Summit of the Americas delegates meet in the Nylon Pool, Tobago

The dignity for a people to be governed by its own should forsake greed, contempt and hypocrisy.

Commemorative Postcard, Summit of the Americas V, Tobago, West Indies

thebookmann wonder of the world : Port of Spain

Officials at the fifth Summit of the Americas have made an unorthodox decision to host the key meetings in the Nylon Pool, Scarborough, Tobago. For security reasons, delegates are required to wear bathing swimsuits as skinny- dipping is forbidden in the Small island, a mere 166 square miles in size. The host country has also ensured the safety of the leaders of the Western Hemisphere by tendering the security members from the 2009 carnival band Tribe. Ropes held by a convoy of security men and women are to keep off the spectacle from the peering Tobago public to a World event that has never been seen before. One of the treats for the delegates is a tasty Shark and Bake specially shipped from Richard’s of Maracas.

Drawn up on the summit was the issue of Human Prosperity to which all delegates unanimously agreed by raising their hand to take full advantage of the all inclusive three day package estimated to cost the host nation a small sum fee of $19,816,000,000 GYD. Beach balls were thrown in to induce a frenzy as women jumped on the backs of the men, and at a moment of equality, men jumped on any back available. The dignity for a people to be governed by its own should forsake greed, contempt and hypocrisy. Words heard by every delegate, but said by no one.

The Venezuelan president joked at an un-drafted amendment recently made to their constitution stated that Tobago’s sovereignty belongs to them. The Bar-bad-os delegate had his arm wrapped around the cocoa payol leader and kissed him gently on the cheek as they frolicked together in a water as clear as crystal as schools of flying fish nibbled at their feet. The prime Minster had his moment of glory when he reprimanded the US President, Barack Obama for pilfering a good size piece of brain coral from the Buccoo Reef. Where is yuh visa, dou mess with we ting, we’ll deport yuh tail back to where ever yuh born, barked the host leader. The Canadian premier quickly dropped his fan coral. Tobago has the oldest legally protected forest and marine reserve of its kind in the world.

Is Brooklyn ah study Hairdressing

A wall painting of a barber shop, Backstreet at Barataria, Trinidad courtesy of P.D.

This is an eye catcher located off Barataria, Trinidad. The owner of the Barber shop wants you to know that he had his Hairdressing training in a Big City, namely Brooklyn, New York. There, he realized that how elegant, confident and refine you look can take you places such as to this wall. The artist responsible for this motto has executed the barber as a Saga Boy who is decked out in a red polyester suit complemented with black brogue shoes. He posture shows his seductiveness and availability to both women and men to lure them into his shop. Men want to look like him, and woman just want to be with him. His self-assurance is represented by his hand tug at his waist. His personal haircut should have a clean part to finish his look.

His companion, and love of his profession is a seven foot Claes Oldenburg barbering shears. Both are standing in front of a varnish stone wall that shows a specular view of new grand city with its high risers and sky walks, Port of Spain.

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Brooklyn, New York is one of many places in the world of immigration that has deep historical meaning for people of African descent. It represents hope and for many, financial success. The bowels of New York open out every year and spit their inhabitants holding green cards and visa’s back to their islands for carnivals. Only to ingest them again.

The painting on this backstreet barber shop holds in mind all of the meaning associated with such promise. The image is reminiscent of the old fashioned photographs taken during the Harlem Renaissance and our own distant past of the 1950’s, where the elegant black population dressed for success, as opposed to excess today.

Our painter tells us that self assurance is all in a good shave and mark of the head. It causes men to admire and women to perspire with desire. The background of nondescript buildings hark to a metropolis of unknown origin, the foreground with the tree remind you of Central Park, Manhattan or anywhere that urban meets suburban. He is standing in a red,velvet suit with a scissors that flanks him in size, an Andy Warhol or Claes Oldenburg prop that makes clear that the message is all about style,class and polish. – Adele

Buccoo Reef in Zurich

A peddler’s screen saver

Next to Lake Zurich, Switzerland, an artist executes a pavement painting using pastels in the hope that his effort may fill the empty cans that surround it

Zurich has its history as a banking capital, the region as I recall had narrow streets and hills. It also had a problem with drugs and addicts. In some restaurants, the washrooms are fitted with a blue light so that an addict cannot find his or her vein. Nevertheless, the Swiss are very sophisticated people whose decorum for proper etiquette may be expressed by a sample. In restaurants, your pet may be allowed to join you at the table.

The street artist sits at the edge of his chalk coral reef rendition

Monika Nicoletti has photographed a street artist who has a longing for the Caribbean sea and of the Buccoo Reef in Tobago. His pastel drawings is full of aquatic life swimming with coral fans, reef sharks and parrot fish. Yet, his pavement painting is a copy of a computer screen saver. Monika’s observation of the man is described in the following excerpts;

I was watching him for a long time. The painting looked like an illusion and from a certain angle, it was almost colourless. And from straight above, looked like a three dimensional mirage, and so real. When I asked him if I may take a picture, he proudly stopped painting and placed himself in a dignified position. Hours of work just to be washed away by the next rainfall, until his next street art in another city.

Monika Nicoletti is the author of a website called Pan-Jumbie. She archives any event related to the Steelpan in Zurich, Switzerland and around the world.