Guyana Chronicle Pepperpot Epaper 06 16 2019

Sunday, June 16, 2019

Single Father of three, Alphonso Moffat plies his trade as a coconut vendor in Georgetown (Vishani Ragobeer photo)

Working hard &

making sacrifices

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Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

Ghanaian Fathers and Father Figures

By Francis Quamina Farrier

GUYANA was honoured last week with a State visit by Head-of-State of the West African country, The Republic of Ghana, His Excellency President Nana Akufo-Addo. As such, I decided to throw the spotlight on Ghanaian fathers and father figures in this my 2019 Father’s Day feature article. President Nana Akufo-Addo and First Lady Rebecca have three daughters. Guyana’s President David Granger is also a father of daughters. For those observing the way the Ghanaian President interacted with the Bishops’ High School and other students who turned up to greet him at the wreath-laying ceremony at the Non-Aligned Monument Garden in Georgetown last Tuesday, would have no doubt that the President of Ghana is a loving father and father figure to millions in his native Ghana (Population 27 million) and abroad. Fathers come in many guises; biological, adoptive, foster and those special father figures. During a meet-and-greet event by President Nana Afuko-Addo at the Guyana Marriott last Tuesday evening, Guyanese Olga Konyo Addo, who was there with her brother Henaku Anim Addo, addressed the visiting President, telling him of her Guyanese mother and Ghanaian father. For many decades, there have been Ghanaian men, although small in number, living and working in Guyana. Others were visitors. Many have played father-figure roles to Guyanese youths. Here is an example. Recently honoured with a National Award of the Cacique Crown of Honour, Monsignor Terrence Montrose, CCH, (Well known as Fr. Monty), of the Catholic Church, told me of an experience he had with a Ghanaian father figure when he was a youth. As a youngster, Fr. Monty was a member of the Albouystown YMCA at the time, and his own parents did not have sufficient funds to have himself and siblings attend an August out-of-town camp, so he boldly wrote a letter requesting sponsorship, to the then Guyana-based Ghanaian, Sir Edward Asafu Ajeu. In response to the young man’s letter of request, the Ghanaian gentleman and father figure visited the Albouystown YMCA, interacted with the boys and paid for all those whose parents were unable to fund

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo is flanked by Guyanese Henaku Anim Addo and his sister Olga Konyo Addo, at a meet and greet at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown last Tuesday evening.

the cost to send their boys to that August Camp. Among the beneficiaries, of course, were Terrence Montrose (Fr. Monty) and his siblings. Since becoming a priest, Monsignor Terrence Montrose (Fr. Monty) has played the role of a father figure to countless young men who have gone on to become very successful Guyanese citizens. At that presidential meet and greet were other Guyanese who told stories of either being students of male Ghanaian educators or other Ghanaian professionals. During my three visits to The Republic of Ghana, I have paid close observation to family life in that country, taking many photographs of fathers sharing quality time with their children. Both in Ghana and in Guyana, there are also men, by whose conduct within the communities in which they live, give fatherly guidance unwittingly. There are many stories of hero fathers which ought to be told on Father’s Day, by those who have the privilege, opportunity and responsibility

Farrier with a Ghanaian father and his three teenage children in Accra, Ghana

to address audiences on that special day. Father’s Day is celebrated and intended to recognise and shower praise and encouragement on the good fathers. Nothing less should be the case. Another observation of mine in Ghana, is the use of images of happy families on jumbo billboards, whether in promoting goods or services. It seems that the Ghanaian business community is systemically promoting happy family life in their country in which fathers are uplifted as vitally important for the ongoing development of The Republic of Ghana. HAPPY FATHER’S DAY 2019 to President Nana Akufo-Addo, President David Granger and all the wonderful fathers and father figures, both in Ghana and Guyana.

Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

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50 years of dedication to the health and well-being of animals BY Vishani Ragobeer

Dr. Steve Surujbally reflects

“I KNEW, even as a child, I wanted to become a vet,” Dr. Steve Surujbally told the Pepperpot Magazine. “Some people make jokes sometimes and say that if you can’t become a doctor, you become a vet; but that surely wasn’t the case for me. I wanted always to be a vet.” In Guyana, Dr. Surujbally might be more readily known for the important role he played as the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). But of equal importance, is his role as a veterinarian -- which he started 50 years ago, in 1969. It might sound schmaltzy, but as a little boy of just six years old, Dr. Surujbally had a six-month-old puppy that was a victim of a car accident and basically died in his hands. You could say that maybe that was when his urge to become a vet was birthed. “I didn’t think I would have the emotional capability to handle the situation if a human patient were to die. I thought that it would be less traumatic if an animal died in spite of veterinary intervention,” he explained. And so, in 1962, he began studying Veterinary Science at the prestigious University of Leipzig in Germany. He achieved his Bachelor’s Degree in Veterinary Medicine there, and later his Master’s and Doctoral Degrees; he later on to be a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow on the Fulbright Scholarship programme.

THE BEGINNING Chronicling his development in ‘vet science,’ the vet shared that after leaving Germany, he proceeded to Zambia where he began ranching cattle -- about 5,000 head of cattle on about 60,000 acres to be more precise -- for a parastatal company. Later, he engaged in multidimensional research on various aspects of livestock management and wildlife production systems. Though he left these shores to study in Germany and practise his skills in Africa, he felt that after nine years in Europe and five years working in Central Africa, it was his patriotic duty to return to Guyana and contribute to the country’s development -- in every way he possibly could. “After 14 years out of Guyana, I came back home,” he reflected, adding that at the time he wanted to switch his profession from veterinary science to the Foreign Service. This switch wasn’t in the cards for him, however. “President Forbes Burnham made it clear that there was, at the time, a lot of money in the national coffers because of the soaring sugar prices, and he wanted relevant, sustainable, agricultural developmental projects to be embarked upon,” Surujbally related. GETTING SETTLED BACK HOME Consequently, he joined the newly formed Livestock Development Company (LIDCO), firstly as an executive director then later, as the Manager of the Georgetown milk plant -- an important arm of LIDCO. Iincidentally, the Managing-Director of LIDCO, at the time, was Mr. Noel Holder, the current Minister of Agriculture. Dr. Surujbally shared that in those days, Guyana was well on its way to be self-sufficient in beef, chicken, fish, pork, mutton and eggs, but not milk. “We were just producing only 2.8 million gallons of milk yearly and the country needed 15 million gallons,” he related. The shortfall was imported. As such, he suggested to the then Vice- president of Production and Minister of Agriculture, Mr Hugh Desmond Hoyte, that it would be a “good idea” to make Guyana self-sufficient in milk too. It did not take much convincing and in 1984, the National Dairy Development Programme was developed under his leadership. The support for this idea was tremendous. This programme was going quite well and Guyana was on track to be self-sufficient in another two decades or so. “In the livestock subsector, I didn’t get to make the country self-sufficient in milk and that, to this day, I feel a

Dr. Steve Surujbally holds the award he received from the Caribbean Veterinary Medical Association, alongside his other accolades

any money for looking after their animals, whether doing a major surgery or healing their animals.” That was his way of “paying back” for the opportunities presented to him throughout his life. During the GECOM years, obviously, there was never enough time; but if an emergency was presented, he did find the time to perform a life-saving surgery. He also has several peer-reviewed publications to his name, and has presented many papers at International fora, not lastly on the subject of “Veterinary Ethics.” For many decades, columns in the newspapers and his long-standing ‘Vet and your Pet’ radio programmes were aimed at companion animal owners and caregivers.

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS And of course, he garnered many awards along his journey. “There were also many awards that came in from all parts of the world that I am proud of,” he shared. Among his accolades, the Caribbean Veterinary Medical Association sense of failure,” Dr. Surujbally said almost disheartened, bestowed upon him the Distinguished Award but contended, “Others will do it, however. The current “in appreciation of the many years of exceptional contributhrust could ensure self-sufficiency in milk and other dairy tion to the Caribbean Veterinary profession.” products, as well as beef exports.” Notably, he received the Golden Arrow of Achievement, To this day, however, Dr. Sujubally has worked with 22 one of Guyana’s national awards, in 1996. Ministers of Agriculture and has undoubtedly contributed to He has also been Guyana’s representative, inter alia, for much national development in this sector. many years at the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), A great achievement among his contributions was his which is the World Organisation for Animal Health, and at work in getting the country free of the ‘Foot and Mouth’ the South American Commission for the Fight against Foot Disease(FMD), so that beef could be exported. This partic- and Mouth Disease (COSALFA). ular disease is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of Farther afield, GECOM, under Dr. Surubally’s leadercattle and swine. It also affects sheep, goats, deer, and other ship, was accredited in Mozambique in 2015 with the award cloven-hoofed ruminants. of the Best Managed Electoral Body of a select group by the London-based International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS). Only recently, the “Economist” magazine, in an article about “Failed Democracies,” credited Guyana’s electoral processes with a mark of 9.2 on a scale of 1-10. “That made me very proud,” he said. Dr. Surujbally has also worked instrumentally with the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA). And to top it all off, he is an avid tennis player-- even to this day. “It’s this commitment I have in everything I do,” he said. “It’s either you like your job or you don’t like your job. You have to possess that resolute perseverance to your objective.” For anyone wishing to pursue a profession in Veterinary Science, or any profession for that matter, he stressed that this tenacity of purpose is key. When asked how he finds the time to be involved in so many activities, he simply answered by saying, “One just sleeps less.” And without a doubt, impacting his journey so far, was the unrelenting support he receives from his wife, Nisa Surujbally. “She, of course, is a star in her own right,” he underscored. “She was involved in Animal Agriculture too; Dr. Steve Surujbally examines that’s how we met.” Nisa was head of the livestock sector a puppy at his clinic at the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and became an Executive Director for Marketing at GuySuCo. Later, “The work to get the Office International des Epizooties she joined the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), where (OIE) certification, initially met with some opposition, she became the Programme Manager for Agriculture and but within three years (in 2001) Guyana was officially Industry. recognised as an FMD- free country, thusly giving us the “I can say, without contradiction, that I would have never clearance to export beef,” Dr. Surujbally shared proudly. succeeded in any way or in anything for the many years we This was really one of the stellar moments in his long career. have been together if it were not for her,” he affirmed. In 2001, former President Desmond Hoyte proposed Dr. With 50 years already in the bag, he quipped that it was Surujbally for the position of Chairman of the Guyana Elec- evident that he will be immersed in Veterinary Science and tions Commission (GECOM). The then President, Bharrat working with animals until the day he dies. Jagdeo selected Dr. Surujbally’s name from the submitted In the meantime, he hopes to write a book, which would list. And so, for the next almost 16 years, he was at the helm potentially be a digest of all the things he has written in his of the elections body. columns over the years, as a Pet Owner’s Handbook and But not for a second did that stop his work with the an- Guide. imals. In fact, at no point did he ever stop helping animals. “I want to also think about writing about those 15“Even when I was at GECOM, I still found some time to plus years and four elections, while I was (GECOM) be involved in animal welfare and curative practice -- gra- chairman, for historical purposes,” he said. tis,” he shared. “And no farmer could say I charged them

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Proud father of ten By Marissa V. Foster FATHER’S Day is observed all over the world to recognise the efforts of fathers and father-figures; fathers just like Keith Hamid. In 1966, he stopped attending school at the tender age of eight years old due to financial difficulties and the country’s fight for Independence at that said time. In that same year, he landed his first job in order to help his parents out financially, working for $1. His mother worked at a sawmill and his father was a cane-harvester. He later found a job at a garden in Stanleytown and

worked there until he was 15 years old- the beginning of a flowerful future. He got married at the age of 17 and got his first child on February 14, 1977. In all, Keith has fathered 10 children- four from his first wife, who sadly passed away, two from other relationship and four from his second wife. He lost his second child who died of bronchitis at just 18 months old, but Keith is thankful that his other children are all grown and successful. One of his children is currently a manager at a ‘Baby Depot’ store outlet in the United States, another obtained a PhD in Stem Cell Engineering,

Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

Keith Hamid is pleased with the accomplishments of all his children

while another is currently a Helicopter Mechanic in Saudi Arabia- working for King Salman. At 19 years of age, one of his daughters was the Valedictorian of all the schools she attended inclusive of her High School- Julia R. Masterman Secondary School in Philadelphia. She received a fully paid scholarship to attend a University in France, it provides for the payment of her studies until she receives her PhD in her respective study field. His children in Guyana are no different from those who live abroad as they’re all successful alike. One of his sons is currently living in Georgetown and is working for the Director of Public Prosecutions. He already has a Master’s Degree in Law and is just 29 years of age. Another one of his three daughters currently works at the Region Six Democratic Council as an accountant while the other is a housewife who resides in Trinidad and Tobago.

