Basseterre, St Kitts, 22 July 2015 -- On Sunday, 19 July 2015 members of the Jamaican Kittitian (JamKit) Association journeyed to Central Street in Basseterre, St. Kitts to celebrate that Church’s 2nd Annual All Nations Day with the Word of Life New Testament Church of God congregation and Non-Nationals from several countries.
The service commenced with a music-accompanied flag procession from the main entrance of the Church to the platform. Representatives of each country being showcased stepped forward with the country’s flag to be recognized during the playing of that country’s National Anthem. Countries represented were Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Nigeria, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and St. Kitts & Nevis. The Jamaican flag bearers were a teenager born in Jamaica and a child born in St. Kitts to a Jamaican mother.
A warm welcome was extended to the entire congregation, especially to the visitors from different nations who came out in their national colours to represent their countries, by Lady Lindalee Hepburn.
Pastor of the church, Bishop Matthew Hepburn who is from St. Vincent & the Grenadines, presented the message. Following the message each group presented items from the culture of the related country, including dances, folk songs, poems, video, etc.
On behalf of the Jamaican contingent, Ken Crossely, a member of the JamKit Association, presented one of the poems of Dr. the Honourable Louise Bennett-Coverly (Miss Lue), cultural Icon of Jamaica, entitled “Back to Africa” which is done in Jamaican dialect. This was followed by an audio visual presentation about Jamaica entitled “This is Jamaica” done by the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), which shared many details about the rich culture and history of Jamaica.
Back to Africa by Dr. the Honourable Louise Bennett-Coverly
Back to Africa, Miss Mattie?
You no know wha you dah seh?
You haf fe come from somewhe fus
Before you go back deh!
Me know say dat you great great great
Granma was African,
But Mattie, doan you great great great
Granpa was Englishman?
Den you great granmader fader
By you fader side was Jew?
An you granpa by you mader side
Was Frenchie parlez-vous?
But de balance a you family,
You whole generation,
Oonoo all barn dung a Bun Grung-
Oonoo all is Jamaican!
Den is weh you gwine, Miss Mattie?
Oh, you view de countenance,
An between you an de Africans
Is great resemblance!
Ascorden to dat, all dem blue-yeye
White American
Who-fa great granpa was Englishman
Mus go back a Englan!
What a debil of a bump-an-bore,
Rig-jig an palam-pam
Ef de whole worl start fe go back
Whe dem great granpa come from!
Ef a hard time you dah run from
Tek you chance! But Mattie, do
Sure a whe you come from so you got
Somewhe fe come back to!
Go a foreign, seek you fortune,
But no tell nobody say
You dah go fe seek you homelan,
For a right deh so you deh!
The Nigerians did the penultimate presentation with some songs being done in one of that country’s languages. The group of singers got the congregation dancing and this continued during most of the St. Kitts & Nevis presentation which included a wonderful masquerade band performance, a member of the St. Kitts & Nevis group leading the congregation in “Mi Love St Kitts Bad”, which caught the church on ‘fire’ and which ‘fire’ continued burning during the presentation by the Honourable Konris Maynard of his song “Take The Oath”.
Then it was time to be introduced to finger licking food from the different countries, but not before being admonished by Sister Roxanne Thompson of Grenada that everyone should be back at church for Wednesday night’s prayer meeting considering the amount of dancing that had just ensued.
Persons were able to sample dishes such as rice and peas, coconut dumplins, saltfish, oil down, cheesy breadfruit, tree mutton, stewed peas, escovitch fish, cookup, channa (chick peas), and pholouri. Everyone was excited and lingered around the area of the street that had been blocked off to vehicular traffic and tented for the buffet, enjoying the finger licking dishes and chatting with church members and visitors.
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