Phagwah during a pandemic One year later
The Golden Om Dance Group performing a KathaKali dance at a previous performance. The group, which hails from Berbice, has been adjusting to performances in various forms since the COVID-19 pandemic began last year.
SUNDAY MARCH 28, 2021
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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 28, 2021
Adjusting to the changes The Golden Om Dharmic Dance Group finding new ways to perform during pandemic
Bharatnatyam style of dancing depicting the slaying of demon Mahishasur by Goddess Durga in her expanded form.
Members of the Golden Om Dharmic Dance Group, Nindrani Ramlochan, Savitri Ramlochan and Priya Ramlochan during a past performance.
By Marissa Foster
The Golden Om Dharmic Dance Group.
THE youths of the Golden Om Dharmic Youth Organisation have developed a passion for the art of dancing which led to the creation of the Golden Om Dharmic Dance Group in 2014. They first competed in Kala Utsav, a competition hosted by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha. The dancers participated in both the folk and classical categories and emerged first place in classical; Bharatanatyam and third place in the folk category. This competition served as a motivator for the dance group and this is reflected in their performances to this day. Over the past years, being a dynamic Indian dance group, there are several styles of Indian dancing the group has performed. These include; Rajhastani, Bangra, Bharatanatyam, Khathak, Kuchipudi, just to name a few.
Nindrani Ramlochan, Savitri Ramlochan and Priya Ramlochan are three of the main dancers from the group, they’re the team leaders who hold down the mantle to ensure the continuity of the dance group along with the dance coordinator; Dhanwantri Persaud. “We continue to explore other forms of Indian dancing to expand our knowledge in the field while receiving immense benefits as it helps us to simultaneously focus and build time management skills. We take great pride in ensuring our performances are executed with beautifully worn costumes and makeup that are often in sync with the various kinds of dance,” explained Deodat Persaud, a prominent and well-respected religious leader that is affiliated with the group. In the year 2020, just as everyone else, the dance group faced SEE PAGE XX
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Phagwah during a pandemic
Pandit encourages Guyanese to hold on to its significance
Pupils of Cotton Field Nursery last year playing Phagwah 2020.
Members of Golden Fleece Singing Chowtaal
Members of the Golden Fleece temple celebrating Phagwah 2020
By Indrawattie Natram PHAGWAH, the festival of colours, is one of the most enjoyable Hindu festivals in Guyana, howeve,r due to the rapid spread of the Coronavirus, Hindus will not be able to commemorate the day with the usual festivities, vigour, and en-
thusiasm. Coping with the disappointment caused by the pandemic, President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha Essequibo Praant, Pandit Kaydar Persaud, is calling on his fellow Hindus to celebrate the festival by remembering the true significance.
During an interview with the Pepperpot Magazine, Pandit Persaud said since the beginning of the pandemic many of the Hindu festivals have been affected due to the Ministry of Health’s strict COVID-19 guidelines that were enforced. He said that the Phagwah festival is being celebrated with a renewed
Mandir members knocking Tassa and moving through the streets (Phagwah 2020 photos)
hope, prosperity, colours, and optimism, and it is important that Hindus hold onto the meaning of the celebration, although persons cannot celebrate the festival as they did in the past. “Many persons may feel overwhelmed with a range of emotions that they may not get to crowd up in vehicles and go around as usual, and it is completely understandable; the time has changed and our health is important,” Persaud said. He, therefore, urged persons to accept the reality of the current pandemic and to hold on to hope that maybe things will return to “normal” in time. Persaud, who is in charge of the Affiance Hindu Temple, said that this year a virtual Phagwah Mela will be
held. The mela will be aired on the local RCA channel and will feature outstanding local dance troupes and singers in the region. He said that instead, persons will be able to view the mela within the comfort of their homes. “We know every year the hub of activities usually [are] at Anna Regina; however, due to a limitation in the crowd, we are doing everything virtually, and we encourage persons to adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines,” Persaud said. Chowtaal Singing Chowtaal singing which complements Phagwah (singing circles) were also reduced this year due to SEE PAGE XVI
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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 28, 2021
Ken Corsbie
The Caribbean’s quintessential theatre celebrity By Francis Quamina Farrier YESTERDAY, March 27, nations around the world observed “World Theatre Day.” This annual event was established in 1962 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI) and is supported by UNESCO. In this article, I am pleased to throw the spotlight on veteran Guyanese dramatist Ken Corsbie, who has been in the theatre arts for over seven decades. Now in his early 90s, Ken Corsbie has been a member of the Theatre Guild of Guyana from its inception. However, his initial activities with theatre arts actually began at the Taitt’s Yard, now known as Cara Lodge on Quamina Street, previously Murray street. Ken
Corsbie was also involved in athletics, especially in the areas of track and field as well as basketball. In fact, it is believed that it was Ken Corsbie who introduced basketball to Guyana. It is easy to classify Ken Corsbie among the greatest dramatists and theatre and radio personalities of Guyana. He was presented with the National Award of The Golden Arrow of Achievement (AA) many years ago. Many other accolades followed, but there were some occasions when he had to prove his ‘metal’ so to speak. There was the occasion when the stage staff of a production at the Theatre Guild, in which he was the lead actor, decided to pull a prank on the celebrated actor. It was the last night of a very successful
Ken Corsbie in a dance sequence some decades ago, displaying his dancing talent
run of a play. ‘Things’ sometimes happen at the last performances. There was a scene in which Corsbie had to take a few sips of ‘rum.’ Of course, it was fake rum -
Ken Corsbie as Sir Thomas More in the Theatre Guild production of “A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS” by Robert Bolt. The other two TG actors were from the UK
The Ken Corsbie production “My Name is Slave” at the Theatre Guild Playhouse. Note the various races; Farrier is at top, right
well, until that final performance. On that night, two members of the stage staff replaced the fake rum with genuine 5-year-old XM. The pranksters stood in the wings backstage giggling as the scene approached for Ken Corsbie to sip what was supposed to be fake rum. As the actor took the first sip, he immediately realised that it was in fact genuine XM 5-year-old, so he continued, not just with sips, but took mini gulps. The pranksters backstage became terrified with fear of what would be the result if Corsbie consumed too much of that genuine alcohol on stage, while performing for a live audience. But Cors-
bie adjusted his focus and carried on to the very end as if he hadn’t a single drop of alcohol in his system. At the end of the play, along with the other performers, Corsbie took the curtain call, bowing to the audience in classical theatre style, as they applauded with gusto. It was yet another great performance by the master. When the curtain closed, Corsbie laughed at the stage crew, saying, “You all think I would get drunk, eh?” He even drove home safely in his pumpkin-coloured Volkswagen Beetle car. Very much an innovator, some years ago Corsbie produced and directed a show entitled, “My Name
is Slave” at the Playhouse. It was a unique show with various skits ‘stitched’ together to make a perfect ‘quilt’ which the audience enjoyed. I was one of the actors. In fact, that production had all of the racial groups of Guyana, and that in itself sent a message of the country’s National Motto, “One People, One Nation, One Destiny.” In later years, Ken Corsbie would say in his “He One” and other stage productions, that he is “Half European. Half African. Half Portuguese. Half Chinese. Half Indian and half Amerindian.” What a Guyanese! SEE PAGE XIV
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Sharing the stories of yesterday for the ones here today -Young journalist and author set to launch biography business
By Naomi Parris A GOAL for many of us in life, is to have the ability to share those precious moments of memories, love, laughter and even sorrows with the ones who are slated to come after us. However, sharing those moments are often hindered by the inevitable, nevertheless, one can preserve those very precious moments with Reminiscence Bio. Founded by 26-year-old journalist and author Lisa Hamilton, Reminiscence Bio offers Guyanese an array of services that allows persons to preserve their life stories in the form of biographies. Hamilton was able to
convince a line-up of judges that her business, Reminiscence Biographies, deserved an investment of $500,000 along with sustained support and opportunities for development. The business initiative which was birthed out of Hamilton’s personal journey caters primarily to persons at or above the pension or retirement age, but also considers that persons at a younger age may want to commence or complete their biographies. “In August 2020, my family had planned a trip to Berbice, so I visited my grandfather that [sic] lives up that side and I thought, why not make him my first
client and during the interview, I found that I learnt so much about him and my grandmother; things I didn’t know until then,” Hamilton told the Pepperpot magazine. She explained that having learnt so much about her grandparents’ lives motivated her to take a leap of faith and start her business. “I realised there and then that this is definitely not something that I should keep to myself. There are thousands of other Guyanese like me who would appreciate preserving their history,” she explained. Hamilton admitted that she is always thinking of new and innovative ideas. “Well if you would speak
Journalist, author and owner of Reminiscence Bio, Lisa Hamilton
to my immediate family members, they would tell you that I am always pitching them a new movie idea or a new television idea or a new business idea, granted that some of them were extravagant,” she said adding: “The idea of a business that focuses on publishing biographies, that was the first idea that I found was A Glimpse of one of Hamilton’s books
not only completely feasible, but it meets a need in Guyana. This was the first idea I found that was so much bigger than me that I believed that I had to follow through with it.” On March 10, she pitched her business to the judges as new and innovative. Reminiscence Bio, explained, is a biography
business focused on memorialising the life stories of ordinary and extraordinary people. “Before I saw the poster advertising the ‘Invest a ton’ competition, I was actually on Google, googling opportunities for investments in small SEE PAGE XIII
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Putting a delicate, final touch
DC-based Guyanese chef using virtual classes to teach culinary skills
WHAT started out as a playful live post on Instagram every Saturday night during quarantine, turned into an opportunity for Kashif John Browne -- the Guyanese chef who once made his way into the White House -- to teach his culinary skills to fellow Guyanese and people from across the world. People enjoyed looking at Browne so much that many of them started demanding that he begin classes; the more posts he made, the more people reached out, and this drove him to start a culinary class on Zoom. And the chef liked nothing better as he now got a chance to connect with the Guyanese people; so that even though he’s not in his home country, he feels like he’s able to give back to the country through these virtual sessions. With his long-term goal of opening a culinary school and restaurant here, these classes provide a preview of
what this is going to be like. “I am far past the ideas for this. I am now documenting everything and looking at locations and things like that. I am very far ahead from where I need to be,” Browne expressed in an interview with Pepperpot Magazine. “I’ve always wanted to give back to Guyana my home country, in some way, at some point. As I continue my journey on the culinary path, I have managed to start doing so virtually, by teaching cooking classes to my fellow Guyanese and also many other persons… In the future, I am definitely planning to have a physical location where I am not only able to showcase my talent, but also share my wealth of knowledge and skills [with] persons who would like to expand their culinary horizons,” he explained. Born and raised at Carmichael Street, Georgetown, the 30-year-old chef left Guyana in 2008 with his mother Ruth Chan and once he got to the
Within a relatively short time in the culinary industry, Browne has already enjoyed a rewarding stint at the White House
United States of America, he began pursuing culinary arts, although this was not initially his intention. A s he w ent through school at St. Margaret’s Primary and The Bishop’s High, he had always leaned towards the medical field and wanted to become a doctor, but as time went by, he ended up doing business. He later realised that cooking had always been in the family. “My mom was a wonderful cook and my sisters and brothers all cooked, so it was something in the household that everyone did,” he expressed. While abroad, he spent a lot of time with his sister Alicia Stewart who was working at a New York restaurant called The Mercer Kitchen. “Whenever I visited her we would always cook and compete just for the fun of it. She was the one who really took me under her wings and gave me the guidance and training SEE PAGE XII
Browne dropped his business studies to pursue a career in culinary arts
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Wisroc Village A developing community Wisroc Village (Carl Croker photos)
Aretha Murray
By Michel Outridge THIS week the Pepperpot Magazine visited the scenic village of Wisroc, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) to highlight the way of life of the people and the village. This village is very large and is divided into phases and the Old Housing Scheme is where the self-help and Linmine hire-purchase brick and wooden houses still stand. This village goes up and down hill and it is situated deep in Wismar and it is a place where a mixture of people co-exist as a large family and look out for each other; as such, newcomers and visitors would be spotted immediately. Wisroc can be considered a ‘green’ village because of the rich foliage of greenery and numerous trees, plants, vegetables and fruits that are grown in almost every land
space. The soil is fertile and it causes the crops to flourish and the vegetables and fruits grown there are organic and wholesome. Wisroc is still a developing community and sections of it have an all-weather road while the internal streets are loam-filled and riddled with large potholes. Some parts of the village are without a landline phone service and the cable and internet services are poor, but
Wisroc has skilled tradesmen and women and the people are multi-talented and can do more than one job and are also gifted farmers, BOSAI workers and self-employed people. The community has electricity, potable water supply and it can do with some street lights and upgrading of the internal streets. Wi s r o c Vi l l a g e w a s birthed out of a self-help initiative and was controlled by a coop society which became
The village has a nursery, a primary and the Wisburg Secondary School, a health centre, the Stacey Walters Library, a community centre ground, a police outpost and a playfield. Wisroc Village has everything in terms of shops, eating places, restaurants, roadside small businesses, greens and fruits are sourced from within the village and grown in kitchen gardens and farms and most agencies can be accessed in central Wismar. Wisroc is a clean community and it has a lot of houses under construction in some sections, while the Old Housing Scheme has varying sizes and larger structures and some very vintage designs and layouts. Wisroc Village was estab-
Focus on the Village
expensive. Wisroc is a place of a lot of public servants, that is, teachers and nurses and skilled workers, who have jobs in offices in both the private and public sectors.