Keith is a proud father

children, grandchildren and his daughters/sons-in-law.

Keith with two of his sons

ON BEING A PARENT He expressed his advice to parents who may come across his story by saying, “Parents must focus more on their children, in all aspects of life - education, private life and so on. They must be able to keep their children on track, ‘pull them up’ when it’s needed and make sure to question them when necessary. They should spend time with them and do not keep them in the dark when it comes to life and its challenges. Most importantly, provide for them as much as you can, anything you afford that they may need such as technology to enhance their education- buy it.” He stressed that he was not as lucky to complete school, most of his knowledge was obtained from travelling and learning new things. Nonetheless, he made sure his children always had a better life. Growing up his father was an alcoholic. He died when Keith was only nine years old and his mother died when he was 18. His style of parenting and the success of his children stems from an urge to do and be better then what his own past had to offer. He is currently not well but he explained that he is still there in any way possible for all his

BACK HOME TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS Hamid worked in the United States of America in retailing for 15 years as a Rite Aid Manager before returning to Guyana five years ago. He expressed that on his return, he gave up his residential status in the United States just so he can take better care of his business. He is the owner of Keith and Sons Flower Garden. He sells imported Roses, Carnations, Chrysanthemums and also locally grows a wide array of flowers and cash crops on his 2.9 acres of land. Keith studied landscaping for two years abroad and is so skilled that he takes care of the majority if not all of the Region’s top landscaping/ agricultural related jobs. He has worked on various landscaping projects across Berbice (most of the commercial banks, Demico, NIS, Roy Hanuman and the Region Six Council etc). There is no other like his garden in the county of Berbice and his agricultural technologies are all up to date. He has a shade house that is a whopping measurement of 250 feet long. The entire garden relies on sprinklers to water the plants. He stores his fresh flower bouquets in a cooling system he made himself and his floral work caters for a number of special occasions (birthdays, Mother’s Day, funerals, Valentine’s, etc.). Persons can also purchase seedlings and plants. His business, which started in 1984, is currently at its peak today. Keith is also the recipient of two Agricultural awards from the Government of Guyana, having received one in 1985 and another in 1991 as a Youth Producer for Agricultural month in Guyana. The future for this man with a green thumb and his children surely will be bright and better as he hopes to hand over his business to them one day and also wishes to expand more and start importation of his own flowers and crops soon. The garden is located at 107 Vryman’s Erven, New Amsterdam and is surely a sight to see. In fact, it represents the man who owns it himself- full of life and quite fruitful.

Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

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Father changes lifestyle to positively impact children

Dave Danny and his two sons

“FATHERHOOD recreates you, in the sense it causes you to be less about self. You have to sacrifice self to create a better future not only for your children but for generations to come. As a father and a man you have that responsibility to ensure that the next generation has the resources to fulfill their destiny,” says Dave Danny, a father of four. Two years ago, the prospect of having a future seemed bleak to Dave. Sleepless nights, scary episodes of a palpitating heart, inability to walk briskly or even play with his children tormented him. His health was deteriorating and the doctors were unable to find anything medically wrong. All the test results were negative leaving many questions unanswered. Dave needed a miracle. His wife was pregnant with their third child- the daugh-

ter he desired was due in October. The thought of leaving his wife to provide for three children gave him the energy to pray to God for deliverance from whatever was impeding his health. Thankfully, he had a good support system (his parents, wife and sister), who joined him in prayers. “The year 2017 was a trying one for me. I was sick and had no clue as to what had happened to me. I was in and out of the hospital, my test results were coming back negative, but the situation was looking downhill. Without a doubt it was the grace and mercy of God and my love for my children and the love my father has for me that kept me alive,” Dave told the Pepperpot Magazine. Through prayers, Dave was healed. That bout of sickness gave him the opportunity to reassess his lifestyle. He changed his diet, now uses antioxidant regularly, and no longer consumes alcohol or smokes. He also works fewer hours and spends more time at home with his family. “What was meant to be a stumbling block in my life became a stepping stone. God allowed me to go through that period so that I could be a better father to my children. They would have a good example of who a man is. I could remember the first time I was told I was going to be a father I was excited. when my first son came into this world I was so excited, then strange enough I get the same feeling every time my wife gives birth,” Dave said. Dave, who is an Insurance Agent, farmer, a Regional Democratic Councilor (Region Four) and a Third Year University of Guyana student is very religious and through his Christian faith, believes that the primary responsibility of fathers is submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. After which, the attainment of every other responsibility such as protection and provision is made possible. “I know that my submission to the Lord is going to help me raise decent human beings…recently I wasn’t feeling too well and

my five-year-old son put his little hands on me and prayed for me…He knew I needed help and only the divine intervention of God could help me get better…Having experienced that I know for sure that I am doing a good job,” Dave said smiling.

Dave advises other fathers to play a meaningful role in their children’s lives. He quoted Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and [or even] when he is old he will not depart from it.”

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Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

Working hard and making sacrifices

Father of three, Alphonso Moffat

By Vishani Ragobeer “THROUGH life, from boyhood to manhood you have to work and maintain your family,” Alphonso Moffat affirmed. “Not only to work and telling yourself that you’re earning money and leaving your kids them behind, you have to ‘do fatherhood’.” This is a principle that Alphonso learned from his own father, who he said did an excellent job at instilling the value of strong family ties in him. “I come up from young like that-- seeing my father work and put his paycheque on the table and maintain [his status] as breadwinner of the house,” Alphonso said. Now, Alphonso has three children of his own; they are aged 25, 22 and 21. And he highlighted that he hopes that he would have inspired them to be better individuals who understand the value of family, just as his father did. In his younger days, he said he enjoyed the “lustful world” before finally deciding that enough is enough. As he grew older and became a father, his outlook on life became more focused and positive. Being a father is the best thing that could’ve happened to him, he said. He also noted that it is something that will stay with him “till the end of time”. Moreover, his wife passed away in 2005, and resultantly, he was left to raise his children by himself. It wasn’t easy, but he has no complaints. He raised his children while being a humble food vendor. “For years, I was doing vending. I sell bora and fruits,” he noted. Nowadays, he is a humble coconut vendor. You’d find him just around the junction of Robb and Hinck streets, with his coconut cart replete with the yellow or green ‘nuts’. And since 2007 to the present day, this profession of his has been what has supported and maintained his family. He said that, to many people, his job doesn’t look like much, but it’s an honest living. And through this work, and with disciplined spending, he was able to build his own house and purchase a vehicle while still providing a comfortable life for his family. “You have to work and make sacrifices and all things will fall in place,” he posited. He also noted that whether raising children and hoping to instill good values in them or working for a daily bread, the key is to love and enjoy what you do. He also maintained Psalms 23: “Thou shall not want” and highlighted that as the authoritative figure in the household, it has always been imperative for him to remember not to be envious of people who may appear to be in a better situation than him. Instead, he shared that he has learned to focus on what is in his family and work towards improving his own household. “Life is all about experiences,” he said wisely. “It’s about how you make it, and you have to make sacrifices to achieve what you want.”

Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

Serving his community to the fullest

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One counsellor’s passion for helping people

Homechand Mohan at the Port Mourant Hospital (Samuel Maughn photo)

By Michel Outridge HOMECHAND Mohan is the lone HIV/ AIDS tester and counsellor in Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne); as such, he serves the entire region. The 23-year-old is in high demand given his certification and expertise, so he leads a very busy life; he is never off duty. He works at the Port Mourant Hospital every Tuesdays and is also at the New Amsterdam Hospital, New Amsterdam Family Health Centre, and Skeldon Hospital. Mohan told the Pepperpot Magazine that he became motivated after he saw an advertisement in the newspapers and decided to check it out. He did so at the Roadside Baptist Church in his area and soon started off as a peer educator and he liked it so much, he underwent the relevant training in the city and enrolled himself in several courses. He was successful and began working at the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Associ-

ation(GRPA). He served there for two years and while there he was encouraged to participate in more training, including Phlebotomy (blood sample collection). He also assisted as a Phlebotomist at the Skeldon Hospital on a weekly basis. “I then was transferred to CDC and in 2014 I began working with the Ministry of Public Health; so I have been in the system for the past 14 years,” he said. Mohan related that in 2015 when he first encountered HIV test results from a young person who tested positive; it was most heartbreaking, because she had contracted the virus through mother- to-child transmission, but her mother never knew. “I does try to talk to people all the time -- no matter if it takes hours -- until they are calm and can think rationally and [I] also assist them in getting the necessary care and treatment of a facility of their choice,” he said. In addition to HIV/AIDS testing and counselling service, Mohan also tests for seven sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) and participates in the Prevention of motherto-child transmission (PMTCT) Programme across the region. A regular day for him is hours of in-depth counselling with patients and with the absence of HIV/AIDS navigators in the region, he has to function as one. This entails ensuring that patients enrol in a Care and Treatment Centre within the region after they have been diagnosed; it also entails ensuring that patients follow up on their treatment as well. Mohan told the Pepperpot Magazine that the USAID Global Fund programme visited his facility and deemed it the second best in the country and he is working assiduously to make sure it becomes the best. “We are always trying to upgrade our services to make patients comfortable and it is serious work we do, because we have to ensure patients’ confidentiality; but some peo-

ple are ignorant of the facts relating to HIV/ AIDS and we need to make more sensitisation exercises to enlighten folks,” Mohan said. He stated that since he is so busy within the region, he ‘has an abundance of patients. However, it doesn’t bother him and even after hour, people would show up at his residence and we could assist them in any way possible, since he understands the seriousness of his work and what it entails.

