Photographed by Chris Carlson
A global alarm was sparked this weekend past as we awaited the United States of America (US) lawmakers to strike a deal to avert a possible August debt default. I wondered about the coincidence of the Emancipation Holiday looming. This weekend was also the celebration of the Emancipation proclamation and coincidently this crisis has been whispered in certain circles, even by members of the Congressional Black Caucus, as an attack on his ethnicity.
Naturally given the time of year I reached back into our ancestral experiences. Upon doing this my train of thought flickered from democracy vs. Plantocracy. Plantocracy is a form of government in which the planters use their power to benefit themselves Whereas Democracy a form of government in which people are given a say. Can the Republicans be compared to the planters that use a persuasion tactic, power, to influence the electorate?
My train of thought also wandered onto Derek Walcott’s poem Forty Acres in his book White Egrets. The poem Forty Acres was dedicated to Barak Obama as a reference to the term forty acres and a mule. Every slave was promised forty acres and a mule upon being freed. Derek Walcott compares Obama to a freed slave and the crowds as fields he walks through. He compares the challenges Obama has to face to the hard work that lay ahead of the freed slave. In my estimation it seems as if the mule turned out to be the lawmakers, those who are stubborn and unmoved by the urging of Obama’s hand but have their obstinate minds made up. In this case the distinguished President got many mules.
Indeed the President has realized his dream of being the 44th President of the United States but undoubtedly he is still experiencing prejudice and discrimination thus the Tea Party succeeding in turning a United States Senate tug-of-war into a full-blown global conflagration. I can now hear Jessie Jackson praying ‘Keep Hope alive.” As Obama turns fifty years old, and tries to recover from the ‘psychological and physical strains’ of his job, he remains an inspiration for young and old around the world as a symbol of hardiness, much like the black slaves of old.
In life we will soar, which no doubt will be extraordinarily thrilling and rewarding, but there will always be something or someone with impatient taunts, institutional pathology attempting to make us feel incomplete. We are at the behest of our thoughts as we are ultimately driven by them. So in the times when we feel stripped and intimidated we must allow our positive thoughts to nurture and guide us. We must, hence at the most wearisome of times relinquish those opinions that give us grief. Let us walk tall, proud and visible as symbolic representations of the journey from our own forms of slavery to the true concept of freedom; which is feeling whole and complete in spite of…
Happy Birthday Mr. President!
Photographed by Thomas Francisco
Incisive decisions beat
Eyes smile to the gentle rhythm
Tulip bosom expressive all season
Seraphic energy molds
those who spring from
and around you
Feathers of nurture
Spirit laps no cost
As your crescent shape cradles
We honor
-
Poem by Brenda L. McCartney
Photographed my Mario Testino
Hopeful, excited, eager, curious … these are just a few of the labels to ascribe my interest in the pending nuptials of Prince William and Kate. I found myself keenly waiting for and watching the new lifetime movie, taking a royal quiz, reading or watching any medium that discuss William and Kate. I do not know if it was out of curiosity for tabloid celebrity or popular culture. Maybe my interest is psychological due to my being born into a Crown Colony hence my status as a British subject and my allegiance to all things royal. It may be sociological in that my interest is because the wedding is a great social occasion that I want to share in. Perhaps it is maternal in that I have a four year old daughter who would one day see the coronation of William as King of England. I want her to be aware of the wider world in which we live and its many leaders and forms of governance. In that way it would be in my interest to inculcate such notice to the British Empire.
I also want to share this moment with my daughter because she is into princesses, weddings and fairy tales and occasions like this engenders that kind of emotion and strike a magical balance between fantasy and real life. As I did likewise almost thirty years ago as I watched Prince William’s mother and father captivate the world. Their world is no doubt different from the world as we know it however for us the Royal Family is a patina of “sophistication and old brilliance.”
So as I read about Elizabeth, the Octogenarian Monarch I look forward with profound interest to Friday morning. I am looking forward to seeing the poignant snapshots of the historical buildings and traditional ceremonies of Britain be brought fully and movingly to life. I anticipate seeing the fancy frocks, the majestic guards, royal carriages and the progress of the Empire. Perchance I am thinking like Thomas Carlyle and to paraphrase the younger generations of the world have in them the freshness of young children and yet the depth of earnest men. Although the future is not yet set I am certain that it will define Prince William as both a symbol and a part of the embodiment of new generation of symbols that matter.
Painting from www.sloneart.com
As I rummaged through my thoughts on this Ash Wednesday and co-incidentally International Woman’s Day I pondered about things which concern women. I thought also about the abrupt and unforeseen changes that may occur in our lives. Events may transform us physically, emotionally and intellectually. As women we worry about and are thankful for many things. I would like to take some time to reflect on some of them with you.
