THE DAY is All Fools’ Day in the year 2035.
I am returning to my tropical home Barbados after a 30-year absence. This is a country with a history of sugar cane production and tourism. Sugar is cultivated due to its ability to stabilise the land and earn foreign currency.
As the aircraft descends towards the airport, I see a coastal perimeter of buildings encircling my tropical island paradise. From an aerial view, it appears sugar cane fields have been replaced by quarries and clusters of housing areas\townships.
We have landed at the airport and I am greeted by a pleasant Asian-looking immigration officer with a strong Bajan accent. As a tourist destination I am further impressed with the polite custom officer who tells me his parents were from India.
Barbados has truly become a tropical cosmopolitan island, thus why it’s called Little England. Even the indigenous native negro redcap is helpful in taking my bags to the taxi. Driving along the highway, I cannot help but notice the many billboards. The absence of trees is noticeable, as well as the many graffiti covered walls.
Unemployment is either high or many young persons are voluntary unemployed, as seen by the many liming on each street corner. Few playing fields and recreational areas can be seen; the cab driver tells me this small island has three prisons.
Safely at the hotel, and offered a complimentary beverage called rum punch, one sip of the tropical alcoholic beverage spins my head. No more for me!
Decided on a stroll along the beach, only to be cautioned by a security guard. Beaches are now private and I may be charged with trespassing. Seabathing and strolling along the beach is confined to the hotel in which you stay. I wonder where the locals bathe?
Yes, in tropical Barbados, windows to the sea have all been replaced by private properties owned by expats. Retiring to my room, I decide to read the local newspaper called the DAILY NATION. I am shocked by two headlines Local Politician Sentenced To 15 Years Hard Labour and Barbados Has Run Out Of Land Space. I am in tears to think that all the politicians and decision-makers did not exercise wisdom and common sense. They are all dead and cannot be tried in the Court of Ignorance for the destruction of my beloved country.
People, it’s just a vision from a dream brought on by niggeritis after a bowl of cou cou and steamed fish.
* Kammie Holder, the boy from the village advising you to pick sense from nonsense. Send comments to: macholder67@gmail.com
This article was also published at The Nation as Swimming Upstream: Vision of a painful future
Barbados Free Press 
I am happy most predictions don’t come true.
I remember one day in 1986, I met Bunny Hope, we were standing in line waiting to go thru Customs at JFK so we were chatting – Bunny was a very good friend of Rt Hon Errol Barrow – and he was railing… these were his words “Errol like he want to metropolize Barbados” – he was referring to all the building that were going up. Then we had Peter Morgan who said many times “buildings should not be allowed to be built higher than a coconut tree” – meaning 3 stories max.
Fast forward to 2035…. it ain’t difficult to follow friend Kammie…..
Gone is the Barbados of yesterday!Welcome to the
Barbados of the future
That is why it is called “Rum Punch”.’Suppose to know you out
Only part I do NOT see coming true is any Politician facing Jail or Hard Labour, it will always be avoided whether via force, guile or finance…
Ian, I dont believe that!We need to send a strong message to leaders as well as decision makers that none is above the law. So, Ian you must add your voice to mine and encourage others to do the same.
Just hope the rogue guys in the ski mask with fictitious license plates don`t get you…lol. Evil can only continue if we turn a blind eye. Oh by the way makesure that you have live streaming on your phone. In case you are interdicted so you can with a flick of a button let the world see your interdiction on the internet live. Watch out for the Rogue Guys paid by the corrupt who will want to silence those who speak out.
pure NONSENSE !
PLEASE GIVE ME BACK MY TIME -(2 mins) reading this crap.
Scrap the crap !
“””””FIRE””””” I would bet my last dollar that you are one of those persons who benefits from poor governance! Who cannot even take a joke when its coming free…. Shame on you who hide annonymously.
This is exactly how I chose this name,as a little drunking boy in boscobel saying to the late burton hinds,that when de money come bajans got to run from hey, he look at me and seh boy who you, ya talking nonsense.
In the post ac wrote Rum Punch is supposed to know you out!
Correctionknow is meant to be “KNOCK”
Boy am I slow !2035 a little too fast for me. Anyhow it will happen. Welcome to the real world
and will you’re at it.Please find someone to clean up the garbage.
You mean 30 years from now in 2040 you calling blacks by the slave master term negroes. Small wonder Ian Bourne reproduces your nonsense article. You and he think alike.