defunct more than 20 years ago. The Village is managed by the Community Development Council (CDC) and the Chairman is Deron John and its members are all villagers.
lished and built by residents through self-help means and it is a model community that has grown over the years and is still developing, even though infrastructural works have been moving very slowly. The teacher/store owner of Phase One B, Wisroc The Pepperpot Magazine met a villager, Aretha Murray, during its visit to the community this week. She is a teacher and has a side business at her home, a hardware and a variety store, the only one of its kind in the village, Phase One B. Murray reported that she is originally from Canvas City, Wismar and in 2011 she got a plot of land in Phase One B, Wisroc and constructed a house and relocated. “Life here is like ‘one day
up, one day down,’ but the place is quiet and peaceful and it is a developing community which is very large,” she said. The mother of three related that there are about 600 houses in Wisroc Phase One B and some are still under construction as was seen and unoccupied, while others are fully built and are being occupied. She is, however, advocating for better roads, drainage, street lights and landline phones. Murray disclosed that a plot of land was allocated for a playfield, but it has been cleared and a few houses have been erected and fenced; as such, that project has been put on hold. “I started this business since 2017 because there SEE PAGE XXII
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Serving the community How one resident made a positive contribution to Wisroc
By Michel Outridge M I L L I C E N T Grant-Campbell was a volunteer at the privately owned village library but when her husband, Reginald Campbell, a wellknown football coach in Linden became ill, she had to quit. Her role at the Stacey Walters Library did not go unnoticed since she is a well-respected resident of Wisroc Village. She spent 12 years at the Stacey Walters Library and served her community as a custodian of the institution for many years. Grant-Campbell is a
pleasant woman who is from East Canje, Berbice, but relocated to Wisroc when she was young, got married and never left the village. The elder is a resident of Phase Two B, Wisroc, and is the wife of football coach Reginald Campbell, who will be celebrating his 74th birth anniversary in April. Unfortunately, Campbell, who spent most of his life in the football arena became ill with dementia and is being cared for by his wife and a masseuse, Jean Williams, who visits twice a week. He is said to be the oldest resident of that section of Wisroc.
The Stacey Walters’ Library
Campbell was a skilled carpenter/mason and coached many youths in Linden, who became football stars, making their mark in the region and farther afield. Grant-Campbell told the Pepperpot Magazine that she was working at the High Court in New Amsterdam when she met a young man, who was from Linden.
house. Grant-Campbell sent in her resignation to the New Amsterdam High Court and stayed in Wisroc, the same house she resides in to date. When her husband, the same young man she met and moved to Linden to be with died, she met Reginald Campbell and remarried after some time. She has been a resident
Millicent Grant-Campbell (Carl Croker photos)
After their relationship blossomed, she visited him and when she indicated she wanted to return to Berbice he told her he didn’t have money. Before she visited Linden, she had indicated that she did not want to live in any rented house, so the young man constructed a
of Wisroc for more than 40 years, a place she likes and would visit her home village when she can, since she has siblings and relatives there. “That young man once told me when we first met that if you can live in Linden then you can live anywhere and over the years, I realised that is [is] true,”
she said. She reported that the land was allocated for a place for senior citizens but that project did not materialise and instead a Lindener, Ingrid Walters, who resides overseas returned to Guyana for a visit and was asked by a child for a book. It touched her deeply and considering the pile of books she had in her own garage overseas, she decided to build a library for the community of Wisroc. It was through donations of books and her own money that she equipped the library with hundreds of books for the people of Wisroc, especially children, and gave the community to manage it. After Ingrid Walters’ only child, a daughter, died from a rare form of brain cancer the library was named in her honour,the Stacey Walters’ Library. Today the library is managed by residents of Wisroc, Gail Blair and Frank Moore and is open to members of the public, free of cost. Grant-Campbell told the Pepperpot Magazine that the Stacey Walters Library is located next door to the Wisroc Health Centre, a good spot where the Wisroc Nursery School and police outpost are also located. She said Ingrid WalSEE PAGE XXIII
Focus on the Village
CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 28, 2021
Volunteerism is alive in Wisroc Village
By Michel Outridge
COLLIS Gifth is a resident of Wisroc Village and is the public relations officer for the Community Development Council (CDC) and a volunteer within the community and has the best interest of the people and village at heart. The 40-year-old stated that he is from Wisroc Old Housing Scheme and that section of Wisroc has been in existence before that and it was formed through an initiative by the villagers through self-help and the coop society. He reported that the CDC is focused on developing the village, more so to bring relief to the people since many are affected directly by the pandemic which has gripped the world, causing a downward economic spiral. Gifth added that their aim is to bring immediate relief to villagers since much hasn’t been done to promote development in the community and they are doing so with limited resources. “We try to reach people directly and find out their immediate needs and how we can assist at a community level, because we know it has been challenging for many for the past year when the novel coronavirus came to these shores,” he said. Gifth stated that the CDC is looking at creating safe,open spaces for villagers, especially the elderly
resources and they are trying to fast-track infrastructural development in the village, especially in the new phases where basic things must be done. “This is a quiet place to reside and I grew up in the Old Housing Scheme and was always involved in selfhelp as a boy with my family, so I know the value of it and it has remained a part of me and that’s why I became a volunteer and will always advocate for self-help projects in the village,” he said.
Collis Gifth (Carl Croker photos)
and children for recreation, sports and relaxation, a safe place where people can go. He noted that the CDC has a youth arm and a senior
CDC utilises the skills and knowledge of the elders in the village and they would often engage the youths in skills training such as
Onita Harry
the bauxite industry in the mining town,while others are farmers, are self-employed and public-sector workers.
Wisroc Nursery School
citizens’ club, but since the pandemic all activities have been cancelled indefinitely and they do not have any gatherings. Gifth related that the
cake-making, cake decoration, knitting, sewing and cooking. He told the Pepperpot Magazine that most people in Linden depend heavily on
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The timber-marketing consultant and timber grader reported that they are trying to revitalise the Wisroc Coop Society because back in the days, more than 20 years ago, everything in the community evolved around that body. Gifth disclosed that they want to integrate the selfhelp culture into the community like olden times under the coop society, especially in the housing drive to foster community development and to introduce the youths to the self-help initiative. He added that Wisroc is a thriving community in which a lot was done despite challenges and limited
Onita Harry -- the spritely volunteer and teacher The Pepperpot Magazine also met another villager, Onita Harry, the assistant headteacher for the Wisroc Nursery School, assistant treasurer for the Community Policing Group and Secretary for the Community Development Group. Harry has been a resident of Wisroc for the past 42 years and spent 23 years in the teaching profession. When the team met her she was engaged in making decorations for a baby shower for a fellow teacher, SEE PAGE XXXV
Focus
Inside the Wisroc Nursery School.
on the Village
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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 28, 2021 The Wisburg Secondary School (Carl Croker photos)
Wisburg Secondary School committed to producing star students
By Michel Outridge
COLLEEN Michael-Joseph is at the helm of the Wisburg Secondary School, a large building that houses classrooms, a two-storey concrete edifice and other parts that are sectioned off for the Head Teacher’s office among other departments. This building has an interesting design for a school and it is one of the largest
schools in the mining town. Wi s b u r g S e c o n d a r y School has in its employ 60 staff which includes 15 auxiliary employees for the nine departments and a total of 485 students but classes are in session just for Grades 10 and 11 students presently and they are being prepared for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Exams including School Based Assessments (SBAs).
At the school, they have in place all COVID-19 protocols including, hand washing stations with soap and water, social distancing, the temperature of both students are teachers are tested before entry of the compound and wearing of a face mask is mandatory. Around the school, hand sanitiser is accessible and handwashing stations were set-up just by the gate. The name Wisburg de-
Head Teacher, Colleen Michael-Joseph and Assistant, Karline Joseph
rived from Christianburg and Wismar. The headteacher, Colleen Michael-Joseph told the Pepperpot Magazine that classes have been challenging in terms of students’ attendance with just about 50 percent and others, who are at home with visual learning, most do not have access to the internet or devices. She related that the Ministry of Education recommended that two levels of students attend school on the weekdays and the subject teachers are also present to engage the students in face to face learning.
The headteacher disclosed that in some instances the students complain that their parents are at work with the devices so they have to wait until they return home to access the internet to do the school work. She stated that the catchment area is quite large and in some parts the students do not have access to electricity and internet. Michael-Joseph added that some students would visit the school to uplift their worksheets, that is, students from Grades seven to nine and worksheets are uplifted every two weeks
to be marked and replenished. She reported that only Forms Four and Five teachers are at school and in some cases lower levels teachers are asked to assist when necessary. As for the virtual teaching, Michael-Joseph pointed out that they would upload the information via Google classroom at home and log in all the students. She added that virtual classes are held via Zoom and WhatsApp, as well. Michael –Joseph reported that they have co-curricSEE PAGE XXXIV
Focus on the Village
The Head Teacher, Colleen Michael-Joseph and her Assistant, Karline Joseph
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People and places in Wisroc
By Michel Outridge
THE Wisroc Health Centre is a small building that provides employment for 23 staffers and serves a large catchment area. The compact building has a pharmacy, the doctor’s office, a dressing room, triage area, kitchen, waiting area, dentistry department and the defunct rehabilita-
is Dr Jamaine Thomas, a mild-mannered young man from Kwakwani, who seems to be the friendliest, downto-earth head of the facility. The services provided at the Wisroc Health centre are in and outpatient services, infant clinic, postnatal and antenatal clinics, diabetic and hypertensive clinic, vaccination clinic, family planning and home visits.
community. “The people here are very cooperative and you can talk to them on a oneon-one basis in terms of their health issues and be frank with them for them to preserve life,” he said. The doctor added that they have the PMPCT programme and the dentistry department and they strive for excellence in providing
The Wisroc Health Centre
tion room. The catchment area for Wisroc Health Centre is from Block 22, Wisroc, Blueberry Hill, Andy’s Ville and Prosville. The doctor-in-charge
Dr Thomas told the Pepperpot Magazine that he has been at the public health facility since January 2, 2017, and the experience has been rewarding since they have good relations with the
Part of Yvonne Hope’s plant collection.
good quality health care to the people, free of cost. “We serve a lot of people and on any given day dozens of people pass through the facility and it has become SEE PAGE XXXIV
Yvonne Hope in her flower garden
Focus on the Village
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DC-based Guyanese chef .... FROM PAGE VI
I needed; then is when I decided it was what I wanted to do,” he reflected. So a week before he started his business studies, he cancelled everything and went to culinary school. “I ended up meeting my aunt’s friend who asked me randomly one day how I would feel if I got the opportunity to work at the White House. It took a few weeks before he reached out back to me…I got to be a server there and once I got in, I did the rest;
Chef Kashif John Browne
made my way to the kitchen, connected with the chef, and she granted me the opportunity to actually cook with her and team,” he said. From 2013 to 2016, Browne worked part-time before he was eventually offered a full-time position at the White House. “Aside from the talent and the skills set, I think the biggest thing that chef saw in me was the discipline, commitment and determination,” he said. In 2019, Browne said he parted ways with the White House because he received a
great opportunity to become the executive chef at one of the largest catering companies in Washington DC; a position where he currently operates. “It was another opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” he said, as he noted that his job at the White House became all about the prestige associated with it. “After a while, it just becomes a prestigious job. For me, as a chef, I am on a journey. I want to touch every different part of the culinary industry that I possibly can.” Browne is married to Guyanese Dr. Sulan Fung and they are parents to two boys.
