What is Culture?

People seem to get culture and heritage mixed up. There is a definite correlation. However, I see the caribbean youths abandoning their culture...... leaving their heritage -their inheritance for a new culture know as Pop Culture.





What though is Antiguan Culture? Hmm





Enjoy A Poem from my Book ....


Pepperpot… A Caribbean’s Woman’s Story….. Poems for the stage


Enjoy the CULTURAL JOURNEY



NO CULTURE!

We no hab no culture? Well! Well! A yaw e dey.
But look how dem people no kay wha dem say.
First, what is the meaning of culture anyway?
Blackie dat say e look pointus
Say whenever you in doubt
You don’t have to fabricate story to gain clout
Just get one a dem big, helba, bright book and check it out.
So I consulted the oxford dictionary
And den gyal e become clear, clear to me
E say culture is developing de mind and de body.
It’s developing art ,music, and tradition.
Culture is like life’s ongoing education
It is de common behaviour of any nation.
Culture is not de people, but what de people do
So to say we don’t have any culture, is not true.




Yes, culture include our heritage
De food and behaviour from de olden days
Handed down by our grandparents to instill courage.
If you don’t believe me, you don’t have to get bex and cuss
Just check another big, helba, bright book and come to some consensus.
Do like me and consult the Oxford Thesaurus.
It will tell you a few words heritage means
Den it will tell you, check culture if you please
Gyal culture hab plenty, plenty words like rice and peas.
Culture is not de people, but what de people do
So to say we don’t have any culture, is not true.









De thesaurus say culture mean folklore, folkways, civilize tradition,
Law, instruction and education,
E mean habit, manners and de society,
Custom, inheritance and de family,
E mean study, music and history,
Art, science and poetry,
E mean paintings, dress, and architecture,
Knowledge, religion and literature,
I tell you dat, dat bright book have words in galore.
If you check it, e hab plenty, plenty more
But one ting you will realize for sure
Culture is not de people, but what de people do
So to say we don’t have any culture, is not true.




Antigua’s culture is saying howdy to de older folks you meet
Whether dey sitting in their yard or walking on de street.
Yes, it is our heritage to always say howdy
Even if your parents, and fu dem parents no agree.
Antigua’s culture is dat nosey neighbour
Who is always ready to help out any fire.
Our culture is dem taxi-men waving at us
Only when dey hab plenty tourist in dem bus.
Our culture is announcing what we going to de bathroom to do
Whether it is number one or number two.
Our culture is when we travel one week, big, big city
And come back, speaking and spoking like a fresh water Yankee.
Culture is not de people, but what de people do
So to say we don’t have any culture, is not true.







Our culture is cooking any ting wid flour.
Our culture is eating bread fu breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Our culture is salt fish, mackerel, shad or roast red herring
Wid boil, fry, petata or yabba dumpling.
Our culture is saltfish and choba on a Sunday,
Stewed down wid tomata paste in you granny's special way.
Our culture is fungee wid fish water or pepperpat.
Our culture is de dialect dat all awe chat.
Culture is art de Sea View Farm women display
As dey make flower pot and coal pot from de clay.
Culture is de music, calypso, mass and steel pan
Culture is each village’s orchestrated iron band.
Culture is not de people, but what de people do
So to say we don’t have any culture, is not true.





You know wha happen to dem people who say
Dat Antigua no hab none culture fu display?
Dem just a look fu prominence now a days,
While selling their culture and their heritage,
For de sweet counterfeit life dat dem envision
Dat sell so cheaply pan de cable television.
Den dem a de same ones dat quickly say
Antigua no hab no culture fu display.
Culture is not de people, but what de people do
So to say we don’t have any culture, is Not True!






Pepperpot ….A Caribbean Woman’s Story… Poems for the stage



Copyright © 2007, Fransene Massiah-Headley


















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(More on the Language Later)


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