CHAPTER 1
The Birth of A King
On 23 rd October 1940 in a small house built from second-hand bricks the infant that was to become KING to the world of football was born in Tres Coracoes in Minas Gerais, a state in the south east of Brazil, just to the north of Rio de Janeiro. The infant child was born to Celeste and Joao Ramos do Nascimento, Joao, known to everyone as DonDinho. DonDinho married Celeste at 15 years old and by 16 she became pregnant.
DonDinho was the center forward for Atletico Tres Coracoes. He was a good striker, - almost six feet and a great header of the ball. Atletico was not a properly run professional club and DonDinho hardly made any money.
In order to celebrate the arrival of electricity in Tres Coracoes, DonDinho named his new son Edson, a tribute to the inventor of the light bulb, Thomas Edison. In the “Autobiography of PELE” ,according to…THE KING himself...in his autobiography titled: PELE...
…the tiny wriggling infant was held up to the world prompting uncle Jorge to exclaim, “He’s certainly Black enough!- perhaps this answered my father’s first question whether I was a boy or girl. Apparently pleased at the knowledge of my sex, my father prodded my scrawny legs and said, ‘This one will be a great footballer’. 13
In 1942 DonDinho was called up to play for Atletico Miniero, the biggest club in the state. While training, a collision with the eventual captain of the 1950World Cup team, Augusto, damaged his knee ligaments and rendered him unable to play the next game. . DonDinho’s flirt with the ‘big time’ ended.
Because of World War II, the planned World Cups of 1942 and 1946 were both cancelled. After the war, FIFA were keen to resurrect the competition as soon as possible, and they began making plans for a World Cup tournament to take place. In July 1946 Brazil was chosen as the host country by FIFA to organize the fourth staging of the World Cup.
In 1950, the fourth staging of the FIFA World Cup was held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July. It was won by Uruguay, securing their second hold on the Cup by beating the hosts Brazil 2-1 in the deciding match of the four-team final group.
HURRICANE CHARLIE
Hurricane Charlie was the deadliest tropical cyclone of the 1951 Atlantic hurricane season. It strengthened to a hurricane in the eastern Caribbean Sea, and it struck Jamaica with winds near Category 3 intensity. In its path, Charlie caused more than 250 deaths. The hurricane produced Jamaica's deadliest natural disaster of the 20th century, causing more than 152 deaths.
Interconnectivity…..to the Island of Jamaica…1950s...Leonard P. Howell & Pinnacle Community, Claudius Henry…Bedward …Count Ossie and the Mystic Revelations of Ras TafarI
From Victoria Avenue to Lacy Road to Waterloo Road to Tuna Avenue to Mars Drive
1954 - 1968
IN July 1954, the Fifth FIFA World Cup was staged in Berne Switzerland. The game saw the underdogs West Germany beat the highly favored Hungarians 3 – 2. One month later, on 14th August 1954: The BIRTH of DON ’Iman Blak’ DAVIS
Exiting the Womb in the Month of August at the Jubilee Hospital in central Kingston , my birth is of humble origins born to Maria Veronica Duhaney (daughter of Ida Bryan) and Dudley Davis. I consciously remember moving from 2a Victoria Avenue to Levy Road. IMAN spent the first few years of my life moving between [central and east Kingston] Victoria Avenue, Levy Road and Waterloo Road. At Levy Road I recall being called a ‘ little fat boy' and mentally vowing to shake off that label. I also remember moving from tiny Levy Road to Waterloo Road with the big back and side yards, mango trees, fowl coop and all. At three years of age I was sent to school for knowing too much too soon. There was a young girl bout 7 or 8 years old who came to board with us. She introduced me to the concept of ‘riding’ which was not exactly done on a bicycle. This ‘cycling’ was ‘big people’ affairs but brought significant pleasures particularly at nights. MVD worked at the St. Joseph’s hospital…on the night shift …and then teach at Holy Trinity secondary school during the daytime….I did much night riding.