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Sharing the stories of... FROM PAGE V businesses in Guyana. I was on Google doing that and I closed that tab and I went on Facebook and I scrolled about two times and there the poster was, advertising the competition and I immediately signed up for it and here I am today,” she said. She added that after entering the competition she garnered a lot of support from persons who were interested in her services as well as close family and friends. “Well since August 2020 to the date of the competition, no one really knew what I was working on except for my fam-
ily members and a few close friends and since the competition, whereby I had to advertise and market my business, I received a lot of phone calls, a lot of website visits, new likes and followers to the social media platforms and you know everyone is saying that it is definitely an innovative idea that we need in Guyana,” she said. “Some persons have called me and told me that not only in Guyana, they hope that I would branch out to Trinidad or other Caribbean countries and that definitely is a plan,” she added. Hamilton’s business of-
fers both print and video biography packages as well as other services which cater to group biographies for low-income persons; books on a business’ history; contractual biography services as part of the benefits package for large organisations and editing services. Though Reminiscence Bio was established in August 2020, Hamilton plans to launch officially in April 2021, on her grandfather’s birthday. Interested persons can visit Hamilton’s website www.reminiscencebio.com or Facebook @ Reminiscence Bio.
The reminisce bio website
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Ken Corsbie.... FROM PAGE IV I got to know Ken Corsbie on a more personal level when he responded in a positive way to an invitation by the Agricola Youth Club of the day. As a member, I suggested to my colleagues to invite that shining star at the British Guiana Theatre
Guild to visit with us and share some of his knowledge about theatre arts. Our invitation was accepted and Ken Corsbie spent over an hour with the group, delivering what was a most inspiring and informative talk on Theatre Arts. During the early years of Guyana’s independence,
there have been many very talented Guyanese actors and actresses attached to the Theatre Guild. They include Ken Corsbie, Carlotta Croal, Wilbert Holder, Vidnauth Mohabeer, Clairmonte Taitt, Ricardo Smith, Eileen MacAndrew, Mark Matthews, Robert Naraine, John Agard, Lor-
na Lampkin, Lawrence Thompson, Claude Vieira, Aileen Morgan, Patricia Gomes, Maurice Braithwaite, Patricia Cameron, Eugene Williams, Henry Muttoo, Beverley Rodrigues, and Pauline T h o m a s , w h o re c e n t ly celebrated her 100th. birthday in Canada. Ken Corsbie was involved with all of them in an array of plays over the years. During its heyday, there were as many as six major productions staged at the Playhouse annually. These
productions were arguably of the standard of Broadway in New York or the West End in London, England. It is apt to mention that some were from other Caribbean countries, the USA, Canada, and the UK, who were members of the Theatre Guild of the day. One of the most respected and beloved, was Englishman Frank Thomasson who worked on many of the productions in which Ken Corsbie was also involved. Corsbie is multi-talented as an ac-
tor, storyteller, dancer, director, set designer, writer, producer, organiser, and broadcaster. Not forgetting his early years as a sportsman. In fact, many fans both at home and abroad who know him and his Theatre track record of over 70 years, consider Ken Corsbie as Guyana and the Caribbean’s quintessential veteran theatre celebrity, with broadcasting and sports as the icing on the cake of his body of work.
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Phagwah during the ... FROM PAGE III the pandemic. In Region Two, several mini chowtaal samelans were held at Queenstown, Cotton Field, Adventure, and Aurora. Chowtaal has fostered togetherness and unity over the years and is usually sung in a circle with at least 20 persons. However, this year the circle was reduced and sound systems will be used. Many individual Mandirs have continued the traditions by moving around their villages in small groups, singing and fostering the spirit. However, stops will not be made to smear each other as the tradition usually goes. Phagwah Day On the day of Phagwah, mandirs will be having short services with less than 40 percent of its usual population. A simple service will be conducted and instead of smearing the powder, water guns will be used. Perfumes
will also be used as the festival signals the beginning of spring and the unison of various scents from flowers. During the evening, a limited number of persons will gather around the bonfire to witness the burning of “Holika.” This signifies Good over evil. For many traditions in Hinduism Holi celebrates the killing of “Holika” the sister of King Hiranyakaspu, who wanted to kill his son Prahalad. Prahalad was a true devotee of God Vishnu and as such, his father was not appreciative; instead, his father wanted him to worship him. Prahlad refused to let his father’s influence affect his devotion to Lord Vishnu hence the the King got angry and arranged to burn his son on the lap of his sister Holika, who had a saree that was immune to fire. But instead, the sister was burnt to ashes and Prahalad was saved by God. “In years to come, we will remember how we celebrated Phagwah 2021, because we are asked to sit
Pandit Kaydar Persaud
Two Essequibians, Ravin Carrol and Ashti Kandie with their colourful faces
back and focus on the meaning than to be in crowds celebrating. It will end up being one of the more cherished memories,” Pandit said. The Ministry of Health has advised that during the festival, only 40 percent
crowd capacity is allowed. Socially distanced gatherings for the burning of Holika is allowed. They have advised that large Phagwah events involving hundreds or thousands of persons are not allowed.
Phagwah gatherings on trucks, canters, or other vehicles carrying alcohol are not allowed. Masks should be worn at all times and frequent hand-washing and sanitising should take place.
Members of the Sparta Mandir moving through the streets celebrating Phagwah 2020
CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 28, 2021
OH, MY KRISHNA, WHERE ARE YOU?
“Sone ki thaali main jona parosa Are, sone ki thaali main jona parosa Haan, sone ki thaali main jona parosa Are, khaye gauri ka yaar balam tarse rang barse Holi hai!!! O, Rang barse bheege chunar wali, rang barse...” SONGS, dances and colours as the Spring festival of Holi, flowed from temples, homes and onto the streets. It is also a celebration of good over evil, as told in Hindu texts, of Lord Krishna, the dark-skinned God; the flute player from whose enchanted lips flowed the sweetest music. The story of Holi had been told and retold by many writers, ageless in time. This is a story that takes you back to that time long ago of Gods and Goddesses, divinity, and the heart and soul of devotion. On this beautiful spring day, one devotee’s heart was not filled with happiness and joy for she could not hear the music from her loved one’s flute. Radha sat by the stream in the forest, alone and sad. Today she won’t be dancing to the drums and playing with the bright colours for her Krishna was not with her. “Oh, my Krishna, where are you?” she cried softly.
From a very young age, she had sung the praises of Lord Krishna, day and night, in reverence of her deep love and devotion and in her pure heart had lived a dream, to be betrothed to someone like her God. Last spring, on the day of Holi, the music of the flute that only she heard had led her to meet the one whom her heart had spoken for. But close to a year after their marriage, an unexpected disaster hit the family and much of their wealth was lost. Not wanting her to face struggles, he had left for a far-off land to another Kingdom so he could bring back riches for her. He wanted his wife to be like a Queen, and the temples must have marble floors for her bare feet to dance on. SEE PAGE XXIX
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phone or Sexual o phone? Assault and Mental Health
rom worried readers over excessive cellphone use. I few years ago, but I knew ing the social restrictions e in the number of social
my specialities is addiction pes. Today, I would like to ction, one that just like any omnia, loss of productivity f previously enjoyed activr phone? Particularly, your
e compulsively; I would say
LAST week I wrote about sexual harassment and I
every 10-15 minutes. I do not always know be what I’m looking losing your phone would be on a scale of 1-10. 98 percent thought it should separated from another serious for but I always look. My phone such aassault, normalboth partregrettably of my said 10 and 2 percent said 9. They all claimed that it would issue --is sexual prevalent life and so constantly in my within hand that cannot count the numour Isociety. be the worst material possession that they could ever lose. assault is in the more physical and refers ber of times I have searched forSexual it, while it was actually in mysenseThey continued to say that feelings of anxiety, irritation and to any inappropriate sexual contact without the given hand. The first thing I do when I get up in the morning and overwhelming sadness would be felt if they were to lose their consent of the victim. Common examples are unwanted the last thing I do before going to sleep is check my phone. I today. touching and groping to forcing the victim phone to perform decided that this wasn’t healthy done. also known sexualand actssomething such as oralmust sex orbe penetration, It seems harmless, right? Caring so much about a as found rape. To that be clear, rape iswere a termmore that legally, can onlyWell, this week I’ve been really paying attention I did some research and women phone? usedphones when there is penetration. It is also important likely to become addicted tobe their simply because men to the importance that I and others around me give to a are less likely to have social media apps. Also, older people phone, rather than what’s actually going on around them. are less likely to become addicted. I believe this is because Our phones -- whether we are speaking to other people, they do not know how to use smartphones (My father actually using social media or playing games -- can be addictive still uses a Nokia). as they alter our moods, beliefs and trigger enjoyable I asked some of my colleagues and friends how bad and unenjoyable feelings. Apart from obviously being my main source of communication, my phone is my newspaper, watch, alarm, map, recorder, day planner, calendar, camera, music player, calculator, a weapon (sometimes) and my friend when I’m bored or lonely- basically everything. However, it isforcing also my constant interrupter to note that someone doesn’t always haveand to be physical. Someone emotionally threaten distractor. I (I imagine muchcanlike most of manipulate, you out there) coerceto another to perform act on. and it have a deep or desire knowindividual everything thata issexual going will still be considered assault. I believe that is human nature. But when does it become Sexual assault can happen to anyone, by anyone. Meantoo much? ing, a victim can be sexually assaulted or raped by strangWell, I believe it’sfriends, too much whenor iteven haspartners. a name. ‘No- a ers, their neighbours Actually, problem is that people the who fear were of or are being mophobia’ is serious the term coined tomost describe being sexually assaulted were/are done by someone they know. without a mobile phone. Seriously, whatsohave we come to? This makes it that much harder to come forward and share It becomes antheaddiction when the object begins to control truth. While most perpetrators are men, men are often your life and victims interferes with your daily of sexual assault as well.activities, work, and relationships. I Sexual read somewhere that biggest obstacle assault results in a “The wide range of both physical and mental issues. Even if it happens in childhood, the aefto productivity is connectivity,” but overuse can affect fects follow one throughout life and have impacts that may lot more than our productivity. The truth is, overuse of our initially not even be personally visible. Most victims that phones can harm us psychologically, socially andorphysically. I speak to, whether it happened recently over 15 years With regard affecting socialofskills, howwhich many of us ago,tohave weekly our flashbacks the assault negatively day conversation and interrupts their sleep. Sexual miss out on aimpacts joke ortheir good as we were onassault our results in low self-esteem and low self-confidence, shame, phones? How many times have we annoyed our good friend isolation, severe we guiltwere or even denial.on It social damages current or family member because posting media and future relationships as the victims lose trust, respect how much funandwefaith areinhaving with them? It trulyThis affects our others and even themselves. then results in tremendous loneliness and feelings of helplessness. The assault, whether severe or not, can result in many mental illnesses -depression, anxiety, Post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse disorders, self-harm behaviours and suicidal thoughts and behaviours to name just a few. Issues with sleeping and night terrors are also quite common. Of course, all the above can result in a lack of productivity and efficiency, which means that the victim tends to lose employment or even drop out of school after the assault. Of course, the damage is more severe if the assault is committed by someone who is known to the victim -- a friend or family member who remains in their life. For children, incest –- which means someone in the immediate family, is the most common type of sexual assault. Many who experience sexual assault also experience physical injuries. The most common include tearing, bleeding, bruising, broken bones or infections. In other cases, victimsus may become pregnantit.orAbecome infected with relationships the without even realising common thing STDs, HIV or AIDS. Keep in mind, that if emotionally that some of us (yes, myself included) do as well is to be on coerced, some victims may have sustained no injury at our phone when we are left alone in a public setting-- just out all-- believe them anyway if they open up to you. of sheer discomfort. stopsthe other people engaging After This the assault, victim tends tofrom develop unhealthy with you. views of sex. They may shy away from it completely or be quite promiscuous and often engage in sexual activity. There myths about sexual assault thatof should Now, what areare thea few psychological implications be cleared up. cellphone overuse? MythSexual assault cannot be committed by a partner or spouse. If the had on an our orgasm that means they This is done Mythmainly by victim our apps phone than the SEE PAGE XIX phone itself. Social media apps such as Snapchat and Insta-
