Sovereignty of SeaWitch

Wishing you, K & J all the very best for the New Year!

May you all be blessed with a peaceful and prosperous New Year! I wish that 2006 be your best year yet!

I'm currently in the middle of my family New Year celebrations. We're having a fantastic time! I hope you are too!

Φιλάκια Πολλά!!

Νίκο

Happy New Year!

I miss Auld Lang Syne too.

The very best for 2006, SW! I think you should get into Skype and videoconferencing to check out things with friends and family in Canada! It's all free and a few clicks away. Keep up the good blog work and make positive thoughts about Hellas (ha,ha)!

What a cool picture!
Hope you have a very happy new year.

Happy New Year! Many blessings for you and yours for a fab 2006!

Hello SW, read the comments you left on my poem "the immigrant", at devious diva's and came looking for your writings. You have a lot of insight. Enjoyed your blogspot, auld lang syne reminded me strongly of my father. He loved the song.
Here's to a brilliant 2006.

Hey Wole and welcome to my corner of the blogosphere! I also visited your blog when I read your wonderful poem and I was impressed with all the work you're doing in theatre. I would love to know more about your play "Gbanja Roulette"...especially since you mentioned its inclusion in the U of Ibadan curriculum.

I wish you only the best for what looks like a very busy 2006 and for you!

A version I copied down over a year ago.

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?
Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne.
We'll tak' a cup o'kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint-stoup
And surely I'll be mine;
And we'll tak' a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
Chorus

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,
Sin' auld lang syne.
Chorus

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roared',
Sin' auld lang syne,
Chorus

And there's a hand, my trusty frier!
And gie's a hand o'thine!
And we'll tak' a right guide-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.
Chorus

The following verses are a translation of Auld Lang Syne into modern English:

The Days of Yore

Should we forget our former friends
By whom we set great store?
Should we forget the friends we've met
And the brave days of yore?
Chorus:
The days of yore. My dear
The days of yore,
We'll tilt the jug and drain the mug
to the brave days of yore.

I fancy you could sink a pint
And I'll take rather more
And we'll both get tight with all our might
For the brave days of yore.
Chorus
We two have wandered on the hills
And daisies pulled galore
But we've tired our feet on many a street
Since the brave days of yore.
Chorus
We two have paddled in the brook
From noon to half-past four
But seas have lain betwixt us twain
Since the brave days of yore.
Chorus
So let us grasp each other's hand
And, as I said before
Our hearts we'll cheer with honest beer
For the brave days of yore.
Chorus
Robert Burns

Well copied elsewhere.

SW, kind of sad to read that Greece might be facing troubled times. You can't even imagine what West Africa is like now, the middle class has disappeared ...

So sorry I didnt get back to you on Gbanja. I'll do that tomorrow.

Had to run yesterday. I wrote the stage drama,"Gbanja Roulette", to tell the dangers of HIV & AIDS in Africa, from an angle that would make all, listen to the message willingly. Often, medical personnel are the only ones warning of the dangers of the pandemic and the methods they use in doing this can put anyone to sleep. In the play, which I wrote after extensively talking with doctors etc, the characters are everyday people like you and me- the good-looking man that drives past in a mercedes...the lady that walks past in a haze of perfume. The 1 and half hour long drama has a prologue and epilogue and there are 7 cast members. The story caught the attention of Pathfinder International here in Nigeria, and the National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA). It was presented to the National Assembly (the Federal legislators) with the Nigerian President as a guest. The purpose was to affect the formulation of policy on this subject. A few months thereafter, it was presented again at the office of the President. It's been taken around several states in the country and has since become part of the academic curriculum at the University of Ibadan. "Gbanja" is a word I coined for something that is freely available. Of course, the image of the "Roulette" wheel symbolises a game that goes on except the players are willing to change

and eff, thanx for the updated version of "auld lang syne"

laspapi...Thanks for giving me a backgrounder on your play. From what you've told me, it has a universal appeal and is not only specific to Nigeria. I also think that through theatre, the AIDS issue can reach more people than the boring and often melodramatic 30 second TV commercials or health dept. pamphlets could ever do. Congratulations for getting the recognition you deserve!