The Crapaud Story

I wrote this poem in support of activities by the Dominican Mountain Chicken Project which is located very close to my workplace in the Botanic Gardens. This project is designed to breed the endangered Crapaud, which has a lot of historic and gastronomic significance for Dominica and Dominicans.

The amphibian is affected by a chytrid fungus that significantly reduced its population in the forests of Dominica. It's population has also been diminished in Montserrat as well, which is a neighbouring island. You can read about my previous exploits as it relates to hunting crickets for the frog (it eats mainly insects) in an earlier blog submission cricket, cricket, cricket.

I've only eaten Mountain Chicken once but i really don't want to see it disappear from our island. Help the project by supporting its activities, link them through Facebook (see hyperlink above).

Check out the poem below and let me know if you like it:

If the photo is difficult to read, then the poem is also posted below:

The Crapaud Story
By Delroy N. Williams

Dey say Crapaud smoke my pipe
But me doh hear no Crapaud last night
An long I doh eat no Crapaud in a stew,
I doh even hear anybody talking bout dat frog.
Someting must definitely be wrong.
It was once our national emblem
Now reduced to the crannies of de “Station.”
If somebody doh talk den nobody go listen
So I glad dat Machel an dem doin someting
Cuz de Crapaud is Dominica’s blessing.
Dat fungus come out from nowhere
An got us forgettin Crapaud is our heritage
We cyah just give up, dat would leave Crapaud in a sad state
De Chytrid ting is very dangerous
Been around for just over a decade
Got Crapaud in decadence
From our forests an even our minds
Look we even searching for a new national dish
Want to remove Crapaud from its podium of pride
An reduce it to jus hindsight
But Crapaud stronger dan we think
An wit a likle help from Forestry
Dat frog go leap back unto its pedestal
We go hear Crapaud sing again
We go hear Crapaud after a shower of rain
An den we go really understand
Dat Crapaud is wat makes Dominica a blessed island

Farrakhan in Dominica

Farrakhan at the Arawak

It's not everyday that a world leader/icon visits the shores of my Caribbean island, Dominica. In fact, besides some "unknown" members the royal family visiting a few times during the Independence Celebrations, Dominica doesn't receive much in terms of icons. I remember hearing of Oprah (doesn't coming much bigger than her), Wesley Snipes, Tom Cruise and a few others visiting the island as a little boy but I can't remember anything about their visit and i'm sure I didn't have a chance to meet them, unless of course I am suffering from severe memory loss... and i'm not.

So when I heard that Louis Farrakhan was in Dominica for a weekend (I heard him on the radio the Saturday when he was already on the island) I dropped all my plans for the Sunday night and went to the Arawak House of Culture to have a glimpse of the leader of the Nation of Islam. He spoke for just under two (2) hours and had me engrossed in his performance. I say performance because his engagement of the crowd seemed akin to that of a seasoned entertainer. I marveled at the way he went about giving his speech, how he got the small but appreciative crowd to buy in and even be part and parcel of his presentation. 

There's a certain aura to him and although I didn't agree with some parts of his message, I must agree that in terms of delivery, he is second to one... Obama... Well that's just based on the small sample of speakers that I have been exposed to, please don't hold this against me. 

I took a few notes of what I thought were pertinent points/quotes that he made (not verbatim):

1. if a man wont treat you right then what makes you think that he would teach you right - in speaking about white people providing religion to black slaves as a means of "saving" them.
2. "how did hair get a moral quality" in speaking about good/bad hair and how we have been brainwashed to accept everything "white" as good.
3. "you can't exercise knowledge in your sleep" - a call for black people (men) to wake up and take their place as leaders in the family and society
4. "the greatest thing that you can do is to work for that which is greater than (outlives) you" - my favourite quote. 

Farrakhan also went on to speak to students of the Dominica State College and even denouncing abortion, but that's a different story... check it out here on Dominica News Online

or check an article about his view of partisan politics on Dominica Vibes

Nesta 

39 reasons to visit the Caribbean (Dominica takes two)

THIS has not been a great year so far for the Caribbean tourism industry. Seven named hurricanes have hit the region this fall, with Gustav and Omar wreaking the most damage. An earthquake registering 6.1 rocked parts of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands. And, of course, the global financial meltdown has made Americans increasingly skittish about taking a vacation this winter.

What’s next, locusts?Well, things haven’t gotten that bad, and in fact, with new hotels continuing to open, high-end resorts raising the bar on amenities, family-oriented getaways expanding their offerings and talented chefs starting restaurants that are transforming the region’s culinary scene, there are plenty of reasons for vacationers to seek some solace in the sand and surf of the Caribbean this winter.

Thirty-nine of them, in fact.