Charles Kong Soo
Published:
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Fasal “Moosh” Mohamed...
What do former Soca Warrior Stern John, goalkeeper Clayton Ince, West Indies cricketers Rayad Emrit, Lendl Simmons, Sunil Narine, athletes Darrel Brown, Marc Burns, Kai Selvon, 2016 Calypso Monarch Devon Seale, 2016 International Soca Monarch Aaron “Voice” St Louis, and Akeem “Preddy” Chance have in common? They all attended El Dorado Secondary Comprehensive School, now El Dorado East Secondary School.
While each of them are unique and have excelled in their various disciplines, they are like blades of grass touched by a common wind of influence and guidance—their teacher Fasal “Moosh” Mohamed, who is also known as the Godfather, who came up with the 1986 and 2009 Intercol champions school’s nickname “Blue Thunder.”
These days, the quiet, unassuming 60-year-old retiree in the widebrimmed hat is like a one-man Cepep crew cutting grass with his weed whacker, planting trees and plants, and maintaining the landscape in the Paradise Gardens, Tacarigua community.
At Christmas time he puts up a creche and lights in the neighbourhood for residents and children to enjoy. The technical/vocational teacher’s passion and caring has been passed on to students who have been taking underprivileged children under their wings and doing volunteerism.
During the interview, one of Mohamed’s former students Gerion Williams, a drummer who has played for Maxi Priest, Shurwayne Winchester and CAL Invaders, stopped by to ask if he could come to Tunapuna Boys’ RC Primary School’s football game to continue his teacher’s legacy of support and motivation, and providing them with refreshments.
Speaking to the Sunday Guardian, Mohamed said “The school is in a catchment area for children coming from troubled areas like Maloney and La Horquetta.
“There was a lot of violence in the beginning when I started in 1979. At staff meetings I said the children needed some self esteem. I see them playing football, cricket, we needed to tap and channel their talent and I got them involved initially in football and pan. We borrowed pans from Sforzata Steel Orchestra, went to our first school festival in 1983 and came last, then we decided to get our own pans and came second in Junior Panorama in 1986.”
He said the sports department put him in charge of the school’s feeding programme.
Mohamed said the school’s athletes and football team were not getting proper nutrition, they would train in the afternoon and eat a pie and soft drink.
At the time he lived in Pt Fortin and would leave home at 5 am to bring fresh fish and “bubble a pot”. Mohamed said they also supplemented the students’ fare with produce they grew themselves from the school’s agricultural department, and he made fresh juice. He said he raised donations with the help of parents and teachers because the school did not have money to buy food or supplements.
Mohamed said most times he would use money from his own pocket to provide for his students as he was involved in “everything” in El Dorado.
He said he also did silk screen printing to raise funds for the school’s pan side to travel overseas and trimmed the hair of children at the St Mary’s Orphanage in Tacarigua, on Saturdays as many were students from the school.
Mohamed said he once sold his vehicle to enable the school’s music students to buy tickets to go England, he asked the parents to invest in costume jewelry and steelpans and sell them in England for “good pounds”.
He said he invested money in three students, paid for their tuition to go by Nervin “Teach” Saunders, Invaders arranger in Arouca.
Mohamed said the three students in turn had to teach other children in school music theory and pan which enabled the students to travel the world, and many went on to become music teachers and musicians.
News
Fasal “Moosh” Mohamed cutting grass at the side of the road in Tacarigua. PHOTO: CHARLES KONG SOO