WHEN I TELL people dat duh got more good, positive young people than duh got bad ones, some people does play dem scoffing at it.
Some does stuppes and roll up duh eyes and another set does say something like, ‘I aint know ’bout dat’. But I is one who will vouch fuh dat because I does come across a lot o’ good young people on a daily basis.
Ya see, the few bad ones duh got ’bout the place does overshadow the good ones, even though dem is the minority. The other thing is, nuhbody doan sensationalise the good ones. I suppose people expect dem tuh be good. After all, they should be good – duh is only children. Even though duh doan think so.
Now notice how when something bad happen wid or tuh the young people, it does spread like wildfire. Evahbody does want tuh know ’bout it and evahbody does be looking fuh a newspaper tuh read bout it. But you know how many other positive things does be happening ’bout here dat ya does only hear a li’l bit ’bout it?
Where I live now, I could stan’ from home and hear all the commotion at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex. I does listen tuh the commentators, the singing, the shouting and screaming, the music and wha’evah else gine on in there, especially now wid the NAPSAC games going on. It is something else.
But I ain’t only talking ’bout the ones who screaming and carrying on.
I talking bout all the athletes, and there’s a whole lot o’ dem in every type o’ sports who gotta discipline demselves in order tuh take part in these games at this kinda level.
Now dat is in the sports section but lemmuch tell ya: we got some talent ’bout here. Talk ’bout young people good?
Look, the other night I went tuh the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre to watch the Schools’ Music Festival finals. Duh had schools from all ovah the island taking part. The only schools dat didn’t take part was the nursery schools. But let me tell you something: talk ’bout talent?
Up tuh the time I left, I aint see nor hear any performance, be it instrumental or vocal, dat you would say should not be there. I mean everything was proper.
We got some li’l people ’bout here who would make Simon Cowell clap he hands ovah he mout’ when he hear dem.
The youngest female vocalists was about eight and nine so. Dem was on first and was from Grantley Prescod, Hindsbury, Bay Primary, Codrington and Trinity primary schools.
Well, the first li’l one set a blistering pace fuh the rest o’ the other performers. She start off the night wid the old Sam Cooke hit A Change Is Gonna Come. Then the others come out fighting. No More Night, How Great Thou Art, How Far I’ll Go, My Redeemer and What A Wonderful World were some o’ de songs they sang. Talk ’bout quality voices? It was something else and dem was only the li’l soloists. Dat ain’t had nothing tuh do wid all the rest who come after dem.
Talk ’bout talent? Duh had solo instrumentals from primary up tuh secondary school, then vocal groups from all ages, singing groups, small ensemble and big ensemble. Duh had steel pan and as if dat wasn’t enough, duh had soloists from the secondary schools competing.
It was amazing. Real, real good talent, real nuff young people doing something real positive. I tell ya; ya could understand the amount o’ time and effort dat went intuh these rehearsals fuh each o’ these acts.
I left just before the guest artist came on and when I get outside there was so many young people out there. Nuh rowdy behaviour, nothing so, just talking and carrying on and enjoying the night out.
It was too many o’ dem tuh hold backstage so duh spill intuh de car park.
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.
