I AIN’T KNOW why so many people was jumping up and carrying on when Bizzy Williams had tuh express how it made him feel when he saw a video last Wednesday night at the celebration in Independence square and heard ’bout Barbados being one o’ the freest black nations in the world. Wha evahbody could see and know dat we really ain’t nuh black nation in trute; we majority black while the white people is the minority. But, look, all o’ we mixed tuh France up.
Look, I ain’t blame Bizzy Williams fuh getting vex, Wha’ if I was he I would be vex too. His company might’ve even been one o’ the many companies dat make some kinda contribution tuh the celebrations and then tuh be dissed like dat cahn feel very good.
Talk what ya like, this country ain’t belong nor get built by black people alone; white people have been propping up this country fuh years too and, after all, this land is dem wun too. Dem just as proud tuh be called Barbadian or Bajan as any other so-called Bajan.
We ain’t like some other countries where a lot o’ duh smart people just bail out when things start tuh look like duh was getting outta hand. I think duh called it the brain drain but, yes, a lot o’ people when the going got rough, pull up the stakes, get duh families together and tek off fuh the United States, Canada, Australia and dem places so, and look wha’ happen tuh some o’ dem countries.
But dat is one thing ’bout we Bajans: I ain’t care wha’ nuhbody say, Bajans, black, white or in between, are very loyal tuh this country. So it ain’t only the black Bajans who have stuck it out and help this country tuh be what it is today. It is also the white ones who have been working hard tuh keep this nation afloat too; wha’ after all, dem nable string buried right here like mine and yours too.
Of course, a lot o’ dem got a li’l different accent but so do the people from St Lucy, St Peter and, of course, St Philip. White Bajans have all rights tuh stand up and express duhselves if duh doan agree wid something dat happening ’bout here. Duh have a right.
I ain’t know why some non-white Bajans does have tuh get on suh igrant when it comes tuh colour or race and why duh have tuh blow it outta proportion all the time so. Just because duh ain’t got nuh white janitors, nuh white sanitation workers, nor home help people, nuh white domestics nor nuh white firemen, ain’t mean dat duh ain’t got this nation’s best interest at heart.
Look, I could afford tuh talk and represent Mr Williams because my grandmother was a piece o’ white woman and her mother was the real thing, the true white woman who married a black man. I hate tuh hear people carrying on wid this lot o’ black and white foolishness ’cause, as I said before, all o’ we mix up. I got a daughter who is married tuh a white bajan man and I sure Mr Williams herself married tuh a black Bajan woman, too, so I ain’t know wha’ all the hoo-ha is about.
Mr Williams got feelings like anybody else and if he took offence tuh what was or was not said, he has all right tuh express his feelings, if he black, white or in between.
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.
