By Peter Binose

The chain gangs working on the road sides clearing the vegetation and debris standing out in the hot sun every December trying to get a crust for Christmas, something for their children. Chains you ask? What chains? The mental chains that cause ignorant people to worship the very party the very man that has you working in the sun for peanut pay every Christmas.

Most of the Vincentian citizenship are earning the same today as they earned 16 years ago, maid, gardeners, yard boys. Whilst the protectors of the protected ‘Massa class’, the police the judiciary and the lawyers have seen their earning double. All those who are needed to prolong or keep the Massa and his family dynasty in power are fed scraps from the table which the other slaves cannot share in. But step out of line and they go to the bottom of the pile for a mental whipping, scorn, total destruction of them and their families.

Women are treated like the old days with the pointed finger “YOU” come lay with me. Special gifts and privileges’ for those selected for the Massa’s breeding program or simply those selected simply as sex toys to be discarded when finished with.

Whilst Massa walks the plantation in his $5000 suits, $500 shirts and his $1000 shoes, walking in and wearing more in value than the mentally enslaved earn in a year. Being driven in his big $200,000 cars by yet another converted house slave who is part of the privileged protector of the protected class. ‘Hear all, see all and say nothing’ least he also goes to the bottom of the pile for a mental whipping, scorn, total destruction of him and his family.

No citizen is safe from the Massa who can send his officials to your lowly dwelling to kick the door in and drag you into the yard. Men dressed in black or in army fatigues, the tax collector or VAT inspector accusing you of things you have not done. But those people believe you deserve such treatment because Massa sent them his instructions, to be carried out without question least they as the enforcers also go to the bottom of the pile for a mental whipping, scorn, total destruction of them and their families.

You are either for him or against him, there is no in between. You simply cannot have your own opinions or your own free thinking mind. Unless of course you want to bring his wrath upon you culminating in going to the bottom of the pile for a mental whipping, scorn, total destruction of you and your family.

Of course there are those who are happy to be owned and controlled by Massa, any Massa come to that as long as he is white. There are those that will follow anywhere he leads them, willing to do any deed he desires. There are those who are satisfied with being a slave owned by the Massa. There are those who are willing to accept that there is little or no medical facilities for them whilst the Massa has the best available, the best money can provide. Those people are willing to be whipped day in and day out whilst screaming in pain “ he has to do it because we deserve it, we are black and inferior, born to be slaves”.

For many years black people have liked to have sayings like “Black is beautiful” or “Black lives matter” but not in my country where they believe Black means stupid, and we most certainly are stupid. We are taunted and fooled with the words “reparations” but it’s not our ancestors who deserve reparations it is us today who require reparations from the Massa who this very day lives in the plantation mansion with clay tile roof whilst we live in the hovel with tin roof.

In an attempt to turn the clock back to the old colonial days the roads and infrastructure is gradually being destroyed to take us back when things were worse for us but better for Massa. The roads and byways where we live have been reduced to gravel as the tarmac is abandoned and left to self destruct. But do not complain unless you want to bring his wrath upon you culminating in going to the bottom of the pile for a mental whipping, scorn, total destruction of you and your family.

I cry sometimes when I see the stupidity of the people which causes them to endure pain and misery in the name of the Massa, the son and the unholy cousin. What is wrong with our people that they can be brought for a bag of cement or a few sheets of tin. Why do they prostitute and sell themselves so cheaply to a man and dynasty that only love themselves and allow them to take us the people to use as their slaves and toys.

So let me tell you people Massa Day Done. What was Massa Day, the Massa Day that is done? Who is Massa? Massa is a man exploiting our resources, both human and economic. Massa day was fore-fronted by the famous Woodford Square speech in Trinidad by Eric Williams. I say “famous”, but for many persons it was one of the most infamous statements ever made in the Caribbean, by Williams or anyone else.

Williams was careful, at the outset, to define his parameters. “Massa,” he said, “is not a racial term. Massa is the symbol of a bygone age (and) Massa Day is a social phenomenon. ‘Massa Day Done’ connotes a political awakening and a social revolution.” He then detailed his concept of Massa.

“Massa was “more often than not a European planter exploiting West Indian resources, both human and economic … (He was) portrayed as a very wealthy man who had enough sugar and rum to turn all the water of London’s river Thames into rum punch… (He) employed unfree labour… The period of (his) domination over workers who had no rights under the law…lasted in our society for almost 300 years. “

“(His) economic programme was to grow sugar and nothing but sugar… (I)t was the African slave who kept alive the real traditions of agriculture in the West Indies and concentrated on the production of food for his own subsistence. The Indian contract worker went even further than the African slave, and it was he who brought West Indian society to its present level in terms of the production of such essential commodities as rice, milk and meat. Massa’s economic programme represented the artificial stunting of West Indian society…”

“Massa “controlled political power in the West Indies and could use state funds for his private gain…As far as (he) was concerned, this organisation of (the) West Indian economy, this dispensation of political power, was one of the eternal verities. He developed the necessary philosophical rationalisation of this barbarous system. It was that the workers, both African and Indian, were inferior beings, unfit for self-government, unequal to their superior masters, permanently destined to a status of perpetual subordination, unable ever to achieve equality with Massa.”

Ref: Eric Williams, 1961.

Just for your information I had a big dislike for Eric Williams as I have a dislike for all Marxist’s. But in the case of ‘Massa Day Done’ he never envisualized that we would have problems of a revival of the Massa system.

So my dear people it is time once more to say “Massa Day Done” time to stop being house and field slaves. Time to oust those among you who are serving and perpetuating “modern Massa expansionism against poor people.” Time to turn against those black politicians, those collaborators who serve Massa just for the glory of themselves being owners of black slaves and catching table scraps whilst groveling at the feet of the Massa.

Time to say enough is enough to all the lying and cheating and enrichment, the crime and corruption, the spite and punishment of the innocent that is destroying us all and our country. Destroying not just us but our children and grandchildren and even their children unless we put a stop to it.

So when you demonstrate make sure some of the placards read “MASSA DAY DONE” and use the chant also at rallies and demonstrations “MASSA DAY DONE”

BOB MARLEY LYRICS

“Redemption Song”

Old pirates, yes, they rob I;

Sold I to the merchant ships,

Minutes after they took I

From the bottomless pit.

But my hand was made strong

By the ‘and of the Almighty.

We forward in this generation

Triumphantly.

Won’t you help to sing

These songs of freedom?

‘Cause all I ever have:

Redemption songs;

Redemption songs.

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;

None but ourselves can free our minds.

Have no fear for atomic energy,

‘Cause none of them can stop the time.

How long shall they kill our prophets,

While we stand aside and look? Ooh!

Some say it’s just a part of it:

We’ve got to fulfill the book.

Won’t you help to sing

These songs of freedom?

‘Cause all I ever have:

Redemption songs;

Redemption songs;

Redemption songs.

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;

None but ourselves can free our mind.

Wo! Have no fear for atomic energy,

‘Cause none of them-a can-a stop-a the time.

How long shall they kill our prophets,

While we stand aside and look?

Yes, some say it’s just a part of it:

We’ve got to fulfill the book.

Won’t you help to sing

These songs of freedom?

‘Cause all I ever had:

Redemption songs

All I ever had:

Redemption songs:

These songs of freedom,

Songs of freedom.

Peter Binose a Vincentian.

IMAGES: Supplied

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