gram are associated with bullying, privacy violations, stress
CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 28, 2021
Sexual Assault and... FROM PAGE XVIII wanted it, enjoyed it and it was not assault. Myth- People who are sexually experienced cannot be victims of sexual assault. Myth- If someone has consented once, that means they automatically consent again. Myth- Sexual assault is rare and hasn’t happened to anyone else around you. These myths are a big reason why victims do not come forward. Other reasons may be: Embarrassment, confusion, fear or the dread of thinking that no one will believe them or even worse, blame them. Because of society’s view, it is common for the victim to blame themselves - thinking they did something to cause, allow or even deserve the assault. There have been too many times when I heard, “but why she out so late?” or “her skirt was very short.” I cannot even believe I have to say this but a person’s dress, location nor persona is an invitation or excuse for violation. There are some things that we as a society can do to help our victims. Believe and help them when they are strong and brave enough to speak out. Avoid using trigger words facetiously. For example, I have heard some people use language like, “that exam raped me.” It is very dangerous to use language so freely, not knowing who around you has suffered an assault. Offer unwavering support to those who have been assaulted and do not participate in victim-blaming. Most importantly, if you see someone in a compromising position, step in and do SEE PAGE XXI
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Adjusting to the FROM PAGE II
many challenges due to COVID-19 pandemic. All dance classes had to be cancelled as quarantine began and it was also around the prepa-
ration for their annual Phagwah Mela and Bazar. The group was very disappointed given the hours of practice and effort each dancer would have dedicated. Adjusting to social dis-
tancing and other adherences of COVID-19 was not easy for the group. Nonetheless, there was always hope. Currently, due to the increased rates of covid-19 cases in the country, it is physically
impossible for the group to host their annual Phagwah Mela and Bazar for the year 2021 as well. The group explained that being dancers and having to entertain a crowd is one of the greatest feelings. However, things are done a lot differently ever since the pandemic started. There are more and more virtual concerts being held now. This can be a good thing as it helps to keep the culture alive. However, it does not have the same feeling as performing in front of a physical audience. The group explained to the Pepporpot Magazine that some of their goals in-
clude striving for greatness. By raising awareness about this form of the Indian culture, it allows Guyanese to hold dancing to a higher standard When askedwhat their plans for the future were, the Golden Om Dharmic Youth Group expressed that: “Moving forward, taking everything that is currently happening with great caution, we have re-commenced our dance classes with all COVID-19 protocols in place. However, classes are not held as often, only once a week, on Sundays at 15:00hrs, at the Reliance Veda Centre. We hope to share more of our art forms with more per-
sons interested in dancing and having them a part of our dance group,” one group member said. “In the near future we plan to have more video productions on our social media platforms since physical shows are not possible at the moment. Additionally, we plan to construct wardrobes to store our dance costumes very neatly. Some other plans we hope to achieve include, to do some workshops on dancing at different locations or online; collaborating with other dance groups and also raising awareness on mental health through our language of dancing.”
CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 28, 2021
Sexual Assault and... FROM PAGE XIX something about it. For those who have experienced sexual assault, know your triggers and try to avoid them as much as possible. Start a support group with others that may have experienced the same assault-- trust me, they are out there. There are also these organisations to call and or go in if you have ever experienced sexual assault. 1. Help and Shelter- Homestretch Avenue, Durban Park. 225-54731/ 227-8353 2. Ministry of Social Protection – East Bank Team- 227-0137 - Georgetown- 227-4082/ 225-1117 3. Guyana Responsible Parent Association (GRPA) – 70 Quamina Street, South Cummingsburg. 225-53286/ 225-0739 Thank you for reading and please send in any topics to caitlinvieira@gmail.com. If you would like personal counselling sessions, please contact me at +592 623 0433 Suicide Prevention Helpline Numbers – 223-0001, 223-0009, 623-4444 or 600-7896 Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always!
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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 28, 2021 Aretha Murray’s hardware and variety store
Wisroc Village
has been put on hold. “I started this business since 2017 because there was no such business in this area and it has become a place where villagers could come and get any little thing reasonably priced and I also provide employment for one person in the community as a small business,” she said. The teacher stated that the people in the village support the business fully and for that she is grateful and they live well among each other. She would make wholesale purchases in the city at least once a month to stock up on supplies and replenish goods for the store.
Murray is attached to the New Silver Hill Secondary School and has been instrumental in both face-to-face schooling and virtual learning since the pandemic, a year ago when schools were closed. She stated that on Mondays she would host the online sessions with her students and on Thursdays and Fridays, she goes to school to mark worksheets and attend meetings. “In the virtual learning a lot of students claim they do not have internet access, so that prevents them from the zoom and Google classes and only about seven to nine students participate in the
online sessions,” she said. In addition, the bandwidth for the internet is very poor and unreliable, so that also poses a problem for virtual learning. As for the worksheets distributed, only some students would complete it, although there are about 26 to 30 students in her class. Murray explained that some students haven’t been responding to any form of teaching and whenever school re-opens, a lot of them who have attained the age of 16 will not return and it is a sad prospect. She is advocating that an ICT hub be installed in the village for the ben-
SEE PAGE XII
CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 28, 2021
Serving the ... FROM PAGE VIII ters would return to her homeland twice a year and visit her home village of McKenzie, Linden and would bring even more books for the library. Grant-Campbell added that she enjoyed working at the library and especially liked interacting with people, who visited the facility. She stated that the Stacey Walters Library is under-utilised, even though it has internet-ready computers for research and other educational purposes. The Stacey Walters Library opened its doors in 2006 after it was built and fenced. The Wisroc community at Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) on November 11, 2018, benefitted from an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) hub. It is located in the Stacy Walters’ Library; this hub is equipped with 10 laptop computers and Internet access. However, while such hubs are usually placed in government-owned buildings, calls have been made for collaboration with non-governmental organisations so as to take the service to more communities. Back then, the owner of the Stacey Walters Library, overseas-based Guyanese Ingrid Walters, stated that she is pleased to have the ICT hub in her building. The library is utilised mainly by residents of Wisroc.
XXIII Retired football coach Reginald Campbell
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THE SEAWALLS HAPPY PHAGWAH TO ALL! FOREVER!
REVISITING THE GUYANA/ VENEZUELA CONTROVERSY SOON TO COME BEFORE THE ICJ
THE Guyana/Venezuela controversy will again shortly and discussions where factual bases invariably become come up before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). blurred. In Guyana, most oflie thedeep writings the controversy have In thisisoffering, we will depart this with normseashells and try to THE Seawalls in theon consciousness of Guyanese today rather muddy was oncefrom covered and beenpeople, of a historical and factual nature and this a good questions have been asking theup the sun had risen. but especially Georgetowners. Yet itis has rarelyanswer theretwo would alwaysthat be many children exploring and since picking is the Venezuelan public sowere convinced they On moonlit nights the Seawalls always athat crowded thing, since the Guyanese of theoftwo Guyanese fishing boats inthey Guyana’s terribeen noticed by the newspublic mediaare andnot the encouraged last time it wasseizure seashells different colours; sometimes may find large is, why have a valid claim to two-thirds of Guyana’s territory and promenade. Many went to socialise with friends, but all went mentioned as an item into of national concern was five or sixtorial conch shells. to move their attention the realms of arguments waters by a Venezuelan navy ship. The first question why their politicians are so bellicose and aggressive about years ago when the Ocean overtopped the wall and flooded The foreshore or continental shelf gradually rises and falls to enjoy the beauty of the moon rising from the sea and the claim? moonlight And the second is, why did there President blue-green whichquestion was brighter, since were the yards parallel to the Public Road. This was the first every 20 years and today, the foreshore land between Camp this Maduro of Venezuela choose this time to seize thevarious boats time in living memory that there was such an occurrence Street and the Pegasus Hotel has almost risen to the height of no road lights to dilute it. Others would enjoy the he would the Guyanese phasesheofknew the New Moon alienate with the background of population purple skies and it led to great panic. The authorities hurriedly con- the wall and coconut trees and other vegetation grow on it. when and cause the international community to condemn or embellished with thousands of stars which appear structed a barrier of standing concrete disapprove of his action, leaving Venezuela isolated interbrighter since there were no city lights. Others slabs on the Walls to counter such overtopnationally on the issue. would go to the Seawalls in the late afternoons to ping. In the last few weeks, the Seawalls The answer to the sunsets first question began during theinto Cold admire gradually transforming the have again featured in the news, but in a light ofof dusk. War: At theblue beginning the 1960s Britain had decided to happier vein. joysthe of colony the Seawalls were the withdraw fromAnother Guyana of andthe grant independence, From Camp Street to the Demerara River, earlylikely evening concerts givenof bythe the newly Militia but it was very thatSunday the Prime Minister the wall had become disfigured by an accuBand and the Police Band at the Bandstand which independent state would be Dr Cheddi Jagan, an avowed mulation of unsightly garbage and no one attracted hundreds of people. Their repertoire conMarxist. U.S. Cold War interests tried to persuade Britain assumed the responsibility of cleaning it. A PHAGWAH is the most ancient music festival celebrated inand sisted ofindependence, light classical as Strauss’ to delay Guyana’s but allsuch that Britain could homeless man, Carl Melville, who sometimes Guyana, since itswaltzes, origin could be dated some years ballet music such Delibes’ pizzicato slept there was noticed by Dwayne Hackett promise wasother that she would hand over power to5000 a non-Comago. Like all such ancient festivals, many layers of traandMinister. Sylvia, atAmerican least one English patriotic song such trying to clean the garbage and immediately munist have Prime Intelligence feltpassing that this ditions become embedded in it with the asneeded “This royal throne of Kings” and Guyanese and volunteered to help him. Hackett placed the British offer further insurance and so they devised of the centuries and folk Phagwah is rich in Caribbean songs. Theparticularly concerts were arranged incident on social media and immediately a plan whereby their client Venezuela would threaten such traditions. It has a purely celebratory strand as ato for early evening so that children could attend; numbers of persons volunteered their services. Spring Festival and a New Year Festival. As a Spring many Guyanese in later life have admitted that their First Lady Arya Ali was one of the first to Festival, people would have reaped their crops and are exposure to classical music waseconomic from these volunteer and the Ministry of Public Works, preparing tofirst sow again, thus ensuring their Bandstand concerts. the Director of Solid Waste Department of the well-being for the next year. As a new year celebration, On Easter Monday of kite-flyers Georgetown City Council and the Fire Service it marks a new beginning with newthousands life and energy. The from five o’clock in the morning. Kites became involved with her. The Fire Service Iranian Newturned Year, out Now Roz, comes about the same time all of hand-made andlunar were in a variety shapes cleaned the bandstand and in a few days all the as Phagwah,were both which are holy days.ofThen such and as boxes, birdsstrand and snakes, but the garbage was removed and Seawalls appeared there is a moral religious teaching thatpredomevil, inant shape was the Guyanese octagon and in a as if they had always been maintained! Many no matter how powerful, will eventually be eliminated. of acolours. Singing a kite which have been high in their praises of this example And lastly, variety there is political strandengines, that condemns made a loudthat droning sound, waspeople one ofasthe most in popular. oppress their shown the of civic responsibility. Likewise, the sea has reclaimed the land along the Kitty Sea- governments Kite-flying wasKasipu always combined withAll picnicking. The Easter of Hiranya and Rawan. these traditions The Seawalls had always been the promenade and park for wall where houses once stood. Indeed, a substantial building case kite-flying is asopale reminiscence of thecelebrations heyday. strands today become fused in the modern the people of Georgetown and the surrounding villages from is still standing close to the wall near the Kitty Pump Station, and As mentioned above, the political tensions and criminality as to be indistinguishable. the last quarter of the 19th century and continued to be so until but the sea is under it. Old fishermen who set their nets on of Phagwah We people will touch the the story of King Kasipu. kept awayonfrom Seawalls in Hiranya the 1960s. By the the 1960s when the country became plagued with political