Wednesday, 19 June 2013

Straight Talk on DBS - a fascinating post-Fathers Day conversation

I have to commend Delia Cuffy Weeks and Randy Rodney on an excellent post-Fathers day radio show,  'Straight Talk', on Dominica Broadcasting Station (DBS) this evening.

They introduced the show with a country and western song 'Daddy's Girl'. Country and western music is loved by a wide spectrum of Dominica's over 50s (and some younger) - and indeed the respectable christian values and themes espoused in its lyrics chime with the values of many of its Dominican fans. Daddy's girl speaks of the special love of a father for his daughter - a prominent theme in my work and which crops up later in the their discussion during the show.


Red Sovine - Daddy's Girl

Next Delia Cuffy-Weeks reads out an interesting recent aricle from the Trinidad Express entitled 'Feminist Fathering: a road less travelled' about a young Trinidadian father, musician and scholar who has reflected deeply on feminist critiques of normative gendered ascip-/prescriptions and reflexively integrated them into his fathering practice.   

The discussants then go on to discuss a host of fascinating themes such as paternal discipline and fearing fathers (who they call 'papa djab' kweyol for 'devil daddy' the father only known for beating); 
they speak of of paternal becoming, learning to become a father (esp. amongst men who didn't know their own father) ;
 they speak of mothers 'who father' and fathers 'who mother' (the former a perennial anthropological debate - see Edith Clarke 1957 and Lazarus Black 1991- and the latter a newer public conversation); 
they discuss reproduction, romantic love and its perils (given the brittleness of heterosexual conjugal, intimate, romantic unions); 
Rodney also offers some scriptural critical analysis of gender roles, and biblical reflections on fatherly influence and guidance;
And many more fascinating themes....

Here is a recording of the show - 

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