Jumbie bacchanal
JUMBIE (or ghost) stories have always mesmerised and their popularity endures even in this swiftly changing world of information technology.
If you doubt that jumbie stories fascinate people in this day and age, just look at the huge popularity of the American TV `Twilight’ series about vampires and stuff like that.
In my boyhood days, jumbie stories were scary yarns which became scarier when recounted on moonlight nights under the old village star apple tree or similar hangout joints.
There were some among us in those days who were so scared of the jumbie stories that they could not get home alone after the night time story-telling. They had to be accompanied by braver friends until they were safe behind locked doors in their houses.
Some folks are just scared stiff of jumbies and judging from some stories circulating in political circles here it looks like the fear is alive and a jumbie bacchanal has broken out.
Putting it mildly, I was astonished at the reaction from some opposition political parties and elements to President Bharrat Jagdeo’s visit to Buxton last week.
Lord, from the way they have been reacting to what was just another visit by a freely-elected Head of State to a community in the state in which he heads the government, you would have thought that jumbies had broken out in hordes from the Buxton cemetery!
Why are they so scared of Mr. Jagdeo visiting Buxton?
This is baffling stuff, more mesmerising than an old time jumbie story.
What makes it even more baffling is that some of those who are in the forefront of the panic-striken group were behind those who were outside the President’s State House residence in Georgetown a few days before protesting that he had not visited Buxton since he assumed office!
The President hosted a reception at State House for residents of Buxton as they continued celebrations of the village’s 170th anniversary but the event attracted a demonstration by others who accused the administration of doing nothing for the village.
According to the Stabroek News, after the start of the dinner, some protesters held up placards outside accusing the government of disinterest and neglect of the village.
One placard read `Jagdeo never visit Buxton as president why dine with him?’
They were protesting for him to visit the village and when he did, they began running helter skelter like jumbie-panicked little boys while Buxtonians warmly embraced the touring presidential party.
It seems that some people have awakened from a deep, deep sleep and believe that they have a God-given decree to tell the President of this country which community he can visit and which he cannot.
And what’s even more galling about this kind of arrogance is that those beating their breasts and gnashing their teeth in misery could not persuade Buxton residents to boycott the President’s visit or to mount protests against it.
God forbid that we will ever again see the day in this country when Guyanese are prevented from freely going to whichever town, village, nook or cranny they want without a few tearing their hair and going nuts or worse.
We have been down that road before because of devious and deadly machinations by external forces and we have turned our backs on that path.
Anyone moving around this country will find Guyanese generally living in peaceful co-existence and we need to build on this instead of spreading scary jumbie stories.
Let’s instead enjoy the `Twilight’ TV series and other such offerings and keep the jumbies at bay.
We have got a country to build and jumbies won’t help us.