STICKING TO HIS CULTURAL TASK VOL.1 Author -Oral”Ricky” Jordan Co Author William Anderson Gittens

STICKING TO HIS CULTURAL TASK VOL.1…

Author -Oral”Ricky” Jordan Veteran Journalist & Social Commentator & Communications Specialist

Co-Author -William Anderson Gittens Dip., Com., Arts. B.A. Media Arts Specialists’ Cinematographer, Cultural Practitioner, Publisher

ISBN 978-976-96342-9-9

ISBN 978-976-96342-9-9

STICKING TO HIS CULTURAL TASK VOL.1…

Author -Oral”Ricky” Jordan Veteran Journalist & Social Commentator & Communications Specialist

Co-Author -William Anderson Gittens Dip., Com., Arts. B.A. Media Arts Specialists’ Cinematographer, Cultural Practitioner, Publisher

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Coastline News & Views ©2019 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of William Anderson Gittens and Oral “Ricky” Jordan the copyright owner. ISBN 978-976-96342-9-9 Digitals, Neilo Mascoll, Amour Chandler, Typesetting, and Edited by Oral ‘Ricky’ Jordan Layout Design, by William Anderson Gittens Published by Devgro Media Arts Services https://coastlinerj.wordpress.com/about/

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Copyright

ii

Table of Contents Prologue

iii iv

Chapter 1

1

Chapter 2 Chapter 3

6 11

Chapter 4

14

Chapter 5

18

Chapter 6 Chapter 7

23 26

About The Author

27

Works Cited

30 


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PROLOGUE Oral ‘Ricky’ Jordan has asserts Like those heroes, William Anderson Gittens is effectively sharing what he has in his hand: his writing, his research discipline, his photography and videography, his love for all things cultural and his belief in the Gospel.1

Page iv of 30 1 by Oral ‘Ricky’ Jordan

CHAPTER 1 William Anderson Gittens, Barbadian media arts specialist, cultural practitioner and prolific author.

WHEREVER YOU ARE reading this article, this moment in time marks a new chapter for William Anderson Gittens, Barbadian media arts specialist, cultural practitioner and prolific author.

Not only did he turn 61 in the second half of this Year of Our Lord 2019, when he also celebrated eight years of marriage,

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but this new chapter marks another milestone for him as a retiree from full-time work as an administrative officer for the Government of Barbados up to four years ago. “One of the things I have discovered is that I need to keep on keeping on, if I may use such a term. I have heard many people say that when they retire they do not know what to do, which is unfortunate.

I have found that there are so many things one can do. We are wired with a brain and the brain is used for thinking,� he said matter-of-factly as he chatted with Coastline Communication about his growth as a writer Page2 of 30

– perhaps the lone Barbadian writer – who has produced over 100 books.

Although he was exposed to writing from an early age, Gittens believes that on the day he entered New Jersey City University in the United States in 1992 and was exposed to various writing and analysis techniques, he was imbued with renewed energy in the area that he had always loved: drawing, design and media arts.

In fact, as fate would have it, he was approached by two students on the first day he entered the campus and they asked if he would be willing to accept the position of editor-in-chief of the university’s yearbook.

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“I said yes, not being fully aware of the responsibilities attached, but those duties involved editing, writing stories, compiling pictures and highlighting significant events that took place at the university.

“However, during the summer of 1994 I met an Italian professor who taught children’s literature. He asked the class to produce a book for the following day.

“In this book we had to write 30 poems in a day.

I was amazed and also challenged at the same time. That was indeed a test because I had never in my life written a book, as a consequence I spent Page 4 of 30

that afternoon examining various approaches and techniques that I thought were user-friendly in assisting me in executing this task,� Gittens recalled.

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CHAPTER 2

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WILLIAM GITTENS (right) presenting 102 e-publications to Hon. John A. King, Barbados’ Minister of Creative Economy, Culture and Sports.

He added that at the time he was working part-time at the university so he only began to write the 30-poem assignment after arriving home around midnight.

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“I got through with the assignment probably around 5:30 in the morning, and to my surprise I received an A+,” he stated.

This was the watershed of encouragement for the younger William, who went on to research the various techniques necessary for putting together a full-fledged book.

That was also when his advisor and mentor, the late Dr. Joseph Drew, spoke to him. “‘Bill’, Dr. Drew said, ‘When you return to Barbados, I want you to write and write and write and write….’ ”

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It was a statement that echoed through the years between 1995 when he gained his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Media Arts and well into the 21st Century.

