Female prisoners stage drama for school children

It is often said that “haad aze pikni go da maakit two times.” But some grown-up women who find themselves on the wrong side of that Creole proverb are using their experiences to, hopefully prevent others from following in their footsteps.

The story, “Haad Work No Kill Nobody”, is about a single mother, Miss Irma whose son, David, bang hooky from school everyday to go and play marbles with his street friend, while his mother works as a housekeeper to make ends meet. In fact the family has it so hard that they can only afford to eat plain bread with a warm cup of sugar and water – a scene that is not all strange to Belize. The opening scenes, which are pretty much routine, get dramatic, when the mother, after a hard day’s work, comes home to find that little Dave is missing.

Scene: Mother looking for son.

“David, David I tell you not to play on the streets.”

(Mother spanks sons.)

“I-aya, yes mommy, yes mommy.”

“Tek this money and go buy a pack bread and pound of sugar and mek sure you stop play on the street.”

“Yes mommy. I tell you the pikni of today-day, I can’t understand them. They play round instead of listen and do their homework, do their schoolwork and stop play on the street, then they will not get nobody in trouble.”

(boy crying)“Me tired of that, me tired of eating pack bread an brown sugar, me tired of eating sugar and pack bread.”

“You should be grateful, some pikni in world sometimes no have a slice of bread to eat. You should be glad you have a slice of bread to eat.”

Not only does David have a problem with his meal, but because he spends most of the time beating the streets, his homework is often neglected. The mother, who did not attend primary school herself, is helpless and frustrated that she can’t help her son.

Scene: boy doing his homework

“Mommy how to do them one yah?”

“Well son, your poor mama never did gone to school. If your mother had gone to school I would a get an office job, I would never the do a housework and maybe things would a be better.”

“Me a skip this one ya too.”

“You no a skip none, you wa stay ya and work hard.”

“Six and five, fourteen.”

“I say stop our silliness you know.”

“Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven.”

As Irma’s son struggles with his lessons, the mother battles with the small income she brings home. So, one day when her employer’s husband, Mr. John suspiciously pays her sixty dollars to deliver a package, she asked no questions, and quickly jumped at the opportunity to collect the extra cash.

Scene: Husband speaking with housekeeper

“I got a package right here so. Tek this package right round so and you go up so. I no want nobody know because I know want my neighbor they know.”

“You mean no even your wife sa? alright sa.”

“I will give you sixty dollars.”

Sixty dollars richer the mother decides to treat her son to a good meal. Instead of grumbling, David danced all the way to the way to the shop.

Scene: Son asking shopkeeper for groceries

“Mr. Reneau, quarter pound of sausage, a pack bread and a tin of milk. Mr. Reneau I di eat good today. Bwai, Paul, I di eat sausage today.”

“Bwai, well that nice.”

Scene: Mother and son eating

(mother smacking fingers.)“Like I no want stop eat. I di tell you, no true gial.”

It seems like Miss Irma and her son had struck it rich, everything is running smoothly… until the mother rushes home and absent mindedly ask her son to deliver the package she was being paid extra to deliver. But David is not too good on following instructions, and when he, along with his street friend decided to see what’s in the plastic bag, that’s when things turned ugly.

Scene: Police officers with boys

“Where you get this from?”

“Da for he sa.”

“No, da for he.”

“How you no da school. I the bang hooky sa.”

“We wa take you to station right now.” (Son being led off)

Shortly after the son was picked up, the mother was also taken into custody, where she wasted no time in telling the police where the drugs came from.

Scene: Mother with police

“Yes mam’m.”

“I know man, da no for me, da somebody give me this.”

“Well if they not for you, they for who then?”

“Oh mix, oh… constable, sargeant mi di work with miss Serah. Ms. Serah husband whe call Mr. John call me and tell me mek I deliver the package for him. But stupid me I neva look in the parcel to see what was in there.”

“You see anytime you have a lot of drugs and thing, you have a lot of friends and thing, when time you no have no friends or nothing. Da for me the drugs.”

But before the police would release Miss Irma and David, they gave the mother some good sound advice.

Scene: Mother with police

“Cause I think fu you son business ina school.”

“You right sa, you right sa. I will see that he go the school, and mek he stop bang hooky. No, no the watch me.”

As mother and son walked off the stage, there were some parting thoughts for young audience from the Salvation Army Primary school.

Brendalee Logan, “Ms. Irma”

“Quick money, quick jail, cause da quick drugs. Drugs put you da jail, da better dat you do hard work. It won’t kill you and you and your pikni will survive so trust me.”

And we should. Miss Irma, whose real name is Brendalee Logan, is serving a six month jail sentence, after she was caught with a pipe, adapted for smoking drugs. Logan says with only two more months left to serve behind bars, she is not only using the drama as a means of rehabilitation, but hopes that society will come to appreciate that women in prison are deserving of a second chance.

Brendalee Logan

“We would a really want people to see that we have talent to and if they would a give we a chance then every time we come out of jail instead of them ridicule we, they would a give we a chance to show them the things we could do and it will make better for we to, right?”

According to its coordinator, Prison Officer Henrietta Gill, the drama group was formed two months ago to help boost morale among the female inmates at the Hattieville Prison. And from what she sees, it’s working.

Henrietta Gill, Coordinator, C.K. Female Drama and Band Group

“I said you know something, this is what the girls lack and I will see what I could get to them to see what could bring up their morale and so I decided a play and everybody was into it. So I say this can really help them, their self esteem.”

There are presently twenty nine females behind bars at Hattieville, but only eleven are actively involved in the drama group.

The drama presentation of “Haad Work Noh Kill Nobody” was also done at other primary schools around Belize City today.