ten- the foreshore sea could vividly describe the cyclical rise and invade Guyana if there wasstable any possibility of a Marxist He practised extreme religious penance or Tapasya which 1990s life had become more and people again began to sion and there were robberies on the Seawalls. For most of the fall of the beach. government installed inambience Guyana. the recognition of God he was offered three boons. frequent the being Seawalls, but and the had changed. There 1960s, therefore, fewer and fewer people visited the Seawalls. The Seawalls provided a favourite place for health en- won Theup1899 Award the boundaries of chose never to be the killed byhad man or Public animal; never stallsArbitral lining parapet ofsettled the Road fromtothe In its heyday, the Seawalls were the most delightful place thusiasts. Many would go there to practise deep breathing of Hegrew Guyana and Venezuela and these boundaries were fully be killed by night or day, and never to be killed anywhere in Georgetown. The vast openness of the seascape and the the clean and fresh sea breezes. Others would be cycling or Kitty Pump Station to the Pegasus, selling refreshments and accepted bystalls bothbecome parties and the communiHe had immortal and developed into a allearth. of these were well-lit. TheInternational character of the Seawalls surrounding landscape, the blue skies and silver clouds, the even training for cycle races. Probably the most notable were on ty. One of the junior lawyers representing Venezuela megalomaniac where he felt he was God. He ordered allat had changed from a peaceful promenade to a lively fair. ever-present seagulls and the steady flow of the health-giving the ones who went for physical culture. Many of this group his subjects to worship him as God on the pain of death ifthe the arbitration, MalletPrevost, left a letter that was not Now that the tourism industry is being revived, trade winds and the enveloping peace and quietude attracted would go to the Seawalls by either jogging to get there or by they did not. to have been opened until after his death. In that letter, hundreds of people at all times of the day. The beach which cycle and they would arrive there at 5 o’clock, long before Seawalls still offer an attractive attraction. youngthat son the Prahalad refused to worship as God heHis claimed Arbitral Award was the him result of an and continued to worshipBritain Lord Vishnu. King arbitrator was fuarrangement between and the The Russian rious and decided to have him killed. After He, more therefore, to deprive Venezuela of its rights. than built half a acentury, huge pyre and had his sister Holika whom fire could not Venezuela, based on Mallet-Prevost’s posthumous harm sit on the pyre with Prahalad on her lap and then lit letter, now rejected the Arbitral Award and claimed twothe flames. When the conflagration subsided, Holika was thirds of Guyana’s territory. Mallet-Prevost’s posthumous burnt to ashes but Prahalad was unharmed. Thus the festiletter was the causus Venezuela used to threaten Guyana val is also called ‘Holi.’ The King was furious and visited From Page III andmain this temple continued after thewhether Cold War, raison d’etre for the to ascertain thethe congregation was the claim, had ended. worshipping him and as he strutted about shouting, if there timate for that area and zone in the village. “So we several short documentaries Mostother lawyers and he, historians whocome tookand anyengage notice was any God than let that God in the space of 18 months, will work with the villagers called the “Secret Life of of Mallet-Prevost’s letter dismissed as a historical him. In so doing, he slashed one of the itcolumns of the some 33 Giant Anteaters to create certain rules and Giant Anteaters” and each curiosity very flimsy on Lord whichVishnu to attempt temple withorhis sword and evidence as he did so, in theto were identified. help them to know what they episode focuses on different upset a long-accepted Arbitral Award. But the Venezuelan Outar or form of a man-lion, later known as Narsimha or According to Millar, re- should and should not do. For aspects of the work being politiciansemerged and theand Venezuelan public gave Hiranya credenceKaand Narsingh, immediately attacked searching the animals includ- example, no one is allowed done. Two more episodes are sipu. In the struggle, they fell on the steps of the letter, templewhich and importance to Mallet-Prevost’s posthumous ed going out on horseback to kill them, keep them as a expected to be released this Narsingh managed grab hold in of the raised would have beentodismissed the king’s modernthroat, world. But and following them from a pet, destroy their habitat, and month. him the ground and throttled Kasipu the off Venezuelan politicians and him. publicHiranya still live in thewas 19th distance to be able to stock light a fire in certain places, The team also does a lot thus killed neither byworld man nor animal, was suspended off century Napoleonic where territorial conquests were up on more scientific infor- so that we can further protect of awareness work, including the earth and since it was dusk, it was neither night nor day. regarded as acceptable and even heroic. In today’s world, mation. One of the things the population.” environmental education. people of ethic the kingdom into spontaneous thisThe 19th-century has been broke completely rejected. they discovered is that the The SRCS has been They have another project for celebration, merging their Spring festival and New The Guyana/Venezuela controversy has beenYear an celalbaanimals love to climb trees. granted two years of addi- which they have designed an ebrations, joyously sprinkling each other with coloured watross around the necks of Venezuelan politicians, since they “Everyone across the tional funding from the Small environmental education curter and feasted together, ushering in the modern Phagwah. use it on each other and their public has them imprisoned Rupununi assumed it was Grants Programme Guyana riculum that has so far been The other strong Phagwah tradition in Guyana is by lighting it. the of diyas or small earthenware lamps in evjaguars when they saw huge to expand the project to three implemented in four schools The Venezuelan of theThe twoking Guyanese fishing ery home and along seizure every path. of Ayodhya scratch marks on trees, but more communities, namely in the Rupununi and come boats and President Maduro’s threatening to Guyana had three sons from three queens. Thewords eldest, Lord now we know that it could’ve Shulinab Village, Wariwau this September, depending was meant create a national the opposition Rama, was to heir to the throneissue but which the second queen been the anteaters, because Outstation, and Sawariwau on the coronavirus pandemic, has to support. The opposition is thus brought under Madour research shows that they Village. will be implemented to 12 uro’s umbrella and is temporarily neutralised. love to climb trees,” Millar The SRCS uses the fund- other schools. A decision by the ICJ would be in both countries’
Research work helping curb...
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CHRONICLEPEPPERPOT PEPPERPOT――Sunday, Sunday,February March 28,28, 2021 CHRONICLE 2021
ON THE AWARENESS OF THE AESTHETIC AND THE SUBVENTION TO CULTURAL THE ‘BEING’ OF OUR YOUNG NATION Part II
INDUSTRY PRACTITIONERS- 2017-2021
IT started with the late, collection of hobbyists or then Minister of Edu- promoters with part-time cation Deryck Bernard involvement in what they in 1992, inspired by the do. Rather, any external ‘Shadow of the Jaguar’ occupations attached to and materialised in 2017 what they do, are supafter consultations with plementing the economic the Finance Minister, the restrictions imposed by Hon. Winston Jordan. The the inherent administralobby required several tive fossilised loyalty to documents arguing the what business constitutes case that the management as, ‘only that’ inherited of talent and creativity from our colonial past, had already led to em- with no concept vision ployment, though stymied that independent nations by a lack of knowledge, need to expand their ecoIN concluding discussion, nomic which threshold. is intendedPerhaps to raise awareness andthis compoundquestions within the reader and inspire responsible actions ed by misconceived official in asking to participate among those that acquire decision making positions or are biases.there, It is we necessary to inatguiding thewithout objectives already cannot arrive a sensible conemphasise the citand for the subvention, siderations in that retrospect. So inof a brief flashback, we must izenry that under which I was not allowed to recognise, what falls we have lost to our physical memory referthe archive, headingand of use ‘Cultural be part of, ence this as inspiration, to Ibeshould able tohave raise a Industries’ natural alarm, connection to the aesthetic sensitivity (CI) aare not a requested that it was in the
alerting us to the fact that we need to have a historical memory in respect to our surroundings, as buildings, landscapes and architecture are inherent of memories in both the conscious and subconscious awareness. We have to become other than people who occupy a geographic space on this planet, and relate to what is the necessary thinking that will enable us to address from the now onward what is significant to telling our stories, especially stories important to our timelines. When we became independent, the euphoria of self-governed nationhood intoxicated us, it had its grounds for intoxication alongside sober examination. We did not make the observation that all around us within the borders of countries we still held controlled admiration for, had retained the edifices of past times. Our own coloniser England never dismantled Hadrian’s Wall. In more ways than one, from previous colonisers and also from despised local leaders, they kept the memory for reflection, in our Caribbean, Christophe’s spectacular fortress of defence in Haiti will remain, regardless of his history. Europe with the obvious white supremacy that emerged with colonisation did not destroy the sculptures of Afro-European Knights, artworks and literature that spoke of, or alluded to the African presence in a much older Europe, of course, they didn’t in-depth celebrate them either, and also hid their identities with new portraits and in movies. Where we erred in Guyana was not to use the structures that became available with the decline of trademark services like the Trains, to build museums dedicated to that part of our historical memory. Why preserve the physical imagery of the past? Simple, our ancestors lived it, for the historian, the creative mind, the investigative journalist, the physical location is important. The development of museums was a continuous peeve of the late Dr. Dennis Williams, who had identified Five Museums to be built, he insisted that a marine museum would have been a must. I can now imagine a display of the ship’s kitchen on Lady Northcourt with its cook, the portrait of indifference ‘John’, ‘keep away from John’s kitchen, and why?’ A caption should read before this rude faced ship’s cook made of papier máché –“whose kitchen lay beneath a toilet, from which water dripped continuously, or so we were made See Page XIX
first context be transferred to whatever entity manages small and medium businesses; or in the second context, that an informed committee is developed to relate to the Department of Culture guided by eligible persons who are themselves practitioners of existing categories of Cultural Industries, to help establish the awareness for and of CI; to which with the former, the Small Business Bureau, comes to mind. But the errors of the past can be reflected upon as unfortunate, but will most likely need another lobby to remedy. The definition of the humanity involved in cultural
industries in every article needs to be defined, because as the saying goes, that to every innovative effort, idea or concept expressed, there are 1000 pointless critics, that will ignore the precedents surrounding them, who as the Frank Sinatra song ‘That’s Life’ implies, “some people get their kicks stomping on a dream.” Creative industries are restricted to those who conceive of original or unorthodox ideas in a variety of expressions and proceed to develop custom expressions, whether, it be design, manuscript, playwrights’, music sheet, songs, recipe, medical or industrial innovation, inherited healing formula, Cultural Dolls, video-board-games, Graphic arts, sculpture etc. Architectural and furniture design with distinctive originality; that can pass the test to acquire by merit, the prestigious but enviously not celebrated- Intellectual Property Rights, translatedpatent or copyright. Thus, the essence of the lobby is intended to support and help to develop the uncharted potential of that specifically creative or innovative niche of businesses. I had proposed an exhibition by applicants for the benefit of
parliament to coincide with the first expression of the ‘Subvention,’ but our politics cancelled that. Thus, I presume there is still work to be done towards affirming a catalogue of this section of small businesses, the Small Business Bureau, of which I’m a member, had begun this process; how far it’s gone, I’m not sure. From what we witness, experience and understand, most of our political and ethnic tensions are riveted on income-based situations, thus, even with oil, the challenge to escape the decline of mass employment old industries will increase, to ignore the other realities of skills and talents, and the observation of what other nations have done to employ, then market to other shores. Can you imagine that ‘Break Dance’ is a niche industry? With a global market projection, it’s now part-- in concept -- and imported methodology of interpretive dance and witnessed in some fitness programmes. The current subvention is still with the Ministry of sports and culture and is an extension-plus of the Hallmark 2017-19 initiatives, which the team had put together. But there needs to be a meet-
ing of talent and industry minds across the national landscape to determine how to identify potential and economic viability, where would markets lie and collaboration possibly exist, and also to determine the not-so-favourable realisation, of ‘ you’re recreating the wheel.’ But that should not halt the recognition of the solitary innovative aspirations of citizens, to bridge the gap with invisibility and replace the void since independence with “let’s talk, lemme hear you” on a safe platform of course. I must add for those few Guyanese who use the Library of Congress in Washington to copyright their IPR items, that due to COVID-19, a new requirement is in place. All work published or in manuscript form (for writers, artists, designers etc.) are required to file with costs on the relevant forms as a PDF item, of said unpublished work, then must be accompanied for published work a hard copy. I use FEDEX- an expensive but reliable process. We must understand that as long as we remain in the cultural consciousness of Guyanese, ours is a continuous struggle.
