Fi Wi Language Nuh Ha Fi Bawl Out

Two spelling systems are used for the Jamaican language below. The first, ‘Chaka-Chaka,’ is based on English spelling, which is notoriously irregular. The second, ‘Prapa-Prapa,’ is the consistent, specialist system designed by the Jamaican linguist Frederic Cassidy. It has been updated by the Jamaican Language Unit at the University of the West Indies, Mona. After the two Jamaican versions, there’s an English translation.

CHAKA-CHAKA SPELLING

Couple Saturday aback, mi go a di Louise Bennett-Coverley festival inna Gordon Town. Big up Miss Lou! Mi reach late chroo mi did ha fi go market first. Mi nuh know how di promoter dem did tink seh dem could a start festival 10 o’clock market day. By di way, sake a COVID, mi stop go a Papine Market. It chuck up-chuck up. An wen mi pass outa road an see di hell of a concrete garbage dump full up-full up, an whole heap a rubbish scatter-scatter, front, back an side a it, it sick mi stomach. Nobody cyaahn do nutten bout di garbage weh pack up inna Papine Market? Weh KSAMC deh? Mi go Ujima organic market inna Hope Gardens. It clean an pretty. An di food good-good.

Mi ketch a Gordon Town bout 2 o’clock an mi hear seh di festival never start til bout 11:30. Mi did expect fi see lickle more crowd. Mi never tink seh di square would a ram. A 2,000 dollar fi big people go een an sit down under tent. An 500 dollar fi pikni an who live eena Gordon Town. It look like seh di promoter dem never member Miss Lou poem “Dutty Tough.” Shi write it long long long time, before pound turn dollar, an Jamaica money nah nuh use to dat! Inna dem ya time, dutty tougher dan tough:

“No care omuch we dah work fa

Hard-time still eena we shut

We dah fight, Hard-time a beat we,

Dem might raise we wages, but

One poun gawn awn pon we pay, an

We no feel no merriment

For ten poun gawn awn pon we food

An ten poun pon we rent!”

DEM SOUND LIKE DEM A QUARREL

Anyhow, who di deh, enjoy demself. Nuff a di Gordon Town people dem stand up outa road an tek een everyting same way. Wen mi reach, Tania Hernandez did deh pon stage. Shi come from Canada fi di festival. Shi gwaan good-good-good. An mi ketch Dr Amina Blackwood-Meeks. Fi ar story dem tell di truth bout fi wi culture. Same like Miss Lou poem dem. Shi get national honour. It well deserving. Mi sorry mi did miss Cherry Natural. Shi a one next powerful artist.

Mi never like how some a di performer dem recite Miss Lou poem dem. Loud-loud! It come een like seh dem nuh understand seh fi wi language nuh ha fi bawl out. It can tone down an talk soft-soft. A same so plenty a di pikni dem perform Miss Lou poem dem fi Festival speech competition. Dem sound like dem a quarrel.

Miss Lou did write love poem. All like “Love Letter”:

“Me darlin love, me lickle dove,

Me dumplin, me gizada

Me sweetie Sue, I goes fa you

Like how flies goes fa sugar.”

Dat a lyrics. An yu see how Jamaica man love dem belly!

Next year, di promoter dem fi put on Miss Lou festival inna Emancipation Park. Di festival should a free. Dem better start look nuff sponsor from now. Life hard. Wi waan tek wi mind offa di stress wi a suffer. Wi waan enjoy wiself. Wi done know, wi ha fi tek bad tings mek joke. Dat a wa Miss Lou teach wi.

PRAPA-PRAPA SPELIN

Kopl Satde abak, mi go a di Louise Bennett-Coverley festival ina Gordon Town. Big op Miss Lou! Mi riich liet chruu mi did ha fi go maakit fos. Mi no nuo ou di promuota dem did tingk se dem kuda staat festival 10 aklak maakit die. Bai di wie, siek a KUOVID, mi stap go a Papine Market. It chok op-chok op. An wen mi paas outa ruod an si di el af a kangkriit gyaabij domp ful up-ful up, an uol iip a robish skyata-skyata, front, bak an said a it, it sik mi stomok. Nobadi kyaahn du notn bout di gyaabij we pak op ina Papine Market? We KSAMC de? Mi go Ujima aagyanik maakit ina Hope Gardens. It kliin an priti. An di fuud gud-gud.

Mi kech a Gordon Town bout 2 aklak an mi ier se di festival neva staat til bout 11:30. Mi did ekspek fi si likl muor kroud. Mi neva tingk se di skwier wuda ram. A 2,000 dala fi big piipl go iin an sidong aanda tent. An 500 dala fi pikni an uu liv iina Gordon Town. It luk laik se di promuota dem neva memba Miss Lou puowem “Dutty Tough.” Shi rait it lang lang lang taim, bifuor poun ton dala, an Jamieka moni naa no yuus tu dat! Ina dem ya taim, doti tofa dan tof:

“No care omuch we dah work fa

Hard-time still eena we shut;

We dah fight, Hard-time a beat we,

Dem might raise we wages, but

One poun gawn awn pon we pay, an

We no feel no merriment

For ten poun gawn awn pon we food

An ten poun pon we rent!”

