Remembering “Jericho”

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Parent Category: Nov 2011

Category: Week ending Nov 12th, 2011

Published on Saturday, 12 November 2011 23:26

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EDITORIAL

Show me a man who has not sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. THE NEW TODAY keeps looking around to see such a person.

And let those without sin cast the first stone. THE NEW TODAY is still looking around but cannot see anyone who is willing to step forward to collect the prize.

All of above are thrown out in light of some of the negatives that are being painted of Anthony “Jericho” Greenidge by a few misguided lost souls in our midst who spend the entire day of their lives just engaged in nothing productive and uplifting but only gossip and rumour-mongering.

These are the people who would do well to understand a few of the phrases such as when your neighbour’s house is on fire you should wet yours and when you are digging a pit for someone else to fall into then you are well advised to dig two.

This newspaper is a strong believer in the saying that no one is perfect - and so Jericho like many of us human beings, should never be seen as one without fault.

Leave all the judgement to the Lord since St. Peter is by the gate waiting for all of us. Those who are now barking the most with so much negativity following Jericho’s death might even be so afraid to come forward when the call comes to step forward in the line in front of the gate that divides heaven and hell.

Their sins might be one thousand times more than that of Jericho - so, please do not forget for even one day that “sin is sin”.

As the media fraternity mourns the loss of one of its own, the best we can do at this moment is to reflect on the limited time spent on God’s earth by this very humble man from Upper Grenville Street in the heart of the city and the contributions and impact that he had on the lives of so many of his countrymen.

Those of us in the media who knew Jericho from since his school days will remember him as a gifted and talented athlete whether in track and field or on the basketball court, moving around with very nimble feet and fast hands.

His small frame in those days often belied the strength and very combative and competitive spirit that this little man from the city brought onto the sporting arena. Jericho was one who never liked to lose.

It was the same vigour and commitment that he brought with him into the broadcast media.

Jericho simple wanted to be the best. He was not prepared to play second fiddle to anyone. He had that burning desire to be at the top of the game and to always stay on top and look down at the others who wanted to post a challenge to him.

No one who knew Jericho from his days at the Grenada Boys Secondary School (GBSS) could have even envisaged that he would have created such an impact in the media in Grenada since he was often viewed as a very shy and private person who never liked any publicity.

Perhaps, it was the school song of his alma mater that helped to inspire him.

“The prize to the ones who earns it, let this be our golden rule”. All past and present students of GBSS will be very familiar with those words.

And those who became addicted to Jericho on Wee-FM with his morning show will always remember him.

The advent of persons like Jericho helped to significantly change the media landscape in Grenada so far as interaction between the radio station and those in listener land.

 The talk shows that made Jericho became a household name in Grenada also forced many radio stations to alter their content and to get the public more and more directly engaged in their programming.

Jericho was a boss at what he did and he surely earned his prize as one of the best in his trade.

No one can take that away from him wherever his soul is now roaming.

And the tribute to Jericho’s contribution - whether as a poet, radio personality, parang singer or calypsonian - that stands out in our mind came from Dexter Mitchell, the former CEO of the Grenada Carnival Committee.

He said: “Jericho, to me, represented the quintessential Grenadian spirit, someone with a rigorous zest for life, an undying desire to help others and an incomparable passion to make others happy.

“He made appearances at calypso workshops for school kids, at cricket matches in Clozier, at press conferences, at handing over ceremonies, interviews and where ever else he knew his voice and presence would make a difference for a good cause or simply make people happy”.

How many of us would have made such a positive contribution to mankind that can stand the test of time? 

Photo courtesy www.gogouyave.com

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