West Indian Party: lower the rod, it's limbo time, on the ‘party’ dance floor!
Mr Obia Man light the fire to blaze .......start the drumming....lower the 'guava' rod.....it's GoGouyave Talkshop partytime and ...... me want to limbo..... whay the powder! whay' the guava trees..... whay' Observer...... whay the titiris.... !
My hot, samba, party invitation of Respect and thanks goes to our West African slave coast ancestors,(not excluding the 'obia man' frenzy drumming') dispersed in the Caribbean isles, Brazil, Virginia and South Carolina and elsewhere…. who drummed, danced, sang and clapped their hands down the generations – so we could enjoy our fellow brothers and sisters on the islands, great music talents at the ‘party’ – the one that comes to mind automatically, is our darling artist ‘Arrow’ RIP and his super-fantastic Hot hot hot, - with this super super-soca extraordinaire recording at a party, do you need any other music? No way! I could listen to and dance to, that record all day and all night, together with loads of nice island foods, hot spicy chicken roti, rice and peas cooked in coconut milk, fried fish, good companionship, and rum punch! And all the guests both men and ladies fashionistically ‘hot’.
My aunt Myra, may she rest in peace, was a fantastic professional limbo carnival dancer in Grenada and Trinidad and in a Montego Bay, Jamaica hotel when she was young, in the 1950’s. I remember her, as she limbo to Hot Hot Hot with her strong legs at her 90 birthday party – oh she loved a party – she always say when she see God, she was going to limbo into his arms. And I am sure she did! My limbo-ing skills are intact, it runs in the family and ‘hot’ enough with ‘ island fuel’, 'scotch bonnet pepper heat' to clear the ‘party’ dance floor - with the spiritual drumming of our ancestors, including the obia man who no'fraid no power that mas' he name over!
Father in heaven, thank you for the musical talents and gifts given by You and You alone to all our fellow Caribbean brothers and sisters, to cheer us on our life journey, in Jesus’ Name. Amen. Hallelujah!
