Pablo Speaks

I recently sat down with Guyanese writer and artist, Cosmata Lindie, to discuss her journey from home-schooled Berbice River Girl to emerging dynamic Creative in New Amsterdam, Guyana; a Creative  with captivating art exhibits in neighboring Suriname and  riveting short stories  on reputable digital magazines in the diaspora. Here is part one of our conversation.

Hello world,  Welcome to another episode of Pablo Speaks the podcast where words influence thoughts influence actions. I'm your host James Paul Sr aka Pablo.  And today, I will perform a narrative poem titled A Dark Street in Newark....it's essentially a eulogy for all lives lost prematurely and tragically in the Drug Game... the cold hard lesson of this piece is - it's much better to be poor and alive than rich and dead.  Please answer the poll and question below. Thanks for your timen and comments. Have a safe, productive and peaceful week. AYO

Hello World. In this episode, I will narrate the prologue and first Creolese poem from the manuscript of "I BIN DEH" which will be published by July 2024. Language is an integral part of every culture and words are integral parts of language. In this book I harness and unleash the power of Guyanese Creole (basilect, mesolect and acrolect Creolese) to create narrative poems that inspire, educate, entertain and provoke conversations related to unity, change and progress for ALL Guyanese at home and in the Guyaspora. Let's go!

Hello world. Today, I switch into storyteller mode and share a terrifying borderline transphobic but mind-opening experience from my UBER DRIVER diary. Enjoy!

Hello world. Welcome to another provocative episode of Pablo Speaks, the podcast where words influence thoughts influence actions. I am your host, James Paul Sr aka Pablo And in today’s episode I narrate my futuristic essay that explores plausible implications of Populism, Global Warming & Super-intelligent AI. Is another global cataclysm imminent? And what about technological singularity and autonomous AI? Will homosapiens be replace by AI robosapiens? Are you ready to experience virtual eternity? Say what? I’m so glad you asked. Here is the breakdown… Let’s go!

Welcome to another Bonus episode of Pablo Speaks, the podcast where words influence thoughts influence actions.  I'm your host, James Paul Sr aka Pablo.. And today I will present the third and final part of my urban essay - New Lots to White Plains. Part Three  takes you on a compelling visual journey through Harlem, Da Bronx and lower Westchester County to White Plains, NY, with flashbacks to related historical events of note like the Great Migration, the Flour Riots and the Harlem Renaissance. Buckle-up...kick-back and ride with me on the Metro North to White Plains. Let's Go...

Welcome to the final episode of Pablo Speaks in 2023 - the podcast where words influence thoughts influence actions.  I had originally planned to dedicate this final episode to "New Year Resolutions"...but the ancestors intervened and I was compelled to channel the atrocities of WAR into writing and sharing a protest chant.  How ironic is it that in this festive season of  Christmas when  Christians around the world celebrate the birth of The Prince of Peace, that the world's most powerful nation, founded upon Judeo Christian principles ...where each President rests a hand on the Holy Bible while taking the oath of office....yes that very nation...is supplying bombs to Israel....bombs used by the IDF ...Israeli Defense Force to destroy Hamas -  even if thousands of innocent Palestinian men, women and children are slaughtered, dismembered and blasted into eternity by American-made bombs? Collateral Damage is the military term used to describe this crime against Palestinian humanity committed by Israel using American bombs. How judeo-christian of us America! ... and on that dissonant note, I present today's featured anti war poem: Made In The USA. Have a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year. AYO

Welcome to another bonus episode of Pablo Speaks - the podcast where words influence thoughts influence actions. I am your host James Paul Sr aka Pablo and in today's podcast, I will narrate/share part-two of my three-part essay, "New Lots to White Plains - Urban Tales of NY City from the diary of James Paul Sr" I wrote this piece back in 2014, during my return to the New York City , the Big Apple, the city that never sleeps, the city so nice they named it twice. The city where my Guyanese immigrant's dream began back in 1985. My initial move from New York to Georgia back in 2003, was motivated by a desire to be closer to my wife's family who lived there, to get away from the cold up north, and to get more bang for my hard-earned buck, thanks to the significantly lower cost of living in GA and the South in general. That was My Plan... But God, Yahweh, Jehovah, or Fate...had other plans. A number of hostile events - illness, real estate market crash, high unemployment - being the primary ones, converged to derail my upward-mobility plans, and left me upside-down, underwater, struggling to stay afloat.  It's difficult to find high-paying jobs in GA, during good times....impossible, during a recession....BUT New York is a different animal altogether...if you are a skilled, hard worker with drive and grit willing to hustle and grind...you can rebound in New York City ...and get back on track income-wise. That's the backstory... Now you're ready for  part two of New Lots to White Plains. Grab your popcorn and your favorite beverage.... We're taking the number 4 Express through lower Manhattan  to Grand Central Station, in the heart of New York City. Let's Go. AYO

In this penultimate episode of 2023, Pablo shares a lyrical gem titled "Imagine" from his dub poetry video archive. The poem reminds us to dream and imagine a better, more compassionate world; that joy is a journey, not a destination. Have joyful week. AYO

In this episode, Pablo narrates part one of his three-part essay titled, "New Lots to White Plains". The year is 2014. The US economy sucks. Like many US citizens in their 40's, the American Dream has become a nightmare for Pablo. He is forced to close his failing retail business in Macon, GA. He is battling chronic autoimmune and cardiac conditions. But the bills have to be paid. And there are some big bills: college tuition for his sons (a senior and a sophomore), rent, car notes, back taxes....he is the primary bread-winner. The pressure is on. Pablo needs a job. Fast. He is qualified - BS in Biological Sciences, MBA in Marketing etc. He applies online for at least 50 jobs in sales, marketing or management. NOTHING! Finally, Nordstrom calls. Pablo aces the interview and gets a job offer....in White Plains, NY! He lives with his wife and three sons in McDonough GA. After consulting with his family, Pablo accepts the offer. Thus began his return to Brooklyn, NY where his immigrant's dream began in 1985. This three-part essay was inspired by urban scenes and events Pablo observed and researched during his daily commute by train (NY Subway and Metro North) from New Lots, Brooklyn to Grand Central Station, to White Plains, a 2 to 3 hour ride daily. "Tough times don't last but tough people do". This is a story about resilience. This is a story about struggle. This is a story about making lemonade with life's lemons. Enjoy!

