Time Curtain

The jovial undulating voices shout in the local patois as each person competes to be heard over the blaring music being played from the throbbing bass-emphasized reggae systems. One fellow across the street was playing oldies in front of his bar. The other sound system up the street could merely be heard, but it was beating out some of the new craze dance music, or according to the younger set, Dance Hall music. Shadows watched the scene, being aware he was also being watched. --The jerk seller continues preparing his stuff, pandering to his customers with biting witticism-- one woman showed a great interest in roving her eyes at the Shadows; she had a problem being discreet--she was pretty too--Their eyes met, but the contrived unawareness in his eyes did not fool her. She again pressed for more recognition; she would not be denied--Page 7: She kept on repeating that it would buy his Christmas gift at some place in town calls the Grand Market--he pictures this "grand market" as a busy and beautiful place with diverse colors; that was until she mentioned about the prowling "masquerade" or "John Canoe" bands with "prancing devils" with their sharp three-pronged forks. According to her, you will have to appease this frightful fork wielding "devil" by tossing him money on the ground. He had no money, and never did, so he immediately lost his interest in the grand market. Page 8: Her fiery eyes were staring at him from under her broad rimmed straw hat; questioning him with an intensity he has never before observed. He looks at her and smiled an appeasement gesture, wondering what is happening. She brusquely said, "Here, you drink it first." He paused, a long indecisive pause emanating from his cultural confusion. Remembers this; the concept of "drinking first" was a sign of individual power. A child has no power then in that society. He gladly drank, but with reservation; perhaps like the biblical Abraham making the decision to lay prone on a sacrificial altar. In those days when a mother says, "drink" you drink, end of story. "There could be no long argument--!" Page 10: People in his old Villages were always talking about pickpockets and thieves in the towns, or how hungry and devious town folks were. "Dem a ginnal – con artistes!" was the usual outcry. In other words a town man was a city "ginnal" that is always ready to play the Brer Anancy tricks on you-- Page 15: During the cane season women generally were used for loading canes on trucks. They were generally never cane cutters. A couple male cane cutters told Shadows that they were not too keen on women cutters. It seems they met a couple female cutters that were just too good. The men had problems keeping up with them. We can understand the dilemma here--in a rough and tumble world you are having the physically weaker gender, the female out rough and tumbling the male! This could never be good gender politics in a bigoted patriarchal world. The class division in the society was indelible--so was the gender bias. There were always people trying to make a big economic score during the cane crop. During this season most men are looking for the prettiest and most outstanding women they can get: "mi nuh want no chu galang gal" –unschooled gal! because they now have money, and are therefore a force to be reckoned with. The women on the other hand are out to get the man (or men) with the most earning, thereby excusing appearance with: "if him a even Brother Anancy mi can give him some fancy!" Page 18: Remember during this time books were scarce-- Stories like Santa Claus were just a mere whisper. Santa was like a flying red dressed demon that trespassed in your home at the dead of night, at precisely twelve midnight, when you are asleep, and when only the most dangerous ghosts and destructive rolling calves with chains inhabited the dark outsides. Page 19: The British migration period was rife with fare departure intrigues. Everyone was trying to see a way to get his or her fares to England. "Mi ah gaa a England!" – I am going to England, was the dominant speech-- Now everyone was your friend -- Page 20: Remember, this was during the days when the British hanged people and cart the bodies for burial at Tawes Pen-- Page 23: He finally gave up his Hollywood-like "buff" hairstyle; denigrating it as "a Babylonian dress code unworthy of a Blackman." He finally sees himself not as a supporter for Hollywood styles or clothing but as an individual-- Page 25: Movies with positive portrayal of Blacks were a threat--unless it was some childish Bible espousing scene where some hefty Black woman is always looking skywards and praying. It was obvious what the rulers wanted. Page 29: -- "Dinner Bell," told her he was going to saca saca her! She said she did not know what the word means but it definitely sounded outrageous. Page 93: At this time when the Western Black population is calling for reparation from the West. Shadows wonder why they are not calling for reparation from the Arabs and other African states too--where does the other African slave dealers come in? Are they now all broke! Shadows recalled his youthful discussion with an astute Rastafarian bretheren, Ras Rabbi the One-I-- Page 94: He told him tales of Pun, Ghana, and the Ashanti (Asante) heritage--enlightened Shadows that Ethiopia, which he claimed were never overrun by the Moslem because they gave rescue to Muhammad and his followers in the early days of Islam. He referred to Marcus Garvey as the "most excellent enlightener," who learned from an Egyptian. The Pharaohs were considered wicked because they had slaves and worshipped idols. No one linked this wickedness to the enslavement of Blacks by the Western Christian iconoclastic worshipping whites! Page 100: Numerous social apologists are now excusing themselves by saying the former Colonialists have more financial resources, a longer history of ruling, or is it tribal containment than the present corrupt Black rulers. They are even stupidly saying the British killed more Black people than the present Black corrupt rulers--what a comparison! Page 101: The Black "Big Wigs" in charge, at least they think so--but on the international scene we are as important as foraging little sprats roaming the oceans with the great whites... Page 102: The removal of a single person’s freedom has a domino effect. Using judicial expediency or class prejudice against the fatherless poor Black ghetto victims relative to the Upper St. Andrew BMW-driving victorious elites will not get you peace behind your grilled homes. We have to acknowledge that Black groups of victor and victim actually, "Dem no plant gungo a line!" Page 104: The rampant cronyism that stifles social progress has numerous dark skinned people playing the waiting game to get on the economic train of opportunity, while scrutinizing the status and performance of their Brer Nancy and Brer Tucumbat political parties with their politics of intimidation and death-- Page 107: Our motivational concept should be focusing on a more sophisticated method of governing, and get away from the same old primary school mindset of the "bruk a big baton"-- Page 108: The society is more at risks because they now have guns and are willing to use them; "dem nuh skin up," nor "in a any long arguments!" because they never had anything, and therefore have nothing to lose. Their young lives were generally one of brutality so they have no human compassion for anyone. Yes, "dem