COLIN TIE – n BOTSY OUT
Purpose: A story of a young Bajan boy questioning the validity of his colonial education.
Monday morning, the first day back to school after the long summer break was approaching too quickly for Stephen. He was a studious 13-year-old, funny and inquisitive boy. Unlike many of the other children in the village, Stephen was curious about his African heritage and about the world, but the school books mostly talked about the British royalty, the Stuarts and Tudors. To feed his curious mind, Stephen made a trip to the bookmobile, every week, to get new and interesting books to read. 
He loved learning and his father, though uneducated, truly valued education and encouraged learning in the home. Stephen read all kinds of literature and debated the meaning of the stories with his teachers and elders in the village, but he longed to know more about his blackness. He was darker-skinned than his brothers and sisters, and was often call names by them and other children in the neighborhood.
His father, Jacob, was a rugged man with broad shoulders and a commanding presence. Stephen admired his Dad for his athleticism and knowledge. Jacob could do a handstand and walk for long periods on his hands, but he was also hot-tempered and a disciplinarian who did not spare the belt. Knowing that he would get bare licks if he did not go to school troubled Stephen as the dawn approached. Stephen normally woke up earlier than the other children because he had to milk the cow, milk old Meggy, the goat, wash the pig pen, and clean out the chicken cub before heading to school. Noticing that he moved slower this morning than usual, Jacob grabbed his belt and headed to the bedroom to provide some motivation.
“Do Daddy!” Stephen cowered, pleading, “Wait Daddy, I ent sick, I jus’ don’t want to go to that school anymore.”
“Boy looka, you telling me you ent gine to school when I does go out dey every day working hard hard to put food on de table and clothes pun you back so you can get a good education?” Jacob was furious! “Look at me, we ent had nuttin’ like wha’ wunna got for school nowadays. Boy looka, you baz get ya tail outa bed before I don give you a good cut ass!”
Stephen was terrified and headed toward the backyard to tend to the stocks. But he also felt he needed to let his dad know how he was really feeling about the missing historical pieces of his roots. He felt like a misfit in every way, but also knew this was a moment too important to pass even if it meant licks. As he was walking out the door towards the backyard, he shyly turned around keeping his eyes downcast and spoke to his father. “Daddy, do you know where you come from in Africa”?
“Boy, Africa is far away and all I know is de school does give wunna a good education and da is gud enuf for me.”
Stephen was not satisfied with the answer and continued to press his point. “Daddy, I spoke with Mr. Hunter, the headmaster ‘bout dis and he told me that if I don’t learn British History I gun end up like my ignorant father and the rest of the ragamuffins in the street.”
“You mean to tell me dat you disrespect the headmaster?” With the speed of lightning, buggadung, Jacob backslap Stephen and knock him to the ground. Stephen was dazed and remained on the ground sobbing and contemplating if he should get up. He knew what was coming next. Slowly pushing up to his knees, he continued to plead with his father.
“Daddy, daddy, whenever the Queen come here, dem does mek we stand out in the hot sun singing fuh she and she don’t even want to touch we.” The teachers and the Headmaster make so much fuss when dese white people come to de school, but not when important black people, like the Prime Minister, come. Only thing they care ‘bout is if we wearing a tie. We could be totally naked wid we botsy out, jus’ as long as we got on a tie.”
Jacob had heard enough and gave Stephen a good flogging. Something about the courage of Stephen and the words he said troubled Jacob, but he also respected and revered the Headmaster and decided to take Stephen to school to have him apologize to Mr. Hunter. The Headmaster never cared much for Jacob because, though he was uneducated, he was a successful entrepreneur. He had a truck and a car, things that most of the villagers did not have and Mr. Hunter was jealous of Jacob’s accomplishments. After hearing the story from Jacob, Mr. Hunter gave Stephen another licking with a bamboo rod right in front of his father.
Then he turned to Jacob and said, “wunna Braffits is a bunch of uneducated, ignorant, ragamuffins”. “Tek ya foolish son and get off the school grounds.” Jacob was confused and embarrassed and took Stephen home. Neither one spoke on the way back. During the ride, Jacob broke down in tears and started sobbing bitterly. He could not look at Stephen, because he knew he had let him down in every way and then allowed the headmaster to even cause him more pain.
“It’s OK, Daddy! I am sorry for causing trouble, but I don’t think that we does get enough education about we roots. I read so much in those books I get from the bookmobile and I know there is a whole world outside of this village. I jus’ want to know what’s out there. I want to know where we come from. Who we are. Not who does rule we.”
With a slight sense of relief that Stephen had forgiven him, Jacob decided to stop at Husbands rum shop to get something for both of them to eat. “We want two servings of black-eye peas and rice wid salt fish sauce, and den… pass the hot sauce.”
Bajan Hotsuace story written by Stan edited byJeanne