“I like what I do and I think that is what motivates me to assist people and try to get them on the road to recovery. With the proper care and treatment, people can have a long life if they take their medication,” he said. Although Mohan is single and has no children it doesn’t bother him, since he is aware that he wants to serve his community to bring healthcare to the people who need it the most.

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Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

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Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

Our Creole, ours to preserve The language of the people and our arts

THERE is a constant argument that creole must be standardised. Creole is from my perspective a functional dialect, for the language we spar with daily is, by all means, a combination of the colonial interactions that the Anglo Saxons have encountered over the past 1,000 years as colonisers and from the Romans who had colonised and the Norsemen who had partially colonised them.

My concern over creole came into serious focus when Legend of the Silk Cotton Tree was staged in 2008. Early in the script, Elsa the main female character was awakened from a haunting doze by the Silk Cotton Tree by three village girls. One said, “Gyal yuh ent know about this silk cotten-on tree and yuh belly big,” the actresses were both from traditional rural villages, Afro and Indo-Guyanese but neither at some point could

then constituted the Government, that if he demonstrated that he was ready to kill PNC black people he would advance his career. Vic’s reference was that if the unenlightened gravitate to politics while the learned to careers, the society is turned upside down. The relevance is that there is an essential need for a wider range of enlightened intellect (which does not necessarily mean certification) for a society to be advanced.

present and of languages spoken before in the historical timeline, that without exemption belong to all of us in its application to our easy and effective communication. The movie ‘My Fair Lady’, a classic, encompassed the battle between considered proper speech and street language. The late Sir V.S Naipaul of Trinidad was accused of being so much of a talented, self-loathing colonial that he imitated an Oxford accent

In Guyana, from experience, there are several layers of spoken Creole, with terms annexed through importation by our travelling grassroots population. It is, however, true that our creole should be documented and origins affixed to words and terms, as Creole is also a combination of proverbs, nuances and sayings that refer to deeper ethnic cultural meanings long lost in its original context. For example, the term “Yuh eyes pass meh”, takes the user back to African tribal conduct that when standing before an Elder one does not stare eye to eye, with our usual dismissive countenance of eyes rose occasionally to the sky while in conversation, indicating dismissal. “Eye pass” today in Guyanese Creole has broad and wider definitions. In the 70s, standing at a corner could result in an arrest for some charge that constituted a 24-hour detainment. Language, as follows, was applied, “Alyuh move, de Boche deh round de corner” to urban GT youth, boche meant police, its French and was used in WWI to describe the Germans, but it became part of the vocabulary for a period, and is still recognised.

deliver the Creole way, how their ancestors would have handled it 30 years before. Our Creole is the language of the Arts, if we are to capture the Guyanese experience for entertainment, edutainment and educational purposes, in 20 years we will be in trouble. My contention is that this must also be combined with an effort to get our population reading, seriously reading, including our politicians. A visiting friend of an older offspring when I raised this issue about reading offered a callous response, “Paps why worry? Is less competition fuh me.” I responded that those semi-literates will join political parties and enter Parliament and make stupid decisions for both of us, which stunned him. I related to him that the late lawyer Vic Puran had made a similar reference to me outside of the Brickdam police station while I was in a protest in the mid-90s and an inspector (name given as Boyce) pointed his hand weapon at a female protester and pulled the trigger, the gun jammed, her life was saved. I was confused as to why he would do such a thing. Vic offered an answer, that the police officer felt that the kind of people who

I concluded the conversation by tying the young man into his own passion to write and produce music. “If you can’t read and understand contracts, research the industry you need to get into, have a working idea of the pros and cons, then you will be most likely just another fallen statistic because you also need people around you who can’t be easily duped.” Creole is a spoken language, our official language is our colonised English with a Guyanese accent, while our official language for legal, education and business is standard English. We cannot write proposals, theses, compositions, complete assignments or write letters to the editor in Creole, though we can use Creole as emphasis in the context of our narrative. Every nation uses its version of Creole, whether it is called Pidgin, Patois, Patwa or Ebonics, it amounts to the language of peoples from specific homogeneous locations now residing and belonging in mind and spirit in a multicultural, multiethnic national location speaking a common language and its dialect that has been reshaped by multiple extracts from the human variations

to distance himself from himself, in his imagination at least – which is ironic as, with his creative writing, he used creole in the dialogue gratuitously. Language is important, dialect defines a cultural being. I do stop when I hear ‘Ceolese’ spoken now and again, and we are losing that part of our being. I grew with my godparents in the country but was not an evolved third generation villager. They were from Georgetown as well as other villagers, but around us was a creole dialect. The colonised English of Georgetown has now reached across Guyana. Creole is not dead, but like most things, if we here do nothing, it will die. I heard an ad from a large service entity lately and a young lady was saying something intended to sound like Creolese, the script went like this: “You gots to be kidding me” rather than “yuh gaffo be mekking joke or wuh?” We’re not even sounding like ourselves any more. Creole is expressive, emotional; it commands rhythm, movement and coordination; it’s not static, not something to lose. It is time to take pro-active stock.

ocus F Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

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on the Village

For better quality education and ability to understand gadgets

READ! READ! READ!

THIS week, the Pepperpot team took to the Soesdyke-Linden Highway once again to the community of Kuru Kururu. Stories by Shirley Thomas. Photos by Samuel Maughn. Veteran teacher and educator Pearl James, with a wealth of experience in teaching, has been and continues to be the icon behind the promotion of reading, which takes centre stage in the Kuru Kururu community on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway. James is a remigrant from the U.S. In 1986, with a passion for reading and the desire to see it grow within the community and the wider neighbourhood, James founded the Kuru Kururu Book Club. Initially, the club’s focus was on reading for children; but the activity blossomed and bloomed, and before she knew it, parents had also come on board. The initiative gained momentum and soon she was able to promote a culture of reading in Kuru Kururu, with it spilling over into neighbouring communities. The momentum continued for the next 25 years with the support of entities such as the Rotary Club of Demerara. Following its Silver Jubilee, in 2012 it ceased to function, making way for the Kuru Kururu Reading and Research Centre in the years to come. Having founded the Kuru Kururu Book Club in 1986, James promoted a culture of reading amongst the children of the neighbourhood at first, then later involved the parents, who responded favourably. The momentum continued and for many, the desire to read became almost inherent, awaiting

Two winsome staffers of the Kuru Kururu Reading and Research Centre (Samuel Maughn photos)

only a spark. THE START OF THE CLUB Speaking with the Pepperpot Magazine Pearl James, wife of Civil Engineer Clarence Young, recalled, “In 1997, I returned from the USA and found out that the children couldn’t read. The Extension Centre here at Kuru Kururu had just

Students of the Kuru Kururu Primary School using the Kuru Kururu Reading and Research Library.

opened and I asked the chief executive officer for us to use the lecture hall and got the permission. “The response was heartening and so was the support of the Rotary Club of Demerara. As a result of their support and the commitment of persons in the likes of Lance Hinds, Joel Trotman and others having started the Book Club, we soon got a community library which was later to become the Kuru Kururu Reading and Research Centre.” Today, even though the Reading and Research Centre remains alive, interest in reading within the community seems to have waned. James expressed concern that even though the children are visiting and using the facilities offered by the library (RRC), the parents no longer participate the way they did before and the television seems to have replaced that interest. “Indeed, the children of Grades One to Six are using the library, but the grown-ups don’t go [in large numbers] anymore,” she observed. Asked what message she would like to send out to the parents, her response was: “They’re missing out on something vital. Unless you know to read, you’re at a distinct disadvantage and as the world moves on, you’d be left behind wondering what’s happening,” she reasoned. But amidst all of this, there is something for which James is eternally grateful: “What I have observed is that all the children who showed interest in and benefitted from the Book Club when it first started, have now become teachers and that’s a plus,” she proudly announced. THE DIGITAL AGE James observed too, that with the emergence of cellular phones – smartphones and the like, a lot of readers have turned into non-readers. She warned against this practice, cautioning that unless people are literate, they can miss out on what computers, cellphones and the internet have to offer. “Unless a person is able to read, they won’t be able to read and follow the instructions given, which will allow them to maximise the benefits of reading and following instructions so as to get what they want out of their smartphones and computers,” James advised, adding: “It’s sort of like beating a dead horse. I do feel a little sad about what’s happening to reading.” A GENUINE LOVE James, an ardent lover of reading, has been in the teaching profession for a number of years. “I’ve taught at Agricola Methodist School; the Methodist Guild Club; Trinity Methodist and Kitty Methodist for the last eight years prior to leaving for the United States Of America. After securing her degree in Elementary Education, James taught for two years in Cleveland, Ohio, before returning to Guyana. The mother of three daughters, James on returning to Guyana, applied for a plot of land for residential purposes. They secured a massive plot in Kuru Kururu where they were able to construct a beautifully designed house, surrounded by a sprawling orchard accommodating dozens of bearing fruit trees on the periphery. Against the backdrop that children from the reading programme at Kuru Kururu have been doing so well – passing their exams and moving on to become teachers-- the Kuru Kururu Book Club and its Reading and Research Centre can be said to be the pillars upon which the literacy and ultimately the quality of education of the people of that community stand.

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Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

Rise and fall of the ‘Bright Horizons Family’

THE “Bright Horizons Family” is a home for less fortunate children situated at Kuru Kururu, on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway. For the 25 years of its existence, it has made its mark as a safe space and the ideal place of refuge for such children desiring to be shown love and integrated into a family setting. Founded by local missionaries Joseph and Doreen Livan, the facility was initially housed at Hararuni in 1979 and came to be known as the “Hararuni Children’s Home.” However, the facility managed to get a plot of land to purchase at Kuru Kururu and so commenced construction of a permanent shelter at that location. With support mainly from Food For The Poor, the Ministry of Social Protection, and several other donors – local and overseas in record time -- were able to complete a massive building which housed 30 children and eight adults who needed a home. Initially, the boys and girls were housed in the same building, but in separate rooms and they all lived, according to residents of the wider community, as one big family. As the facility grew in popularity, stories were told of the new place of solace, catering to the basic five survival needs; these are in addition to other essential needs such as the educational, spiritual, social and emotional needs of the children, more and more people began to embrace the initiative. Eventually, eight adults seeking refuge were stringently assessed by the board of directors and found to be suitable to remain at the shelter and to help oversee the children in motherly capacities.

among themselves. On the other hand, there were strict codes of conduct governing behaviour by members of the facility and which naturally they upheld. The children were drawn, not exclusively from Kuru Kururu, but farther afield – Sophia, the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, the outskirts of Georgetown and other areas. And with reading being a priority in that community, the reading programme was taken to the home, thus many children from the facility eventually developed it as a hobby.

