The Safest Safety Matches

In T&T we have the safest safety matches – they don’t light at all. It can’t get safer than that. So much for the Bureau of Standards. Maybe we need a Bureau of Standards for bureaus of standards.

International Year of Peoples of African Descent / Reparation?

'International Year of Peoples of African Descent'. Are Africans included? Silly question? The first thought is that an African is a national of Africa, i.e. someone born in Africa, so 'peoples of African descent' would be inclusive of the Diaspora as well as those born in Africa . But then, 'African', like European, cannot be a nationality since there is no country called Africa (or Europe) therefore 'African' can only be an identity. (If there is a flaw in this argument feel free to expose it)

I may be wrong, but to make sense, the concept of 'peoples of African descent' connotes that the term is synonymous with 'black' (whatever that means) from Africa, (not Australia or India or New Guinea for example), and anything on the palette mixed with black, so that people born in England of Asian (e.g. Chinese or East Indian or Japanese) parents who were born in Africa (people of Asian descent?) would not be considered 'people of African descent'. Thus there must also be a connotation of 'native' which introduces its own complexities. (Note that I have tried to skirt 'race' and the concept of 'race'. Note also, there is a common thread of slavery re Africa, beyond colonialism, which excludes India, China etc.)

Thus it would seem to me that though the term, 'peoples of African descent', may have been used in an attempt to promote clarity, the more correct term/word would be 'African' and the declaration and its signalled intent would be more meaningful if stated 'International Year of Africans'. I contend that there is an ultimately significant difference in the use of the word 'African' as an adjective or a noun here. Note also the double plurality of the word 'Peoples', meant to indicate diversity, I would like to think, but in which there is also an inherent potential for divisiveness as opposed to the inherent potential for unification in the plurality of the word 'Africans'. Remember Bob Marley's, "Africans Unite"?

If, as I have suggested, the use of the referred phrase is in the interest of clarity, then would it not be wiser to choose the more meaningful statement with an explanation for clarification rather than leave room, under critical analysis, as to the genuineness, and by extension probability of success, of the agenda?

I labour this point because, in my opinion, it is at the heart of the misunderstanding, fragmentation and resultant identity crisis which has engendered the past, present and ongoing, generally pathetic post slavery/post colonial condition of Africans, both on the continent and in the African Diaspora, and which recognition has given rise to this 'better late than never' declaration of the United Nations.

Can you see the dilemma emerging here before we can even begin? Probably one of the reasons the issue has been shied away from for so long, which will have to be grappled with by this Declaration but which such considerations should not be allowed to stymie in any way this late but, nonetheless, most laudable of initiatives, one I can only hope was conceived in sincerity, i.e. love of humanity, concern for the human condition and desire to right the wrongs, in addition to burning necessity.

Clean Gas in Unclean Bottles

Why the ugly, dirty, rusty, scornful-looking, unhygienic cooking gas bottles one must be forced to accept and store in one's kitchen?

Should not there be some sort of standard where the companies are expected to clean the bottles before refilling and to paint them now and then.

I suppose that would mean an increase in the price of a bottle of gas but please, Bureau of Standards, can't we do better than that?

Police Exposure

So now the well meaning Police Service, in their Information Advisory, are advising the bandits exactly where to look for your laptops and other valuables in your car.

Would it not have been sufficient if they stopped at saying, "Do not leave valuables exposed in your vehicle"?

Poetic Licence?

Is poetry the highest form of creative writing? There are those who will so lay claim but of course this is debatable. For me, poetry is the essence of creative writing but more important is the fact that all writing requires, no, demands that the writer strive for excellence.

Please people, I agree that poets possess poetic licence to break conventional rules of writing but at least one should be aware of the rules that are being broken and why (e.g. local or Caribbean dialectal constructs); rules should not be broken 'vikey vie' i.e. thoughtlessly and erratically without any deliberation.

Poetic licence certainly does not give one the right to arbitrarily write bad grammar (e.g. tense, subject/verb singular/plural agreement, etc), bad punctuation, bad spelling, typos and generally sloppy writing. Please proof read or edit your poems before posting or publishing.

And while we are at it, let's dispel the sorry myth about getting inspiration, writing a poem and not daring to touch it afterwards even if it is full of crap. If you recognize an error or something that can be improved, give it some thought and make corrections; and please, correct the typos picked up, even after posting, cause if you don't readers will recognize them.

Althea Romeo-Mark says "...a freshly composed poem is like a block of marble or a large piece of wood that must be chiseled and carved until it reaches a shape of perfection that pleases the eye. Similar with a raw poem, you chisel away excess words until you reach a form that is concise, concrete and conveys meaning in brief, vivid phrases that evoke a response in the reader."

Let's take some pride in our work. If we don't we are doing a disservice to both ourselves and other poets who would like readers to take poetry seriously.

Of Camels, Zebras and Jackasses

Say 'hump' anywhere in the world and one automatically thinks of roads and camels; in my country, say 'hump' and I think of roads, camels, zebras and jackasses.

There are no camels or zebras here but the people who place on our roads, steep, sometimes narrow, sometimes malformed, ugly, vicious humps without painting them with white stripes have got to be jackasses. Maybe they could use the paint to paint themselves with white stripes, then they could be mistaken for zebras.

I understand the need for humps as much as I understand the need for speed (no pun intended) but should not the humps be painted to be clearly visible and to indicate that a hump is ahead?

But then again, they could be part of a conspiracy with the pot-hole people, spare-part dealers and auto mechanics to mash up your vehicle so that you have to purchase parts and fix every day.

Sound like another jackass conspiracy theory?

And oh! I forgot about the other 'hump'; like in "the people who place on our roads, steep, sometimes narrow, sometimes malformed, ugly, vicious humps without painting them with white stripes..." have got to be enjoying humping us all.

A Library at Last! Hurrah!!!

Oh the fond memories of afternoons, after school, heading for the Scarborough Library at the top of Burnett Street, pausing at the two record shops on the two up-and-down streets along the way, of course. And the not so fond memories of under-stocked, under-utilized and defunct school libraries, but that was a long, long time ago.

Why are we so capital-centric or city-centric or north-centric, if you like, in Trinidad and Tobago? I love the idea of having a magnificent edifice called the National Library in Port of Spain but what is the sense when the majority ( I stand to be corrected on this) of villages, towns and boroughs all over the country do not have proper libraries, if any at all, including school libraries?

When last I visited the Carnegie Library at San Fernando, the other city, students were sitting on the floor due to the cramped space. Princes Town was a little hole. Rio Claro had none. There is the mobile library system but can't we do better than that? Would not a library in every town and village be of tremendous value to the citizenry, particularly the children. Of course the concept of a library is no longer just books but also digital, multimedia, workshops and events, computers and internet access.

Think of the poor child, not fortunate to possess these capabilities at home but who may have the aptitude or potential to be a doctor or scientist. Think of the potential leader who, if not channelled down the positive path, may graduate to become a gang leader.

For years, even before the murder of deceased chairman Hansraj Sumairsingh (God rest his soul) and his vision in 1999, my good friend, Esther Noel (God bless her), and I, lobbied ceaselessly, to no avail, at the Rio Claro Regional Corporation for a library in Rio Claro, an important town with many dependencies in the south east of Trinidad. The sad thing is that there are many corporate citizens who would gladly support any library venture and I had secured the pledge of a big oil-exploration company at the time.

It warmed my heart to hear the Honourable Winston Peters announce recently that, at long last, Rio Claro will get a library of which the residents can be proud. All power to you, sir. We await with bated breath (even though I do not presently reside there).