ST. MARTIN (2003) — The “Made in St. Martin” gifts for the 2003 holiday season are books, music, art, dessert and the suggested novel gift this year is the serenade.
This gifts list was started about 10 years ago with only House of Nehesi books to present to family, lovers, friends and colleagues for Christmas, Kwanza and the New Year’s feasting, but it has been “free-up” over the years into other areas for folks to select gifts from.
Books still crown the annual “Made in St. Martin” selections and the 2003 titles are first offerings. For the student of history and the family historian in every family the gift books are 1963 – A Landmark Year in St. Martin/1963 Année Charnière à St. Martin by Daniella Jeffry, for the general reading public The House That Jack Built and Other Plays by Louie Laveist and the reprint of An Introduction to Government by Louis Duzanson.
To encourage our children and the young people around us to read and learn about early Caribbean nation builders—and to become leaders and builders themselves—check out the booklet Lambee & The Road That Couldn’t be Built by Gerard van Veen.
For the very serious, mature readers, The Essence of Reparations and Somebody Blew Up America & Other Poems by famous American author Amiri Baraka will do fine thank you. Those interested in writing and one day publishing their own book will want a hands-on with Salted Tongues – Modern Literature in St.Martin by Fabian Adekunle Badejo.
The above titles were published in St. Martin and not only their content, but also their attractive cover designs could make some of them collectors’ books.
These “Made in St. Martin” gift books are available at Arnia’s Bookstore, Van Dorp, Shipwreck, World of Learning Ent., Paper Garden and amazon.com along with continuing favorites like National Symbols of St. Martin and St. Martin Massive! A Snapshot of Popular Artists.
If it is so that those who read will lead and that “reading in fundamental,” don’t forget the earlier well-critiqued House of Nehesi books like Conversation II – Western Education and the Caribbean Intellectual by George Lamming (selected in 2003 for CXC teachers’ reading), Words Need Love Too by Kamau Brathwaite, and Brotherhood of the Spurs by Lasana M. Sekou.
MUSIC
Topping the list for the 2003 “Made in St. Martin” gift of music is Corn Poke (2003) by Soualouiga Jump Up Brass Band. The title song, an ingenious piece of cultural-grounds-claiming, is no simple tale and pan knocking (but that analysis is for another kind of article).
Another must on the holiday gift list is T-Mo’s most crossover music CD to date, My woman deserve the best (2003). I was truly disappointed, as only a follower of T-Mo’s musical development could be when “Holiday” did not culminate with his signature mastery, though its thesis is patently original (but that too is for a more in-depth music review).
Nevertheless, the T-Mo CD is a sound achievement with the thoroughly uplifting title song—especially for women—followed by “Nobody,” the truly beautiful tune called “Humbleness,” and “Jah Jah Coming,” a classic mélange true to St. Martin music.
ART
This year, the “Made in St. Martin” gifts favor is toward “modern art.” And the artwork to seek out is the photo and abstract art by Deborah Drisana Jack, especially her saltpond influenced abstracts. Jack’s work and the frightfully cutting edge digital art of Angelo Rombley is demanding for “somebody” to write an art review book about some of the creators of “modern art” in St. Martin (See Rombley’s latest art in both of the Amiri Baraka books).
Contact the Bearden Gallery on Frontstreet to find out more about acquiring Jack’s art. As for the growing set of art collectors on the island, visit Bearden’s and Roland Richardson Gallery in Marigot for the latest paintings by the standard bearers of the national art scene, Roland Richardson, Ruby Bute, Ras Mosera and Cynric Griffith.
CUISINE
The 2003 “Made in St. Martin” gift cuisine category is going light on dessert this year, seeing how folks are dieting and all that. And the winner is the coconut tart.
Go out of your way—with all this issue of national pride, nation building and autonomy, no matter how seminal the meaning—and order a coconut tart for loved ones or for yourself from trusted home-bakers—or confectioners like Candy’s—who still make the traditional pie by tested and true St. Martin recipes. No dry dry coconut. No little bit of flaky supermarket coconut. No crumbling, pale or thin crust.
Only a nice fat brown pie with a generous amount of sweet moist coconut will do. The real St. Martin culture way. The cost may vary, but the joie de vivre of a fine holiday dessert, with a little guavaberry on the side, is worth any of our weights in gold. p.s. Back to the diet on January 2, 2004.
SERENADE
To round off the variety of gifts from the cultural basket of Sweet St. Martin Land, here is possibly a novel one that can be presented to loved ones, friends and colleagues at home or on the job before December 25, or to the folks in the senior citizens homes in St. John’s Ranch and Galis Bay, Safe Haven, the home for children, the Sister Basilia Center, and to the prisoners at the House of Detention on Christmas morning. A serenade of holiday tunes.
How? Well, I’m talking top-of-the-line serenading for company or home parties, or for those into some heavy courting who may want to have their special someone serenaded with holiday tunes in front of their door. Community-minded companies, foundations, families or individuals can also present this serenade feature for those who can’t do it for themselves. It may be costly. And as such I am only trusting this article to a select few: The Hilliman Sisters led by Zahira, in divine acappella; Tanny & The Boys, doing absolutely whatever they well please; either Mighty Dow or Neville York on pure solo pan (no band, no trap-set drum in the background); and her diva-ness LaVaune Henry in operatic solo.
Any of these artistes would be definitive class acts, if they would agree to perform, and well worth whatever they would charge. Remember that Tanny & The Boys stringband is usually contracted from early for a punishingly busy performance schedule during the holidays.
By the way, this prime choice list of “Made in St. Martin” serenaders for 2003 should not limit anyone from seeking out other performers or from contacting their favorite performer who may have time or can be employed during the season to serenade as “a gift.” Thus seals the 2003 “Made in St. Martin” gifts list. Beautiful gifts from St. Martin self, and for a range of tastes, pocketbooks and wallets.
So, let us be of good cheer as we share joyfully the holy meaning and faith affirming celebrations of the year-end holiday season.
And then let us put into practice all this talk of national pride, nation building and the benefits of the tourism economy by investing our belief in, knowledge of, and our well-earned money—not only as lip service—in the creative expressions and quality products of the nation’s arts and culture.
Compliments to the season, people of St. Martin.