On this Emancipation Day 2025, today’s musings might be a tad heavy – if you don’t mind, dear readers. Your Eyewitness is trying to understand what was going on in the minds of those who’d been in bondage for hundreds of years in our dear Mudland. Of course, we know folks don’t live for hundreds of years to experience bondage or freedom!! But we should appreciate that through the years, the experience is captured in the stories we hear on our mothers’ knees. It becomes OUR story – not just HIS story!!
The Dutch – and then the Brits – literally tried to beat out the culture we practiced in Africa – before we were sold to the pirates. Over in Suriname, many escaped into the jungle, or “bush,” and recreated – as best as they could – tribal life in Africa. They were dubbed “Bush Negroes” and had about six tribes – one being the Djuka – who still retain a distinctive culture and identity. Under their leader Rennie Brunjswick, they fought for their autonomy, and today, even though greatly assimilated, they’re represented in parliament by the BEP!!
In the British Caribbean, Jamaica’s Blue Mountain forested terrain facilitated slave escape and settlement, and they were dubbed Maroons. They were so ferocious and independent, the Brits had to negotiate treaties with them!! Maybe that explains the unique Jamaican insistence on marching to their own drummer!! While we had some slaves who ran away into our Bush – these were raided and destroyed by the Dutch and Brits, and so most African cultural retentions we see around us were contributed by the thousands of Africans brought here AFTER Emancipation as INDENTURED SERVANTS!! Yes!! You heard that right – some Africans also came as indentured servants!
So our forefathers faced the full brunt of the British conquest of our minds – after our bodies had already been conquered through chains, racks, and guillotines. At Emancipation, then, we did our darndest to live like the Whites who’d ruled over us. Looking at pictures from those days, it’s amazing how our men dressed in thick, dark worsted woollen three-piece suits and the women decked out in corsets, crinolines, and parasols – complete with elaborate hats.
Living in a multicultural country, your Eyewitness figures we’ve all experienced the zeal – and even the fanaticism – of the new convert!! Such it was then – and so it remains!! Or does it?? Your Eyewitness has written (too extensively?) on the new phenomenon called “Scrapeheads.” Is it possible they might become the new standard for fashion and manners?!!
And so maybe new convert James Bond – who predicted a two-thirds majority for the PPP – might be bringing the Scrapes into the Cup??
“Free at last” on Emancipation 2025??!!
…to reform the GPF
You Dear Readers, would know that your Eyewitness feels VERY strongly that the professionalisation of our Police Force is absolutely critical for us to progress out of Pres Trump’s delicately worded “shithole” country status. So he understands where our Pressie’s coming from when he promoted – on the spot – some 2000 police ranks to corporals, sergeants and inspectors – based merely on their years of service!! Apart from the concern about demotivating merit, there’s the other that we’re adding this bump to thousands already there – in a force with just 4500 bodies!! Isn’t this gonna leave the GPF a tad top-heavy??
And on the subject of “top heavy,” Pressie urged police officers to take physical wellness seriously, recommending simple daily routines like skipping for five minutes. Looking at pics of police with their bellies protruding like car bumpers to ward off collision damage, maybe he should’ve suggested they also skip that daily chicken fried rice?
For which they shake down us poor commuters??
…of virtue signallers
The Western Governments of France, Canada, and the UK are gonna virtue-signal on Gaza by “recognising” a Palestinian state at UNGA’s September 2025 meet.
Couldn’t they’ve simply sent a battalion to protect aid trucks to stave off genocidal starvation?
