CESS SILVERA. AND SHOTTAS THE MOVIE.

I had a wonderful conversation with Cess Silvera last night.

We were on the phone for about an hour.

Who is Cess Silvera? Cess is the writer, director and producer of the cult classic Jamaican movie, “Shottas”, an exceedingly entertaining Jamaican film.

I just got finished rendering an extensive video featuring that full-length film, which I will share with you all Facebook Family, on YouTube.

I wish I could work much faster. There’s so much to do.

CESS SILVERA:

Let me tell you a little bit about Cess Silvera and me.

So one day several years ago when we were teenagers, my little brother Vaughn Haye sauntered into the house with his new-found friend.

His name was/is, Norman Silvera. I didn’t know the dude; he came from a very humble background, but that didn’t matter to me.

The dude had such an interesting and engaging personality, that I fell in love with him right away.

Vaughn was already in love with him.

Low and behold, my Mother and Father fell in love with him too.

We all nicknamed him Cesspool. Don’t ask me the reasoning behind such a name, I really don’t know.

I’m sure there’s a rhyme and reason behind that name, I just don’t know.

Aren’t we Jamaicans experts at assigning people nicknames though? Lol.

Anyway, Cess who didn’t flinch at being assigned the name, laughingly accepted it, as all Jamaicans usually do, even if the nickname isn’t all that flattering.

He later shortened the name for obvious reasons, and today, he is known simply as Cess, a cute and nifty name that he embraces with gusto.

Long story short, the dude never left. He took up residence in Vaughn’s room, sleeping on one of Vaughn’s two beds.

He became a brother to us three boys. My mother and father had gained another son from another mother and father.

They now had 4 sons. Can you imagine that, 4 sons in one house? The loads of testosterone I tell you.

Big up to my mother, who managed it all so adeptly.

She’s not perfect, but she did a good job with us, to which I’m eternally grateful, I really am Mom, and although we fall out sometimes, my love for you is unquestionable.

Our lives were filled with the joy of brotherhood, and Cess was treated no less than all of us biological brothers.

We had the best time growing up as brothers.

When you talk about beautiful Jamaican girls, constant river and beach picnics, fruit picking and eating, marble playing, hours of video games, bird shooting, fishing, bush cooking, and “hustling”, using our father’s minivan, which he would share with us unselfishly, as long as we kept it clean, damage-free, and topped up with gas.

Vaughan, who was the best driver among us, would run “robot” taxi, plying the routes of Ocho Rios to Kingston, and Ocho Rios to Montego Bay.

In those days, you made the money and kept it all, there were no government overbearing presence and taxes in our lives.

I did a little driving too, on occasion, but not as often as my very skilled driver younger brother, Vaughn.

All the time, Cess was in tow. He was the door opener, the salesman and conductor, who shouted at the bus stops to encourage the passengers to take our minivan over the competition.

I believe that practice endures in Jamaica to this day, correct me if I’m wrong.

Cess also managed the ingress and egress of the passengers into and out of our 20-seater minivan.

He also collected the money and made the change, and the dude, with his engaging personality, was a master at what he did, lol!

With his gregarious personality, the best music and the best air-freshener aroma, our van was a known favorite along those routes.

Not only were we fun, but safe, and my brother was a master at thrilling but safe driving.

I tried my best to follow in his footsteps, but the dude was just better than me, point blank and period.

This kept us with constant “coins” (money) in our pockets and liberated us from having to depend on Mom and Dad for allowance money.

If we were going to the high-end nightclubs of Ocho Rios’s 5 star hotels, we always had ample funds to entertain our beautiful girlfriends, who thoroughly enjoyed being in our company.

Why wouldn’t they? We offered transportation, clubbing, the best food and adult beverages, and copious amounts of spending money.

Don’t ask if they didn’t reward us justly for that. too — if you know what I mean — and it was a joy caring for and protecting them.

Their Mommas, who at first were mortified that their precious daughters were spending so much time with these “wild” and “wayward” boys, would try their best to restrain them, but were almost always unsuccessful.

Often these ladies would jump through the windows and sneak out just to be with us.

We would take them on picturesque rides along the coast of St. Ann, St. Mary, Trelawny, St James, and Portland, where we would bask in the beauty of the landscape and the magic of the shimmering and placid turquoise Caribbean Sea laying there lazily and beautifully.

The fun was non-stop Family, and often we would find ourselves in quaint little hotels as far off as Port Antonio, Portland, and Montego Bay, St. James.

