In March, 1971 in Mr. Vigilante’s Standard 4 class at the La Plaine Primary School, he related a story which pointed out the manner in which the Windward Islands Broadcasting Service (WIBS) of Grenada radio announcers read death notices. Mr. Vigilante always listened religiously to WIBS on his small battery powered transistor radio.
On a daily basis, he would try to summarize the Dominica and sometimes the other Windward Islands’ segments of the WIBS news and report to our class. His goal was to broaden our local, regional and global knowledge base far beyond our rural Southeastern outpost which was not on the nation’s electric grid.
One morning, Mr. Vigilante shared a joke about a young police officer who was stationed at La Plaine who also listened to WIBS daily. The officer was always confused after listening to the death announcements. The usual notice read, ‘The deceased (he/she) lived to ‘Morne De loss.”
After much hesitation, the young officer asked his Sergeant, ‘But Sarge, Where is Morne De loss? I know Dominica has Morne Governeur, Morne Diablotin and the others, but I have never heard of Morne De loss.”
The old Sergeant who was under the influence of a few spirited beverages, shouted at and ‘chewed’ his young subordinate. He accused him of lacking the necessary intellect as a member of the Royal Dominica Police Force representing the Queen (of England). After the Sergeant sobered a few hours later, he explained to the young man that it is not ‘Morne De loss’, but is ‘Mourn the loss.’
Back then the death announcements were sincere, honest and authentic. Today the politicians have made them cheap, insincere and comical and a big joke on a very sensitive and painful matter. What’s next for these modern day Robin Hood politicians who practice and exploit the politics of poverty, sorrow and emotional distress? Soon will they ask and coerce the dead before they ‘depart’ to write a very favorably and flattering political reviews on their behalf in their obituaries and death announcements for TV and Online postings?
Will these politicians ask these people on their death beds to use their grand good byes to be used during after burial Happy Hour sessions declaring their favorite political leader and party for the next election? Maybe before the next general election we might see obituaries and death notices something of the likes, Mr. ‘Whitney’ would ask that in lieu of flowers, please vote for Political Party X.
And the family requests that instead of sending memorials, sympathy cards and well wishes and to ‘Mr. Whitney’ that you vote for politician X and party X. Or persons will only be allowed to attend Mr. ‘Whitney’s’ burial church ceremony or/and attend the funeral procession to the cemetery only of you are wearing the full party colours. Please note that no excuses will be accepted nor any exceptions will be made.
Why can’t the government enact a burial fund where all citizens get a funeral stipend depending on their income levels and needs assistance? Why do indigent families of the deceased have to come begging for assistance during this painful and stressful time to bury their loved ones with dignity and respect?
Why do the families of the ‘malaway’ need to mention these politicians in their loved ones death notices? Some of the announcements read: His good, sincere and dear friend, the Honorable Dr. PM; A dear friend, his Excellency the President; a very close friend the Honorable Parl Rep’ a fine friend the Honorable Ambassador, and enduring friends Senators and Parliamentary Secretaries. Really?
I would just hope if these politicians are worth 2% of the salt in their bodies they should discourage these grieving families from including their names in their notices because they are not true friends. So what or who are these politicians? Are they benevolent public servants with real hearts or are they mercenaries of sorrow and opportunists taking advantage of families when they are most vulnerable?
I can only imagine what answer the old (late) Sergeant would give his officer today. ‘Sarge where is Morne De Loss?” “You mean Mourn the Loss?” Well, the shameless and narcissistic politicians have hijacked the death notices hook, line and sinker.
Emmanuel Jno Finn,Dale Dangleben,Gabriel Christian and Irvin Andre,all spent their FRUITFULL yeRs working in and for a FOREIGN country.What has KING done for Laplaine?We know these guys are supporters of UWP.UNCLE is BURIED UP TO HIS EYBROWS in Lawsuits,why is the Lord,and professor of LAW Irvin Andre and Gabriel Christian not represent UNCLE?