In fact, it took Mr. Gittens about two decades to “truly digest and decode” Dr. Drew’s wise words of counsel.

“What he said to me I only understood two years ago, because of the fact that my writing has now gone to another level,” Gittens informed.

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And so much did he appreciate his mentor’s advice that he returned to the university in 2017 and honoured some of the faculty and staff who had played a role in his eventful academic journey.

He presented them with awards and copies of some of his books, one of which was dedicated to the late Dr. Drew. The title of that philosophical work was Is There Anything New Under the Sun?Vol.1 ISBN 978-976-95731-2-3.

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Also worthy of note is that someone had informed Gittens that Dr. Drew had been a Jesuit priest, thereby confirming Gittens’ belief that there was something innately spiritual about his advisor.

To make a long story short, Mr. Gittens became even more amazed by Dr. Drew’s advice, the character of the man, and what was happening by way of his own prolific writing in 2017.

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CHAPTER 3

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WILLIAM GITTENS (left) and his wife Magnola Gittens presenting 102 e-publications to Mr. Carl Adamson, Senior Librarian of the Barbados National Library Service.

These discoveries in essence have motivated Gittens to continue on the path of producing written material, which has now evolved into 105 books authored between 1995 and 2019.

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Gittens also believes that those events came together to spur him on to what has become his profession as an author in his retirement years.

His quest to write 100 books, including ebooks, led him first to pen 13.75 which is his life story; but before the next one could be finished his thoughts and creativity had basically overtaken him, leading him to collate reams of information and produce chapter after chapter.

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A disciplined man by training, having been a solider with the Barbados Regiment, a composite artist with the Royal Barbados Police Force and an outstanding Boy Scout in his teenaged years, Mr. Gittens has made writing into an occupation into which he puts hours of effort, sometimes long after others have retired to bed.

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(From left) Principal Dr. Sandra Anderson, Prefect Deandra Walker, Most Improved Student Michai Paul and Head Girl Kayla Walcott (right), accepting the 105 e-publications from Mr. Gittens.

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CHAPTER 4 “As an author, media arts specialist and cultural practitioner, it became very apparent to me that as I practised writing it became infectious.

I became more prolific, passionate and proficient,” was how he put it.

His most recent book, Differentiation: A C u l t u r a l I d e o l o g y, Vo l . 1 I S B N 978-976-96356-2-3 delves deeply into culture, a subject he studied while pursuing a Master’s DePage 14 of 30

gree in Cultural Studies at the University of the West Indies.

“Having the theoretical knowledge was good for me, and I want to give kudos to Dr. Marcia Burrowes who planted the seed of culture in me. She shared theoretical constructs of culture with the class, and I took what she planted in me and built on it,� he stated.

As a result of publishing his voluminous texts and listing them on his website, httpsindependent.academia.edu.williamgittens, he has been personally amazed at the

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overwhelming response from readers across the world, particularly from universities and colleges; over 9 000 unique visitors, 639 downloads, 10 000-plus views, 128 countries and over 318 universities.

“These include MIT, the Cave Hill Campus, Kings College London Yale University, La Sapienza University of Rome, Dartmouth and Harvard Medical School… a whole cadre of universities,” he exclaimed as we sat in the cool verandah of his colonial Barbadian home.

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In all this, however, Gittens sees the might and creativity of the Creator at work. “I have not looked back. I have not taken on this leisure activity for the sake of economic renumeration.

I am motivated by sharing my work with the world. I’m of the view that the Creator gives us gifts to share with each other,” he said, describing the process as metaphoric since it was akin to“planting seeds” without knowing how much fruit they would bear.

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CHAPTER 5 Gittens has been publishing documentaries online as well, via his YouTube channel; featuring visits by him and his wife Magnola to Europe and interesting snippets about the streets, avenues and roadways of Barbados.

So where does the man who seems to have achieved so much in his world of media craft go from here? “I will consolidate on what I have been practising and find better ways of honing my craft, because that is the key in pursuing your dreams or goals,� he told Coastline Communication.

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“Why culture?” I asked again, reflecting on his May 2016 book launch of Barbados in Review Vol. 1 ISBN 978-976-95731-3-0. “It is highly probable that because I have been exposed to those theoretical constructs of culture, that may have been the catalyst,” was how he put it.