The girls’ mummies would eventually calm down after they realized that their daughters were safe and well protected in our company.

We were just focused on having clean, and safe youthful fun, nothing else. No crime and no unwanted pregnancies.

I just don’t understand the youth of today, who would rather get involved with drugs and unbridled violence, maiming and killing one another.

What’s that? I don’t get it!

Anyway FB Family, several years later, last night, my brother from another mother and father, Cess and I had a wonderful phone conversation, where we reminisced a little bit on how much fun we used to have.

I tell people all the time, that America is where I came and suffered.

I have NEVER suffered in Jamaica!

Regrettably, according to all that I’m hearing, Jamaica’s socio-economic landscape has changed for the worse.

That is why, I’m focused, like a laser beam on restoring Jamaica’s glory days.

Every little Jamaican boy and girl should have the fun I had growing up, and believe me folks, me and many of my colleagues who are of like minds, intend to play our part in ushering in a

renaissance for Jamaica land we love ❤️.

Anyway, back to Cess: as I said before, I had been doing an expose’ on the rare art of Jamaican filmography and film-making, and I had rendered a video which included Cess’s movie, “Shottas”.

I didn’t want to just take the man’s material just like that, so I had left him several voicemails and emails requesting his permission.

Last night he most graciously returned my calls, and granted me permission, by saying that I man fi do ‘anyting’ I want to do, and that the permission was gladly granted.

Thank you Cess Silvera.

Stay tuned Facebook Family, the editing has already been done to the video, wherein I delve into greater detail about the man’s cinematic genius and how well acted, directed and produced, the movie was.

I know many of you have eye problems and would rather listen to my artificial intelligence narration of my written words, rather than doing all this reading.

The video contains three times the amount of narration as this post.

From humble Jamaican beginnings, Cess has become a major player in the Hollywood movie scene, and his productions have garnered him millions of dollars.

His children are all educated at the best colleges and Universities in America, including Brandeis University, where his only daughter of his seven children, studied entertainment law, and has joined her father in the entertainment business in Hollywood.

Big tings a gwaan fi dem.

Big up to my niece. I’ve never met you girl, but your old uncle ya, is so proud of you.

Cess told me that all his sons do not possess his short somewhat stocky stature, but they are all 6 foot, muscle bound giants.

A couple of them were accomplished football players, before Coronavirus threw them a curve ball, but they have all fallen back on plan B, which is to join their father in the entertainment business.

This is the luxury that children enjoy when their fathers can “set it” for them.

He endured the risks and the hardships of life, so that they can have an easier life.

That’s a man I respect.

Their mothers must have all had good genes though, as big as they. all are.

A little poke at you there Cess, lol.

All his children are doing well in America, including JR, who starred in the movie as “little Bigs”, AKA Errol Williams.

The adult part was played by Ky-mani Marley, son of Bob Marley, whose movie-best-friend Wayne, was played by the inimitable dancehall artist and actor Spragga Benz.

JR has joined his father in becoming a big time Hollywood producer in his own right.

Big up to the entire cast of Shottas, including posthumously — “Bigs, you gaan too far now man, see whey mi a say?” — dancehall artist and actor, Louie Rankin, whose Teddy Bruckshut, the gangster kingpin portrayal was superb.

You left us in a tragic car accident brother, and you are gone too soon, but never forgotten.

I am glad that you Cess, could play a part financially in giving that brother the royal send-off that he deserved.

Cess, you relayed to me how your new status as a millionaire has foisted upon you, more problems, including frivolous lawsuits, and backbiting and conniving industry officials seeking to cut you, the little Black man from Jamaica 🇯🇲, down.

You know, mo money, mo problems?

Stay smart and strong Black man. Study them and maneuver around them. Don’t let them cut you down, you know how they do.

You probably will be mad at me for doing this, because you love to keep a very low-keyed profile, assessing wisely, that — according to the good old Jamaican adage — “the higher the monkey climbs, the more he’s exposed”.

Sorry Cess, I had to do this. Big up yourself, I’m so proud of you.

Stay tuned for the Shottas TV series that Cess is currently negotiating, as we speak.

It’ll probably be streamed on Netflix. Look out for that family and support this brother unhesitatingly.

As you enjoy Cess’s work, please ruminate on this: never judge a book by its cover, and never ever, turn up your nose on people because of their humble background, and/or station in life.

The world is round, and you never know what greatness lies within each of us.

Cess has exceeded all my expectations of him, and I man glad bag ‘buss’ (burst) fi him.

Blessings always…