Band of the year magazine2

ah sort of a disaster preparedness lecture. “Not to be afraid! Kong is nothing! Bla! bla bla! And then he ordered the teachers to close the doors and windows.

Kong Reach There was no electricity in the school so we were in the dark now. That was confusion! Real pandemonium! Most of the bigger boys started shouting and whistling while the girls and small kids were screaming.

Outside the school gate we were hearing all sort ah commotion including the full thunderous rolling of the drums. They played for ah while and just when it seemed as though they were moving away, we heard like someone was breaking down the door with ah sledge hammer!

That was the weight of Kong’s hand!

And screaming started again, by this time some of the bigger kids didn’t wait, they started to jump through the windows. Everybody started to panic, children running here, some jumping over desks, some through windows, the old door gave way to the pounding and Kong was in! Kong Reach!

Even the head teacher an‘ all, who was telling us a few short moments ago to be brave, he too ran out of the school!

I ran straight home so I don’t know what took place after, but that was my first experience of the legend of a great Mas Man. Kaisonian “Jah Live on,” ah Rastaman, sang ah kaiso last year called “Rule Carnival”. His version is that mas men, pan men and kaisonian they all rule Carnival!

In his own way he is correct but I still contend that there was only one man who ever reigned supreme over Carnival for three decades “And Dat Was Kong!”