That’s the same guy who was making threatening calls to people of laplaine who lives in the US if they go down and vote. Leaving voicemail and saying he has inform the IRS and state department. Don’t worry, we will play those voicemail for u when u retire and all u have I’d laplaine and the same family u threatened.
I have noticed politcal bent of death announcements. I laughed when a man I know included the PM and minister Darroux in his wife’s death announcement. This is a man who left Dominica many, many years ago and returned to Dominica less than 6 months prior to her death. The blame may not all be upon the politician, though; it is some brown-nosing to an extent.
Kudos to you sir. Well justified. I had an incident where a family of mine died and what you mentioned in this article, we went down that same road and we were denied the help that was desperately needed. Dirty dirty politics!!!!!!
Everything for u is politics. When last u visited Dominica nor send a can of beans for your relative who live there. Put you in the airport and you don’t even know which direction to go to get to laplaine.
Jay nice one. I was thinking of having a drone guide me but not sure I might be arrested for espionage like the guys in Morne Daniel. Will come to pick me up at the airport? That would be much appreciated my brudda.
One love & La Plaine Strong😎
Finn
@Jay prosper
Stuppes man get out of here!!
Isn’t it political, when foreign mercenaries linked to your party, go plant false evidence at Lennox Linton’s home? What did you say? Isn’t it political, when you get ham at 10:00pm and your neighbour did not get? Are you a vowas? Isn’t it political that some people are under tarpaulin while others with no damage to their homes got building materials?
Why don’t you condem instead the thuggery of our police officers, who are political parl rep police and semi illiterates? Wasnt it political when Astaphan and Skerrit colluded to jail Lennox Linton re the leakage of Skerrit’s confidential IPO information?
So shut the hell up!!!!
DNO where is my comment? Awaiting moderation and it has disappeared.
You posted the one who commends but because I said some pertinent things .. you erased it?
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Re the Morne De Loss, i’ll never forget listening to cricket commentary in the presence of my good friend who visited home some years ago, when the commentator mentioned the two fielding positions “Silly mid-on” and “Silly mid-off”, my friend told me so long those two guys are playing cricket he wonders when they will retire!!!!
Dr. Finn
This does not make sense. The politicians are people (Dominicans) whether is Pappy, Hon LL, or Hon Rosie party.
Social Security gives a death grant perhaps it is too small. Some announcements contain various names from different parties.
What are you saying that because I support one party & you support another party, that we cannot be friends? Still causing division now is the death announcement you using. We need to love one another whether is Dr. Finn; Dr. Roosevelt; Sister Finn, Sister Alfred.
So when entelda from Castle Bruce dies, why can’t she say you, Sister Finn, Sister Octavia Alfred, LL, and PM are her friend. Do you know who is who friend? Friends can be from Capuchin to Scotts Head. I was remarking just today that all in the Town originated from the villages.
Dr. Finn let us not be petty. Dominica is small, I know you from Laplaine & I have lots of friends there too although I am from a village right on the other side of the island.
Education not…
Dr. Finn, I always enjoy your comments, well written and thought provoking. This one on Morne De Loss was true yet comical. Thanks for making a smile.
Mr. Finn now wants to dictate what mourners include on their departed ones death announcement. What else will you do to fulfill your political agenda? One must realize it is one’s prerogative and freedom of expression to include ‘President Barack Obama’ if they wanted too. I am quite sure when Ma Zabo died her family would have wanted to include ‘Queen Elizabeth’ in the death announcement if they had the opportunity.
It started as quite an amusing story, being from La Plaine myself and quite familiar with Mr. Vigilante’s anecdotes but it turned sour when Mr. Finn turned it into one of his political rantings. Get over it King!
La Plaine thanks for contributing to the discussion but I think you missed my point by a mile. But let’s agree to disagree. Let’s start with agreeing that we both love La Plaine dearly.
Much respect
Finn