Tweet
...their Republican allies would be very proud 
Drawing Sister P's Tongue
Published: Sunday | December 25, 201111 Comments
"Don't draw my tongue! And don't trouble this girl! Because I don't fraid a no man, no gyal, nowhere!" Translated into English, Portia Simpson Miller's infamous declaration sounds rather tame: "Don't provoke me! And don't antagonise me! Because I'm not afraid of any man or any woman anywhere!'
That's the power of the Jamaican language. It gets you in the gut. And in the head! On top of that, body language amplifies the meaning of words. So Sister P repeatedly beats her chest, vigorously waves her right hand and emphatically shakes her head from side to side. She pulls out all the stops. After all, she's at a People's National Party (PNP) political rally, not an election debate.
Incidentally, the English expression 'pulling out all the stops' comes from the language of the pipe organ. As a former organist at the North Street Seventh-day Adventist Church, I do know a thing or two about this musical instrument. Pipe organs have stops that control the flow of air through the pipes. Pulling out the stops literally pumps up the volume.
Sister P effectively uses her organ of speech to show her supporters (and detractors) that she's a militant woman in the tradition of Nanny of the Maroons and a whole host of African warrior women like Queen Nzinga of Angola and Nana Yaa Asentewaa of Ghana. Nzinga led a relentless war against Portuguese slave traders in the 17th century.
Much later, Yaa Asentewaa rose up as commander of the Ashanti army in the famous battle against British colonialism in 1900, known as the War of the Golden Stool. The covetous British predators held up the Ashanti people at gunpoint, demanding that they hand over the golden stool, the symbol of the sovereignty of the nation. The Ashanti refused, and war ensued. Yaa Asentewaa defeated the British, reclaiming independence for her people.
'Tun down di ting'
In the 2007 election campaign, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) attempted to draw Portia Simpson Miller's tongue by provocatively distorting her battle cry. Her fierce words became the mouthpiece, so to speak, of the JLP advertising campaign. I suppose it was easier to knock down Portia Simpson Miller than to prop up Bruce Golding.
Sister P's image was digitally 'enhanced' to make the then prime minister look as if she was stark staring mad. The commercial worked beautifully. Even hard-core PNP supporters were duped by the dishonest JLP advertisement which appealed to rank class prejudice. Portia Simpson Miller's fearless use of the Jamaican language and her fiery disposition turned her into a virago. She was obviously disqualified to be prime minister since she could not represent Jamaica with dignity on the world stage.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...cleisure3.html
Drawing Sister P's Tongue
Published: Sunday | December 25, 201111 Comments
"Don't draw my tongue! And don't trouble this girl! Because I don't fraid a no man, no gyal, nowhere!" Translated into English, Portia Simpson Miller's infamous declaration sounds rather tame: "Don't provoke me! And don't antagonise me! Because I'm not afraid of any man or any woman anywhere!'
That's the power of the Jamaican language. It gets you in the gut. And in the head! On top of that, body language amplifies the meaning of words. So Sister P repeatedly beats her chest, vigorously waves her right hand and emphatically shakes her head from side to side. She pulls out all the stops. After all, she's at a People's National Party (PNP) political rally, not an election debate.
Incidentally, the English expression 'pulling out all the stops' comes from the language of the pipe organ. As a former organist at the North Street Seventh-day Adventist Church, I do know a thing or two about this musical instrument. Pipe organs have stops that control the flow of air through the pipes. Pulling out the stops literally pumps up the volume.
Sister P effectively uses her organ of speech to show her supporters (and detractors) that she's a militant woman in the tradition of Nanny of the Maroons and a whole host of African warrior women like Queen Nzinga of Angola and Nana Yaa Asentewaa of Ghana. Nzinga led a relentless war against Portuguese slave traders in the 17th century.
Much later, Yaa Asentewaa rose up as commander of the Ashanti army in the famous battle against British colonialism in 1900, known as the War of the Golden Stool. The covetous British predators held up the Ashanti people at gunpoint, demanding that they hand over the golden stool, the symbol of the sovereignty of the nation. The Ashanti refused, and war ensued. Yaa Asentewaa defeated the British, reclaiming independence for her people.
'Tun down di ting'
In the 2007 election campaign, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) attempted to draw Portia Simpson Miller's tongue by provocatively distorting her battle cry. Her fierce words became the mouthpiece, so to speak, of the JLP advertising campaign. I suppose it was easier to knock down Portia Simpson Miller than to prop up Bruce Golding.
Sister P's image was digitally 'enhanced' to make the then prime minister look as if she was stark staring mad. The commercial worked beautifully. Even hard-core PNP supporters were duped by the dishonest JLP advertisement which appealed to rank class prejudice. Portia Simpson Miller's fearless use of the Jamaican language and her fiery disposition turned her into a virago. She was obviously disqualified to be prime minister since she could not represent Jamaica with dignity on the world stage.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...cleisure3.html
Comment