How much…noise?

We all make noise when we’re happy, don’t we?? And today being “the day after Phagwah”, there’s a whole cacophony of noise that’s gonna be made!! Celebrations have always been accompanied by noise – whether of music or of raised voices. Can you imagine celebrating, say, hitting the lottery and not whooping it up?? Now this ain’t no recent innovation but goes back to the furthest antiquity! In the Western tradition, remember the Greeks and Romans with their Dionysian and Bacchanalian revelries?? They even had gods of “sporting” and making noise!! And in every tribal culture we made merry – noisily! – around our campfires!! Heck!! Your Eyewitness bets that when those cavemen brought back that deer from the hunt, they carried on like banshees!!
But outside of festivals, folks are complaining about noises that are driving them to distraction – and having them climbing the walls!! What gives?? Imagine our mini-bus operators take the trouble to provide entertainment to their passengers – free!! – and some spoilsports call it “noise pollution”!! Can you believe it?? Now, Dear Reader, you may say bus drivers could keep the music low – but then you’d miss the entire point of being West Indian!! How in God’s name can you listen to dancehall, soca or chutney “low”? Unless you’re going to a funeral, of course!!
Then there are the complaints about the music played all night – and all weekend – at wedding houses. Especially those Indian Guyanese seven-day weddings. Now this ain’t anything new – is it? In the old days the musicians would be playing live, and the entire village would be getting down like there was no tomorrow!! In fact, did you know that the entire bawdy chutney genre – with its “rum till I die” ethos in the Caribbean – originated from those goings-on at Indian weddings?
But the loudest (yes… “loudest”!!) complaints about the sounds of merriment and celebration are about our “rum shops”. Now let’s be real. Even the Indigenous Peoples – who weren’t shanghaied to labour on our plantations back in the day – celebrated after hard work. Mashramani, they called it, no?!! Now you think they only worked one day a year?? If you said “yes”, that just shows how you’ve bought into the racist European stereotypes!! Now don’t you think the slaves and indentured also wanted to celebrate after their gruelling labours in the fields? So after emancipation, they turned to the rum shops that were conveniently provided by the ever-solicitous planter!!
So, Dear Readers, the noise around us is part and parcel of our culture in our neck of the woods!! Aren’t we a “happy-go-lucky” set of people?? And it’s part of the charm to those uptight folks from up north, whom we can fleece as tourists!!

…starvation?
Your Eyewitness periodically reads accounts of folks “struggling” in our dear land of Guyana. It’s based on the rising “cost of living”. Now, while there’s no question the reports are describing a reality – your Eyewitness is thinking about how we’ve come to this when we have some 83,000 square miles of that land – with not even a million people!? The focus of the reports seems to be that the Government ought to be doing something about this situation.
And hey!! They should!! But in the meantime, what about us?? How about the kitchen garden that used to be standard back in the day?? Each of the hard-luck stories your Eyewitness reads about concerned folks who were living in homes with backyards!! Is it that they don’t want to get their hands dirty to plant some poi bhagee and bigan?? And how about minding some fowls??
Now don’t get your Eyewitness wrong; there ought to be a governmental safety net, but let’s help ourselves, shall we??!!

…tail-wagging dog??
Your Eyewitness just learnt the Yanks launched their attack on Iran because Israel – on their own – had already decided to launch an attack!! They figured the Iranians would automatically attack them – and decided on pre-emptive strikes!!
Tail wagged the dog??