Crisis Management

My mother did her best. She worked two jobs for most of her life to support herself and children without much help from my father. She would not approve of this post as it puts family business out there, at least I don’t think she would approve. My life feels in crisis though and so I have to try something unusual to bring a solution. The President yesterday called for an “out of the box” approach to the nation’s problems. He also said the nation is in crisis.

            I can’t say that I don’t feel that his analysis is wrong as the indices that led to the conclusion may not be the only ones that should be considered. In his inaugural address, a histrionic call to action, Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona, spoke to issues that gauge governance. I have never felt that crime and unemployment were good measures of a society’s standing. He mentioned the former treading dangerously close to the political tenor that can embarrass a government.

            All hands are needed on deck, he said, to save Trinidad and Tobago. It is inherently flawed as it is a top down approach. Really must I feel compelled to now consider how to reduce crime when all it seems to do is determine how good the state is managing our affairs? He reinforced this belief when he said that as a nation we are one: it means our goals are shared and too our responsibilities. We may be an independent nation but I am apparently not free to determine what it is I want to achieve.

            Thinking about the speech I realised that this is what is wrong with my world, it assumes for me what is important, taking me away from what I feel is important. We count corpses in Trinidad and Tobago and no one counts the stifled souls, the snuffed dreams, the unrealised ambitions and the impossible that faces so many of us.

            Everyone is saying that the President’s speech inspired hope. I peruse the social media sites like FB and twitter and see nothing but fit-to-print reactions that hail the address as what the country needs; I am left lost for comfort.

            It’s not like me to challenge the voice of the nation’s highest office holder. I dare say this is not what I imagine my mother had in mind when she made me. I’m not sure that a lot of what I do could have been imagined by parents. I do know, though, that desperate times call for desperate measures and I know what my responsibilities are. I hope this also means that for all her efforts my mother has at least made a citizen that is not afraid to take a risk, do the unimaginable and fly in the face of authority in an attempt to make life better.

A side of politics - Legalize it

Drugs have long been a challenge for me. I remember when I used to do cocaine, around the time I was deciding to stop, I told myself I shouldn’t do it and I thought of the majority of people in the world and how they live without doing it, that was motivating. It is a part of my history though and something that will not change. To accept me I also must accept that I do drugs. I wonder what it would be like if we accepted that people do drugs? To me the rhetoric against drugs is replete with specious arguments. It has so many crippled with fear that the world does not realize all that it possibly can as many who would and can change it hide in the fear they are doing something wrong and unworthy of much. This world is ruled by fear and that is its most detrimental weapon used in the genocide of many dreams and souls. This can be developed more but I’m running late for work.

I thought this morning of the many people who are my friends and that they accept me even for the parts of me that society says are wrong and for one moment I wished it possible to make them my entire society and forget everyone else. I thought that we are Trinis too and have the right to be who we want to be, we like strippers, we like sex, we like alcohol and weed and even harder drugs than that. We may be small in number but we are citizens.

I can dream to move to another place where attitudes are different and I should if only to reduce the fear in my life but then I wouldn’t be in Trinidad and at least for now this is where I want to be. Have a great day my friends.

Yoruba story of the defeat of death

We have in this verse from Oyeku Meji, an instance where one of the divinities Eshu, was asked to come to the aid of Olomo, an Ifa priest, when Ajogun were coming to kill him. Eshu put yam-flour in the mouths of the Ajogun, making their mouths sour and locking up their jaws. This is to serve as one example of a divinity or good supernatural power going to war against the Ajogun for a human being:

Atata-tain-tain

Ifa divination was performed for Olomo,

The tall and hefty one.

All Ajogun were moving around Olomo.

They wanted to kill him.

He was asked to perform sacrifice,

and he performed it.

One day,

Death, Disease and Loss stood up,

And set out to carry war to the house of Olomo.

They found Eshu outside the house

As they were trying to enter the house of Olomo.

Eshu repeatedly put yam-flour in their mouths,

Some of them died,

And some fell ill,

But none could enter Olomo's house

When Olomo became happy,

He started to sing the song of the Ifa priests,

He said 'Atata-tain-tain'

Ifa divination was performed for Olomo,

The tall and hefty one.

Death who wanted to kill Ifa priest,

Can no longer kill him.

Death has moved away from the head of the Ifa priest.

Death does not eat yam-flour.

If Death attempts to eat yam-flour,

His mouth becomes stiff,

His jaws are locked up.

Disease who wants to afflict Ifa priest

Can no longer afflict him.

