"CITY MEMORIES."

CITY MEMORIES:
By L. E. Franklin. B. F. A. Hon’s. September 2004.

'With-in' my circle of friends, growing-up in the big City is always discussed and brings back lots of memories of the parties we attended. There were two weekly events that young people attended Wednesday (midweek) and weekend parties. The most frequented were the midweek parties and the band that played were either “Blue Ribbon,” “Little Jones,” “Mingles,” “Mischievous Guys,” or “Tom Charles”. The music played was of the 50th, 60th and early 70’s that we called “oldies”.

The crowd that beside the young people were the adults whose era the music came from. Beside the “oldies music” there was lots of booze that was not expensive in those days. “Banks Beer” that cost $1.00, “Guyana X. M (brown) Rum” at about $2.50 a glass, a 26 oz for about $8.00 a bottle, “Bookers Dry Gin” or wine made in Guyana. Food could be also bought for example, 'cook-up' rice, curry and roti, fish cakes. In those days most of us had a few things in common, we partied late, drank, were broke and not employed. We only had money for entry into the parties but none for drinks.

As I am writing what comes to mind is, how did we get booze to drink after our entry? Why I am asking, is because I know that in the beginning of my teenage years I was not employed but the answer is that in Guyana the friends that were employed assisted the ones that were not working. When the friends that were not working got employed we helped those that were not employed. Others had parents who gave them an allowance. Note this does not happen in North America, its every man for himself.

I should also state that we attended parties that were held out of the Georgetown as far as 26 miles away. We sometime rode our bicycles or if we had a friend that drove a car, every one will get a ride. The only problem was if the driver met a female, he would take off with her and the rest of the group had to find our way back to the City. I remember fourteen of us were packed in a Morris-Oxford (mini-minor). We attended a wedding in Mahaica and were on our way back to Georgetown.

Traffic Officers with guns stopped us about four miles from the City. They were surprised to see the number of persons that were in the car. Luckily the Officer knew the person driving; his father was the Assistance Superintendent in the Guyana Police Force on the East Coast. What was bad, we were stopped during the time of a political on-rest in Guyana. At first the Officers seeing so many persons getting out the car became suspicious and thought we were going to be involved in some kind of radical venture against “non-Black Guyanese.” They taught it best to search the car for weapons or explosives.

Attending parties out of Georgetown was dangerous because the country boys/men would get up-set when their ladies’ became too friendly with us (City boys/men) and danced with us all night. When this happens, fights would “break-out” in

the dance-hall between the City-guys and the “country-men”. On one occasion during the fight in the hall, the “country-boys” moved the front step of the building and all the City guys who tried to run through the front door fell to the ground.

The drop to the ground was about five feet and while on the ground it was “Licks like peas.” Some of us took the back exit. What is funny is that if the women were interested in any one of us, they would find us on their visits to the City. They had ways and means as to finding us. They always knew someone that knew us and after finding us the relationship started unknown to the boys in the country. Never try to stop anyone from doing what’s in their mind because they will do it behind your back. What the other person does not know will not hurt them.

We continued to party in the country for sometime and we were not afraid of the country boys anymore because we had four friends that we members of the Guyana Police Force that traveled with us to the parties. In any village we went, the officers will report to the Police Station in the village and other officers will accompany us. We had fun until it lasted. The scene changed when some of us got jobs that took us out of the City or other left Guyana for North America.
Back to the City, when we were not going to parties we were drinking at spots like,
“Lucas on Camp/Russell Street,”
“Ice-house on Water Street,”
“Auntie in Tiger-Bay,”
“Wagon Wheel,”
“Fat-Boy in Northen Street,”
“Prince on Regent Street,”
“Ovid’s on Hadfield Street,”
“Chung Vets on Regent Street.” Chinese food could also be bought here as we were drinking.
“Rendezvous on Robb Street,”
“Palm Courts”
“Room at the Top,”
“Chan or Cochore on Second Street.”
“The Police Training School Canteen, Everly,”
“Sea Horse on Waterloo Street.”
“Diamond Horse Shoe”
“Bamboo Gardens on Regent Street.”
“Belverdear

After or while drinking food was the next best thing. After the “water-holes” listed above were closed the next best place for food after hours was sold on the Streets in Georgetown. There was;
- “Hunts Cook-up Rice” by Bourda Market on Robb Street,

A man that sold food under Icehouse on Water Street, he kept the food in rice bags so it kept warm.

- Another female vendor on the other side of Water Street sold food under the clock outside Stabroek Market

- “Far East”

-“Johnson Cake Shop” at the corner of Robb & Wellington Streets.

