-Boxing for recognition and reward
Frankly Speaking…
Away with issues of crime, HIV-AIDS, traffic accidents and fires!
Down with politics, corruption and natural disasters! Forget, for ten minutes, poverty, wars and our heavily–taxed cost of living!
Let’s spend these few minutes and paragraphs looking at love, instead. Though I’m no Ian McDonald and hardly poetic, I consulted the new-fangled internet to see what folks, throughout the ages, thought of one of mankind’s oldest obsessions – love.
To me, frankly speaking, love is a human “commodity” in very short supply. Liking, respect and good feelings from human beings to one another is being quickly replaced by “man’s inhumanity to man”. Witness the global and inter-country conflicts, the local and domestic abuse of all forms. I truly tire of the now daily reports of spousal battering and killings. Ignorance, alcohol, intolerance and hurt influence men to become beasts and spurn the beauty, the necessity of and for love.
But what is it?
I used the internet and browsed dictionaries. I studied the origins and the definitions but prefer quotations from the early thinkers, muses and philosophers. Like: “Love is to be delighted by the happiness of another“ (Leibniz); “Love conquers all” (Virgil); Love is the concern for the spiritual growth of another” (Peck) and also “Simple narcissism”. Indeed Peck insists that “love is an activity and not simply a feeling”. And so on.
Theories, studies, explanations abound. But we simple folk think of love as affection, bonding, sexual and romantic feelings; emotions born of Chemistry/protein molecules which trigger intense concern, care and sometimes plain craziness! Indeed, according to reliable sources” studies have shown that brain scans of those infatuated by love display a resemblance to those with mental illness. Love operates in the brain’s area just where hunger, thirst and craving for drugs operate. Later, we will express the reactions of Guyanese to this “love madness”.
Of course love has various components and stages – like intimacy, commitment, passion, attachment. And yes, passionate love can be infatuation, romantic and very sexual. Some religions contend that real love comes from their God. To really love someone then can border on being holy. Where Christianity and the Bible are concerned the Apostle Paul seems to be bully on love. He “glorified” it as the most important virtue. Read his beautiful poem on the subject in First Corinthians. And do some research – what is Divine Love? A Mother’s Love? Puppy Love? Love addiction or Love Sickness?
Typee – and a poem…
Love sickness? Going “crazy” over someone? Wordsworth Mc Andrew explained the stages of intense love feelings in the Guyanese folkloric style. He actually presented us with forty stages of “strong love“ beginning with typee. Both men and women do strange, humorous, addictive things when typee’s love madness takes hold of their beings.
But there are stronger, more intense stages of love-born erratic (and erotic) behaviour. Like Chiranghi, Tabanga, Loodoop, Franjilanji Pang, Typhoshus-Rikkitiks, Boojie-Moojie, Chi-Chiri, Totilotipo, Gejh-Geh and Richee-Cheechee. All of those descriptive creolese stages have meanings. Which one means bloodshed because of unrequited love? Which one sees the male washing his lady’s “fine clothes” Oh dis ting – love.
Here is one of my more romantic love poems:
“Have I really ever let you know
How empty life would be?
Without the love and tenderness
That you have given me?
At times it may appear
I take for granted all you do,
But all I am, and all I’ll be
Mean nothing without you
Simple words may never tell you
Exactly how I feel
But I love you in a special way
What words may not reveal
I promise you each moment
Of each day, my whole life through
There’s nothing that could ever change
The love I have for you.
So let’s make love, not war, not hate.
Boxing then, and now
From love to the world’s premier contact sport – traditional boxing between two fighters.
Growing up in Alberttown, Bourda, Georgetown, from the ‘forties to the late sixties, one had to come into contact with such sports as cricket, horse-racing, football and boxing. That happened to me. I soon learnt, even before my teenaged years, of Kid Motee Singh, Wilf Boodhoo, Cyclone Kid, Cliff Anderson, Ceasar Barrow, Stephenson, Garraway, Rugged Mack, later Beckles and company.
Amateur Boxing really drew me more into the sport however. Humber Green came to the Goed Fortuin (WB Dem) school at which I taught. My young strong “country-pupils” later became National champs as I watched numerous tournaments throughout the years. I watched rugged rivalry amongst the Prisons, the Police, GDF, Agricola and Albouystown Gyms. There was no Sports Hall then.
All that is background for my observations now. Since Mr. Parris’ Bronze Olympic Medal and “Sixhead” Lewis’ World Title, Guyana must be recognized by the World Boxing Bodies as a cradle of good boxers. Besides Jamaica, in this Region. Even our ladies have stepped up to claim international recognition and reward.
So is there a formal, government –supported, programme for the promotion of the poor people’s sport? Discuss. It’s tough and expensive to keep boxing vibrant here. That’s why we must support the young promoters and the Boxing Board and its Friday Night Fights.
But our standards must be sky-high. Let’s use the very last professional fight card at our new (MGM Grand) Princess Hotel venue as a case study of what to do and not to do. ESPN and CMC were here to record and televise. They would have truly observed. I’ll save the rest for later.
Until…
*1) Who’ll get the “Amerindian vote?” These Guyanese are not silly children of any forest. Wait and see.
*2) The IDB is telling contractors and bidders just how to “Bid”.
*3) What a national Disgrace! The harmful smoke from Georgetown’s atrocious dumpsite over the past days. Can’t the residents sue? Even saying farewell to your departed ones in the Le Repentir Jungle means mourning in smelly smoke. Deliver us.
‘Til Next Week!
(Comments?allanafenty@yahoo.com)