Seriously? Did you seriously expect some died-in-the-balisier PNMite to say (s)he disapproves of Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s decision to appoint a “sole investigator” for the ferry fiasco? Hahahahahahahahaha! You doh understand nutten about the culture of T&T—which is not, as the Mighty Power claimed years ago, just calypso and steelband. …
Read More »Master’s Voice: Too paralysed to analyse; fossilised Afro-Indian attitudes to European realities
I was going to delay my ranting until Independence Day. But a couple things—including the events in Charlottesville—pushed me to decide to leggo the ramble one time and done. Almost immediately after I wrote my piece on “model” policing, two early comments illustrated exactly what I was speaking about. One person offered up a …
Read More »Master’s Voice: Police modelling and model policing; why we need back the Union Jack
Right. Everybody who is NOT a millennial––and you of the Independence Generation in particular––I have one polite, humble request. Before 31 August, anywhere you pass and see the Red, White and Black flying, please, PLEASE stop, pull it down and hoist the Union Jack back up for me. Please. Seriously, …
Read More »On a higher note: Best asks if are we raising the bar for pan’s fans
“You’re going to love me,” she sang, raw emotion inhabiting but not inhibiting her voice. And the crowd roared. “She” is Arielle Cowie, the passionate young singer who performed with Renegades at last month’s International Steelband Foundation’s BIG 5 concert. And she was right; I loved her. As did, as …
Read More »Master’s Voice: You vs Euro; the continuing emancipation battle for ownership of self
MOST OF US ARE EMANCIPATED ALREADY. UNFORTUNATELY. No, I haven’t gone completely mad. I just thought I’d try to grab your attention and so make you understand the importance of understanding the power words have. Today is Emancipation Day when we celebrate the end of the enslavement of African people. …
Read More »Master’s Voice: Between a marabunta and a jep nest; our two July days of infamy
Monday was the anniversary of that infamous jailbreak, two years ago, and I should originally have submitted this piece to be published on that day. But I think that it’s better if it appears today, between that 24 July anniversary and the anniversary of another infamous episode in this country’s …
Read More »MASTER’S VOICE: Behind the brutal battering of Bayshore’s beige buffers; ignore rage at your peril
My laptop real pick a fine time to stage a sick-out. Almost immediately all kinda things start happening. Fr Harvey get beat up…. by people who vex with him for forgiving those who actually beat him up; Saudi Arabia accused another country of supporting terrorism… That’s right… Saudi Arabia making accusations like that, …
Read More »MASTER’S VOICE: The genesis of the Syria/ISIS exodus; Gilkes cites verse and chapter
So once again we’ve made international news…And again for reasons we rather we didn’t make de people international news. I mean we crave foreign acknowledgement and validation, but not so, dred. Bright and early Thursday morning, I see on my newsfeed an Al Jazeera story exploring why tiny T&T have …
Read More »MASTER’S VOICE: Privy Council says Dumas damn right to demand info from State body
Hear ye, hear ye, O people of the babagreen—I cyar really say “grassroots” no more since in most places the grass cut and covered over with Bestcrete or pitch. Anyway, leh mih make mih point. The point is that ting happening and, Sherma Wilson, forgive me for calling your name …
Read More »MASTER’S VOICE: Deny, deflect, diss, dismiss; the Trini way to deal with crime
Well, after my Minister of National Security went and guff up he chest in Enterprise, ah was going to post my views on that… But Mr Live Wire come and say every single thing I was going to say. So instead of suing him for tiefing my thoughts, lemme try a …
Read More »MASTER’S VOICE: Ramcharitar’s rant about Canboulay riot does injustice to history
“It’s curious he made no mention of The Diaries of Abbe Armand Masse, the French Catholic priest who on 30 April 1881 wrote that the marchers often ‘amuse themselves in a more or less noisy fashion but peace is not compromised’ but that year ‘by a sort of bravado, the …
Read More »MASTER’S VOICE: If San F’do J’Ouvert is dying, then Mayor Regrello has bloody hands
“Is it that the ole mas is dying out on its own or is it an assisted ‘death’? “A long-running sentiment among ole masqueraders—including those from a band I am currently writing a book on—is that there have been influential people in the San Fernando City Corporation who became displeased …
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