Bahamian-born author Jeannie Robertha Gibson was at the San Pedro Public Library on Wednesday, May 24th presenting her new book entitled ‘Grammy Used To Say,’ a collection of Bahamian sayings. She read some phrases from the book to an attentive audience of primary school students, who were familiar with some of the expressions, surprising the author.
The presentation and reading session started shortly after 11:30AM with San Pedro Roman Catholic Primary School students. The students assembled in front of Gibson, where she told them the book was full of traditional sayings inspired by storytellers such as the grandparents. She shared that back then, storytelling was common, and grandparents, particularly, would share stories with the young to capture their attention and guide them on serious matters. Gibson said she grew up with her maternal grandmother. According to her, most of what she knows, she learned from her grandmother.
Some of the sayings she shared with her young audience included, ‘He tink he’s man’ (displaying behavior of a grown man), ‘Acting womanish,’ (acting like an adult), and ‘Been aroun since King Hatchet was a hammer (been around a very long time). The session was interactive, and some students knew what the sayings meant when Gibson asked them. She was impressed and encouraged them to continue liking this aspect of language, which, just like in The Bahamas, is a part of the culture.
After the reading session, Gibson presented a copy of the book to the library. The book is now available to anyone at the library. Gibson hopes many people in San Pedro will have a chance to read her book. Gibson said that the sayings in any culture are a sign of wisdom passed on to the younger generations. It’s part of storytelling, which is an activity that is slowly fading away. As such, she hopes this type of literature prevails in schools and homes.
This is the second time Gibson has visited San Pedro. Although she is originally from The Bahamas, the Caribbean author lives in the United States of America. She has been a reporter in her native country and represented The Bahamas with the Ministry of Tourism. While her life in the United States did not include writing as a job, she never stopped writing on a personal level. Now that she is retired, she aims to publish much of the work she has compiled over the past few decades. Gibson is spiritual and hopes to continue writing as the Holy Spirit leads her.
To know more about her works and how to get a copy of Grammy Used To Say, email [email protected].
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