Thursday, March 28, 2024

GAL FRIDAY: Embrace Caribbean unity

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You know how beautiful our Caribbean really is, though?
If you look between the crevices of the long talk and disregard the hidden agendas across countries, you will see beauty all around us. I had the opportunity to work from Berbice to Buff Bay and back to Barbados, using both carriers; and each time I landed – safely and on time – I felt the need to applaud, like we used to. Remember that?
Clapping when the plane landed?
Richie Hoad, next time we go away together (not on a space-ship), let’s clap when we come back, right?
Start with me from the south. The sheer acreage of Guyana is enough to give many farmers more than just a dell . . . the land is so vast.
Then look at Trinidad. Carnival just done.
When you take it in: the colours, the kaiso, the pan, the people . . .  is enough to make a sourpuss smile.
Or Grenada. Spice all over, a lake called Grand Etang that could make the illiterate write prose; top class hotels with great food and friendly folk. If I was to move up every island in the archipelago, I wouldn’t finish today, so let’s climax with Jamaica, since we already know that we have nuff here to offer like the caves and cou-cou; Kadooment and cricket; and our girl RiRi.
Jamaica – a wah mih seh? Manish water, Usain, my favourite boy Marley and oh lawd have us mercy, Tessane Chin! Tessane is on the cover of one of the in-flight magazines – talk about a gorgeous mix of plenty people in one.
We regionally have so much, why are some top thinkers refuting regional oneness? I mean, in this day and age to talk about people tiefing jobs and we richer than dem and all kind of insecure chatter reminds me of Tommy who was taking Viagra and talking about his neighbour’s impotence.
This time, the neighbour and Tommy’s wife taking in some serious Marvin Gaye when the pill popper was at work . . . and on the toilet. You see, one of the side effects of such an enhancing drug is diarrhoea. Imagine you trying to keep up appearances and then you got to go . . . how romantic is that?
We holding forth about how LIAT “must become economically viable” and get it right, yet we have people here waiting in uncertainty, trying to get from St James to St Lucy?  LIAT is one of the tools of Caribbean unity. Why not try to ensure it works better rather than creating air aches all over with the criticism?
What happens when there’s unity with a purpose? We get cou-cou and flying fish, crab and dumpling, ackee and saltfish, bake and shark . . . . Would you like to eat cou-cou alone; just dumpling with no crab, not even crab sauce; only ackee, or a dry bake without shark? Our very cuisine speaks to unity . . . . Why can’t we digest the thought of unity instead of belly-griping about who better than who?
Veoma Ali is an author, actor, broadcaster, advertising exec and most importantly, a karaoke lover.

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