Or
- “Channa Man’s” shop on Camp Street.
There were other places that I would “hang-out”;

My family and I lived at Second Street Albertown and there was,
- A shoemaker by the name of Herbie that occupied the lower section (“bottom-house”) of the house and once or twice a week. There were three (sometimes four) of us that enjoyed the drinking sessions and I was the youngest of the group. Along with the brown-rum we engaged in debates dealing with the current political issues (mostly Guyana and worldwide) or any other important issue of the day. I learnt a great deal from them about the European and American political system. They were my mentors.

In 1972 I returned to Guyana for a short holiday and the country was celebrating the “Year of the Children.” During my first morning I heard a military band playing and as a custom at home people leave their homes to stand at the “road-side” to look at the passing parade. To my surprise the children lead the parade, followed by members of the Guyana Defense Force and their band. On inquiring I was told that the then President suggested that the school children should lead all the parades (sometimes they marched without any military presence) that took place in Georgetown.

On the above mentioned morning as I was enjoying the parade at the corners of Albert and Second Streets I saw Herbie making his way to work. I saw him before he saw me and I was happy to see him so I “called-out” to him. He was surprised to see me, hopped off his bike and walked through the parade towards where I was standing. His first words to me were,

“When did you come-back man?” I replied and his next words, “You don’t even sound like you left Guyana for a year, you sound the same.” (This meant that I still had the Guyanese assent.)

By this time all the “by-standers” started to look at me in surprise. A few of them started to talk among themselves about me and I overheard their comments. The remarks were;

- “Look how him colour get light.”

- “Him don’t even sound like if him com from foreign, him sound like we.”

- “Me wonder if him “com-back” wid plenty money?”

- "Me hope him married to wan white oman?”

- “How yo sure him “bin-a” foreign?”

- “Me wonder if him brin' anythin' foreign fo sell?”

- “How com him dress in local clothes an not expensive foreign things?”

- “How come him sittin' pun de side of de road and not actin' “big-shot?”
There were a lot of questions and no answers.

Anyway Herbie and I left the parade sometime after. We went into Chan store and I bought a 26 oz of Guyana XM Rum. It does not take too much imagination to know what happened next. We drank for the rest of the day also two of his friends joined us. Drinking never interrupted Herbie from doing his work, he repaired shoes as he drank.

We drank about 5/26 ounces that day. During the drinking session I had to tell the group about life in North America and what winters were like. It is very difficult for people who never experience winters’ to really image what they are like.

In the city when we were not drinking there were other places we visited to eat,

- “Brown Betty” on Hinck Street before they moved location. Brown Betty was great for its ice cream, hot-dogs and ice cream soda.

- “Nifty’s” on Regent Street. They special ice cream, hot-dogs and sodas’.

- “Farrag” on Waterloo Street. This store had a great peanut punch and other local finger foods. They were also a famous place to buy foreign cigarettes.

- The “Nook” on Camp and Durban Streets. They made tasty patties, pine-tarts, cheese rolls and other pastries.

- “Shanta’s” on Camp Street. They made and sold the best Indian foods in Georgetown.

- “Bettie” and her black pudding. She was on Northern Street. This was a weekend spot while drinking.

- “Doc’s” on Robb Street for cook-up rice and other cooked Guyanese foods. Banks Beer was sold at Doc’s.

The Seawalls.
The Dutch once ruled Guyana (British Guiana) and they constructed a defense wall that extended along the coast line of the Atlantic Ocean from Georgetown and proceeded for miles into the East Coast. The wall was built along the North of the City to keep the Ocean out and it was about 4-5 feet high. Along the wall there is a sidewalk and main road. The seawall area became a regular “hang-out” for teens on Sundays’ afternoons and for lovers at nights. It was a great place to meet girls.

On Easter Monday (a Public Holiday) the seawall was the place that all went to fly kites. It was also a fun day where families spent the day and took baskets filled with food. There was a prize contest for the person with the best (built) kite and another for the largest kite. It was amazing to see all the people in the area and the skies filled with strings and kites of different colours.

There was a Bandstand constructed on the seawall during the rule of the British and it was used for band concerts. The European’s attended and enjoyed the sounds of the British Guiana Police Force Band (Guyana Police Band) playing classical tuned.

The event was held every Sundays’ and the seating accommodation was only for the European families.

After Guyana became self-governed this practice continued and was extended towards all Guyanese for sometime. It became another event that was enjoyed on the seawall before it ended. Another Band was added and also heard after Guyana gained its independence, the Band of the Guyana Defense Force. “Cycle Racing” was also enjoyed also for sometime on the seawall.

