ASKaND Sentinel April 2023 - Vol 2 #007

We Ready Now...!

Dear Members, we are delighted to announce that ASKaND has been successful in securing our very first funding bid from the National Lottery Community Fund !

We have received funding for all the activities we identified that we want to achieve in 2023. This includes: the St Kitts-Nevis Heritage Day, the Health & Wellbeing Day, a Fireside Chat, our ASKaND Children's Christmas Party; along with funding to build our own bespoke ASKaND website.

Although we had submitted the bid, we did not want to count chickens and assume we would receive the requested funding. Therefore, we have planned a fundraising activity, which we do fully intend to carry on with. However, the National Lottery Community Fund has allowed us to not only deliver the activities we wanted to do this year; but it

In this issue

has given us a cushion to allow us to start to build our own revenue pot. This is so we can begin the process of building a sustainable financial basis on which to move ASKaND forward with.

It will also allow ASKaND to make a name for itself in the city. We are going to be able to fulfil our commitments to our community because we have been able to access funding. It also means we can plan more coherently for 2024; seek out further funding from other sources to deliver on our action plan to build a strong community by bringing all sections together, and highlight and share our St Kitts-Nevis heritage with the wider

Birmingham community.

So, in real terms, what this means for ASKaND is that we now have to upgrade our organisational structure and cease being an ‘unincorporated group’ and become a Community Incorporated Company (CIC). We have seen tremendous growth over the last eight months and our successful National Lottery Community Fund bid is a testimony to all the hard work and dedication our members have put into ASKaND’s development and growth.

Therefore, a heartfelt “Thank You” goes out to all of members for your belief and support in our ethos and endeavours. Long may it continue.

“Jumbie Corner”

Brum To SKN Challenge! ASKaND Easter Playscheme

Jacqui Daniels ASKaND Chair

ASKaND Easter Playscheme

From 4th -6th April, the first ASKaND Easter Playscheme for children aged 6- to 12-years-of-age took place. It offered fun and educational activities for all who attended; and, from the feedback received, we feel we can safely say, a good time was had by all.

Throughout the 4 days, the children were well fed and engaged fully with the arts and crafts and creative games. The children had fun and gained confidence in a safe and secure environment that we created.

Over the 3 days, the children had the opportunity to:

• Design and cut out the patterns for their hats.

• Paint the individual sections of their hats and work with our dedicated seamstress and youth worker (Miss Khamlyn), to create their own unique tie-dye t-shirt.

• Complete their hat creations and decorate a pre-made bonnet. Both creations were to be worn on Saturday and at the Sunday church service.

On Saturday, the children had a chance to showcase their creations at the Easter Market with all our stallholders present to cheer them on with gusto! Each child gave their best cat-walk poses, as they strutted and shimmied to the delight of

everyone who saw them!

Then finally, on Easter Sunday the Playscheme concluded with our children having the opportunity to parade their bonnets and hats at the Hall Green United Community Church, along with the children who normally attend. ASKaND members took the opportunity to help the children in the church to decorate Easter bonnets, ready for the end of the service parade. Reverend Lorraine Shorten led the children by the hand around the church so all attendees could see their hard work.

During the week. we were well served by our ASKaND volunteers who kindly offered their help and support. Several volunteers took responsibility for a wall-art project to which the children added their contribution to. ASKaND would like to thank our volunteers for their involvement and the commitment they showed for the duration of the playscheme.

In addition we want to thank all our stallholders who came out and supported us at our Easter Market. Once again it was fantastic to see so many more children there the day. Finally, one last “thank you” to the children who came to the Playscheme and made those three days so much fun!

“JUMBIE CORNER”

Pharoah Calypso

Dedicated to Basil Henderson and Lloyd Matheson

Fitting really, that the first person to be crowned Calypso King of St. Kitts, should be known as “Mighty Kush”.

Kush was one of the great states of the ancient world, located in Sudan and southern Egypt. Also known as Nubia, this society gave us the Pharaonic 25th Dynasty, known as the ''Black Pharaohs.'' According to an obituary, ''He was a keen student of Black history,'' so we can see that Winston Barker knew what he was talking about and that he chose his stage name well. They say he faced tough competition that day, during Christmas 1957, in the Apollo Theatre, from Lord Esso, Lord Harmony and others; as Tarhaka –mentioned in the Bible - one of the Kushite Pharaohs, had to contend with the Egyptians and Assyrians. Kush was a generating figure of calypso in St Kitts and Nevis, as Tarhaka began a temple building campaign in Upper and Lower Egypt. He took his love of calypso with him to his adopted country, Canada; the Kushite Kings, like the Egyptians before them, traded as far as Afghanistan.

