One of a series of fortnightly columns from Guyanese in the diaspora.
When a West Indian got OBE (Order of the British Empire) couple years ago, it go to the Bannuh head. Every gathering he make it he duty to announce that, he had received the OBE, that is, until one night when a JA friend loudly exclaimed, “AH Which Empire Dem Ah Talk Bout”.
So now that Guyana has been included in the world, congrats, for usually when Europeans/Americans say the World it is restricted to locations of Caucasian persuasion, like Australia. Now there is a wonder! Remember when and why South Africa was denied the privilege of being included in the competition? Seeing that Australia is welcomed, means of course, the Aussie Government has now changed its attitude to and oppression of the First inhabitants, its apartheid of the Aboriginal nations, and has withdrawn its statutory decision to refuse helping vessels in distress if they happen to have refugees.
I know with Guyanese strong commitment to righteousness and sense of morality, Guyana would not participate with any country that practices oppression on peoples, especially peoples whose land they occupy. Guyana would not “play with such like” unless they have drastically changed their attitude and say “Beg Pardon”.
Back to this cricket thing
I confess to never being a supporter or willing spectator of the game, so can only go by “hear-say” – that sometime after, or maybe while CLR was, or had completed his book Beyond the Boundary, the oppressed had whipped the Oppressor and the WI Oppressed reigned for more than two hands of years, but being generous people, the WI undefeated still retained their subservient role to the defeated, allowing them to hold on to the Authority and Power to set the rules by which the game is played, even though (“hear-say-again”) there was some fuss about something called a GOOGLY which the defeated outlawed (“hear-say-again”) until they could do it, then they legalized it. Now if that is true, I take my tope off to the WI cricket community for cheek.
Congrats are in order Guyana, you have graduated, you are now part of the World. Even though both the last Imperial power and indeed the present one can’t quite make up their minds if Guyana is West Indian or South American, it definitely in somebody backyard, that’s for sure. I say. Guyana is fully West Indian because like the rest of the XEnglish Xcolonies, like the Xcolonizers and indeed the new one and mad dogs, Guyana works in the mid-day sun, Guyana the only plot in the Amazonian jungle that rejects the sensible practice of siesta, observation of nature demonstrates its nature-ality.
Well February gone and done, I can’t remember if the celebrations of the Independence Charade are still in February or it was relocated to some other season.
This 2007 is an auspicious year, for Guyana and the African peoples have been given permission to celebrate Emancipation, now there is something! Maybe there should be an Emancipation Get-Ball-Bowl competition, so all the Emancipated could meet and play and party for as long as they want, like a 400 year fete with pay. After all, many an ancestor never received a pension, so it is only fair that their descendants should receive what would be their inheritance.
Closing with extract from a Work in Progress
Learning the History of the world we read from
Preface to Glossary, there was no men
tion of you or LazygoodfornothingWe so
For midterm xamination he wrote a we story
We LazygoodfornothingWe he wrote
(as far as he could see) miraculously bred
From Cane, condemned to afterbirth of pain
felled as Abel or ravaged by selfloathing
Insecurity, doubt, migrate to land of insane
From alien plans (he wrote) WeLazygoodfornothing
We by axe cut equatorial forest, sweep swamp
Nurtured a country; by hand, shovel, spade
Shifted tons of millions of clay, mud
Stone to fortify against assault of irate sea
we LazygoodfornothingWe
Produced a town garden fit for any city
By hammer, chisel, saw built mansions
And cathedrals, WeLazygoodfornothing
We webbed vines of canals, to drain irrigate.