OPERATIONS It was out of necessity, residents say, that the stakeholders opted to construct two separate buildings to house the boys and girls independently. At the shelter, playing was an integral part of the children’s activities and there was always much excitement whenever they were able to engage in friendly matches

SUDDEN LOSS Celebrations were very often a part of their programme, but the last thing they ever focused on was death, and so, it was with profound shock that the home received the news of the passing of ‘Founder’ Joseph. The founders’ adopted daughters, Dr. Audrey Leach and Sharon Vansluytman told the

Two of the three shelters constructed by the founders and used to house the less fortunate children at ‘Bright Horizon’

A foster daughter of the founders of ‘New Horizon Family’ (Samuel Maughn photos)

Pepperpot Magazine, “He died on January 1, 2019, after a brief period of illness. During his lifetime we had a really good family. There was so much laughter, lively exchange, and we all looked out for each other, and now the home is no more.” After a brief period of mourning, the Board of Directors called a meeting at which it was announced that the service had to be discontinued and the children would be sent back to their families. “Of course it was with great pain, but we eventually mustered up the strength and courage to do it,” Sharon said. They also officially informed the sponsors and thanked them for their support. And so, for the next few days a lot of time and energy were spent trying to reach the children’s parents to let them know of the decision. Teary-eyed, the children left the facility as they headed for their individual families. It was probably the first time since some of

them had ever cried since joining the ‘Bright Horizon Family.’ Those whose families could not be easily reached were taken in by the Sophia Children’s Home and other such facilities. But having spent many years at the facility, by then they were well rounded and now in a position to live positive lives and make a meaningful contribution to their country, Guyana. Meanwhile, residents of Kuru Kururu who routinely interacted with the ‘Bright Horizon Family (Home) had kudos for its management and praises for the children who had come to inculcate good moral values. “It’s sad that we’ve had to part, especially under such circumstances, but we feel a sense of satisfaction, knowing that we have been able to cause a turnaround in the lives of some and strengthen the values of those already so inclined,” Dr. Leach and Sharon modestly asserted.

Kuru Kururu Reading and Research Centre pleads for adequate resources

THE Kuru Kururu Reading and Research Centre continues its drive to promote reading at all levels. Staffers at the facility believe that the reading environment should be made safe and comfortable and other basic needs for the children targeted, should be met; these measures can go a far way towards encouraging them to read. This is the view expressed by Junior Librarian at the Centre, Nelana Pereira, whose responsibility is to help children with reading and teaching them how to use the library when they get there. The library, Pereira said, is opened up for reading by pupils of Grades One to Six between 12:00hrs to 14.00hrs, Monday through Friday, but there are constraints. RESOURCES NEEDED “If we are going to promote reading, we need more books -- a lot more. Even though there are some who use the computer, not all want to or can use the computer for their research,” she said. She quickly remembered however that of the three computers at the Reading and Research Centre, only one is working, so immediately they are put at a

Pupils of the Kuru Kururu Primary School on the limb that damaged the school property

disadvantage. The centre would, therefore, appreciate a gift of computers, in addition to books for which there is a dire need at this

juncture. The Pepperpot Magazine observed, during a visit to the location, that there is

also a need for furniture in the library – both tables and chairs, but more importantly chairs; when they have no chairs or benches on which to sit, they have to sit on the floor. That, too, can serve as a deterrent to visiting and using the library. As of March 2019, no potable water has been going upstairs, so that each time there is need to use water in the building, it has to be fetched upstairs in a bucket. Several months ago a high wind sent a huge nearby tree crashing onto the back stairs. The stairway was completely destroyed, leaving only the platform, which cannot now be used. The back fence was also torn down in the process and needs to be replaced. The roof is also leaking and there are bats in the ceiling which constitute a nuisance, as well as a health hazard. It is particularly dangerous to the health of the children intended to use the service. Stakeholders are hoping that they can somehow get assistance in these areas, so that they can continue to serve the needs of the children and by extension, the residents of Kuru Kururu.

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Kuru Kururu, a community on the rise … residents looking forward to better Repairs needed for the roads

The Back Road receiving a temporary ‘patch up’ homes, let alone on the upper floors of the buildings,” the residents say. For quite some time now the pressure has been “Even though the Kuru Kururu Back Road is in pretty good low, residents say, pushing their whole work programme back shape… we understand that there is a need to work on the main road,” the chairman reasoned, adding that there is need and posing serious problems for them. The Pepperpot Magazine spoke with Chairman of the for a firm foundation, rather than depending strictly on filling Kuru Kururu Community Development Council (CDC) with sand. In fact, Smith attested to the fact that there is a need Hubert Smith, who agreed that the main problem facing the for emphasis to be placed on infrastructural works in the residents of Kuru Kururu at this time is the poor condition of community; he promised to take it up with the Neighbourthe main traffic thoroughfare passing through the settlement. hood Democratic Council (NDC).

Kuru Kururu NDC Chairman, Mr. Hubert Smith (Samuel Maughn photos)

KURU KURURU is a community on the rise. It is one of the first residential communities settled along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway; this was at a time when numbers had to be pulled from a bag to determine the number and location of house lots being awarded. There is now a more sophisticated system. Kuru Kururu has a population of about 3,000, the majority of whom are Afro- Guyanese, Indo-Guyanese and people of mixed ancestry and who continue to enjoy good relations with each other. With basically all the needed services and facilities already at their disposal, farming is the predominant occupation; residents also do poultry rearing, fruit vending, sawmilling and commercial activities on a small scale. “We have an abundance of schools – both government and private schools. We have no less than 15 churches, a police station, as well as a Community Policing Group to back up the efforts of our committed policemen,” residents say, adding that the vigilance of the police ranks and the Community Policing Group has been able to keep criminals at bay. “Thank God for an efficient and effective health centre, playfields for our children and young men and women who can utilise these services and facilities for recreational purposes and keep themselves out of trouble. We have a community library, shops, diners and restaurants, even to a pool shop, but in order to access these services, we have to travel by roads.” Additionally, housing construction is moving rapidly apace, so that every effort should be taken to preserve our roads,” residents contend. However, the residents of Kuru Kururu, grateful as they are for a few essential services for which they say they qualified years ago, are now calling on the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) to put systems in place to have their roads repaired and upgraded, especially in light of the recent downpours. “And not least, we have electricity and telephone services at our disposal, for which we are grateful. But what we have problems with, aside from bad roads is our water service. Very often we do not get water flowing through taps in our

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Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

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GAOG rocks Atlanta with independence celebrations

A booth at the Fun Day

By Wendella Davidson THE searing heat from the early morning sun in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 26, was a welcoming indication for the annual Family Fun Day hosted by the Guyana Association of Georgia (GAOG) at its new location, the Georgia State Stadium, formerly Turner Field, 755 Hank Aaron Drive, Atlanta. The event is the signature activity for the association’s observances of Guyana’s independence, which traditionally they host during Memorial Day weekend when there is also the Atlanta Carnival. Atlanta is usually a `hot’ spot during that weekend as it attracts Guyanese from Brooklyn, New Jersey and several other farflung states; also Canada, England and the Caribbean, with some locals making their vacations coincide with that period, so as to be part of the festivities. The GAOG’s celebration kicked off with a breakfast morning on May 24; this was at the secretariat’s location, 1970 Panola Road, Lithonia, where Cleveland Harlequin aka DJ Quin permeated the air with Guyanese patriotic and other songs; Winston `Jeggae’ Hoppie’s One Man Band and a drummer were exceptional with Kwe Kwe folk and his renditions of songs; a skit from the song, “There’s a hole in the Bucket’ performed by two members of the GAOG that had the audience in peals of laughter; Jamaican Dr. Monica Dennis Jonas, who claims she is a “Jamanese,” did a motivational presentation with greetings on behalf of the Jamaica- Caribbean Gospel Radio FM, and poetry. Among the impressive Guyanese cuisine on sale at the breakfast morning were bake and salted fish; pepperpot and homemade bread; stir fried cassava with boiled eggs and salted fish and a delicious seven-grain porridge; dhal with spinach, rice and fried fish and plantains. Later that evening an annual welcome party hosted at the same venue, was an apt opportunity for overseas-based Guyanese who seldom see each other to interact. Gracing the event with their presence were Guyanese legend Eddy Grant of `Electric Avenue’ fame; Mayor of Linden Wanneka Arrindel and retired W/Major of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Gwen Fredericks. Fredericks, who was among the first batch of females enlisted in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), on Saturday hosted

an impressive Black and White Ball at the Christ Our Hope Elegant Ballroom in Lithonia, Georgia. A Guyana independence anniversary message was read by Master of Ceremonies, Austin Thompson. The sprawling George State Stadium was abuzz with activity from as early as 06:00hrs on May 26 for the family fun day. GAOG members and volunteers were on site to process the many vendors -- among them non-Guyanese -- some of whom annually participate in the event. They had purchased booth space and erected tents where they displayed for sale a wide range of Guyanese cuisine and products to patrons.

The two-man cast performing a skit titled, ` There’s a hole in the bucket ‘

Among the companies advertising their business, were LIBR Management Group and the well-known Caribbean International Shipping located in Lithonia, Georgia and operated by Gordon and Sharon Barnwell, a Guyanese couple. By the official 13:00hrs start, when the national anthems of Guyana and the United States of America were played, the stadium tarmac was dotted with several colourful tents and a sea of people, even as there continued to A section of the audience at the Black & White Ball be a steady flow of patrons. In addition to recorded music provided by DJ Chigga Love People, the huge crowd were entertained by the likes of Guyanese singers Terry Gajraj, Adrian Dutchin and Shelly “G”; Kenne Blessin, Anthony Malvo and Nori Amada; tassa and Kwe Kwe drummers and Caribbean dancers. A football match pitting Guyanese –born players against those born in Jamaica, was an added fillip for football fans who filled the stands to witness the game. Later that same evening, the GAOG held it Independence Dance at the Grand Royale Events Centre, Covington Highway, DeCatur, Georgia. Those in attendance took to the dance floor to music provided by Super Terry De One Man On sale were several traditional Guyanese dishes and other Band and Dj Quinn. delicacies, local drinks such as sorrel and mauby, Tee-shirt As a gesture of appreciation to the many vendors, and caps bearing the Guyanese flag which were a big hit; and sponsors, volunteers and association members for their several pieces of clothing sewn from African cloth, toys and support, the GAOG presented Certificates of Appreciation Guyana souvenirs and other things. at a function it hosted at its secretariat on June 9.

