This column, which is actually aimed at collaborative work with musicians in general, I owe to my wife Annette Arjoon-Martins, who has been beating the drum, several years now, for taking care of the magnificent natural environment that is Guyana. It’s actually a piece I wrote for her, that for one reason or another never saw the light of day until now. The idea here is that as a song-writer, I am proposing a range of lyrics that up and coming song-writers in Guyana may be caught by and can add their music to my words. (We can work out the finances later.)
This is at present just an idea, they are not in any special order, so music men, and women, can pick and choose what catches them on the environment theme. The ocean is home now to earth’s largest ecosystems. It contains nearly 200,000 identified species but actual numbers may be in the millions. Writers can add music to the lines below (in bold) to reflect that:
1. Save all life below water; that mantra should prevail
Stop overfishing, and polluting, protect from shrimp to whale
Our marine environment supports all life on planet earth
No way mankind can calculate what that is truly worth
2. Put the garbage in the can, it’s a very simple notion
It means no refuse on the land, no litter in the ocean
3. Partnerships can help to raise awareness far and wide
Help to spread the message clear, help to turn the tide
Help to save life in the water, for people and for planet.
Don’t throw litter in the sea, stow it in your pocket.
Government, companies, individuals must all collaborate
To keep our planet shiny clean, a joy to contemplate
We’re talking mankind, our economies, our environment and all life on planet earth. Over three billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. Despite the critical services our oceans provide, our marine species and their world are under threat. Songs could reflect all that,,, for example:
From overfishing and pollution, major loss in a wide range,
What lands on us from all of that is major climate change
habitat loss, a steady drop, the difference is not small.
The earth is not an endless sponge; it can’t absorb it all.
To give the project some span, I’m also suggesting a few video spots, so popular now, as part of the awareness approach that Annette uses in her work. (We can work out the royalties side of this very amicably, I assure you.) Here are some of the verses already in the can:
Video spots
Black creek water, starry sky
Mountain range, hillside Annai
The whole world stops from rushing by
…Solitude
Green interior, early morning
Birdlife stirring high
Snow-white clouds a gentle warning
In a cobalt sky
Jaguar coughs to let you know
Ant-eater head down roaming slow
Harpy nest where birds don’t go
…Warnings
Stretch of roadway, rusty red
Mountains looming just ahead
Blue sky with a silver thread
…Pakaraima
Roraima stands above the kingdom
Orchids growing in the grooves
River water, wild abandon
Savannah stretch where nothing moves
At dawn, the baboons cry out loud
Jaguar listens, head up, proud
Below a dome of cotton cloud
…Creation
That’s the idea. Obviously, this is a nutshell. Once the music writers get on board, the choice is totally up to them, things can start to roll. I’m not difficult to deal with, as Annette can attest. I can write more video spots, if the thing takes off and they’re needed. So there you go, music men. As we say in West Dem, bore and guh dung, budday. Lemme hear from allyuh!