Death does not eat yam-flour,

His mouth becomes stiff,

His jaws are locked up.

All Ajogun who wanted to attack Ifa priest

Can no longer attack him.

Death does not eat yam-flour,

His mouth becomes stiff,

His jaws become locked.

Taken from: The Yoruba World of Good and Evil, Conrad E. Mauge Ph.D

February 19

Where you will sit when you are old shows where you stood in youth – Yoruba proverb

We can become so consumed with trying to make it that we never do. Unfortunately, before we know it, we are seated by age, hardened by experiences having never realized the full value of life. We want so much. We try to do so much, it seems as if nothing ever gets done. The ancient Africans knew that quality not quantity makes life precious. It is our individual responsibility to set the standards for quality in our lives. Do we have peace in our lives? Do we have a source of happiness in our lives? Are we living up to the standards we set for ourselves? Have we set standards? Are we committed to following our heart’s desire? Are we making our dreams come true? We must decide for ourselves what we want for ourselves while the sunshine of youth is upon us. It is quality, not quantity, that brings wisdom with age.

Affirmation: I will let the sun of life shine on me.

Taken from: Acts of Faith, Iyanla Vanzant

A Yoruba story of Creation

Legend has it that in the beginning what is now called earth was a watery marsh, non-inhabitable to human life. There were several species of animal that lived on the marsh and from time to time, beings ventured down a golden ladder (or spider’s web) to hunt game. It is said that one day Olodumare, who was deep in thought, summoned Obatala, his chief architect and most trusted divinity, and gave him the task of creating earth as we know it. Obatala who had gone to Orunmila, chief counselor and heveanly sage, for divination before being summoned, knew of the task in advance. The oracle advised Obatala that he must sacrifice before venturing to earth and that he must ask Olodumare for specific items, if he wished to have a successful mission. In accepting his assignment he asked Olodumare for a five-toed hen, a pigeon, a snail’s shell containing dirt and some vegetation. With the contents carefully placed in his sack, Obatala descended to the watery marsh.

When he reached an area that could successfully hold his weight, he emptied the dirt from the snail’s shell in a pile. The hen was released and started scratching the dirt, spreading it until it covered a wide area. The pigeon was then released and it took particles of the vegetation and planted it at various intervals in the dirt. After four days, Obatala returned to heaven and told Olodumare that he had completed his mission. God then sent the chameleon to “walk” on earth and to examine the work that Olodumare had performed. The Chameleon returned to Olodumare and said “Ife” (It is wide enough). The chameleon also reported that the earth was not dry enough at that time for habitation. Olodumare then asked Obatala to return again to earth and this time he gave Obatala the seedlings of several trees to plant; these trees are now sacred to the Toruba. Among the trees were Igbe, Ope, the Dodo, the Iroko, the Peregun, and the Ayan. When Obatala reached earth, the spot where he landed he called Ile’-Ife’, was to become the holy city of the Yoruba, and the place where man would first exist. Obatala returned to heaven after planting the trees and asked Olodumare to give earth rain, which He did.

Our elders tell us that Obatala was given a second task mission by the Almighty which was to make life forms that would eventually inhabit the earth. Obatala’s specific instructions were to create physical being. Obatala once again sought guidance from Orunmila, and this time he was told to ask Our Father for soft clay from which to mold the creatures. He was told by the oracle that these creatures would become a race, a human race and that they would reproduce. The oracle described the organs of reproduction that must be made. Obatala was told to sacrifice for success. It is said that in his anxiety and haste to begin this new project, Obatala forgot to sacrifice. Obatala asked God for the soft clay and God instructed Obatala that He would bring life to the man-forms; giving man “ase” and certain other attributes including free-will, that would sustain man through limited life on earth; after which man was to return home from his journey; home to Orun.

Obatala eargerly began his task molding the male first with a male organ and the female second, giving her breasts and reproductive organs to allow procreation of their race. After days of continuous labor, Obatala began to drink of palm wine to quench his thirst and soon became intoxicated. With eyes half-closed, and his senses numbed by both fatigue and the wine, he valiantly struggled to complete his task, but alas, the forms were now misshapened and irregular.

Our folklore says that Oduduwa, later to become the progenitor of the Yoruba, came across Obatala in his stupor and decided that he would finish the task. When the task was finally completed, all of the divinities assembled to witness the creation of man. Olodumare arrived and asked the divinities to cover their eye as he gave life to man. All of the divinities covered their eyes except Orunmila; who was chosen to the witness of man’s fate.