Patrons enjoying the Fun Day at Georgia State Stadium

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Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

FILES E S A C T R U O C

Judge usurps jurors’ functions; frees accused on no-case submissions

IN 1984, the Guyana Court of Appeal found that a High Court judge usurped the functions of the jury in a murder trial. Instead of sending the matter to the jury, he (judge) found murder accused Alvin Mitchell not guilty of the murder of 32-year-old waitress Nastawantee Persaud on no-case submissions by defence counsel. He then directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty in favour of the accused, whom he subsequently discharged. The then director of public prosecutions, believing that the circumstances of the case required the judge to send the case to the jury for a verdict, utilised the DPP’s power under the law to request the Appellate Court to review the matter. Subsequent to this the Guyana Court of Appeal, constituted by Chancellor Keith Massiah and Justices of Appeal Mr Charles Fung-A-Fat and Mr Frank Vieira, who

carried out the review, was critical of the judge’s action as being irregular It was pointed out by the appellate court that where the defendant in a criminal case submits a plea of no-case to answer at (or before) the end of the prosecution’s case, the trial judge ought to send the case to the jury if, in his opinion, there is sufficient evidence on which a reasonable jury (properly directed) might (in the judge’s view ) convict ; if, however, the evidence is so unsatisfactory, or unsound that no reasonable jury could convict on it, or if the evidence, (even if all of it is believed ) is so weak, tenuous or insufficient that it cannot yield a lawful conviction, the trial judge should withdraw the case and direct the acquittal of the defendant. Chancellor Massiah, who noted that the evidence in the court supported the view that the jury should have been asked to decide the fate of the accused, referred to 35 cases in

support of the Appellate Court’s judgment, including that of R.V. Hookoomchand and Sagur (1897) LRBG 12. At the Review, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Ian Chang, S.C. with Mr. Albert Baldeo, represented the DPP, while Mr. David Wray appeared for Mitchell. Under the heading, ‘Reference by Director of Public Prosecutions,’ it was said that Alvin Mitchell was indicted with murder. At the close of the prosecution’s case, he submitted that there was no case to answer. The trial judge upheld the submission and directed the jury to return a verdict of “Not Guilty.” The Director of Public Prosecutions of Guyana referred the following question to the Court of Appeal: “Was the trial judge correct in law on the evidence led by the prosecution in this case in ruling that a case had not been established, requiring the accused person to lead a defence? Setting out the facts in his judgment, Chancellor Massiah said: “At about 8 30 am.on Sunday, 7th February, 1982, a party of policemen attached to the Bartica Police Station made a macabre discovery at Two Miles, Bartica-Potaro-Road, in a clump of bushes about 10 feet from the road where they discovered the dead body of 33-year-old Nastawantee Persaud. The body, clothed in a blouse that was unbuttoned, was facing upwards, and was exposed from the waist down for the skirt was raised and the undergarment was missing. The legs were spread apart, and there oozed from the vagina what appeared to be blood. There was grass in the pubic area and several injuries were seen. Shortly before they made the discovery, the police party, about a half mile away , at One and a Half Miles , Bartica –Potaro Road (a point nearer to Bartica than Two Miles), had come across a number of articles which were identified as the property of the deceased by Lilapattie Romohan, the niece of the deceased . Among the articles found was a shoulder-bag which was lying on the road. On the bag were what appeared to be drops of blood. About five feet away, in a clump of bushes, a pair of yellow panties was found. Attached to it was a sanitary napkin. What appeared to be blood was seen both on the panties and the napkin. Nearby was a girdle. The police party which Lilapattie Romohan accompanied to the Bartica-Potaro road had been galvanised into action when Romohan reported to the police station on the morning of 7th February, 1982, that her aunt was missing from home . At about 3 o’clock that morning, Romohan , one Waveney Gill and the deceased , together left the Nest Discotheque in Fifth Avenue, Bartica , where they worked as waitresses. (The word “discotheque” is popularly contracted into “disco” without any connotative loss, and that variant will be used in this judgment .) Romohan and her companions had worked the night shift and were on their way to the deceased’s home in

By George Barclay

Fourth Avenue where they all lived. On their way home they met Alvin Mitchell, who was driving a Land Rover. Three other men were in the vehicle. Mitchell was a regular patron of the Nest, and the night before he was seen there at a dance. Mitchell offered to take them home in the vehicle; Gill and Romohan declined the offer. After some apparent hesitation, the deceased accepted, declaring to her companions that she would reach home faster than they. Her expectations never materialised, for when Gill and Romohan reached home on foot, they discovered to their consternation that the house was securely locked and that the deceased had not arrived there. Overcome by tiredness, they soon fell asleep. When Romohan awoke that morning at about 7 ‘o’ clock, the deceased was still not there. Naturally, Romohan became alarmed. She then went to her uncle.s home and enquired about the deceased, but there she learnt nothing. She next went to the Bartica Police Station and reported the matter. It was then about 8 a.m. The police left soon after for 1 ½ Miles, for Bartica-Potaro road, on the strength of what one Benjamin had told them; they found the articles already mentioned and shortly afterwards they discovered the body of the deceased. The cumulative circumstance led the police to conclude that the deceased had been murdered. Suspicion fell on Alvin Mitchell (the person last known to have been with her ), who by then had hastily fled to Georgetown. He was arrested there on 8th February, 1982 and taken to the Bartica Police Station on 11th February, when he was duly charged with murder. Mitchell was subsequently indicted with murder and faced his trial at the criminal assizes in Georgetown in January, 1984. The evidence against him was almost wholly circumstantial. At the close of the prosecution’s case, counsel for Mitchell submitted that there was no case to answer. The prosecution vigorously contended that there was. The trial judge upheld the submissions and formally directed the jury to return a verdict of “Not Guilty.” Mitchell was accordingly discharged. The Appellate Court in reviewing the case as requested by the DPP, concluded that “When regard is paid to all those events and evidentiary circumstances, it seems to me clear beyond peradventure that there is sufficient evidence on which a reasonable jury-- properly directed-- might have convicted Mitchell.” According to Chancellor Massiah, “ That satisfies me the test in Hookoomchand and all the other kindred cases which explain the relevant c+ommon law position , including of course, the local cases that gave benediction to Hookoomchand. Whether the jury would have convicted Mitchell is not a consideration that properly comes within my purview. The evidence is sufficient on which they might have done so and that is enough for present purposes.”

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Problems of the jaw joint

THE jaw joint which is technically known as the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the hinge joint that connects the lower jaw to the upper jawbone. It functions through five pairs of muscles attached to the facial bones. The structures (bones, muscles, ligaments, and discs) that make it possible to open and close the mouth are very specialised and are required to work together to enable you to chew, speak, and swallow. The muscle pairs must work in proper balance so that stresses on both sides of the jaw are distributed as equally as possible. The TMJ is considered very complex because it is capable of making many different types of movements, including combinations of hinge and gliding actions. The juncture where the two joints are connected has a disc that acts as a shock absorber to biting and chewing forces. Any problem that prevents this complex system of structures from working together properly may result in cycles of pain, spasm (cramp), muscle tenderness, and damage to the tissue and joint. This is known as temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Most researchers agree that temporomandibular disorders are grouped into three main categories, as follows. It is possible for a person to have one or more of these conditions at the same time. Myofascial pain is the most common form of TMD. It involves pain in the muscles that control the jaw function, the neck, and the shoulder. Internal derangement of the joint means a dislocated jaw, a displaced disc, or injury to the condyle. Degenerative joint disease includes osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis in the jaw joint. Symptoms that TMD sufferers have include: - An ache in the area of the ear extending to the back of the head into the neck and shoulders. - Hearing a clicking or popping sound on opening and closing the mouth. - Pain brought on by yawning, opening the mouth widely, or chewing. - Difficulty in opening the mouth and chewing (limited movement) - Headaches that can mimic migraines, earaches, dizziness, and neck aches. - Jaw that ‘gets stuck,’ lock, or ‘go out’. - Tenderness of jaw muscles - A sudden change in the way the upper and lower teeth fit together. A combination of one or all of these symptoms can also be present for other problems. There are no exact causes and symptoms of TMD, so diagnosis can be difficult. After guidelines have been established it will be easier for health professionals to identify TMD correctly and make proper treatment choices for patients. It is important for your dentist to get a complete health/ dental history in order to be able to make a diagnosis. Regular dental X-rays and TMJ X rays are not useful in diagnosing this disorder. Diagnostic techniques that include CT scans, MRI scans are usually needed unless the health professional strongly suspects arthritis or the pain and symptoms do not improve with treatment. Some clear cut causes of TMD are arthritis, trauma or severe stress. Unfortunately, TMD is usually a combination of factors, and not easily diagnosed. It is common for the disc in the temporomandibular joint to slip forward and click, pop, or even get stuck for a moment. In the absence of pain in the jaw, this is a minor problem that does not require any treatment. Stress often results in clenching or grinding the teeth which may be a factor that starts the cycle of muscle pain and spasms. Many researchers feel behavioural and physical factor all contribute to TD. It is important to note that at this time we do not know the exact causes of this disorder. Conservative (reversible) treatments include counseling or biofeedback training to reduce emotional stress;

muscle massage, relaxants, or tension monitors to aid in breaking the spasm-the-spasm cycle; short-term soft diets to give the jaw movements eg. (yawning, gum chewing);

physical therapy that focuses on gentle muscle relaxing exercises; and short-term use of anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxing drugs.

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Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

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Protecting Guyana’s natural patrimony UNDOUBTEDLY, we know that Guyana has been home to an abundance of flora, fauna, and wildlife, and the country has a myriad of bountiful natural resources. And without a doubt, we have tried- as much as reasonably possible- to protect these and try to harness them in sustainable ways. In my very humble opinion, if nothing else, the one thing that all sides of the political leadership of this country have revered is our natural patrimony. We have grasped that this patrimony is essential to our very development and survival and we have tried to introduce plans and strategies to harness these in the best possible ways. World Environment Day was observed recently, and as usual, when these days are observed it reminds us about the importance of things we might usually take for granted. And I think the environment and its importance is often overlooked. Take the recent Waikin Ranch fire for example. This incident caught my attention because of some heartbreaking photos I saw posted on Facebook showing some animals gravely affected. There were burnt turtles, snakes, and an injured Tamandua. Exacerbating the situation was that it was shown that their habitat- the bush island- was ravaged, which means that those surviving would have been forced to migrate and rebuild their lives. It was just re- ally heartbreaking stuff

to see the animals harmed and their homes destroyed. The fire was purportedly caused by indiscriminate fires, done by people residing in the region itself. But I later found out that this wasn’t an isolated incident. Instead, this is something that occurs quite frequently in the region, particularly during the dry season, and it causes harm to the very same species of wildlife that Guyana boasts of at the international level. Just recently, the Department of the Environment in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Environment presented President Granger and his Cabinet with the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS): Vision2040, which would allow Guyana to develop into a ‘Green State.’ Developing ourselves into this green

state is really an ambitious venture, in my opinion, but not impossible to achieve. This vision requires even down to minute changes in our attitudes and consumption patterns; it focuses on the simple things like proper disposal of waste and reducing the use of single-use plastics (like plastic straws!) to the more complex things like achieving a system of renewable energy. A copy of the GSDS is available online, at the Ministry of the Presidency’s website for anyone willing to learn more about this strategy that I think should really be part of our developmental trajectory. I spent some time reading it (and by reading it, I mean reading the Executive Summary) and I was impressed with the ways the agenda integrated all sectors. Importantly, it listed the three main ob-

jectives as Managing natural resource wealth; supporting economic resilience; and building human capital and institutional capacity. What this simply means is that green development for Guyana means that everyone and everything must go green. And I’ve said this time and time again, going green isn’t just about being environmentally sound. Green development involves the balancing of sustainable development with economic development. Now back to Waikin Ranch and the fires in the Rupununi. These areas are the places that we can boast of no matter where in the world we go. I mean, do I need to remind that we are currently the Number One Eco-destination in the world? But things like these fires threaten the sustainability of these areas; it threatens the ability of the ecosystem to survive and thrive. And we also have climate change to worry about- which is causing our dry seasons to be drier and longer. We simply cannot afford to be negligent with our environment. We must be better guardians of the environment because the reality is that we depend on it for our survival and for our own development. Whether it’s down in the Rupununi or right at home, we have to do better. President David Granger, on the occasion of World Environment Day this year, said it best: protection of the environment is an obligation and not an option.