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EARTH HOUR – THROUGH THE EYES OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER
DURING my stint at the then Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, I was invited by a colleague to an event one Saturday which would take place at the local WWF office. After a fast-food binge, I headed over to the WWF office which was located on Irving Street to see a small
gathering – some persons on blankets on the ground, others in chairs swaying to a cover of Redemption Song by Bob Marley on guitar. Throughout the evening there were varying pieces of performing art that spoke to the need for environmental protection. I left the event feeling re-
freshed and feeling even more motivated to work harder to do my part to to bring awareness to issues that affect our home planet and working with groups and individuals on solutions. As I continued my career in environmental awareness and education, I’ve
had the pleasure to see the observance of Earth Hour in Guyana grow from an intimate gathering to a massive Lights Out Concert in the National Park, and even branch out to include activities in Linden and Bartica. Earth Hour now includes pre-day events that raise awareness to target groups and incorporating social media. As with most public events, the Lights Out Concert has been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic for the second year. While I will miss taking my children to enjoy the skits, dances, and other items prepared by the EPA and other organisations, there are many ways that we can celebrate Earth Hour even beyond the day itself. While Earth Hour started out with the symbolic lights out at 8:30pm on the last Saturday in March, it has been extended to include simple acts that we as individuals, and meaningful, progressive gestures that businesses and governments can implement to turn the tide on climate change, biodiversity loss, and other environmental problems. By the time you read this article, we would have already celebrated Earth Hour in Guyana, and my family I hope would have come away with a deeper appreciation for our planet as we watched one of the Our Planet films on Netflix. If by chance you missed the interviews leading up to Earth Hour and didn’t switch off your non-essential lights yesterday, here’s a few simple things you can do (which I practise) for 60+ Beyond Earth Hour: * Eat less meat – the production of meat requires
vast amounts of land and water, which more often than not involves deforestation, habitat loss, and contributes to global climate change. * Opt for reusable items – from straws to shopping bags, making the switch to everyday reusable items can make a big difference as plastic pollution becomes more prevalent. * Conserve water and electricity (at home and in the office) – not only does this mean less pressure on the systems that produce both utilities, it will mean more money in your wallet. For more information on Earth Hour, visit https:// www.earthhour.org/newin-2021 An account of Aretha Forde, Environmental Officer – Communications Department You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O ECEA Programme, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 28, 2021
A housewife should not be subjected to servitude in Guyana AS a young woman in Guyana, many traditional stereotypes and roles are expected of me. I am not a poster child of decorous. Of course, that is often met with disgust at the tongues of traditional thinkers. I grew up in rural Berbice. The majority of my childhood friends are preparing themselves for marriage—if they aren’t already married. There’s nothing wrong with that, but when you’re forced or coerced to only fit the title of becoming a man’s wife (nothing more, nothing less) for the rest of your life, then it’s a problem for me. Being a “housewife” in Guyana has its unwritten rules and meanings and we’re so used to this being the “norm”, many Guyanese women end up believing this is the one and only option available for them. From cleaning the house, cooking the food, doing the laundry, birthing children and caring for them and the elderly; their hands are tied. Girls are usually groomed and moulded from a young age to perfect these tasks. While some women are faced with subtle jokes and jabs, others are faced with harsh, abusive undertones, or even abuse itself. In Guyana, there’s the popular “round roti” joke, but when you observe this from a professional standpoint, it adds to an existing issue our women are faced with every day. Some women are laughed at or humiliated but for others, their spouses will abuse them simply for not completing certain chores. While we’re speaking about chores, let’s add “sexual chores” to the mix. After a long, hard day in the house, completing the chores and taking care of the children, she then has to perform her sexual obligations for her husband. In this modern era, more and more women are going out into the world of work. Often, this does not exclude these women from their “traditional” roles. They have to work and also take care of the house. You’d find that many of these working women are under a lot of pressure because they have to wake up at least three hours before their working hours to get these tasks done. By the time it’s time for work, the food is cooked and the house is cleaned, but that woman is also exhausted to her core before her day even begins. All in all, I understand that not every Guyanese
will have this mindset about housewives and not every housewife is treated in this manner. Nonetheless, we still cannot deny the fact that there are still women in our country who are stuck in situations like this—all in the name of “tradition.” I am not writing this article to exclude women from household responsibilities. Rather, I hope that husbands, partners, friends, families and the
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entire Guyanese society realise the social and physical pressure housewives are faced with. We can take the first step to help them by sharing the labour load around the house. Housewives should not be subjected to servitude. They are not only our mothers, sisters, daughters and wives—they are so much more. Give them the break they deserve already.
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Wisburg Secondary School .... FROM PAGE X
ulum activities which were introduced to keep students occupied via sports activities and golf and table tennis was launched. She stated that due to the pandemic these activities have been cancelled and their once vibrant farming going to waste with just 15 pumpkins remaining while, they have just about a dozen pigs and the poultry aspect has been put on hold, as well. Michael-Joseph reported that she joined the teaching profession in 1993 after completing the school system she was asked by a retired headteacher to teach Craft in school because she had attained a distinction in Craft and from then she never looked back because she realised she really liked the profession. She went to Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and then to the University of Guyana (UG) to fully qualify and she would teach eight to 12 periods per week at Wisburg Secondary School health/family life, food and nutrition, health, family resource and management. Michael-Joseph is originally from Parika, East Bank Essequibo but her parents relocated to Linden for work and they settled in an old, mined out area surrounded by hills and valleys called Green Valley, a place with about 200 residents. After marriage, which was recently, she moved to Amelia’s Ward but would visit her parents every day in Green Valley, a place that is so beautiful she finds peace and tranquillity there. She began teaching at Wisburg Secondary School in 2007 and in 2013 she became the Deputy Head Teacher and was later confirmed as Head Teacher. Mayor of Linden Waneka Arrandell is a Social Studies teacher at the Wisburg Secondary School, a facility that has grown over the years academically and is the winner of many awards which decorates the Head Teacher’s office because of its multi-talented students, who have excelled in many aspects of debating, dancing, stage shows, singing, sports and academics.
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OH, MY KRISHNA, WHERE ... FROM PAGE XVII
How could her Krishna not know, she wondered, that she could be a queen without riches, that his love was worth more than precious stones, and when her feet danced for the Gods, the dust felt like marble. She closed her eyes and whispered a prayer, “Please Lord, send my Krishna back to me.” “Radha,” her mother called to her, “Will you come now, it is time for your offering at the temple.” Radha splashed some water on her face and rose, smoothing back her long black tresses, sadness glinting in her brown eyes. “He will come back,” her mother gently assured her, “For how long can he stay without his Radha?” She smiled just a little for those comforting words and made her way to the temple as the festivities continued, with sweet delicacies, laughter and fun. She had danced all night last Holi for her Krishna, unspoken words of sublime love in God’s name, but not tonight, at least not yet. Night came and the tempo of the drums and festivities began to slow as the hour became late. Radha still hadn’t heard the flute. She decided to stay in the temple all night to await his return, the candle of hope in her mind, staying lit and not flickering. Then as the night became quiet, in her subconscious mind, from somewhere far away, she heard him call her name, “Radha.” Her eyes flew open and swiftly she rose to her feet and looked around expectantly, but there was no one. She inhaled deeply, the ache in her heart bringing tears to her eyes, then she heard the flute playing softly, as though coming from a far way. It grew more distinct and Radha, joy in her heart, ran down the temple steps, her feet barely touching the dusty ground, all the way through the forest by the stream where she had first met him. She stopped and gasped in disbelief for he was not there, but someone else. The stranger was not darkskinned with long hair and princely looks. “This is not my Krishna, why did I hear the flute?” she whispered, fear creeping into her heart. The stranger smiled and took two steps towards her, but she stepped back, thinking to run, then he said, “Don’t be afraid,” and stepped aside so she could see what was behind him. Her Krishna was half lying by the stream, badly hurt, gasping her name. Radha ran to him, cradling his head in her lap. “What happened? Why are you this way?” “The riches he sought for you,” the stranger said, “was stolen on his way home by vicious thieves, but the promise he had made to you to return home gave him the strength to stay alive, so he could see you again.” “I do not want riches,” she said through tears, “Just your love, just to be close to you.” “I did not know how rich love could be,” he said weakly, “I won’t leave you ever again.” “Your prayers have been answered Radha,” said the stranger, “For in your heart lives pure love and devotion.” She looked surprised as her husband sat up suddenly healed of his injuries, and as she watched the stranger walk away, she saw a most wonderful illusion of the Lord himself. She had asked him in prayers to bring her Krishna back to her and he did. She broke into tears, overcame by emotion and though it was late in the night, she danced in the temple, in celebration of Holi. A dance of the Gods for her immortal Lord and her mortal companion, Krishna.
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HAPPY PHAGWAH... wished her son Bharat to succeed to the throne and so arranged for Lord Rama to be sent into exile for 14 years to the forests. It was while he was in the forests that his wife Sita was kidnapped by Rawan which led to a war with
Lanka, Rawan’s kingdom. Bharat was a man of moral purity and governed in Ram’s name and when he returned, the people celebrated by illuminating every town and village. Thus the tradition of diyas. Phagwah had long been
an inclusive festival in India where every caste, class, colour and even religion participated and when it arrived in Guyana, it immediately became an integrative force encompassing all races and religions. Though it became a public holiday after inde-
pendence, in colonial times, many businesses closed in honour of the day, including the sugar industry, the largest employer in the country. The story of its being designated a public holiday would be told in another offering of this column, since a few of our surviv-
FROM PAGE XXIV ing members were deeply involved in the creation of the new holiday structure which included the Hindu and Muslim holy days. The COVID-19 pandemic and its regulations have greatly constrained the celebrations, but the spirit of Phagwah still per-
vades and homes will still be illuminated, sweetmeats would be exchanged and meals provided for those in need. We wish our readers and the public in general a happy Phagwah and a new year when all your wishes would be satisfied.