Written and narrated by the host, Pablo, "Dear Negro" invokes centuries of African pain, suffering and bondage, to remind descendants of enslaved Africans about the savagery and horrors of chattel, plantation slavery and anti-black racism of that era. The latter, anti-black racism, persists to this day in America and around the world. A world generally desensitized to the pain and suffering of Africans, of black melanated people. A nation, among many, with a history of perpetrating vicious crimes against humanity, black and brown, with impunity. A nation whose elected leaders lack the courage and resolve to approve H.R. 40, a legislative bill introduced by late Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, three decades ago. A bill to establish a commission to study and develop proposals for reparations. Imagine that? When will black voters in America wake up to the reality that America has no interest, so far, in holding itself accountable for the atrocities of chattel slavery? That reparative justice should therefore be the single-issue to secure our votes. No reparative justice. No H.R. 40. No vote. Our ancestors deserve no less.

In this special bonus episode, Pablo engages Guyanese filmmaker, public intellectual and writer, Clairmont Chung, in a meaningful conversation about Mr Chung's recently published essay titled, "Saving the Essequibo from Becoming Another Gaza". Guyana sits on the northern coast of South America bordered by the Brazil, Venezuela, Surinam and the Caribbean Sea to the south, west, east and north respectively. Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, emboldened by a recent referendum in which 90 % of voters (11 % voter-turnout reported) pledged support for Venezuela's annexation of oil-rich Essequibo, two-thirds of Guyana's territory, in violation of international law, said he would soon be giving out licenses for oil-exploration in Essequibo, among other annexation plans. Is it all bark and no bite? Will Venezuela invade Guyana and seize Essequibo? Or is there much more to this border dispute than meets the casual eye? And what about EXXON and the US? And what are the similarities between Gaza, Ukraine and Essequibo? "IT'S THE OIL, STUPID!" ~ Clairmont declares. In his thoughtful editorial, Mr Chung writes, "European nations fought endless wars among themselves and against Indigenous peoples to annex the world and to divide it among their empires. After all that, they get to preside over border disputes they created. There lies the problem." In a related article on Wired868.com, international agreements by colonial and neocolonial empires are described as  “the fruit of the poisonous tree”. Hmmm.... Please watch and share this episode, then join the conversation on Facebook @PabloSpeaks AYO

In this episode, I take a deep dive into the pith of the worst crime against humanity in history, chattel slavery, and make a strong case, lyrically, for reparative justice. Racism fueled chattel slavery then. Racism fueled the atrocities and lynchings of the Jim Crow era. Racism fuels police brutality, and the glaring racial disparities in wealth, homelessness, healthcare, education, access to capital, indictments and incarceration in America, now. Truth be told, America would rather send 100 billion dollars in weapons of mass destruction and aid to Ukraine and Israel, than pay reparations to the descendants of enslaved Africans upon whose backs this nation was built; whose sweat and blood stain its soil and conscience; who served paid the ultimate sacrifice in every American war. Why? Because America doesn't really give a schmuck about black people, except when candidates need our votes or when our sons and daughters are needed to fight a war. So, what are we gonna do about this blatant disrespect and disregard for the 400+ years of crimes committed against our African ancestors with impunity? Are African American voters ready to make REPARATIONS the SINGLE-ISSUE to earn their votes? Listen to my lyrical vent then answer the Q&A and poll. Let's go!!! .............. CREDITS: Words, graphics & video by James G Paul Sr (Pablo) Beats by Andy Anansi Gordon ............

Pablo breaks down the production process for Moon ah Run, his latest dub poetry single - branded as the battle of Guyanese creole vs hiphop - from idea and inspiration thru writing, curating and recording, to mixing, mastering, registering and releasing. Moon ah Run (by PablOGt) is streaming on Spotify and all major digital music platforms. I would appreciate your feedback on this bonus episode. Is this kind of detailed recap of the song-creation process helpful? Email me at jpaul591@hotmail.com or leave a comment on Facebook @PabloSpeaks Thanks for your support. Have a great weekend! AYO

Greetings. A special episode to honor the five Guyanese soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty in a tragic helicopter crash in the jungles of Essequibo, an oil-rich region of Guyana being claimed by Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro, in defiance of international law and recent court rulings. We pray for the two survivors and grieve for the families and friends of the five brave warriors who died. May their souls rest in peace. Please listen and share, if the spirit moves you. Peace! AYO Pablo

Welcome to the second episode of Pablo Speaks - the podcast where words are weaponized to inspire and edutain. A famous quote by Lord Buddha reads: “We are what we think, all that we are arises with our thoughts, with our thoughts we make the world.”  Or, as my Uncle Sam would say, “Thinking is everything.” Thinking is also the theme of my first featured poem titled, “Breaking the chains”. The background music was composed by Andy Anansi Gordon. Enjoy!

Welcome message from the host. I will record and share a new, original piece of spoken word (narrative poetry, short story, interview, reading, commentary), weekly, on Sunday's. That's the plan. Let's go!