Canada-based Guyanaese Nurse doing everything she loves MANY may have the perception while growing up, that their life must be set in one way, to focus on one career, and specialise in that area. Not for this licensed nurse, Yemisi Prince. This 24-yearold beauty is a singer, model, vlogger, makeup artist, and everything else she chooses to be. Born and raised in Charlestown, Georgetown, Prince migrated to Toronto, Canada at age 16, when she completed her secondary education at Charlestown Secondary School. Taking with her from her Guyanese upbringing, humility, contentment, and empathy.

“I grew up with having just enough and being contented with what I had and knowing not to ‘play I’m better than people.’ So I treat everyone the same way I want to be treated,” Prince told ‘The Pepperpot Magazine”. She furthered her studies in nursing in Canada, as she had always wanted to be a nurse while growing up. But Prince said her passion lies in anything that brings about joy into people’s lives, and this she said, is not limited to treating people health wise. ‘A creative soul’ is how she describes herself, as such, her passion stretches across the arts. “There was a point in my

life when I thought I should only be doing one thing and one thing only and that was to focus on my nursing career and that’s it. But, then I thought, ‘what a boring life that would be.’ So I decided that I’m going to do everything and anything that I have always wanted to do. I want to be a nurse, I want to sing, I want to model, I want to do makeup, I want to edit videos and photos,” Prince said. And that is exactly how she lives her multifaceted life. “Making that decision to not suppress my amazing talents and be my best self has been working out nicely for me,” she said. “Therefore, I would like

to encourage other young Guyanese people to just go for whatever you want to do. Play around with all the wonderful things you love doing. And if you have a hard time figuring that out, try think back a time when you were a young child, ask yourself what brought you joy when you were at that innocent stage in life, when you didn’t feel judged or give a damn about what other people thought about you. Hopefully, that gets you on the path of figuring out your true identity. And don’t confine yourself into doing just one thing. It is ok to do everything that brings you joy.”

Yemisi Prince

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Guyana and Ghana se partnership during o he was welcomed with a Presidential salute. He was greeted by President Granger after which delegations from both countries engaged in bilateral discussions. Those discussions were followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Guyana and Ghana in the presence of the two Heads of State. The MoU paves the way President David Granger pins the insignia of for increased cooperation and the Order of Excellence, Guyana’s highest collaboration as well as trade national award on Ghanaian President Nana and visa-free travel between Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at a simple Guyana and Ghana, allowing Investiture ceremony at State House. Afro-Guyanese the opportunity to explore their roots as On June 10, 2019, President David Granger and the A Partnership for National most identify with the Akan tribe. Visa-free Unity and the Alliance for Change (AP- travel will also facilitate cultural exchanges President David Granger and President Nana Addo Dankwa NU+AFC) Government welcomed His Ex- between the two States and all travellers will AkufoAddo take the Presidential Salute upon the latter’s arrival cellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, be entitled to at least a 90-day stay without at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. the President of the Republic of Ghana on renewal. his first State visit to Guyana. It is also the honour. President Granger in his remarks, premier State visit that the APNU-AFC noted that President Akufo-Addo was being Administration has hosted since assuming recognised for his invaluable exertions in the Presidency. promoting economic security and stability On his arrival at the Cheddi Jagan Interon the continent of Africa; his steadfast dednational Airport at Timehri, President Grangication to regionalism and his tireless efforts er and several Ministers of Government, to promote the interests of developing states. greeted President Akufo-Addo, whom he had The Guyanese leader also said developing met in the Republic of Cuba months earlier. countries look to President Akufo-Addo’s President Akufo-Addo was given a ceremocontinued leadership and stewardship to nial welcome which included a Presidential protect their gains and secure their future. salute, a review of the Guard of Honour and a The Ghanaian President thanked President 21-gun salute as he disembarked the aircraft. Granger for his hospitality and according During his short visit, President him with the highest honour of the country. Akufo-Addo participated in a roster of activ“I am very, very grateful and I am conities, during which he was warmly welcomed cerned about how the two of us and our two by the Guyanese public. He placed a floral countries can work together to promote the tribute at the Non-Aligned Monument at welfare and interest of our two people,” he Company Path Gardens; thereafter, accompasaid at the Investiture Ceremony. nied by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. KarPresident Akufo-Addo commended Presien Cummings, President Akufo-Addo visited dent Granger on his stewardship over the past President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo greets a member of the public, who joined the Square of the Revolution, the site of the four years while noting that positive growth the scores of schoolchildren and other adults to welcome the President to Guyana. 1763 Monument. There, he was received by and development is evident in Guyana. The Mr. Vincent Alexander, Chairman of the President who is the second Ghanaian leader Additionally, Ghana is looking to expand his unwavering support to Guyana on the on- to visit Guyana, said his visit here was aimed International Decade for People of African going Guyana-Venezuela border controversy. Descent Assembly-Guyana and was escorted its trade and business with Guyana, particuLater that day, President Granger con- at reaffirming the bonds of friendship and larly in the areas of rum, timber and technito lay a floral tribute at the monument. ferred the Ghanaian President with the Order solidarity Ghana attaches to her relations A f t e r p a y i n g h o m a g e , P r e s i d e n t cal support for Guyana’s oil and gas sector. of Excellence at a State Luncheon held in his with Guyana. He said Guyana and Ghana are Akufo-Addo arrived at State House where Additionally, the President Akufo-Addo gave

Members and supporters of the Ghana Day Organisation came out in their numbers to welcome the Ghanaian Head of State on his first State visit to Guyana.

Chairman of Banks DIH, Mr. Clifford Reis presents President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo with a bottle of 21 year old XM Rum.

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et stage for future official State visit Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo lays a wreath as a mark of respect at the Non Aligned Monument.

bonded by “common blood, common geography, common history, and common ties”. “This imposes on us the necessity to work together with each one being the other’s

Umana Yana, Kingston where he viewed an exhibition of local products. That evening, the Ghanaian leader met representatives of the local African organisations as well as members of the Ghana diaspora at the Marriott Hotel. While there, President Akufo-Addo said history dictates that some 400 years ago, this year, was the first recorded arrival of the first 20 slaves from West Africa to the new world. He reminded that 400 years ago “this monstrous trade which came to be known as the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade began and endured for another 300 years and in the process 20 million Africans were forcefully abducted from their homes in West and Central Africa and put in chains and sent across the sea to come to an unknown land here in this so-called new Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen world.” Cummings exchanges a copy of the MemoranThe Ghanaian leader said dum of Understanding (MoU) with her Ghanaian the events of the past must counterpart Ms. Shirley Botchwey, MP. never reoccur and he believes that one way of heightening keeper. Being each other’s keeper means that resolve is to create a series of events that we look out for each other and ensure themed ‘The Year of the Return’ which was that we, descendants from another continent, never permit ourselves to be subjected to dehumanising conditions and sold into slavery. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in whatever form, should never be repeated,” he said. It is this belief that inspired President Akufo-Addo’s proclamation of 2019 as ‘The Year of Return’ to Ghana. “We intend to use the symbolism of this year of return to bring together Africans, persons of African descent and all well-wishers and lovers of freedom to strengthen the commitment to ensuring that this blot on our history never reoccurs. Never again should the African peoples be described as indentured servants or apprentices for life. ‘The year of Return’ provides us also with a platform for intensifying and solidifying the relations between those of us on the continent and those of you in the diaspora which has been designated by the African union as its sixth region,” the President said. After touring Banks DIH Limited and Demerara Distillers Limited on Tuesday afternoon, President Akufo-Addo visited the

President David Granger shares a light moment with His Excellency Akufo- Addo and Ghanaian High Commissioner to Guyana, Professor Abena Pokua Adompim Busia at the CJIA, Timehri airport as the Ghanaian Head of State prepares to depart Guyana

launched last year in October in Washington DC. He also noted that a significant amount of the trade took place in the Caribbean and as such he felt it necessary to “take the message of the ‘Year of the Return’ to the Caribbean. “So we’ve been able to identify five key countries here in the Caribbean that we’re taking this message to and … the subject when we talk of the Caribbean began here in Guyana because I have a good relationship with the President and I think that the country that has an Akan, male born Friday, an Akan as its national hero, is a good starting point…”

The visiting Head of State encouraged those present to visit Ghana to join in the observance of the ‘Year of the Return’. “Apart from the commemoration and the opportunity it gives us to reinforce the determination to never have such events repeated, it also gives us an opportunity to reach out to each other… Those of you who are descendants of Africa who find yourself on this part of the world, this provides us a good occasion, once again, to reach out to each other, to bond, to see how we can move our common destiny forward. I have no doubt your destiny is tied up with ours and ours with you as well, no doubt in my mind about that,” President Akufo-Addo said. The President explained that his visit to Guyana and other CARICOM territories is to forge closer links within the people of those countries.

HE Nana Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana views locally made products, accompanied by Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Raphael Trotman.

Sections of the audience at a diaspora engagement hosted for His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana

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THE LIVING SOIL: NEMATODES NEMATODES are non-segmented worms typically 1/500 of an inch (50 µm) in diameter and 1/20 of an inch (1 mm) in length. Those few species responsible for plant diseases have received a lot of attention, but far less is known about the majority of the nematode community that plays beneficial roles in soil. Most nematodes in the soil are not plant parasites. Beneficial nematodes help control disease and cycle nutrients. An incredible variety of nematodes function at several trophic levels of the soil food web. Some feed on the plants and algae (first trophic level); others are grazers that feed on bacteria and fungi (second trophic level); and some feed on other nematodes (higher trophic levels). Free-living nematodes can be divided into four broad groups based on their diet. • Bacterial-feeders consume bacteria. • Fungal-feeders feed by puncturing the cell wall of fungi and sucking out the internal contents. • Predatory nematodes eat all types of nematodes and protozoa. They eat smaller organisms whole, or attach themselves to the cuticle of larger nematodes, scraping away until the prey’s internal body parts can be extracted. • Omnivores eat a variety of organisms or may have a different diet at each life stage. Root-feeders are plant parasites and thus are not free-living in the soil. WHAT DO NEMATODES DO? Nutrient cycling: Like protozoa, nematodes are important in mineralising, or releasing, nutrients in plant-available forms. When nematodes eat bacteria or fungi, ammonium (NH4+) is released because bacteria and fungi contain much more nitrogen than the nematodes require. Grazing: At low nematode densities, feeding by nematodes stimulates the growth rate of prey populations. That is, bacterial-feeders stimulate bacterial growth, plant-feeders stimulate plant growth, and so on. At higher densities, nematodes will reduce the population of their prey. This may decrease plant productivity, may negatively impact mycorrhizal fungi and can reduce decomposition and immobilization rates by bacteria and fungi. Predatory nematodes may regulate populations of bacterial-and fungal-feeding nematodes, thus preventing over-grazing by those groups. Nematode grazing may control the balance between bacteria and fungi, and the species composition of the microbial community. Dispersal of microbes: Nematodes help distribute bacteria and fungi through the soil and along roots by carrying live and dormant microbes on their surfaces and in their digestive systems. Food source: Nematodes are food for higher level predators, including predatory nematodes, soil microarthropods, and soil insects. They are also parasitised by bacteria and fungi. DISEASE SUPPRESSION AND DEVELOPMENT: Some nematodes cause disease. Others consume disease-causing organisms, such as root-feeding nematodes, or prevent their access to roots. These may be potential biocontrol agents. Fungal-feeding nematodes have small, narrow stylets, or spears, in their stoma (mouth) which they use to puncture the cell walls of fungal hyphae and withdraw the cell fluid. This interaction releases plant-available nitrogen from fungal biomass. Turn to page XXVII►►►

