‘Where They Get That Shabin Pig From?’

I didn’t quite get its name or even know if it had one. All I can recall hearing one man asking in  Kweyol was: “Where they get that shabin pig from?” The occasion was the launch of Jounen Kweyol on the Bexon playing field on Sunday. Organisers erected a stage at the front of the field where entertainers did their thing in song and dance, celebrating our Kweyol heritage. To the back, an array of local delicacies and drinks, under make-shift sheds and tents. A few politicians were in attendance too: Joachim Henry, the Parliamentary representative for Castries Southeast, where the event was held; Richard Frederick, the Castries-Central MP, and Ernest Hilaire, the Minister of Culture who has responsibility for Jounen Kweyol, among other festivals. Those in attendance milled around, some in the Kweyol wear, a warm-up for the big day on October 27. However, all eyes were to the back of the food area late in the afternoon, where the ‘shabin pig’  was the centre of attraction. You would have thought this was the main act, as people paid little attention to what was happening on stage. Within the confines of a pen made with wooden pallets, the pig...