We are thankful for connections, peaks (academic pursuits, vocational quest), troughs, timeless dedication to self and family. We give thanks for expression of individuality, embracing our passions, the health of love ones, and our boundless imagination. Our unselfconscious goodness, concern or lack thereof for what others may think about us. We rejoice at feeling youthful/vigorous, sense of control, and growing number of choices at our finger tips. Those places that offer a safe cover, shielding and buffering our children and spouses as they journey through life, reconciliation, death, life (sun, soil, food, water, talents, gift), peace, relief, pleasure of commitment.
Many yearn to look younger and it feels so good when someone thinks we are younger in terms of physical beauty let us also be thankful for the gift of maturity as we celebrate being a woman. My choices of thanks are few in comparison to wide reaching needs and the diversity of women worldwide and there may be a few more you may wish to add.
I will end by saying that, as we move purposefully in a solitary way this Ash Wednesday as we steady ourselves against the tides of life, one incontrovertible truth is that women are wonderfully made and are naturally beautiful. Let us celebrate this and embrace it.
Fragrance of dreams
In similar shades
Scale of motifs
Shear in
Layers of boldness
Timeless colorful pieces
Chanted in prayers
Self tapping moments in
Organic places
The spark of commitment
Sensation of tweaks
Her essence of vicuña fibre
Natural pearls
A flower surrounded by delicate beads
She is meant for greatness
She is treasured
-
Poem Written by Brenda L. McCartney
Painting from Fineartamerica.com
The website www.facebook.com is really a social phenomenon. It allows you to have all sorts of conversations, from the banal to the erudite. Yesterday I was engaged in an exchange with one of my Facebook friends on my Facebook wall. I would summarize the conversation as intellectually stimulating. Later in the evening a relative called me and enquired as to whether or not I knew who the person was; to be honest at that time no, I did not remember him. We took a postprandial stroll down memory lane and needless to say I found out who he was. My relative went on to say in her causal manner “Brenda you accept anyone as your friend on Facebook.” She meant people I did not know. I must admit I can be all-inclusive and all-embracing, especially online. After all Facebook is a social network. If I had known who he was my responses to him would have probably taken a different tone, so I am glad that I did not know. At the end of the day I operate under the principle – if you read anything that I wrote I hope you are better off for having read it or I hope that it stimulated you in some way.
There are so many people whom we often see and are in the same social circle as them but we do not really know them. Really, think about it, how many of us have friends, family (outside of Facebook etc.) or people we periodically meet with to dine, interact, socialize and become better acquainted with and we know so little about them. Sometimes we befriend people on Facebook because we know them from childhood or from one place or another but we are not really that well acquainted with each other. I think about all of the people who I am acquainted with and I still do not know very much about their personal lives. We are so adept at practising supercilious conversations and exchanging pleasantries. I must admit I am guilty.
Do not misunderstand me. We do not have to get to know everyone intimately be it on Facebook or those whom we see from time to time in person. To me, to engage in banter from time is often pleasant and enjoyable and truth be told we do not want all of our associations to be overly pedantic. Besides that prodigious gossip is a reality so we cannot tell everyone everything nor can we expect to be told everything. On the other hand there will be times when we can and do share our life experience. Just so that we can expatiate our knowledge of academics, music, entertainment, food on online chats.
Facebook in my opinion is a network for affable people. Why you are there, if you are? How well do you know the people in your circle of friends and acquaintances? What books do they read? What are their likes and dislikes? How well do they know you?
Image taken by Tom
I stood in the zoo looking at a peafowl willing him to raise the train of feathers for a stunning display but to no avail. I wanted to see the spread of the feathers. It would make a great photo and a memorable moment. Now that I have had a chance to do some research on the peafowl I have learned that there has to be a reason for them to raise their feathers. I have also learned that in Hindu the peacock is a symbol of mortality and love and most times when people think of the peafowl it is usually in reference to the male with its raised train of multicolored feathers. That is why we call them peacocks – the cock part signifies that it is a male and this particular peacock was an India Blue Peacock.
So there I stood in the sun raising my arms, my daughter and husband and a random woman raising their arms as well – hoping that this peacock would somehow show us his full plumage. What struck me that day was the bold shimmer of blue on the peacock’s neck. Another lady stood by making her own observation of the peacock. She openly shared my sentiments about the brilliance of the blue. If someone would ask me what is my favorite a color a color does not come to mind. For me a favorite color depends on my mood.
