Carnival 2002

copyright to the webmistress (yuh ole teef)

Ah comin back to mih favourite people, de Caribana Cultural Committee. An ah hear we have a new man rat in de hole dis year, de Toronto Mas Builders Association. People does write an' gimmeh ole talk tuh make mih bus some scandalous laugh in my house y'hear?! A lotta we really fed up wid de way tings was handle - is over 30 years, oh gooode nah boy!

Ah realize de CCC and dem doh have me to study. Dey runnin around doin whatever it is dey doing and ordinary people like me doh really know what is what until dey lan up in de newspapers. But ah have a favour tuh akse all de people who in charge of Caribana/Toronto International Carnival 2002. Ah aksin' on behalf of me an' all de people who write mih.

Please.

Do for Gawd sake.

Ah beggin' yuh.

Doh embarrass we dis year.

When we goin by people ah does talk to mih chile an akse he not to embarrass me in people house. He might misbehave once or twice buh when you see we reach home ah does straighten out he little backside. Nex time he does tink twice and little by little he learn what he mudda and fadda expeck from him. After all, wherever he go he makin a reputation, ent? Even after I dead and gorn, he still have he family name to proteck or abuse.

Is de same ting wid Carnival in Toronto. Everyting dat de CCC or TMBA do does refleck on me. History doh remember which person do wrong, it does just remember it was de West Indian community who pelt spade.

Somea we have broughtupsy, we like to keep we powder dry, we have more to study dan how high we leg could go when we winein or how much babash we could drink before we pass out on Lakeshore.

Some'a we does play mas wid yuh and go on yuh boat ride and come tuh yuh fete becaw we supportin we culture. Doh stop dere an feel what you do doh have backslash on we. Doh stop dere an feel people not watchin you. But you have tuh understan', we not goin to keep backin a jackass in a horse race.

Now before yuh start watchin mih cut eye, lemmeh tell yuh dat is not everyting yuh do was bad or wrong. Toronto have de nicest carnival in Nort America. Dat din happen jes so. Ah tank all yuh.

Every season ah does pass by de mas camps to see how yuh doin. Every year, rain or shine ah does pay mih money an come to de King and Queen show. Mih pores does raise when ah see how sweet de mas look. When yuh see we line up in Exhibition Stadium on Saturday mornin it does have every skin colour inside every colour costume, is as if Papa Gawd heself paint de ban. Who ever say Gawd not in carnival lie! Tell dem I, Queen Macoomeh say so!

Dat day ah does bounce up tourises from all over de worl. Dey does have dey mout open jes like me when ban pass or when pan jumbie take we. Dey does be fascinate to see how West Indian so friendly and happy. Plenty people does plan dey summer to make sure dey reach Toronto in time fuh de lime. Families does get together, an' we does bounce up people we din see in years.

You doin more dan jes' havin' fete an making costume an beatin pan. You keepin my culture alive in a foreign lan'. You makin memories fuh me. You helpin me show mih chile some'a he mudda hist'ry. Doh take dat responsibility light.

De las little while all yuh was in de papers for de wrong reason. Fightin like cat and dog, name callin, bogus court case, obeah nonsense, peltin cuff in meetings, all kinea chupidness. CCC and TMBA pullin an tuggin over what de City do. Some'a all yuh fugget yuh mandate. Dat mandate is to represent ME, not you. Jes becaw yuh have tikle yuh feel yuh own my Carnival? You fightin' fuh de name Caribana like yuh forget is NOT yours is MINES! Widdout me an' my people yuh dogs dead.

I watch every hotel from Hamilton to Oshawa pack up for weeks, every taxi full, every rumshop full, every snackette busy, parkin lot squeezin een cars till dey nearly parkin dem one on top de nex'. Even de jammet on Church Street makin' money an all yuh tellin' me we scruntin? Dat does have me confuse. How come we broken? How come every fete does be ramcram an all yuh boat ride full an' you doh make a profit? How come we doh have a building or even a fowl coob wid we name on it?

I uses to play in a panside years aback an was handlin de cahcahdah. Ah use to be able to acconk fuh every penny. Nobody could say I buy a dinner mint wid de money. How come you cah show people Financial Statements?

Dis year ah want yuh take shame out mih eye. Ah want yuh to promote MY intress not your own. Is a lotta work, an' some people doh say tanks. Some'a all yuh does work out yuh liver string. Doh tink ah doh know.

Is time yuh show de City we have sense. Stop spen'in money yuh say yuh doh have on sollysittor suit. Stop ackin' jealous an' stingy wid each udda. When ting done, open yuh purse an' pay de people. Take Queen Macoomeh advice. Get a copybook an' a lead - Walmart have dem cheap. Draw a line, one side for money coming een an de udda side for money going out. Mark everyting dong.

Ah bringin' a band dis year. Ah calling it My People. It only have one section. Ah callin' it Self Respeck.

cric crac monkey break he back