Tatem releases “They’re not going to hang me”
By Melissa Bryant
Reporter~SKNVibes.com
 |
|
Loughlin Tatem
|
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FOUR months after giving a sneak peek at his latest work, Loughlin Tatem, one of St. Kitts’ most celebrated writers, is ready to officially launch the project, a monologue entitled “They’re not going to hang me”.
Tatem first revealed the project in September at a small gathering held at St. Kitts’ University of the West Indies’ Open Campus on the Bay Road.
The monologue chronicles the life and experiences of 19-year-old Makishna, a young man who was sentenced to be hanged. It follows him from childhood, to his difficulties in school, to his gang involvement and trouble with the law, and finally to his death by hanging.
The monologue is in audio CD format and its running time is 45 minutes. Copies are available for purchase at Mini-Walls and Laws Bookstore.
According to Tatem, the monologue was written in order to clarify misconceptions about gang culture.
“Through my interaction with gang members, I have learned quite a bit about how they function and how they behave. This monologue is meant to be the impetus that spurs society to do something truly meaningful about crime in the Federation.
“It is my hope that it engenders lots of discussion so that persons can come up with ideas and solutions to address the problems of crime and violence,” said the author. ~~Adz:Right~~
Tatem expounded upon some of his own recommendations for curbing violence among youth, chief of which is what he referred to as “early intervention in children’s lives”.
“So many young people feel alienated and disconnected from society and it is those feelings of isolation that lead to their gang involvement. As a society we all have the responsibility of reaching out to children who are on a negative path.
“People may see wrong things happening to a child, or they may see a child misbehaving, but they don’t do anything to correct or prevent it. This type of complacent behaviour cannot work if we want our youth to grow into well-adjusted, law-abiding citizens,” he warned.
Tatem expressed his intention to eventually transform the monologue into a stage play that would be rendered by Poinciana Theatre Productions.
The author and playwright has a busy 2009 ahead of him with the summer release of his novel ‘Mother of Rage’ and his newest play ‘When Men Talk About Sex’.
