This speech was delivered in February 2008 when Dave lived in the Cayman Islands. He now resides in Guyana.
BEING GUYANESE – by Dave Martins of the “Tradewinds”.
Speech in Orlando Florida, February 2008. Website: http://www.dtradewinds.com/
There’s a Guyanese friend of mine, Vibert Cambridge, many of you know him, who was visiting me in my home in Cayman a few years ago, and in the course of a long gaff about this and that – both Vibert and I love a good gaff – Vibert, who is a very intellectually astute banna, suddenly said to me. “Dave, all these things I know you’re involved in…what would you say your life has been about?” I had to stop and think for a bit, but my response to Vibert then was, “My life has been largely about observation and music.”
I say largely, because there have obviously been other things – you know, one or two lovely ladies; some wonderful friends all over the map; a powerful family – but mostly observation and music, and I put observation first, because that’s the key.
Read full speech: Orlando Speech – BEING GUYANESE – by Dave Martins
Comments
Cyril, thanks for sharing Dave Martins’s Orlando Speech. Is true-true word, he say. I share this bit that says it all.
“The qualities that helped us succeed here were forged in that homeland behind us, in the culture in which we grew up, where we learned perseverance, where we acquired our sense of humour, where we learned to deal with setbacks, to deal with cunnu munnus, to be ingenious, like the guy with the string, to make do, to invent. In other words, it is the qualities ingrained in us, imbedded in us by the Guyanese culture that underpin the success we have made outside.”
I applaud Dave Martins with a standing ovation for thus impressive speech. Although he delivered this message on February, 2008, almost eight years ago, it still resonates with all of us Guyanese in the diaspora. I’m a fan of Dave Martins songs and music. I had the pleasure of seeing him live in concerts, once with the Tradewinds in New Jersey in the early 70s and again solo in Tampa, Florida in 2004. He’s certainly a very talented musician and songwriter. In addition, he’s now an excellent entertainer, story teller and speech maker.
He’s one of the most outstanding Guyanese of our time and a dedicated ambassador of Guyana, who obviously loves Guyana wholeheartedly.
I have great admiration for Dave Martins.
Cyril, thanks for republishing this speech on Guyaneseonline.