Other venues for that inaugural carnival in St Kitts, included Warner Park and Pall Mall Square, but remembering how euphoric I was when seeing Burning Spear, preceded by Horace Andy and Johnny Clarke, I think that night in the Apollo must have been truly enchanting, as band followed band, the audience relishing every minute.

As the ancient Kushites gave thanks for Napata, we give thanks for Basseterre and the king that was crowned there, on the evening of the 21st of December, 1957.

©Natty Mark Samuels, 2023. African School.

Mighty Kush declared first Calypso King of St. Kitts

Caribbean Takeover - No April Fool!

excited and intrigued travellers from near and far; searching for the treasures on show. In the main corridor we were met by ‘live’ walking, influential but unsung, black men and women from history. They told us their respective stories and what they had endured in their lifetime. Each one gave us a card showing the key facts of their lives as we left them. There were six in total demonstrating that black people have had an important part to play in British history over many centuries.

On Saturday 1st April, a party of seventeen members, families and friends took the well-worth-it trip, to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London to be part of the ‘Caribbean Takeover’, organised by the Caribbean Social Forum in London and that was exactly what happened! The Caribbean did take over!

We left the BCA at 8:45am and had a leisurely journey down to London, arriving just after 1pm, to be greeted with African drumming as we entered the gates. Going into the building we all saw a large noticeboard highlighting the various workshops throughout the day. Needless to say, there were a few that we had already missed, but the ones we were interested in were yet to come. Rooms and hallways were filled with

At the end of the main corridor, just under the figureheads, were a range of games played throughout the Caribbean. Here we found lots of children trying out these games, but, there were also a number of adults who had to have a go at playing the games they had not played in several decades. Further, there were adults who were new to these games, who suddenly became enthralled by the challenges these games presented.

Up the stairs, we then went, to the

‘Great Map’, where the Caribbean dance classes were held. This open space had a map of the world across the floor , from wall-to-wall. There was an Afro-beat dance workshop going ahead when we arrived. But this was soon followed by the Soca dancing workshop. In this instance lots of children and parents were engaged in learning the various moves. It was enjoyed by all who were watching and participating.

On paper, the African head dress workshop was always going to be a particular highlight. However, because there was so much to see, by the time many of us arrived, all head-ties were gone, such was its popularity. So, it was great to see that one of our party, managed to secure one. Other activities included a talk on ‘British Reggae – Resistance & Transcendence’.

The talk was given by Professor William ‘Les’ Henry, and was highly informative from comments

Jacqui Daniels (ASKaND Chair) with ‘Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’.

received. It was full of details many knew little or nothing about. Reggae’s enduring popularity stems from its stirring rhythms and lyrics about love, redemption and natural living. Then there was the Calypso song-writing workshop. The facilitator’s key objective was to have a calypso ready to perform at the Closing Ceremony; and at 4:40pm, the calypso writing group, took to the floor and performed their song entitled “We Came, We Saw and We’re Here to Stay”. It was a ‘catchy little number’; with the group accompanied on the guitar by Workshop Leader – Alexander D Great. The Closing Ceremony saw a

range of musical performances from Afrobeat to Opera. We could hear the powerful strains of ‘Summertime’ (from Porgy & Bess),

acknowledge Britain’s detailed involvement in the slave trade alongside the Abolitionist Movement.

Although miles from the sea, Birmingham was referenced several times for the manufacture of medals/coinage and weaponry connected to England’s maritime exploits. As the ‘City of a Thousand Trades’, it too must share in all that has gone before – for good or ill.

in the grounds outside, whilst we took a final look at the range of artistic globes. Of the museum itself, there was an opportunity to go around the entire museum which several of us enjoyed. We are all aware of the museums in Liverpool and Bristol and their focus on the slave trade. However, this museum provided a maritime history which examined Britain’s past as a coloniser and its commercial exploitation of the natural, physical and human resources of the various colonised lands. Every continent on which Britain has ever had any level of sway, is handled in a surprisingly objective manner. It did not try to ‘whitewash’ the UK’s past indiscretions.

In fact, they are actively seeking to redress the balance. Displays fully

It was a pleasure to see so many people of African-Caribbean descent, attending this event. The consensus of opinion was that it was a hugely enjoyable day in which we all learned a lot. Our only points of critique, were that there was not enough capacity for all to attend the workshops of their choosing; and, that there were too few food stalls. Aside from that, the feedback we received was whole-heartedly positive

Caribbean Takeover—Feedback & Reviews

“Lovely day, interesting talks, variety of things to do and a nice drive up too.

“Great. Learned new things and there was a lot of activities. The people were very friendly.”

“The day was wonderful really. An eye opener. Learned a lot about black history. A lot of children learned a lot too. We must have one in Birmingham for us not just in London, Liverpool or Bristol. So come on Brum. But I must say there was a lot to take in. I loved the board games.”

