Who Run Tings

Amina Blackwood meeks

Dear Miss Lou,

YU IS a very clairvoyant lady. When I recall de letter yu did write to Cousin Min bout what she miss in de first wonderful Independence celebrations, I have to wonder if yu was talking about de most grandiloquent street affairs we had in Kingston for Independence 2000. Dem shud have been in every parish but one was uptown an one was downtown.

De Urban Development Corporation put awn waterfront swing nearly fe a whole day. If yu see people what come out. Some grannies what never had enough teet to eat de fish an bammy what fry right dere on de sidewalk jus stan up an reminisce bout when Kingston was Kingston meanwhile some likkle ones who could de dem great gran perform some ring games what dem nearly forget dat dem used to play to.

Next day now, de New Kingston Civic Association, (dat is a new ting so never mind) put awn a street dance into New Kingston dat was a festival gold medal winner into a category by itself. Miss Lou, "Not a stone was fling, not a bad-wud sting, not a man gwaan bad an low-rated".

De two tings nice like a back an front, yu memba dat? For people was jus dun countin up de numbers of dose who looking for one of dose five flights a day to any place where goodniss run tings. Everybody jus fed up sey as dem dun work dem have to run home and curfew demself behind burglar bars while burglas an him fren inna bars a celebrate how dem lack dung tings. Afta dat now dem rab de bar an whoeva in it, an if yu nuh mine sharp nobady leff fe tell de tales.

Well de UDC an de New Kingston people show we in no uncertain terms dat we can write a different tale. People a enjoy demself wid people who shall be no more stranger, far dat is how we did translate de English manners of "pleased to meet you". De fus time yu smile wid smaddy an shake dem hand yu "hope to be no more stranger". Yes, ma'am, dis stranger ting was getting in de way of who yu cud trus, who yu cud look out for. In fack we was on de verge of getting fraid fe look at all an while we play see an blind de adda side a rab all we bline ­ teck money, confidence, love, life.

Well it look like part of de new tale could write like dis "There shall be no more ghost towns in the city." Decent people must an show de adda side dat who run de place will not allow dem to ruin de place.

But yu know what was de sweetis? Is de amount of diverse entities who carporate fe demonstrate de possibilities. Yu can imagine Bertis Bell from TVJ interview Helene Coley Nicholson who jus come fe injoy harself an bawl it out sey she work at KLAS FM 89, dat supposed to be a competin media house? Me a wanda if Bertis lick him head. But me ketch Jennifer Small from RJR a introduce har co-emcee Dervan Malcolm by de fack sey him work at Power 106.

Yes, Miss Lou, is true. An me tink to meself sey wen people sey dem lang fe de good ole days it doan have nutten fe do wid missing dankey cart an walk five miles barefoot go school wid one likkle piece a chappa slate. After rall is nat dat we get Independence for. Is nat dat why yu did put awn dat nice peasant dress into de national colours an go sing out yu soul case inna de stadium dat Independence mawnin. Me have it pan one tape dat never get scrub, teng Gad. When people sey good ole days dem mean peaceful an uplifting jollification, carperation where dere is no need for competition, an we leggo we self in how wonderful we can be. Den so tings fe run, Miss Lou?

Me wudda like more dan all if de media cudda maintain dah spirit of carperation dere. Yu can imagine if all a dem just block aff de same block a time every mont de play de same nice music or fe we poetry or tell we history of we great achievers an doan have to wait pan no special okajan? Any station yu turn to all yu can hear is how we run tings wen we nice? An de private sector? How much money it wudda cost fe bring ole an young into a regular Waterfront mix-up mix-up? Me tink dat wudda count as "investing in an atmosphere conducive to productivity." For nutten doan beat wen yu feel good bout yuself an de place whey yu live an see an learn bout how people like yuself did accomplish plenty wid dem likkle much. For me know sey more a we wudda tek pride inna we history if we did know more bout it. More a we wudda have de confidence of Garvey an de determination of Nanny if we did really understan how dem inspire we granny an parents dem.

Dem is de tools we need to get before we need fe use dem. Dem we wudda use dem fe condemn an wipe out every act of indiscipline, every hint of illegality before it touch we personally, or before it grow so big we tink sey de ongle solution is fe run whey leff it.

And the politicians? Yu tink dem really believe sey "the progress we make my friends is not always how rich we are." Well den, dem is to spen money pan tings dat might not necessarily have no immediate dollars an cents return but wen we dun tun roun inna de power a de atmosphere whey dem tings dey create, Junior Kelly wudda get a change a pace from hungry days an so much a we wudden have to seek we food outa desolate place. For doan dat is de point of Independence, Miss Lou? We are as poor as we are content to let the poorest be.

So we tank de UDC an de New Kingston people an de media fraternity ­ we can call it dat again ­ fe remin we how we run can tings, Miss Lou, but if we stop movin now we naw go finish de journey.

Nuff respex.

Amina

Amina Blackwood Meeks is a communications specialist.

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