Olodumare then breathed life into the forms and some came to life with deformities. Olodumare in His infinite wisdom charged Obalatala, the architect of man, with being the patron of the cripple, the hunchback, the blind, the albino, dwarfs and all others that mat be afflicted with a physical handicap or deformed in any way. He also said henceforth, that it was taboo for Obatala to drink strong spirits.

Shortly thereafter, Olodumare informed his divinities that they were to travel to earth and settle it. Eventually they were told that they would cohabit this plane with man. Obatala was again chosen to govern man and divinities on earth. Olodumare also sent Orunmila to give information, counsel and guidance to Obatala, the divinities and to human beings.

Taken from: The Yoruba World of Good and Evil, Conrad E. Mauge Ph.D

#trendingthoughts

So @TrinidadJamesGG is here! Is the world ready for @TobagoTracy? Rama was last night. We not I didnt go. Worked at Calypso Fiesta yesterday. It was a good year for the entertainment segment after the competition. Explainer, The Mighty Shadow, Swallow, Johnny King all regaled. An historic 7 women are in the finals of the Calypso Monarch. Raymond Ramnarine is Chuntney Monarch. Super Blue performed at the Fiesta, he believed to be the taker of all Soca titles this year. He performed to a full vocal track. Im supposed to be getting ready to go to the Opening Night of 3 Canal's annual show, this year called Planass! I was promoted to Deputy Head of News on Friday. Word is that I deserved it, happy to hear so I guess? Just another day in paradise! One week to the climax of another Carnival season....a definitive time for many of us...we decide who we are at Carnival...one song says "time to go to fete and play jamette"...yuh know? So Im working from a new position as of tomorrow and hoping my perspective doesn't change. Love!

Where there is good...Art

The BBC is currently running a feature on Spain, one of the first two countries to lay claim to the New World, see the Treaty of Tordesillas. I heard a preacher say recently that if prayer brought you money Bill Gates would be the world’s most prayerful, the point being that religious dedication and rectitude does not redound to success, work does.  Having said that, I now say that Spain’s colonial conquests and consequent relative success are no reflection of anything to do with God being a Spaniard.

            The feature on BBC International looks at the art of Spain and great art it is, I do admit my ideas on what makes good art stems from Europe’s domination of aesthetics and critique of same. Among the images in the montage advertising the feature are those of Great churches and of course, Christ. The passion, the epic narrative and the races of the stories of the Savior of the World say a lot. I have heard it said that just as God created man in his image and likeness, so too man creates God in his image and likeness. The Chinese government, in relaxing laws banning Christianity, has said that all images of Jesus must be rendered with him having Chinese features. That’s a bold move that has gone unmentioned by the likes of the European based and UK tax-payer funded BBC.

            Looking at the art of the day in my Trinidad and Tobago and by art I mean Soca and by day I mean this Carnival season, I wonder about the representations and their lasting power to shape how we see ourselves and interpret ourselves. The artists, song writers, producers, performers all live here, they all create for us and they all like the Spanish aim to stake a claim of the wider world.

            Spain is portrayed in the feature as having been shaped by the Moors and the Christians, from what I gather the Moors were Muslims and control of the land was taken from them by the Christians. I can imagine that more blood was shed in those negotiations than have been on these shores in the years that have passed since 1962: a bloody history it is. Yet the values of the very Spanish now being lauded as great artists would have robbed the image of Christ of any Jewish/ Middle Eastern features and seem to have captured a world in heaven that is not populated by anyone that looks like me or my friend Shiva.

            The colonization of the region has led us to believe that we need someone else to tell us what is right, what is good and what is beautiful. I can’t ignore Chucky Gordon who sings Bear with Me in his winning 50^th Anniversary Independence Calypso Monarch song, a young nation he says that is still catching its feet. I agree, it even echoes statements I have made about the region which struggles to measure itself against the behemoths of the world, countries with centuries old histories of hegemony and greatness.

            Part of the conundrum is that we political beasts in the Caribbean start our history with Independence. In celebrating it we discard all else that came before and so it is again through a European prism that we value ourselves given that unlike Cuba we in the main negotiated polite and acceptable releases from the reins of the WIndsors. All well and good but it leaves us without a silent moment to define ourselves. This becomes even more dire when our artists chose to express themselves in ways they know we like and are then judged for promoting immorality and irresponsibility. I wonder is it not the most heinous of crimes to have not taken up the challenge of defining for ourselves who we are, treasuring it in museums and academia so that one day we too can see ourselves as great even if our art offends the rest of the world?