On that day even the hot sun seemed cool. When I reflected on the peacock it was as if it embodied tranquility even in its colors. A few weeks has passed since by experience at the zoo but still there is something electrifying about the anatomy of a peahen’s brilliant color particularly the blue. This week shades of this hue has been revealed in several places or things namely; Bridesmaid dresses, red carpet dresses, the color of cars, that I felt compelled to blog about this.
Do you know what is your favorite color is? Is there a particular reason why you like a certain color. Is your favorite color a color that has to compliment your skin tone, eyes etc.?
Junkanoo in The Bahamas
On the first anniversary of one of history’s worst natural disasters, Haiti despair is still felt. “The earthquake drew a remarkable emergency response from the international community. It also prompted ambitious plans to reconstruct, even reinvent, the hemisphere’s poorest nation – to “build it back better.” Two-thirds of the 1.5 million Haitians left homeless by the quake still live in tents, and fewer than half the 45,000 t-shelters that the U.N. and other housing organizations had hoped to build by now have been erected.” There is a need to do more and the children of Haiti remains hopeful. “But the recovery process really hasn’t begun yet.” To add to their woes the people of Haiti have to deal with a recent cholera epidemic.
Today I pray for all souls (volunteers, leaders, the wealthy, dying) especially the poor, the hungry the unemployed all victims of persecution, injustice and discrimination of any kind.
Celebratory launches
Rituals began – hard habits
The year past now a sheltered world
Extraordinary moments stamped
Chilling thoughts
Dividing lines
What lies ahead?
Chances, glances
Impervious to defeat
Fearless … steps to untried challenges
-
Poem Written by Brenda L. McCartney
Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year from McCartney House
Photographed by J Baylor
I am thinking of fancy frocks; crinoline underneath, sash, flower details, floral accents, ribbons in little girls hair, iron combs, girls in their pre-teen years. My mind is thinking of getting ready for harvest Sunday way back then in November.
To me Harvest Festival is one of those special occasions that everything that we wore to church was new. The members of the church brought out their best fruits and ground provisions (sugarcane, bananas, yams, potatoes, oranges, carrots, papaya, dasheen, yams, cassava), to adorn the church from the door to the altar or every corner of the church. We would anxiously wait to go back to church in the afternoon for concert where we would recite our memorized poems about harvest.I recall the instruments would play and the congregation filled the space with spectacular harmony. All were well dressed, well-fed, young, old and everything in between. There was a mysterious expression of awe as all reflected joy and willingness to do our best and give our best. There was an atmosphere of competition with a flare of merriment. We got some of our best cooked meals on harvest Sunday. The food was then sold on Monday morning to raise funds for the church.
In the Bahamas and in other cultures now food is distributed among the poor and senior citizens. Harvest is still with us and whether we call it Harvest or Thanksgiving we should always cherish the memories of this time, but more importantly give God thanks for all he has given and provided for us, not only in material possessions but also in people and experiences.
Photographed by ANDREW BIRAJ
Today many Western churches remember the dead. The names of deceased family or friends are presented in church for prayers. Someone who is reading this right now maybe gobsmacked, others who have heard of it before and do not subscribe to these rituals may discount or simply dismiss these practices.
At one time or another all of us have lost someone we once cherished and put our trust in and thinking about them does evoke some response in our hearts as multitude of memories no doubt flow. Even my three year old daughter sometimes sits down and expressed her disbelief that her grandpa is not coming back, perhaps it has something do to with it is coming up on the anniversary of his death. Sometimes still when she achieves anything she wishes he was around to share in the experience.
Recently I too have been thinking about my deceased maternal grandfather (Papa) and him kneading the bread for my grandmother to bake and how he would ensure I get hot bread out of the oven with salted butter. I think of paternal grandfather (Dada) sitting outside the house with a cap on the landing beating a pound cake for my grandmother to bake. I can now taste the cakes, using a mixer could not provide such a smooth batter as he did in kneading the cakes with all the love in the world.
In the spice island of Grenada in the Caribbean today it is a tradition for islanders to a gather their family and visit the graveyards placing lit candles on the graves as they honour to share moments of remembrance. This is a tradition that goes across many cultures and religions. Celebrations in other parts of the world include; some people wear ing masks, carrying signs, or erecting elaborate decorations to honour the dead.
According to the Columbia Encyclopedia “Some community centres invite people to commemorate their deceased loved ones with ofrendas (offerings) through alters that include food, symbols, flowers, candles, photos and other mementos. Altars in memory of the dead are also made in people’s homes.”
Whether there is scepticism or out right denial about the validity of the concept of All Souls Day; as we recall the memories of our love ones collectively today, the one thing that we all share in common is that we honour their lives that they once shared with us.
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