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bruary 28, 2021
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training of Parliamentarians so that a semblance of decorum could be maintained in the National Assembly. It is envisioned that such training sessions would also help to guide the officials on proper parliamentary procedures. But also, these events should force us to reconsider what we expect and accept from our elected officials -- all of them-- while they discharge their responsibilities towards us. Are they articulating our collective values when they make racist, sexist, homophobic, and other derogatory statements?
Are they adequately representing us and our best interests at all times? I hope we can do better. If you would like to discuss this column or any of my previous writings, please feel free to contact me via email: vish14ragobeer@gmail.com
No ‘rang barse’ but still a time to reflect and celebrate
LAST Phagwah, both the COVID-19 pandemic and Guyana’s election epidemic placed a significant strain on the country’s development. The latter reopened wounds that, for decades, had not been allowed to heal sufficiently. This Phagwah, while we are (mostly) indoors, away from the COVID super-spreaders, we are confronted with the opportunity to learn and grow as a people. A few years ago, when I was still a baby reporter, I recall capturing a photograph of the former President David Granger and the current Attorney-General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall S.C., at the Indian High Commission’s Holi Day (Phagwah) celebrations. From a two-dimensional point of view, considering the composition of the photo, there was nothing spectacular about it; it was just a photo of the former President and the AG spreading the coloured Phagwah powder on each other’s faces. Yet, it was a photo that my former Editor-in-Chief (EiC) emphasised that I should include with my article. Then, I did not fully appreciate the significance of the photograph. Sure, I understood that it was a nice, light moment between the former President and the current AG -- both men who have been on opposing sides of the local political spectrum. But the illustration of celebrating each other’s culture -- despite political and even ethnic differences -- as part of the Guyanese identity escaped me then. In this space, before now, I’ve written about how easy it is to adopt the ‘colourblind’ mentality and try to erase the inherent differences in the hope of achieving a fundamentally misconstrued notion of ‘oneness.’ We should never aspire to repudiate race or ethnicity, but, instead recognise that we each contributed, in some way or the other, to forge our nation. And we each have a role to play in the continued efforts to develop our nation. I think the reasoning guiding my former EiC’s emphasis on that photograph is the same reasoning that guided my current EiC’s emphasis on illustrating political unity and solidarity in matters of national development, such as in Guyana’s case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the border controversy with Venezuela. Despite political differences, there are fundamental things that we must, as we SEE PAGE XXXIII
CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 28, 2021
No ‘rang barse’ but ... FROM PAGE XXXII
say colloquially, ‘hold one head’ on. There are still destructive perceptions that permeate our interactions with each other, resulting from political occurrences of the past and leading to an ingrained sense of mistrust among races and ethnicities, due to the tribal politics we have. There is also the intersection of class and gender that informs our respective outlooks. A year has passed and I don’t think that we have not made significant gains in fostering the elusive goal of national unity and harmony. Another Phagwah has come around and we have to ask ourselves if the jolly good time we have dousing each other with coloured water is enough ‘unity’ and ‘harmony’ for us. If it isn’t -- and it certainly isn’t enough for me -- our quest must be to understand what harmful perceptions exist, how our political landscape influences those perceptions, and how we can work on interrogating these. In short, that quest must be undergirded by efforts to acknowledge and celebrate our differences and not let them be a source of division. Despite my belief that significant gains have not been made, there have been attempts to create a better country for future generations. The University of Guyana (UG), for example, has begun a pragmatic approach geared at improving racial and ethnic relations through education. Following an unfortunate occurrence happening right on campus, the university crafted a ‘Human Relations’ course, expected to help students navigate ethnicity, race, and culture in Guyana, but also includes entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence, the history of Guyana, the geography of Guyana, and etiquette. The data or perception studies, are collected through pre-tests on the attitudes and behaviours of individuals before engaging the course content. Then, asking the same questions afterwards helps to illustrate how education has helped to shift negative, destructive stereotypes and beliefs. Last week, in observance of the International Day against Racism, UG also offered the course to members of the general public, free of cost. Though I had planned to, I was unable to sign up for this course. I imagine, however, that UG would be able to gather much-needed information from a wider cross-section of Guyana, as opposed to just its members. And this information could inform other interventions either from UG or otherwise. UG has stepped up and shown that Guyana’s national university, like all stakeholders, has an integral role to play in the interrogation of our mistrust of each other and in helping us to foster healthier interactions with each other. If you would like to discuss this column or any of my previous writings, please feel free to contact me via email: vish14ragobeer@gmail.com
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People and places .... FROM PAGE XI
Dr Jamaine Thomas (Carl Croker photos)
need for an extension of the building to accommodate patients especially when there is certain clinic days,” he said. He stated that the rehabilitation room has been inactive for the past three years. The Wisroc Health Centre was constructed in 2014 and presently additional resources is being sought to boost the services provided. Yvonne Hope, one of the oldest residents in Wisroc Yvonne Hope will be celebrating her 73rd birth anniversary in May and she is excited about that milestone. She is one of the respected elders in the community who is from Union, West Coast Berbice but settled in Linden when her husband moved there for work in the bauxite industry. The grandmother of five stated that after marriage to Lawrence Hope, he returned to Union Village to take her with him to Linden in 1969. She added that back then she was eager to start her married life and away she went leaving her home village and family behind but today, she is very happy to have her own home in Wisroc, a well-kept place with a yard of flowers, plants and a vegetable garden. The mother of five related that she lived a good life in Wisroc but her husband, Lawrence Hope passed away nine years ago, after having a stroke. Hope’s children are all grown and they have all moved out of the home and they have their own houses in Wisroc including, her engineer daughter.
Yvonne Hope, the village elder
SEE PAGE XLI
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Volunteerism is alive in ...
FROM PAGE IX who is expecting and the other teachers were also present to assist. “Teaching has been my goal since I was young, so I worked hard to attain the position I am in today and I am teaching at the same nursery school I attended as a child, but it was at a different location back then,” she said. Harry reported that the new Wisroc Nursery School was constructed in 1997 and she supervises eight teachers, who go to school three times per week to mark worksheets and do other things. The Wisroc Nursery School has eight teachers and four auxiliary staff members and the building is well-kept with organised classrooms and a lot of interactive concepts to engage the children. Harry stated that she would also make herself available at her home for face-to-face classes with children in different groups during the weekdays because some parents have reached out to her for help. It is free of cost and she would interact with seven children but at different occasions, and has all the sanitising aspects in place where face masks and hand-washing are mandatory. Harry is also a Sunday school teacher at her church, Faith Assembly of God and does some volunteering there as well. The Pepperpot Magazine met an auxiliary staff member of Wisroc Nursery School, Bernadette Foster, a very straightforward woman, who clearly enjoys her job at the school. She did not want to be photographed, but is very chatty and can give an accurate account of the history of the village and school. Foster revealed that the Old Wisroc Housing Scheme was established in 1975.
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Dribbling while asleep
MANY persons after awaking find that their pillow has a wet patch of saliva. Sometimes, the corners of their mouths have white deposits from dried saliva. The condition of dribbling or what Americans call drooling is often an embarrassing one. If it is found to be a problem what can one do about it? There are several groups of persons who suffer from the effects of chronic dribbling. The worst are those who dribble when awake and alert. These patients have neuromuscular control disorders that result in poor coordination of the swallowing mechanism. Generally, they suffer from cerebral palsy, mental retardation, cerebrovascular accidents (stroke) or Parkinson’s disease. Patients with chronic dribbling are affected both psychologically and physically. The social stigma of dribbling can have a profoundly negative psychological impact, especially in those patients with continuously wet clothing who must wear bibs or towels around their necks in public. There is also an economic impact. The patient, guardian, or nursing home requires additional personnel as well as time, to manage the additional clothing changes and medical problems that arise. Chronic dribbling causes loss of fluids, electrolytes (charged particles), and proteins as well as alterations in the skin around the mouth. The chronically moist skin may result in hygiene problems, excoriation and infection. The majority of persons who dribble do so when asleep. The salivary glands never really cease to secrete saliva. When we are awake, we swallow the small amount of saliva constantly secreted without being conscious of this action. But when asleep, the reflex action of swallowing does not always function effectively, and so the saliva escapes from the partially opened mouth. Three main factors are involved in the mechanism of dribbling in normal individuals. In the first place, the position of the head plays an important role. If in the horizontal position of slumber the nose is located on the same level or below the upper surface of the neck, the person may dribble. SEE PAGE XLII
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‘Break the stereotypes’ YOUNG UG graduate determined to rise above personal challenges and disappointments
“Break the stereotypes surrounding you whether it’s which community you come from, your family, academic level or just self-doubts, everything is possible once you’ve set your mind to it, believe it and you will achieve it.” These words were the advice from a young woman who knows all too well society’s misconceptions that often haunt residents of the community of Agricola, East Bank Demerara.
Tiffany Forrester graduated with an Associate Degree in Biology from the University of Guyana
At age 19, Tiffany Forrester is a small business owner, a part-time employee at Giftland and the epitome of determination to rise above despite hitting ‘rock bottom.’ Currently, she is celebrating her graduation from the University of Guyana with an Associate Degree in Biology. Already, she has eyes set on pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree and subsequent Master’s Degree in the same field of biology. One of seven siblings, Tiffany is from a single-parent household, having lost her father in 2009, when she was just seven years old. A tragedy that affected her deeply, Tiffany recalled how her father died on the spot when struck down by a drunk driver while crossing the East Bank Highway at the section popularly termed ‘Agricola road head.’ The family plummeted into financial hardships since Tiffany’s mother, a self-employed snackette operator, became the sole breadwinner. At the time, Tiffany attended a private sector and described the period as “tremendously challenging.” Tragedy and disappointments “I struggled for years after the passing of my father because I had lost my most important male figure, let’s all be honest: a girl needs her father when growing up teaching us right from wrong, doing things a mother simply can’t,” she reflected in an interview with this publication. Describing The Bishop’s High as her ‘dream school,’ Tiffany recalled her disappointment when she did not secure a spot there after completing primary education at the private ABC Academy. “I felt like I wasted my mother’s money, to be honest, but I know I had to change when I reached the secondary level,” she stated. SEE PAGE XL
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Tiffany is a 19-year-old small business owner of Agricola, East Bank Demerara
‘Break the ...
FROM PAGE XXXIX
At the North Ruimveldt Multilateral Secondary, Tiffany was successfully at the Caribbean Secondary Examinations Council (CSEC) exams in which she gained passes in eight subjects including six grade twos, one grade one and a grade three. Buoyed by her CSEC performance and convinced of a chance to pursue her ‘dream school,’ Tiffany applied for Sixth Form at Bishop’s. Turning devastation to win “I was certain I would get in, but I did not because of a particular subject. You could imagine how devastated I was. I then decided to apply to the University where I did my Associate Degree in Biology,” the young woman indicated. Although she found a liking to science at a young age, Tiffany said her passion for the field grew deeper with the passing of her father. The years went by quickly at UG, but not without the struggles as Tiffany joggled studies and work. It got so difficult on several occasions she thought of quitting, but reminded herself “quitters are never winners.” Looking back, she highlighted the disappointment of not getting into The Bishop’s High School as an inspirational change and a stepping-stone to climb higher in her academic pursuits. During the time, she gained a support system that included friends, who Tiffany termed as “amazing persons” who she “holds dear to heart.” At home, her mother remains Tiffany’s biggest source of inspiration. “When I talk about a role model, I’ll be portraying the image of my mother because she’s indeed a strong woman,” Tiffany declared. Giving back In August 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Tiffany started a small business, Elite Stationery, to provide families with stationery and supplies necessary for their children’s education and without having to “spend an arm and a leg.” “I want children to also have fun while learning without it seeming like punishment. The experience so far has been nothing but amazing, my loving customers always ensure to leave me reviews so I know if I did my job right,” the young entrepreneur noted. In the coming years, the young woman hopes to advance her career and holds dreams of having ‘MD’ added to her name. She also looks forward to helping others in need. “My advice to younger adolescents would be to take your education seriously, that’s the only tool nobody can take away from you,” Tiffany said.