One last event that was enjoyed on the Seawall by High School students’ (boys) was bike racing on the main Road. To us it was not dangerous or we did not see the danger and it seemed like fun. It took place after School by student of the different High Schools. One afternoon about seven of us were engaged in a race and we also had “on-lookers” from each school.

The race started and about 5-minutes into the sprint a car suddenly started to proceed from the opposite direction. This was not unusual to us but the driver suddenly stopped and turned the car side ways and parked it across the road.

There was a sudden panic because we did not know why or how the driver was. Most of the bicycles had the type of brakes where to stop one had to press backwards on the peddle. The distance between the parked car and us was very short so stopping was not easy and most of us went skidding into the car.

Two persons’ escaped hitting the parked car by fell trying to get around the car. One tried to pass at the front and the other tried the back of the car, they both encountered obstructions. Five ended into the side of the parked car with one person going over to the other side.

We all encountered bruises, “tear-up” clothes and hurt egos’ and a few bent wheels, no one seriously injured. The Assistant Superintendent of the Guyana Police Force, Traffic Department was the person driving the car.

While most of us were either lying on the road or standing the Ass. Supt. remarked that we were not race on the road because it was against the Traffic Act of the City (Georgetown) of Guyana. He went on to state that the next time we would be charged under the Traffic Act.

“Do you think that his words stopped us from racing on the road?"

No we continued for some time and eventually stopped. The last time the Ass. Supt. of the Guyana Police Force, Traffic Dept. caught us he took the air out of each person’s bicycle leaving us to walk home.

There was a Parade Ground at the corners of Waterloo and Wellington Streets where Basketball and Football (soccer) was played. These games were held on a regular basis in the Recreation Park that was always attended by large crowds.

The crowds included women, men and children of all ages because there was no cover charge. The circus that visited Guyana was another event held on the ground every so often.

One bright and sunny afternoon there was a football (soccer) game at the ground. The game was in progress and the Georgetown team was winning 3-1 over the other team. Our team was performing excellent and that made the fans enjoy the game played.

The city crowd was happy and all of a sudden there was another game “going-on” between a woman and a man. No body standing close knew what was happening but heard the woman say,

“Mr. don’t touch me, like yo hand fast.”

The new game continued between the man touching her again and laughing as he did it. He was again warned not to touch by the woman and also asked her,

“Who de hell yo think yo is? I goin' fo touch yo again.”

The woman then stated,
“If yo continue yo gon take what yo get.”

By this time most of the fans stopped looking at the soccer game and started forming a circle around the woman and the man. Their attention was drawn towards the encounter between the woman and the man.

Some of the man started telling the man in the encounter with the woman,

“Touch she if yo want, who de hell she think she is.”

The woman involved in the incident then replied in a cool manner,

“If him think him is man enough let him touch me again.”

The man then said,
“Sure me gon touch yo ass again.”

As he raised his hand to touch the woman she reacted by catching and holding the man’s hand in 'mid-air'. The next thing we saw was the man in the air as he went over her shoulder and landed on the ground.

All the 'on-lookers' started laughing and two men from the crowd shouted,

“Man get up off de ground an beat she ass.”

Another said,

“How yo gon mak dat oman do yo dat, 'stand-up' an be wan man.”

A few of the women in the crowd also voiced their opinions,

- “I like how she handle him, him eyes pass oman.”

- “Stand-up fo we gal an stop dis advantage man takin' pon we.”

- “Show de men dem wha oman power is.”

- “We need more omen like she fo put an end to omen gettin' dem ass 'kick-in' by men.”

The man “getting-up” from the ground hurriedly and being prompted on by the men around headed towards the woman in a haste and mad as hell. Not rethinking what had occurred to him before he advanced without a plan.

To his surprise he encountered the same results from the woman that stood her ground with a strong defense. He was again thrown into the air and ended on the ground by the woman he attacked.

This time he suffered a painstaking defeat of being both physical and mentally defeated by a woman. He stayed down “crying-out” in pains and refused to advance in another encounter with “woman-power.”

The women around that afternoon left Parade Ground in a happy state of mind because a man got his ass whipped by a woman in daylight.

The man in the encounter left with his ego and body in pains and never came to another game for sometime. In fact wherever he went he was referred as “de man dat de oman beat-up.”