“Relaxed atmosphere with fun games and performances happening throughout. The lectures were informative. Overall, lots to do and a lovely day overall. Would be fantastic have a similar cultural day in Birmingham.”

“A very good day. Lots to see and learn.”

“Such a fantastic day for all the family. I really enjoyed spending time with everyone and seeing all the activities.”

“Enjoyable day. Loved the walking characters.”

“Enjoyable day, the coach arrived on time, the atmosphere on the coach was warm and friendly, the museum was informative and enjoyable. Thank you for arranging the day.”

“Enjoyed the day. Long journey but very comfortable. Lots to do at the venue, would do it again!” Therefore, we were all pleased to say we are all looking forward to next year’s ‘Caribbean Takeover’, which promises to be even bigger and better!

Kenya, a young person on our trip managed to attend the African head dress workshop and get her free head dress!

Brum to SKN Challenge!

Join us for the ‘walk of a lifetime’ as we kick off our fundraising drive for ASKaND. We will be challenging everyone to join with us as we attempt to walk the distance of 4054 miles from Birmingham to St Kitts & Nevis!

On Saturday 6th May we will be launching our “Brum to SKN Challenge!” where we will be asking members, as well as anyone else who would like to support us, to spend 12 weeks actively walking and contributing your steps (or mileage!) to our target of 4054 miles. The distance (according to Google Maps!) is the distance from Birmingham to St Kitts & Nevis. We would like as many members as possible to sign up to help us raise much needed funds for ASKaND, through sponsorship.

The idea is that members, would log their steps through their desired fitness app of choice (i.e., Fitbit, Garmin Smart Watch, Apple Watch, Samsung Smart Watch, etc.) or through the downloadable ‘Google Fit’ app on their Android phone and just walk! Each day, they would log their steps either manually or electronically and we will then track our progress to our goal. It will also be a great opportunity for some to consider getting involved in some low-impact exercise on a regular basis as we raise funds for ASKaND.

The funds we raise will be used to plan and deliver activities that will bring our community together and to promote our St Kitts-Nevis heritage and culture to others. To date, the majority of our activities have been free or offered at very little cost to the membership/community. Therefore, we are asking our membership to really support us as we embark on our Brum to SKN Challenge! Together we can make the distance!

PS. If we do cover the 4054 miles within the 12 weeks, we have a stretch goal which would be to cover the distance from St Kitts & Nevis to our furthermost ASKaND member’s home which is Neville Mitcham in Washington DC, USA! So, fingers crossed that we will see Neville soon!

Hardcopies of sponsorship forms are available from Executive Committee Members. Soft copies of sponsorship forms and links to Just Giving will be sent to all members via email. For more information drop us a line at: askand2022@gmail.com.

St. Kitts Lions Club Thanks ASKaND!

ASKaND has been officially thanked by the St, Kitts Lions Club for the most recent show of support given to them. As you will see the support we have given has enabled them to distribute support to the community. Thank you members, for your continued support of the Lions Club in St Kitts.

Calling All ASKaND Volunteers!

WE NEED YOU!

With our successful National Lottery Community Fund bid, it now means that we can move forward with the activities we identified for 2023.

Therefore, we are NOW in the planning stages for all of our activities. We have need for volunteers to take part in the planning, execution and delivery of all our ASKaND projects and they will begin in force once we have received the funds into our account.

Over the next few months there will be an opportunity to sign up to volunteer for any of the projects you have an interest in at our members meeting. However we will be emailing everyone and please use our social media platforms to contact us as well.

The activities in the planning are:

• May 2023 - Fireside Chat

• July 2023 - Health & Wellbeing Day

• August 2023 - St Kitts-Nevis Heritage Day

• October 2023 - SKN Independence/ASKaND Anniversary Celebrations

• October 2023 - ASKaND Talent Showcase

• December 2023 - Children’s Christmas Party

WE HAVE SOCIALS!

Our Electronic Communications Officer, Peter Nwabuokei has been hard at work over the last four weeks to ensure he kept his word, in preparing our social media. Therefore we are delighted to announce that Peter has kept to his self-imposed timescale and prepared a whole raft of ‘socials’ for us! We are currently on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/askandbrum

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askandbrum/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/askandbrum

Peter has also created a Linktree link for us where all our socials and a few nice surprises can be found. Find us at: https://linktr.ee/askandbrum

In addition, our National Lottery Community Fund award will also cover the cost of developing a bespoke ASKaND website which we are all very excited about. So please go to our various pages and please ‘like’ and ‘subscribe’ to us; and feel free to ‘share’!

Members Meetings

ASKaND Members meetings will be held at the BCA, Jenkins Street, Birmingham, B10 0PQ at 1900hrs

Friday 5th May 2023

Friday 2nd June 2023

Friday 7th July 2023

Friday 4th August 2023