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A SAD TIME FOR UG On Friday, June 7, the University of Guyana’s Council was meeting to decide on a new Contract for Vice Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith. The overwhelming majority of educationists, the alumni and the vast majority of students and their parents waited with bated breath, looking forward to the renewal of Vice Chancellor’s governance of UG for the next three years. It, therefore, came as a deeply sad shock and disappointment when the news came out that Professor Griffith had withdrawn his request for the renewal of his Contract. At the moment he is abroad but has promised to share the details of his decision at a later date. Since the deadline for submission of this article is Tuesday, a matter of hours away, we have decided to await the details and to consider them subsequently. Professor Griffith’ s three-year governance was a unique period in the History of UG. At no time in the University’s history was so much achieved in so short a time. In the first place and for the first time he presented the University with a philosophy and a continuous programme of action which he dubbed “The UG Renaissance” reminiscent of the European Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries which of course was not limited to a three- or five-year development plan but a continuous stream of creative action. Professor Griffith, in true Renaissance style, approached his governance of UG in a holistic way. He addressed the external by beginning the serious engagement of alumni, both at home and abroad, networking with academic colleagues and contacts abroad and developing relations with the vast Guyanese Diaspora. The positive and fruitful results of such External contact for the University, and indeed for the nation as a whole, are limitless. Simultaneously, he addressed the renewal and uplifting of the University’s infrastructure, its academic and teaching aspects and its administration with positive results. Lastly, he brought the University to an increasingly appreciative public and created programmes and departments aimed at strengthening and enhancing the social and economic life of the nation. His holistic approach manifested itself in a large number of actions and activities, all of which it would be impossible to recount in a short article. We shall mention some of them to indicate the depth and quality of his achievements: There is the Sobhraj Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Research which cost several billion dollars and which was funded by a well-known philanthropist from the Diaspora; the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation was launched in 2017 and was designed to meet a great social and economic need present since the ending of Slavery in the 19th century; Degree programmes were launched in Petroleum Engineering; Food Science; Youth Work; and Clinical Psychology at the Turkeyen Campus and Nursing and Civil Engineering at the Berbice Tain Campus. In partnership with the Geology and Mines Commission, a 2-billion geotechnical laboratory for students studying petroleum and mining engineering was launched. For sev-

eral years now, the School of Medicine had lost its accreditation and this was restored in 2017. UG’s medical graduates could once again be registered abroad and improve their qualifications. If one visits the Turkeyen Campus, it would be a pleasant surprise to see all the buildings painted and spruced up and a number of new buildings. The George Walcott lecture theatre, the University’s largest lecture theatre, has been completely modernized. And there are substantial plans afoot for a more extensive and modern library. Since Research is the life-blood of any University, he has tried to stimulate Research among the academic staff and among the undergraduates. Organized Undergraduate Research is a welcome innovation and Professor Griffith, with his network of contact has been able to have seven undergraduates, a few weeks ago, present their researches in the USA and Germany. He has plans of raising the levels of the qualifications of the academic staff by securing doctoral programmes for them at various foreign universities. There is no need to mention his further achievements and innovations but only to remind readers that all this and more was done in 36 months. The question is put as to why should any voice be raised against anyone who was performing with such unique excellence. The answer lies in the recesses of the human psyche where, if at any time, anyone is bringing about human progress and development at a rapid rate, he or she would always be met with conservative resistance and Professor Griffith was a victim of this syndrome. This happened during the European Renaissance where conservative elements were able to silence many brilliant innovators and intellectuals, some of whom were burnt at the stake. The opposition to Professor Griffith was encapsulated in the two University trade unions and their causus belli was that Professor Griffith was too lavish and inappropriate in his financial expenditures. The other segments of the University community- the overwhelming majority of the students and their parents, and the Private Sector, the Parliamentary political parties, the majority of the University Council and the public as a whole, while being aware of the unions’ financial accusations, were also aware that several things for which Professor Griffith was blamed were inherited and in any case, world-class standards required higher expenditure than second and third rate institutions were accustomed to. For example, the Turkeyen and Tain Lecture series and discussions were criticized as being outrageously expensive because they were held at first class hotels with attractively printed programmes, light refreshments, organized ushering etc. These lectures attracted a wide cross-section and even members of the Diplomatic Corps and brought a welcome outreach to the public and earned much prestige. To hold such lecture series in school rooms would have been much cheaper but would not have attracted the same quality of presenters and audience. The unions were able to use the media to regularly present their accusations of Professor Griffith’s alleged lavish spending but

those who felt or knew otherwise refrained from engaging these accusations since they felt it was incorrect and even indecent to be bruting the University’s internal processes publicly. They were confident that Truth will prevail. They envisioned that Professor Griffith would continue to serve, that the financial accusations used as a causus belli would be rectified in a short time and Professor Griffith would continue his programme of renewal and raising standards of the University. It, therefore, came as a shock when Professor Griffith decided not to request the renewal of his Contract. Though we still continue to hope Pro-

fessor Griffith would continue to be associated with the University in some form or other, we would like to mention two of the important things he has bequeathed to UG: First, he has given us a template of what is expected of a succeeding Vice Chancellor of UG and as such provided a guide to search teams and interviewers. And secondly, there are a number of valuable and creative programmes which he had planned or innovated and which should be effectuated or strengthened. Accordingly, there should be no pause in the renewal and raising of standards by any succeeding administration.

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The truth about sex I RECEIVED an email from a young girl asking me to clarify some things about safe sex. To be honest, I was worried by the questions as I felt they were definitely

things she should already know at her age. I don’t usually talk much about the physical, mainly because it’s not my area of expertise but I am making an exception for

a few reasons. Firstly, there is a very high correlation between sexually transmitted diseases and mental health issues. Secondly, I felt as though this young girl did not feel comfortable asking her parents, guardians or even teachers about such an important issue. Sex has always been such a taboo topic, much like mental health and just the same, not addressing it results in serious, life-threatening consequences. I’m going to debunk some myths about sex, protection and sexually transmitted diseases and I don’t think it will only benefit adolescents. These are questions I’ve gotten through the years, myths that I’ve heard as jokes and things I’ve wondered myself when I was younger. A myth is a traditional, custom belief that has been passed down through generations, mainly through word of mouth and there are many pertaining to sex. A myth is quite powerful, simply because it’s a widely held piece of misinformation that is actively reinforced, and rarely ever challenged. Firstly, there is no appropriate age to have sex. People should have sex when and only when they feel physically, mentally and emotionally prepared. This means being fully educated on the topic, how to protect yourself as well as possible outcomes and consequences. It means being prepared for the flood of emotions that come along with it; it means finding a partner who will respect your boundaries and you in general. ?Masturbation is not a sin nor will it cause sexual dysfunction or blindness. This is the healthily alternative until you are prepared to have sex. ?While highly unlikely, it is still possible to become pregnant during menstruation. This depends on the woman and how long their full menstrual cycle lasts. Having your period does not predict when you will release an egg which has to be present for sperm to begin the process of conception. Additionally, since sperm can live inside your uterus for up to five days, if you release an egg during these five days you run the risk of getting pregnant. Menstruation is not a baby barrier. ?Yes, you can give and receive a sexually transmitted infection from oral sex. For example, if your partner is infected with oral herpes and has a cold sore, it can be transmitted through oral sex. If there is a current outbreak of cold sores, there can be transmitted through skin to skin contact. This means that you can still be infected whether or not

you have officially had sexual intercourse. ?Urinating or washing up after sex does not prevent pregnancy. ?Pregnancy is still possible the first time you have sex. It’s a common myth that pregnancy is unlikely during the loss of virginity. The number of times you have sex has nothing to do with pregnancy. ?You should never, under any circumstances use the same condom more than once: this makes it completely ineffective. ?Yes, some people are allergic to latex condoms, but it doesn’t mean you stop using condoms altogether. If you have had a bad reaction from a condom, ask a pharmacist of a latex-free one. ?Yes, you should still use a condom for anal sex. While pregnancy is not a possibility, sexually transmitted diseases still are. ?No, you should not be using ‘condom like’ materials such as saran wrap or sandwich bags. Put those away; only actual condoms will effectively prevent pregnancy.? ?Birth control pills or injections do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. The only completely effective form of birth control is abstinence (no sexual activity) ?Where you have sex (pool, river etc.), the sexual position or time of day affects your chances of getting pregnancy the same. All sex is created equal ?Pulling out before final ejaculation is not an effective form of birth control. It is very possible to become pregnant from the pre-ejaculation, which you cannot predict, feel and which includes sperm ?Symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases are not clearly visible. You can never look at someone and be able to tell whether they are affected. You and your partner should always get tested. I’m sure there are many questions that I haven’t answered, please feel free to email them into me or do your own personal research. Myths at times may be funny to some, but they are quite dangerous to many. We can rid many myths once and for all simply by providing accurate information about sex to younger generations. It will not encourage them to have sex, it will simply help them to make better decisions when they are ready. Thanking you for reading. Please keep sending any topics you’d like to talk about to caitlinvieira@gmail.com Suicide Prevention Helpline numbers: 223-0001, 223-0009, 623-4444, 600-7896. Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always

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Natural hair and you Part II