Indeed, Gittens could be writing about religion, about his own life transformation through Christ or about art in general, but he simply

affirms that he was “led” to write on the topics which currently occupy his every waking moment.

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“The reality is that all of us live culture. Culture is a way of life, and maybe I am finding myself in these areas more and more,� he said, noting that he has researched culture beyond his island home since he is indeed a citizen of the world.

He explained that his works have also touched on the controversial, including topics such as Can Human Rights Conflict with Longstanding Cultural Practices? A Cultural Discourse Volume 1 ISBN 978-976-96342-6-8.

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“For instance, Shashi Tharoor2 has asserted that a controversial but pertinent example of an approach that seeks to strengthen both cultural integrity and individual freedom is India’s Muslim Women (Protection of Rights upon Divorce) Act. This piece of legislation was enacted following the famous Shah Banu case, in which the Supreme Court upheld the right of a divorced

2 https://worldpolicy.org/2009/11/11/tharoor-are-human-rights-

universal-world-policy-journal- world-policy-institute/

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Muslim woman to alimony, prompting howls of outrage from Muslim traditionalists who claimed this violated their religious beliefs that divorced women were only entitled to the return of the bride price paid upon marriage,� he explained.

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CHAPTER 6 Gittens’ documentaries, on Youtube https:// w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / c h a n n e l / U C x YWov8tzbe5rHzik528dAw and Podcast http:// http://www.buzzsprout.com/429292 which he has captured on video, scripted and narrated, include a discussion on the history of the Barbados railway.

This today is reflected in the micro railway project owned by the St. Nicholas Abbey: a train ride that attracts locals and tourists to scenic Cherry Tree Hill.

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Indeed, his documentaries resemble the embryonic stage of a long awaited second Barbadian television channel.

Laying beds of music from the public domain, he has spent hours on this labour of love, capturing via film and interviews aspects of Barbadian history and, of course, his pièce de résistance, What’s That In Your Hand? Vol. 1 ISBN 978-976-96220-5-0.

This biblically-inspired documentary is deemed by Gittens as defining moments of culture

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rooted deeply in linkages of culture which are intimate stories and a conversation.

The over-arching principle of this conversation, says Gittens, has become part of the global citizen’s life story and testimonies of Moses, Sir Garfield St. Auburn Sobers AO OCC, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Aretha Franklin, Alan Emtage and Shirley Chisholm.

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CHAPTER 7 In conclusion “We are mere conduits and the Creator’s characteristic of humanity flows through us,” he added.

Like those heroes, William Anderson Gittens is effectively sharing what he has in his hand: his writing, his research discipline, his photography and videography, his love for all things cultural and his belief in the Gospel.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Oral ‘Ricky’ Jordan’s blog site represents the thoughts and reports of a veteran journalist and social commentator who retired from fulltime news writing in 2014, freelanced for most of 2015,

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and has since contributed to several publications and public relations projects.

Oral ‘Ricky’ Jordan, an entrepreneur and communications specialist who lives in Bridgetown, Barbados, started his journalism career in 1982 at The Nation Publishing Company as a proofreader before advancing to sports writing and earning several awards under the mentorship of the late Don Norville and Charles Harding.

His Sunday sports feature, Moments of Glory which featured past Barbadian sporting icons, was a staple of the Nation newspaper in the 1980s, while he covered various disciplines including basketball, football, cricket and volleyball.

He later went on to produce outstanding work as a sub-editor, gaining Honourable Mention by the Barbados Association of Journalist for

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page design, and covered the island’s law courts, Parliament and general news.

Jordan arguably made his most indelible mark as an entertainment journalist, covering Barbadian and Caribbean events and writing weekly columns on culture and the arts.

In 2007 Jordan returned to the Nation’s news desk as editor and was also briefly in charge of the DAILY NATION, as he simultaneously wrote on politics and culture. He also worked in 2008 with the Trinidad Express, and between 2011 and 2013 penned a controversial social commentary-political column, On Reflection.

Jordan is the father of five and grandfather of two.

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WORKS CITED https://worldpolicy.org/2009/11/11/tharoor-are-humanrights-universal-world- policy-journal- world-policy-institute/ William Anderson Gittens Author, Dip., Com., Arts. B.A. Media Arts Specialists’ Cinematographer, Cultural Practitioner, Publisher

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ISBN 978-976-96342-9-9