DEM SOUN LAIK DEM A KWARIL

Eniou, uu di de, enjai demself. Nof a di Gordon Town piipl dem stan op outa ruod an tek iin evriting siem wie. Wen mi riich, Tania Hernandez did de pan stiej. Shi kom fram Kyanada fi di festival. Shi gwaan gud-gud-gud. An mi kech Dr Amina Blackwood-Meeks. Fi ar stuori dem tel di chruut bout fi wi kolcha. Siem laik Miss Lou puowem dem. Shi get nashinal ana. It wel dizorvin. Mi sari mi did mis Cherry Natural. Shi a wan neks powaful aatis.

Mi neva laik ou som a di pafaama dem risait Miss Lou puowem dem. Loud-loud. It kom iin laik se dem no andastan se fi wi langgwij no ha fi baal out. It kyan tuon dong an taak saaf-saaf. A siem so plenti a di pikni dem pafaam Miss Lou puowem dem fi Festival spiich kompitishan. Dem soun laik dem a kwaril.

Miss Lou did rait lov puowem. Aal laik “Love Letter”:

“Me darlin love, me lickle dove,

Me dumplin, me gizada,

Me sweetie Sue, I goes fa you

Like how flies goes fa sugar.”

Dat a liriks. An yu si ou Jamieka man lov dem beli!

Neks ier, di promuota dem fi put aan Miss Lou festival ina Emancipation Park. Di festival shuda frii. Dem beta staat luk nof spansa fram nou. Laif aad. Wi waahn tek wi main aafa di schres wi a sofa. Wi waahn enjai wiself. Wi don nuo, wi ha fi tek bad tingz mek juok. Dat a wa Miss Lou tiich wi.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Two Saturdays ago, I went to the Louise Bennett-Coverley festival in Gordon Town.  Big up Miss Lou!  I got there late because I had to go to the market first. I don’t know how the promoters thought they could start a festival at 10 o’clock on market day.  By the way, because of COVID, I’ve stopped going to Papine Market.  It’s too crowded. And when I pass by and see the hell of a concrete garbage dump full to the brim and a whole heap of rubbish scattered all about, to the front, back and side of it, it makes me sick to my stomach. Can nobody do anything about the garbage piled up in Papine Market?  Where’s the KSAMC?  I go to the Ujima organic market in Hope Gardens.  It’s clean and pretty.  And the produce is very good.

I got to Gordon Town at about 2 o’clock and heard that the festival didn’t start until about 11:30. I expected to see more of a crowd.  I didn’t think the square would be rammed.  It was 2,000 dollars for adults to go in and sit under a tent; and 500 dollars for children and Gordon Town residents. It seems as if the promoters didn’t remember Miss Lou’s poem “Dutty Tough.” She wrote it a long time ago, before the pound was changed to the dollar, and Jamaican currency hardly has any value! These days, the ground is tougher than tough:

“No care omuch we dah work fa

Hard-time still eena we shut;

We dah fight, Hard-time a beat we,

Dem might raise we wages, but

One poun gawn awn pon we pay, an

We no feel no merriment

For ten poun gawn awn pon we food

An ten poun pon we rent!”

It doesn’t matter how much we work for

We’re still falling on hard times

We keep struggling but hard times keep winning

They might raise our wages, but

We get a pay increase of one pound

But that’s no reason for celebration

For the cost of food has gone up by ten pounds

And rent has also gone up by ten pounds

THEY SOUND AS IF THEY ARE QUARRELLING  

Anyhow, those who were there enjoyed themselves.  A lot of Gordon Town residents stood outside and took in everything just the same. When I got there, Tania Hernandez was on stage. She came from Canada for the festival.  She performed very well. And I caught Dr Amina Blackwood-Meeks. Her stories tell the truth about our culture.  Just like Miss Lou’s poems. She has got a national honour.   It’s well deserved. I’m sorry I missed Cherry Natural. She’s another powerful artist.

I didn’t like how some of the performers recited Miss Lou’s poems.  Very, very loud!  It seems as if they don’t understand that our language doesn’t have to be shouted.  It can be toned down and spoken very softly. That’s the same way many children perform Miss Lou’s poems for the Festival speech competition.  They sound as if they are quarrelling.

Miss Lou wrote love poems. Like “Love Letter”:

“Me darlin love, me lickle dove,

Me dumplin, me gizada,

Me sweetie Sue, I goes fa you

Like how flies goes fa sugar.”

My darling love, my little dove,

My dumpling, my gizzada,

My sweetie Sue, I go for you

Like how flies go for sugar.

Those are lyrics.  And you see how Jamaican men love their food!

Next year, the promoters should put on the Miss Lou festival in Emancipation Park. It should be free.  They must start looking for lots of sponsors from now. Life is hard. We want to take our mind off the stress we are suffering.  We want to enjoy ourselves.  We know we have to laugh at our troubles.  That’s what Miss Lou taught us.