AND SO the celebrations fuh Barbados’ 50th anniversary of Independence have started. I cahn tell you how many shows like the one dat just happen Wednesday gone duh gine have; if duh gine have more, when duh gine take place, how many times duh gine happen or even where duh gine take place but duh start pon the celebrations, the fete-ing a’ready.
I suppose the Government would have given careful thought tuh these lot o’ celebrations and I wondering who gine really benefit in the long run during the year and where duh getting all o’ this lot o’ money from tuh put on these massive shows.
I pass by Independence Square the other evening – I think it was Last Monday – and duh had a hive o’ activity out there. The big trucks and vans wid all the technical people putting things in place fuh the big opening dat just gone. I ain’t make it down there ’cause, first of all, I ain’t able. Ya see, after working a whole day, tuh walk suh far tuh get in there, and then, I ain’t able tuh stan’ up suh long pon these two tired old foot.
I accept dat I ain’t nuh young yam nowadays, soul, and the other thing is dat I does have tuh get home when the evening come tuh catch li’l rest, so dat I could get up the next day fresh fuh the people work, boh!
I wonder, as a part o’ the celebrations, if duh gine have anything down in Pelican Village on the days when all o’ dem ships come in. Duh say dat we gine get a bumper tourist season this year; dat duh gine have real nuff cruise ships coming in all during the winter season and we have been seeing dem.
Sometimes five or six o’ dem does be in at one time and the place does be ram off wid tourist, especially the beaches. Sometimes some o’ these ships does be here way in tuh the night before duh pull out.
So what about Pelican Village? Wid all o’ these lot o’ celebrations duh suppose tuh have, I wonder if duh gine include Pelican Village?
Dem people off the ships ain’t come fuh nuh food and fine dining like the regular tourist in the hotels; duh got all sorts o’ food pon dem ships and ya could eat anything at anytime.
So, because dem only in here fuh one day and want tuh have a Bajan experience for the short time duh in port, I would give dem dat Bajan experience by opening Pelican Village whenevah duh got three or more ships in port.
I would introduce and expose the cruise ship passengers tuh quality local shows wid dancers, singers and performers. It would bring the place alive each time it happens. It would give the cruise ship passengers something tuh remember bout Barbados, other than the beach and Bridgetown shopping.
It would expose some o’ we good local talent and more than anything else, it would inject not only the much needed money in the dem businesses in Pelican Village dat does be scrambling year in and year out but it would bring some kinda life back tuh Pelican Craft Village.
Wunna know how many tourists does pass there by Pelican evah time the cruise ships come in? Look, duh does walk pon the other side ovah there by Trevor’s Way on duh way tuh the beaches or down town.
The cruise ship passengers does very seldom recognise dat duh got a whole lot o’ beautiful, interesting craft shops and art galleries in Pelican craft village.
Each time a ship is tuh dock in a particular country, the night before, duh does have a briefing pon the ship ’bout the country and the places of interest they could visit while here. I wonder then, as a part o’ the Independence celebrations, if we cahn have cultural shows. Look, evahbody would be happy. The visitors would have a great Barbadian experience, the performers would have something tuh do and the vendors in Pelican Village who have been scrunting fuh li’l business year in and year out would smile ‘cause they would be able tuh pay duh rent and finally carry home a li’l something in duh pockets.
Tuh me, instead o’ the lot o’ fete-ing, something like celebrating the good hard-working people o’ Barbados, would mean much more.
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.
