So much has happened since I last blogged and even before. This is my medium, though, and it does not respond to all of the Current Affairs agenda. Like any good media outlet it is in that way independent. I have been busy with school and now exams while admittedly finding time to recreate in other ways. Two titles have been recently begging for exploration,
Why I Hate Christmas,
An ya Know What I Mean and this
one.
It is the season of sharing though and I have been wanting to post. It actually feels good to blog, I may have said that before.
How can I hate Christmas? I told a
friend of my intention to write about it and she said “you don’t hate Christmas!” I’ll say that in part I do. It’s hard to celebrate the birth of Christ when your thoughts on Him are not always faithful.
Hard to ignore all the good
soca that has been playing since
Crop Over as has been the case in the years since local artistes are producing for the festival. I wasn’t here for the Bajan Invasion but had my own version of it with
Krosfyah when in New York. Meh
trini cousin Karma's friend, who went on to become my friend too, was dating a member of the band and on Eastern Parkway in the late 90’s we could be found with the band. Can I say that to me the Haitian and Jamaican bands were characterized by a less than Bajan courtesy. Forgive me. Having covered Crop Over for many years consecutively I was also more aware of the selections earlier than most and would search them before the wave of music for Trini Carnival began playing. These days though Crop Over marks the start of the annual Soca Season.
This now competes with Christmas for air time and represents a conflict that is being Trinbagonian. Not until the late
70’s did I start to recognize local musical expression heralding the season. I swear if the internet didn’t in the main replace the posting of correspondence as in through the post, I’d go postal the next time I heard
I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas, responded to in
I never Had a White Christmas.
Can it not be said that this is a struggle for identity and valorization of the
indigenous which I believe is eroded in some of the aspects of identifying with other than Nation, The United States is not exempt from a place with Africa and India in this regard, too England. They all continue to hold a dominant place in our narrative as spoken and heard.
Commenting on Soca last year took me to a new place. I wondered if I could have saidon the airwaves what I wrote in the posting? We’ll see how the breeze blows for me this year. I’d say here that Carnival holds no more comfortable place in my craw at times with all that separates it from Christmas. I can say that the rhythms of the music do make the
medicine a little easier to go down.
The Partnership seeks to spread the message of its
Live Up campaign. Does this compromise my independence or as was discussed yesterday blur the line of activism. Fact is in the last ten years at least four of my close friends have been diagnosed as Hiv+. The disease continues to spread, something to be mindful of we are oft reminded especially during the Carnival season even if we sexing down the place whole year. You know, like Christmas is Jesus time even if we live less than generously year round. Hmmm.
The NGO, though, seeks to get its material aired as a charity to the cause. On the other side though is the question, if your message is that important why not pay to have it aired year-round? AIDS is one of the most visible charity based causes, Breast Cancer runs second and I see Autism on the horizon. Of Hope, Love and Charity the Bible says Charity is the greatest. I sense some capitalism at play. I may be speaking from a cynical place but it wouldn’t be the first time. I mean even God? Can we say "yes" all the time "there is a God", faith requires that I believe, that is all faith asks. Yeah cause you sometimes have to fight to see the good amid all else that life is.
Plato is responsible for the similarity in the two words
Good and God.
Last year was a special Christmas as they tend to be. I have so far though resolved not to buy any
gifts. I’ll let you know how that goes.
In essence Christmas is here and Carnival is waiting to take to the stage. I have one exam left. They’ve been enjoyable so far, apart from the anxieties which I don’t need a reason fto get. I went to a workshop. It was to sensitize journalists about reporting on HIV related matters, as well, we were given guidelines for terminology and explanations of key terms.
I have to hit the road and there is more to be said. Xmas is too a time for sharing of time and food and that’s good any time. I look forward to that, particularly preparing my own family’s meal as I do every year on Christmas Eve night, all night…hahaha! Yet to be decided what’s on the menu but let’s pray nothing burns or gets too much salt, they’re a hard two to please.
Did you know that from a Pagan ritual December 25th or thereabouts represents the ascension of the Sun into the Western Hemisphere?