Some of us are so ingrunt we miss the context in which the story was written. Let me help those yardfowls, pimps and political operatives to understand. Bajans are docile. Bajans are not demanding the level of governance necessary for us not become a failed state. Bajans receive free education, then get a mortgage, buy an expensive car and forgets about the plight of the lesser fortunate. The only contribution some of us are making towards a better Barbados is to buy a flask bottle of rum every Friday and get drunk! The adults in Barbados just care about largasse, their social circles, driving a fancy car and liming with big shots. What about protecting the legacy that was passed to us by persons like my grandmother who toiled on a plantation for cents. Obviously, some of you are so polarised towards the DLP or BLP that wunna fail to realised it creating tribal politics. I am glad to engage any of you and have never been a follower and will never support any political party blindly. Oh by the way I am a supporter of the DLP if wunna doubt me ask Mia or Michael Lashley! Companies support all political parties while citizens support one party even if they doing faeces. I am of the Negro races,while Ian Bourne is missed, and we coexist as friends. Sorry Ac, Ian is a real friend who is honest in his criticism of me, something lacking in Barbados.
Well said Kammie.
We have about ten years to save this place, maybe less time.
Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong! The more I am attacked the more I will write on the things that concern the man in the street. Thus do me a favor don`t loose the message by foolishly looking at the messenger. All civil leaders must accept that there will be persons who behave like the house slave and betray the field slaves. Whose only crime is the fight for justice,governance and equality. Cuss me, for its strengthens the boy from the village who was a well digger, cane cutter and dishwasher!
A little mischievous on a sunday morning.
BFP says “We have about ten years to save this place, maybe less time”
Go read this article in today’s Nation titled”Girls gone wild, a concern”
Just another “problem” and prehaps a new “voting block” for the BLP.
@Kammie
I need a retraction from you as you referenced “ac”
to a comment I did not say. Apology is in order!
By the way only a person of little or no intelligence resort to name calling of other people as is evident in your april/11/2010/1.31pm
Ac,here you go again you only see things the way you want to c them. Ian is a real friend,he does not post annonymously. You are a phantom my friend!
@Kammie
Are you pretending to be dumb or what? You mentioned “ac”thatis me inyour comment regarding a comment that another blogger said.” You need to get your facts right before blubbing off at the mouth. Now You need to make a correction in your comment of April11/1.31pm.regarding that mistatment on your part.
“asian looking”? was the person a female or male officer?
Ac, APOLOGIES FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! I was busy watching Polo and blogging so please forgive me for the error. ANC was the culprit who does not believe he is of the negro race. I Kammie Holder the grandson of agriculture workers,who still eats bakes am very proud to be a Negro. AC…lunch is on me just give me a call. Sorry for any hurt I may have caused. Please don`t take any dialogue in the interest of greater governance to heart. All the politicians read this blog. Met two ministers today and they tell me ah sounding lick Rick Mercer. We all had a good laugh about raising debate.
@Kammie
Love you too !bakes and all.Stay away from them
politician .
Kammie Holder the grandson of agriculture workers,who still eats bakes…. busy watching Polo.
Hants, I love your truth dealing wit. Kammie is not without humour and he can take it as well as give it out. I’m sure he’ll chuckle at your comment too.
Recalls visions of Tourism Minister Noel Lynch storming out of the radio interview saying he’s oppressed and ill-treated… then getting into his BMW and driving to his palatial new home!
Good day, lets have a laugh I was trying to watch polo on television to understand the game…Gotcha!Laugther is good for the soul. Just got off the phone with Rick Mercer and he reminded me that “Evil can only flourish if good men like us turn a blind eye”.
For those of you who wasted there two minutes,think I write crap and are offended because I speak about your political party do read Fridays column. Rick Mercer, has recommended that I hold a Peoples Court on Non Performance for Political Representatives which I have accepted. Mr Mercer, is one of the greatest satirical writers so dont blame me. I don`t intend to libel or slander anyone so that is why Ian Bourne and I use or names. Our aim is simply to cause people to think independently and fair. So yardfowls if they are any who doubt my objectives ask Hartley, Donville,Richard, Liz or Mia.
It would help us all if the BFP can include the following link on their sidebar http://www.citizen.org/.
Sorry Kammie… we don’t believe you. We think you were caught loving a rich white man’s sport! Howya gonna ‘splain this at d’rum shop? 😉
BFP, I swear I am not so fortunate to be invited to polo. Had a friend Helen Knoxx of Sexplained who went so I became curious. As a socialite I mingle with the brown, blue,yellow, pink and red. Note black is not included as a color,we negros are brown and not black… we look nothing like tar.
Brez, but by the way neither the BLP or the DLP were honest to the bajans , all that they have done is lined they pockets with money and also purchased inferior medications for the patients , all of the meds were either rejects or not meeting quality control standards and were sold to the third world countries like Barbados , yet we paid the top price.
The land sale in Barbados to the rich non nationals gave Sir Grantley and Sir Errol a stroke each when lick mout`lou told them what the government`s doing to help fill they pockets.
I am having a laughing fit. All I see is a bunch of big hardback men wanking-off while Barbados is burning.
Don’t waste time attacking Kammie, his predictions are already coming true. Let us get off our arses and see what we can do to save our Island.