In 1957 I entered the Holy Rosary Preparatory school situated on Windward Road. Holy Rosary was a catholic church/school run by Monsignors and Sisters who imposed the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and demanded paying attention to the rituals of the church; these included speaking in Latin, holding confession, baptism, confirmation, and the like.
My first composition (writing) brought the attention of the school authorities and demanded that my mother visit the school. This excitement was generated over my providing an answer to the traditional question of: What do you want to be when you grow up? My composition spoke to me wanting to become a RASTAMAN. I had no fear of Bag O Wire nor did I fear the BlackHeart Man. This first essay sent alarm bells ringing and a letter for me to take home requesting that my mother pay the school a visit. Can you imagine the terror that went through poor mom’s mind? ? When my mother, showed up the next morning to school there was a very long discussion that took place in a closed room between the teachers, the sisters and my mother. In the end I was asked to write a 'better' composition and so I settled for wanting to become a 'bus driver'...and it appears that all was at peace again.
I mean, sarcastically, how could I jeopardize my ‘privileged position’ at a Prep school. My ambition however quickly shifted from the gloved bus driving heroics of ‘Tommy and Johnny’ on the JOS number 2 route to Harbour View to the open blue skies where my desire to become a fighter pilot was stimulated by watching the Blue Angels display their flying skills on several Easter occasions.
1958- Emergence of The King PELE
AT the age of 4, the consciousness of the game of international FOOTBALL and the World Cup which was being played in Sweden was brought home to Jamaica via re-diffusion and transistor radio. My home was blessed with a large tele-funken radio set as well as a well-tuned piano. The games came through low and scratchy… via the BBC in London…adding to the excitement of the broadcast as the sound would phase out and in. The names of Ferenc Puskas of Hungary, Garrincha of Brazil and Lev Yashin of Russia sounded through the airwaves making and leaving deep impressions on my young mind.
Brazil a nation comprised of the largest enslaved African population in the western world produced the most stunning result in World Football (at the time) with victory at the 1958 World Cup Final. This event marked the first time a South American (non-white) Nation was winning the tournament while playing on the “other” continent, in this case Europe.
The Brazilian victory brought to the world stage a Black 16 year old boy named Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known to the world as PELE. The son of Celeste and DonDinho do Nascimento had indeed began to fulfill the prophecy at his birth. See page 1
The greatness of Edson Arantes do Nascimento and my love for play/ sport…made PELE my earliest ‘ sporting hero’, and an object of admiration, hero-worship and imitation , after the great Louis Satchmo…who for some unknown reason I cried “real tears” to see him perform at his show at the Race Course.
Maria Veronica Duhaney-Davis (MVD), my mother rented an entire house at 32 Waterloo Road in East Kingston and sublet several rooms on the property. The landlady took great offense to this economic insight and tried to force an eviction without any just cause. A teacher by day at Holy Trinity secondary...and a Nurse by night at St. Joseph’s Hospital... MVD was in breach of ministry regulations with professional degrees in two disciplines, i.e. Nursing and Teaching and working for both ministries at the same time. Quite an amazonian feat!
An important part of my family was my grandmother Mame.
Mame would hold the ‘base’ while MVD did her ‘superwoman’ thing.
I used to go to Pocco’ church with Mame who was a healer in her own right imbued in African retentions…drumming, chanting, etc.
By 1960, with Mrs Headley’s seeking information for the ministry and the creditors breathing down her back, MVD in an inspired move...took flight by night. After years at Waterloo Road and much legal wranglings between landlady Mrs. Headley..and MVD... With truck packed to the hilt [I watched it] moving slowly down Waterloo Road with furniture, plants, animals and humans packed...taking away my family from 32 Waterloo Road in east Kingston where we had lived for a number of years following our move from Lacy Road and Victoria Avenue respectively...and slowly braked at the corner of Waterloo and Windward Road to check the traffic. The truck turned left and moved slowly eastward towards the community of Rockfort and out into the relatively undeveloped frontier lands beyond the Mineral Baths to the newly under-construction community of Harbour View.
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