Some of the other men were also “up-set” that he did not “beat-up de oman” and “went-on” to make jokes about the man. I guess that they were “up-set” because of fear that they themselves could not “handle de oman” in a fight and make fun of the incident. They even stop talking to the woman.

The woman left a winner and was never again touched by any man during any of the other games she attended on Parade Ground. She was respected and became a hero to some of us.

There was another “hang-out” (the house of a building contractor) where I enjoyed going during my last days in Guyana. The time spent there was not only to indulge in drinking “brown-rum” but listening to music by various artists’ every weekend. The place was one block away from Second Street where I lived and the person that owned the home was called George. The regular group (or new friends) that visited George’s place every weekend respected him not for the booze, food or records he played but his remarkable personality. He got along with everyone who visited his place in a respectable fashion.

Come to think about it, from the inception of me going to George’s place until the last time I never witnessed any person behaving in a manner that was disrespectful towards George or any member of the regular group. I think that due to George’s remarkable personality the group developed rules that were unwritten and also followed them. Our guests also did what ever we did and no person ever was banned from George’s yard. What was amazing also is the fact that George played his music and no one ever asked to see the album jackets of any record. We enjoyed listening to the music and were like a happy family while it lasted.

We always got together under his house every Sunday even if it rained or shined. It was a custom of the group that each of us would take a bottle of liquor to George’s home and he was responsible for the food and music.

The members’ of our group were an Officer from the Guyana Police Force Bank (now dead), a member from the Guyana Defense Force (Army), a senior Officer of the Guyana Revenue Department, a Furniture maker, a owner of a large dry-goods store and I. Here again we always had healthy discussions but the highlight of the day was listening to the music played.

The most amazing part of listening to the records played by George was for any person in our group to recognize the name of the artist and the tune when the first note sounded. His collection was over a thousand in number and mostly of jazz and popular every day tunes in instrumental. Some of the artists’ we listened to were;

Louis ARMSTRONG.
Dave BRUBECK.
John COLTRANE.
King CURTIS.
Miles DAVIS.
Stan GETS.
Dizzy GILLESPIE.
Dexter GORDON.
Hank JONES.
Quincy JONES.
Moe KOFFMAN.
James LAST. Herbie MANN.
Hugh MASEKELA.
Carmen McRAE.
Thelonious MONK.
Fausto PAPETTI.
Sonny ROLLINS.
Boots RANDOLPH.
Jimmy SMITH.
Shirley SCOTT,
Sonny STITT,
Mongo SANTAMARIA,
Pharoah SAUNDERS.
Stanley TURRENTINE, etc.

Be side the drinking most of us also read books written by various African American authors’ e.g.,
- “Go Tell it on the Mountain” by JAMES BALDWIN (Read more than three books by this author).

- “Invisible Man” by RALPH ELLISON,

- “Black Boy” by RICHARD WRIGHT,

- “Foxes of Harrow” by FRANK YERBY (Read more than three books by this author), etc.

Caribbean writers,

- “Black Power” by CARMICHEAL, STOKELY (KWAME TOURE).

- “Black Midas” by CAREW, JAN.

- “To Sir, With Love” by BRAITHWAITE, E. R.

- “A Morning at the Office” by MITTELHOLZER, EDGAR

- “Courantyne Thunder” “ “ “ (Read more than three books by this author).

- “Nigel Street” by NIPAUL, V. S (Read more than three books by this author).

- “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” by RODNEY, WALTER.

- “The West on Trail” by JAGAN, CHEDDI.

Others writers,
- “Withering Heights” by BRONTE, EMILY.

- “The Master Christian” by CORELLI, MARIE (Read more than three books by this author).

- “Great Expectations” by DICKENS, CHARLES,

- “A Tale of Two Cities” “ “ “

- “Of Human Bondage” by MAUGHAM, W. SOMERSET (Read more than three books by this author).

- “Men on the Moon” by ORWELL, GEORGE.

- “Where Love Has Gone” by ROBBINS, HAROLD (Read more than three books by this author).

- “The Third Eye” by RAMPA, LOBSAM (Read more than three books by this author).

- “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by SHAKESPEARE, W. (Read more than three plays by this author).

- GANDHI’S LIFE

- “The Rhine of the Ancient Mariner” by COLERIDGE, Samuel, Taylor.

- EBONY MAGAZINE (Read every month’s issue for four years ending in 1971).

- NATIONAL LAMPOON (Read the issues when they were available in Guyana).

- “The Hardy Boys Series” (From the Public Library in Georgetown-There was always a fight to borrow the series of books)

- “Children Story of (British) Guiana”
Leyton FRANKLIN B F A Hon's.