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People and places FROM PAGE XXXIV
These days, Hope is contented caring for her flower plants and she would spend the entire morning just tending to them and would take a rest and after she would begin daily chores and do her cooking. “Anywhere I go I would ask for a piece of plant or buy it and that’s how my flower garden grew to what it is today with so many potted plants and I have a variety and I enjoy spending time taking care of my plants,” she said. Living alone has advantages because she encouraged all her children to get out and get their own land and houses and that’s how she became one of the pioneers of the New Housing Scheme in Wisroc. “My children were grown and as a good parent I wanted them to move out and get their own so we started the self-help project and that’s how the new scheme was established,” she said. Hope disclosed that Wisroc is a quiet village where people live in peace and they look out for each other and there are no thieves so things can be left unattended at any given time. She added these days she is taking things easy and doing what she loves the most that are caring for her plants and spending time with her children and grandchildren FROM PAGE XXXVIII
Dribbling while asleep.... The muscular tone of the lips also contributes to dribbling. Smokers tend not to dribble because of the muscles of their lips and from the habit, increase in tonicity and so the lips remain closed while asleep. Then there are some whose salivary glands are naturally hyperactive. In fact, every exocrine gland in their body exhibits excess secretion. These people also perspire more, cry with copious tears, ejaculate more semen than usual, et cetera. Any drug used here for the dribbling would suppress all these excessive secretions. Unless dribbling constitutes a critical problem an attempt should not be made to use medication or other means of treatment. In such mild cases, the individual may modify the position of his head on the pillow as described. Where the condition is moderate to severe, the drug atropine or atropine-like medication may be used. Radiation therapy over 6000 rads on the sides of the face may be used to control dribbling. There are several surgical alternatives. Ligation of the parotid ducts alone, or in combination with excision of the submandibular glands has been employed with success. This procedure removes the contribution of the majority of major salivary glands, leaving only the sublingual and minor salivary glands for saliva production. Another approach includes rerouting the parotid glands’ ducts to the tonsillar fossa. This means that the saliva emerges deeper in the mouth and is forced to flow down the throat. Drugs taken for mental depression can cause dribbling, as well as persons suffering from mercury poisoning, most of whom are gold miners.
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MARCH 28, 2021 THOUGHT FOR TODAY
The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, Are of imaginat ion WILLIAM SHAK all compact. (1564-1616) A MESPEARE idsum Night’s Dream mer
STUDY SUCCESS Dear Student, Welcome, dear friend. As you revise toward your examination, test your knowledge to the expected extent under course guidance. Recall all relatable ideas and skill directly to their purposes. Sometimes it might be found best to either recite ideas aloud to yourself or another, or to write them down in note form. Exercise your skills always
in whatever expected ways the examination demands. A purposeful revisit of all course requirements is constantly a wise decision. Love you. IMPROVING WRITING Types of organisation (reminders) Writers choose from among several types of organisation to present information clearly in composition and speech. Here are two insights into common plans for writing. But mark well, for whatever is said here, there will always be positives and negatives about each plan: 1) Chronological organisation: In this type of writing structure, the events are related in the order of time by which each occurs or occurred. It is especially effective if you are describing a process, relaying a series of actions, or telling a story. i) Chronological organisation in fiction or narrative: Here the order of presentation is more subtle than in non-fiction and usually has no dates. When this approach is used in literature, it is called sequence of events. Simply put, this linear organisation is the most traditional and most common story writing structure. It has no multiple timelines, and little to no use of flashbacks or flashforwards. [Writers also use structures called fractured, framed, or real time for their narratives.] ii) Chronological non-fiction organisation: Here a series of events is written in order of time for understanding and appreciation. It may often contain dates. The writer may write what happened first, second, third... This can also be called time or linear order of relating the process. 2) Cause-and-effect organisation: Here the writer examines the relationship between a condition or an event and its effects or result(s), or its origins. It can talk about a main cause and a main effect or the main causes and main effects. There are two primary ways in which this essay can be structured. The writer can start with the cause and then write about the effects or start with the effect and
then write about the causes. Chronological order is the best way to show cause-andeffect. THE EXCERPT Chronological order from “The Finish of Patsy Barnes” The crowd in the stand screamed; but Patsy smiled as he lay low over his horse’s neck. He saw that Essex had made his best spurt. His only fear was Mosquito, who hugged and hugged his flank. They were nearing the three-quarter post, and he was tightening his grip on the black. Essex fell back; his spurt was over. Black boy’s breath touches the leader’s ear. They are neck and neck – nose to nose. The black stallion passes him. Another cheer from the crowd, and again Patsy smiles as they turn into the stretch. Mosquito has gained a head. The coloured boy flashes one glance at the horse and rider who are so surely gaining upon him, and his close is a grim line. They are half-way down the stretch, and Mosquito’s head is at the stallion’s neck. For a single moment Patsy thinks of the sick woman at home and what the race will mean to her, and then his knees close against the horse’s sides with a firmer dig. The spurs shoot deeper into the steaming flanks. Black Boy shall win; he must win. The horse that has taken away his father shall give him back his mother. The stallion leaps away like a flash, he goes under the wire – a length ahead. Then the band thundered,..... “You little devil,” Blackett cried.... And he began sticking bank notes at the boy...... “Going out to spend it?” he asked. “I’m goin’ for a doctah fu’ my mother,” said Patsy...... An hour later he walked into his mother’s room with a very big doctor, the greatest the druggist could direct him to. The doctor left his medicines and his orders, but, when Patsy told his story, it was Eliza’s pride that started her on the road to recovery. Patsy did not tell the horse’s name. What to Do: 1. Read
the story excerpt once more and point out to your study group your findings that the order of its writing is clearly chronological. 2. What pieces have you put together about the character of Patsy Barnes? Write them down. See how much the group agrees with your findings. 3. What circumstances gave Patsy extra motivation to win? 4. Explore the language of the writer and give two observations. 5. What does the last paragraph say about the relationship between Patsy’s mother and him? THE POEM Think about this: Some people dance their feelings, some people paint their feelings, and some sing their feelings that arise inside us almost like a wave in the ocean depths. What poets do: Orally and on the page, poets create poetry to explore their feelings and the stories they want to share. Poets listen to words and play with them the way a musician listens to notes and melodies, rewriting, improving the sound and impact. Poetry sings. The poet’s tools include forms or patterns, rhymes, repetition. Here is a rhyming poem. Do enjoy and discuss the deep levels of the poet’s words with your study partners. What nudity as beautiful as this Obedient monster purring at its toil; These naked iron muscles dripping oil, And the sure-fingered rods that never miss? This long and shining flank of metal is Magic that greasy labour cannot spoil; While this vast engine that could rend the soil Conceals its fury with a gentle hiss. It does not vent its loathing. It does not turn Upon its makers with destroying hate. It bears a deeper malice; lives to earn Its master’s bread and laughs to see this great Lord of the earth, who rules but cannot learn, Become the slave of what his slaves create. Louis Untermeyer
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How graduates from the University of Guyana persevered amid the pandemic Naomi Dos Ramos, Bachelrs of Law (LLB)
Daniel Anthony, Bachelor of Science in Agriculture; Animal Science
Joshua Trotman, Bachelor of Engineering; Applied and Exploration Geology
By Marissa Foster THE University of Guyana was closed for the spring break on March 2 last year. Little did the students know that it would have been the last time they would be attending physical classrooms as the post-election conflicts and the first case of COVID-19 was spotted shortly after. Due to COVID-19, the University has to postpone its annual convocation ceremony and graduation in November. Instead, the administration decided to conduct a virtual graduation to avoid physical contact. The students graduating this year are the first batch of students to ever experience this event. These students endured a structural educational change but yet still they were persistent to graduate. How then, did the students find the courage and determination to excel? What were some of the challenges they undergo? How did they overcome it? Most, if not all, of the classes at the University of Guyana were converted to virtual settings. Students and lecturers had to learn how to access these virtual mediums and then use them for the remaining of the academic year to complete the courses. Naomi Dos Ramos graduated with a Bachelors of Law (LL.B) at this year’s graduation. When asked about the challenges she faced as she converted from a physical classroom setting to a virtual one, she said: “I personally enjoy the physical classroom setting. I find that I learn better when I’m listening to and interacting with others. The virtual classroom setting is not as engaging unless the lecturer really demands it and puts in the effort through slides, videos etc.” Naomi later explained that she overcame this by: “Teaching myself to work at home. I had to designate a space for working and I would try to do my work there daily, but I’d opt for a change of scenery if it started to feel monotonous. I had to find new ways to stay focused and put different measures in place to block out distractions.” Like many other students at the University, Naomi had to adapt to virtual classrooms but for students like Joshua Trotman learning could not stop at that. Joshua pursued a degree in Engineering; Applied and Exploration Geology. This programme was a hands-on, practical course and learning was not only theory-based, but was also done on a practical level. “The greatest challenge was completing my final year project. The pandemic and the necessary guidelines to fight it meant that I could no longer conduct the field and laboratory work I had planned”, said Joshua. “I spent time thinking of new topics and ultimately conducted my research on ‘The Occurrence and non-construction end uses of silica sand in Guyana.’ This was no easy task as some days I would wake up to news of the new cases and deaths and I wouldn’t be able to function for the rest of the day. Being home for that long also took a toll on my workflow and ability to focus”. As if the regular day-to-day life as a student pre-pandemic was not overwhelming enough. Many students were faced with their fair share of mental and emotional struggle. Safarana Baksh graduated with an Associates of Science (Computer Science) Degree. She is also a student of the University of Guyana Berbice Campus. Baksh stressed that: “Transitioning from a physical environment to a virtual environment was like a dream that came through for me. I was in my final year the second semester when I had to move to the online environment because of COVID19. Initially, the classes were going quite well until I was given many assignments since all the courses’ assessment method was
Safarana Baksh, Associate Degre in Computer Science
continuous. As soon as I am finished with one assignment, another one was being added to the queue. This took a toll on my mental health.” How did this affect her mentally and what did she do to overcome it? “Quite often, I was depressed because the workload is overwhelming. I was faced with difficulties focusing, and I was constantly worried about my academic performances. Nevertheless, I managed to overcome my mental health issues in order to graduate by practising a good sleep routine and taking breaks to focus on
myself. I would normally sleep for seven to eight hours, and I took a break every day by putting aside my University life and concentrate on something that makes me feel relaxed and rejuvenating, which is gardening”, said Safarana. Apart from attending the University of Guyana, students also have to maintain a family life. They had to balance their studies alongside the roles they have to play within their households. Daniel Anthony recently graduated from the Animal Science major with a Bachelor’s Degree. Initially, Daniel had a hard time balancing his studies and his life at home. He said, “In the early months of the pandemic, striking a balance between academia, home and work life, was quite tedious. It required some amount of time to adjust to the “new norm” of working from home. Fortunately, in my instance, I was just about mid-way of my final year research project (final course). One of the greatest challenges I’ve faced whilst completing this project was the analysis of data collected. Nevertheless, I perseverance,” he said. “I persevered because of the strong support system I received from my supervisor and fellow colleagues. They all helped me to remain resolute and focused on the finish line ahead.”. Despite a global pandemic, the University of Guyana; the students, the lecturers and the administration has managed to produce yet another batch of qualified Guyanese in various academic fields. These students were faced with many challenges but yet they persisted with their goals.
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