De tour did almos’ done when we hit de top o’ Broad Street an’ butt up ’pon a slave auction like in de ole days. De actors do sech a good job dat yuh coulda almos’ feel dem people pain. Lord, mek peace. Don’ t’ink we ancestors din suffer. T’ank heavens, dem turrble days gone, never to return.
A good firs’ effort by de NCF. I trus’ it en de las’.
Tek care o’ yuhself,
Yuh frien’ Babsie.
