At the funeral of Khodee Davis
24th May, 2008

Sixteen, the sound of the word is sweet. What a time of life.  The then Fr. Bonaventure Dean, my headmaster at St. Augustine’s College, a man that many of us wanted to emulate and copy, told us as students at 16 that we were at the height of our powers both physical and intellectual; that we didn’t know just how much capacity we had to stretch ourselves, we must not cut ourselves short but extend ourselves.

I graduated high school when I was sixteen.  I thought I could conquer the world, but more radically, I dreamed I could one day be the Prime Minister of The Bahamas.  It remains a dream today just within reach or just out of reach depending on one’s perspective but even if the dream is never realized what a ride it has been by keeping myself alive and engaged from 16 to now today almost 55.  I can look back and say for almost 55 years, it has been a joyous and exciting ride, full of physical joy, intellectual challenges, wonderful experiences, engaging fascinating people, climbing mountains literally and figuratively,  diving below the deep blue ocean lots of sadness, a little despair but all in all a great time.

Khodee will not now have that chance, tragically his life ahs been cut short, gone too soon.  What is it that we have to convince the young people who have done this dastardly deed that it is better to choose life than to choose death?  What do we have to do?  Why is it that a group of young people would choose to inflict death, wood fight over stupidness, and think so little of life that they would snuff it out without thinking, without any emotion as if this is a television programme or a video game.
 

Fox Hill is a beautiful community.  It has a rich history.  The people who settled there were free Africans. Yet the generations that now inhabit that area of our country seem intent in too many cases in spitting in the face of the legacy of freedom that has been passed on to them.  What makes this generation in too many of its incarnations want to choose slavery over freedom.  It defies logic.

I said at the memorial service on Sunday last that we who have reached this age did not reach this age by accident.  I hope that those of you have been given the gift of life and of your youth by God that this tragic death makes you see and embrace life in a new and different way.  The psalmist says in Psalm 90, “the days of our lives are three score and ten.”  This means that most of us should reach that age.  God willing that means in that for men in this country the life expectancy at birth today is 71 years of age and for women it is 76 years of age.

Most of you should have at least fifty years or more in front of you, if the Lord should tarry.  I hope that this death gives you a new respect fro those who have reached the age of 50 and beyond.  Some of it is divine providence but with our free will throughout our lifetime, we have to make any choices: whether to go out to the beach or stay at home, whether to stay out beyond midnight or go home, whether to walk away or to leave to fight another day. I hope is causes you to choose life.

 A special mention must be made to the males in our midst.  Those figures about life expectancy at birth tell of a wide disparity between the life expectancy of women and that of men.  Men will live to 71 years and women to 76.  That is on average a five-year difference. That difference comes because men died form fights, traffic accidents, and self-inflicted disease like alcohol and cigarettes much earlier than women. Indeed, those are not generally social norms associated with women.  I hope this death causes you young men to choose life.

This is also an occasion to say to you that all of young people, his classmates and his Fox Hill community ought to try to do something to dedicate to Khodee. We have a community centre that needs to be finished.  That amongst others is a worthy project.

I add also that the authorities need to do their part to seek to stamp out crime.  Our country cries out for a vigorous social intervention to put stop to the death of our young people in these circumstances.  The authorities cannot sit idly by and do nothing.

On behalf of the entire Fox Hill constituency, the Fox Hill Village in particular, the officers and members of the Fox Hill Progressive Liberal Party, I extend  condolences to the mother of Khodee Sonia, his grandmother and grandfather Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Dill and to his father Derek Davis and the entire Davis family.

At the end though, it is in the hands of the man who walked the waters.  I leave you in his hands and may the soul of Khodee rest in peace!