GROWING up with a mixed (African, Portuguese and Chinese mixture) father and an Indian mother was quite bitter-sweet when culture and race, inclusive of hair was concerned. If I am to be brutally honest, my mother was not very familiar with hair textures like mine. I always had a slick, pulled back ponytail throughout my years of primary and secondary schoolings. Until, of course, when I was about the age of 15, my paths crossed with some friends who actually wore their curly hair out in public, almost every day. My mind at that said time thought my hair was only to look like that whenever I washed it, the correct and ONLY way was to brush the curls out, pull them back and ‘tame’ them with products. What felt like a rebellious side of myself at the time, was actually increased knowledge and research on natural hair. All that I have learned from my friends with curls, online research and shared experiences manifested its way and cleared my ignorance (safe to call it that). I realised that I can wear my curls down and it was actually okay to do so. As a little girl, I cried because my hair was not ‘straight’. I always thought that by having straight hair, it automatically means you’re beautiful- or at least that’s what society portrayed at the time of my upbringing. Not to say straight hair is not beautiful or I am not blaming society and my family- it is just a matter of true acceptance. Acceptance, of one’s curly hair of course. Progression surely is evident from the time when I was a little girl to now as it relates to naturally curly or kinky hair. I am familiar with so many faces who share the same experiences as I have, some even more drastic. The natural hair movement is on the rise, even in our very own country. ‘Curl Fête’ is an annual natural hair and beauty exposition, held in Georgetown. Tamika Henry co-founder of the event and brand expressed her advice on taking care of your crownsorry, I meant curls. “When it comes to natural hair, there is no such thing as ‘one size fits all.’ Your waves, curls, kinks, naps and knots are as unique as you are! The trick is figuring out the combination of products, treatments and styles that work best for YOU, even if you do take advice from natural hair gurus.” She continued by saying, “Natural hair is indeed versatile but I believe that a lot of the frustration with caring for our natural hair comes when we try to make our hair do something that it was simply not meant to do at the molecular level. For example, our hair is not straight due to chemical bonding within and between strands that result in curves, curls and folds. So, when we try to force our natural hair to be slick, it requires chemical treatment, extreme heat, excess products and a lot of effort, and still, sometimes it doesn’t work and we get frustrated. A great place to start is just appreciating the beauty of your curl pattern and finding styles that compliment your texture. Central to all natural hair care however is moisture, moisture, moisture! Understanding your hair porosity will go a long way in assisting you with product selection because porosity determines how well your hair accepts and retains moisture, and therefore the consistency and moisture content of products that are ideal for your hair, as well as the best way to seal in that moisture. Healthy natural hair is moisturised natural hair.” Personally, I also think that knowing what type of hair you have can be of much help. There are four general types of hair: Type 1 is what we all commonly call straight hair. Straight hair is perhaps the easiest hair type to style and reflects the most sheen. Type two is ‘wavy hair’ textures. Within Type 2, there are wavy 2A, wavy 2B and wavy 2C. Wavy hair can be quite frizzy and it is in the middle of curly and straight hair. Type 3 is considered curly hair and within it, there are 3A, 3B and 3C gradings. All of these grades have one thing in common which is, they all hold a fixed ‘S’ shape with or without products. Curly hair is prone to damage quickly and curls will not form ‘aesthetically’ if you do not take care of them. Finally, Type 4 is also known as ‘kinky’ hair and it holds the shape of a zig-zag pattern. This hair requires a gentle touch as it is the most fragile of all four types. Kinky hair is naturally dry, hence, extra moisture is always necessary. Also, to clear up a misconception people

often have- kinky hair grows! All hair types require different methods of care. Generally, all should include cleansing (shampooing), conditioning, moisturising and then styling products- whatever those products are depending on your hair and what you think is best for it. “Tie your hair up Marissa”, “Comb it out” or “Tame it” are words that do not phase me anymore. Curly hair is more than just fetishes and trends, it’s a reminder of cultural roots and history.

Scene from Curl Fête, Guyana.

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#SupportCreativity

When They See Us

TWO of the most prominent of all the world’s ugly certainties are: that people of colour are still being treated atrociously and that racism runs rampant in America. Ava DuVernay’s new miniseries on Netflix, “When They See Us,” presents both facts in stark, graphic, disturbing, and disori-

enting detail. The show offers its viewers an America of the past, without neglecting to ensure that we are able to observe how markedly unchanged it is from the America of the present, where people of colour are still mistreated, used as pawns, and forced to experience the worst aspects of

By Subraj Singh

racism. “When They See Us” tells the story of the Central Park Five, a group of five boys of colour in their early teens who were apprehended in 1989 after being out in Central Park on the same night that a white, female jogger was brutally beaten and raped. The show explores how the five boys come to be convicted for the crime, even though they were all innocent, and the various ways in which each of them and his respective family were affected by the unjust incarcerations. The show begins by presenting the boys on the day that the Central Park jogging case took place. DuVernay ensures that we see them as they are, as children – young, playful, hopeful, full of joy and goodness. She makes sure that we see the important relationships in their lives: Kevin and his sister, Angie; Antron and his father, Bobby; Yusef and his friend; and Korey and his girlfriend, Lisa. These opening moments are important because they highlight much of what will be lost, what will be taken away when these young boys of colour are stripped of their family and friends, their bonds and protection, their comfort, love, and sense of security, the moment they step into Central Park on that fateful night in 1989. The casting of these particular actors are well done, as each actor manages to evoke the particular themes and sentiments that are peculiar to each individual character being played while also maintaining the sense of the familiar, a sense of unity and togetherness between the actors playing their family members and friends, something that comes naturally with friends and family. Notable standouts from among the cast include Asante Blackk who turns in a dynamite, emotional performance that forces us to experience the fear and exploitation expe-

“When They See Us,” Netflix, 2019 – Image Source: IMDB

rienced by black boys in America. The other actors who portray the young versions of the rest of the Central Park Five: Jharrel Jerome as Korey, Caleel Harris as Antron, Ethan Herisse as Yusef, and Marquis Rodriguez as Raymond, are equally outstanding in their roles, conveying the uncertainty, the desperation, the confusion and sadness that their real-life counterparts no doubt experienced. The interrogation scenes, where the boys are separated from their families and coerced into giving false confessions are especially well acted. I watched these scenes in the first episode in a room filled with about fifteen Turn to page XXVII►►►

Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019 ◄◄◄ From page XXII

This bacterial-feeding nematode, Elaphonema, has ornate lip structures that distinguish it from other nematodes. Bacterial-feeders release plant-available nitrogen when they consume bacteria. The Pratylenchus, or lesion nematode, has a shorter, thicker stylet in its mouth than the root feeder below. Root-feeding nematodes use their stylets to puncture the thick cell wall of plant root cells and siphon off the internal contents of the plant cell. This usually causes economically significant damage to crops. The curved stylet seen inside this nematode is characteristic of the genus Trichodorus. WHERE ARE NEMATODES? Nematodes are concentrated near their prey groups. Bacterial-feeders abound near roots where bacteria congregate; fungal-feeders are near fungal biomass; root-feeders are concentrated around roots of stressed or susceptible plants. Predatory nematodes are more likely to be abundant in soils with high numbers of nematodes. Because of their size, nematodes tend to be more common in coarser-textured soils. Nematodes move in water films in large (>1/500 inch or 50 µm) pore spaces. Agricultural soils generally support less than 100 nematodes in each teaspoon (dry gram) of soil. Grasslands may contain 50 to 500 nematodes, and forest soils generally hold several hundred per teaspoon. The proportion of bacterial-feeding and fungal-feeding nematodes is related to the amount of bacteria and fungi in the soil. Commonly, less disturbed soils contain more predatory nematodes, suggesting that predatory nematodes are highly sensitive to a wide range of disturbances. NEMATODES AND WATER QUALITY Nematodes may be useful indicators of soil quality because of their tremendous diversity and their participation in many functions at different levels of the soil food web. Several researchers have proposed approaches to assessing the status of soil quality by counting the number of nematodes in different families or trophic groups.* In addition to their diversity, nematodes may be useful indicators because their populations are relatively stable in response to changes in moisture and temperature (in contrast to bacteria), yet nematode populations respond to land management changes in predictable ways. Because they are quite small and live in water films, changes in nematode populations reflect changes in soil microenvironments. ◄◄◄ From page XXVI

people and more than half of them cried during the interrogation scenes. It is gut-wrenching stuff and many people have, understandably, refused to expose themselves to such heavy grief and sorrow. Jharrel Jerome was the only actor to play both the young and adult versions of his character, and for that, he deserves special commendation. Although probably best known for his role in Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning film, “Moonlight,” Jerome truly comes to the fore in “When They See Us,” playing both a sweet-natured boy intent on protecting his friend as well as the tough, damaged man that he grows up to be. This transition in acting between two phases in the life of a single character is one of the best that I have seen in a TV show and Jerome pulls the whole thing off spectacularly well. Of course, DuVernay also deserves some of the credit, especially as the writer and director who executed the striking and disturbing scenes of Korey’s psyche when in prison. Dreamlike and beautiful, horrific and daunting – Korey’s time in solitary is expressed in clever blocking and shots that emphasize the high quality of DuVernay’s storytelling abilities, proving that she is as capable of writing and handling a camera as she is at pulling strong and efficient performances from her actors. Niecy Nash also stands out as Korey’s transphobic, drug-pushing mother in a thunderous performance, while Aunjanue Ellis matches her in what can only be described as a quietly simmering storm of a role. Kylie Bunbury and John Leguizamo also stand out with subtle performances, as does Vera Farmiga and Logan Marshall-Green. Despite the blood, the rape, and the prison violence, the scariest thing about “When They See Us” is how casually the boys were determined as being guilty of the crime they did not commit, how quickly they were entered into a narrative that altered all of their lives forever, how easy it was to frame those boys of colour, to send them away to prison, to violence and dead ends, to broken bones and bruised faces, to hate and crime and loveless lives. Scarier than all that, of course, is the fact that, for coloured people today in Trump’s America, none of it has really changed.

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Beyond the Runway with Dr. Sonia Noel ... Inspiring lives through fashion

I Can

I love those two small words. Last Saturday I participated in the “I CAN” Women Leadership Conference in New York. The event was hosted by Sisters of Excellence led by founder Cindy Brown who remarked: “I Can 2019 is an event packed with educational tips to empower the whole woman- mind, body and spirit. The women left with educational nuggets to change believe that all Turn to page XXIX►►►

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World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2019

THE purpose of this Day is to promote public awareness of land degradation and to draw attention to the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). To maximise its impact, the UNCCD Secretariat invites all States, civil society organisations, international and non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders to draw attention to land issues and educate the public about effective methods for addressing land degradation. Acknowledging that desertification and drought are global problems, in that, they affect all regions of the world; joint action by the international community is needed to combat this issue, particularly in Africa. It was against this backdrop that the UN General Assembly declared 17 June as “World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. This year’s celebration is being held under the theme “Let’s Grow the Future Together.” WHAT IS DESERTIFICATION AND HOW IS IT CAUSED? Desertification is defined by the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification as the reduction or loss of the biological or economic productivity of drylands resulting from persistent degradation of dryland ecosystems by human activities — including unsustainable farming, mining, overgrasing and clear-cutting of land — and by climate change. Just in case you may be wondering, Guyana does have issues of land degradation which needs to be addressed.

IMPACT OF DESERTIFICATION Desertification is a global issue, with serious implications worldwide for biodiversity, eco-safety, poverty eradication, socio-economic stability and sustainable development. Drylands are already fragile. As they become degraded, the impact on people, livestock and environment can be devastating. Some 50 million people may be displaced within the next 10 years as a result of desertification. What is being done and how can you play a part. In order to prevent and reverse desertification, major policy interventions and changes in management approaches are needed. Such interventions should be implemented at local to global scales, with the active engagement of stakeholders and local communities. The seventeenth session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 17) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), was held here in Guyana from 28 to 30, January 2019. CRIC17 reviewed the first global assessment of land degradation based on Earth observation data reported by governments. The assessment, which was conducted by reporting countries using a harmonised approach, shows the trends in land degradation, between the periods 2000 to 2015, based on data provided by 145 of the 197 countries that are party to the Convention. The assessment provided the baseline for assessing progress in the reduction or reversal of land degradation globally, going forward. It will also contribute to country efforts to achieve land degradation neutrality (LDN), which is Sustainable Development Goal target 15.3. The Guyana Lands and Survey Commission is the focal point in Guyana for UNCCD. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) work closely with environmental users to ensure they are Authorised to carry out operations that impact among

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things are possible and they can make their dreams a reality.“ When Cindy invited me a few months ago to be part of this event I could not commit because I was caring for my brother and was not willing to go that far away from him. When I think about it God already knew that I will be going because he was going to have my brother join him. A time as this needed to be in this kind of atmosphere with likeminded people because of the storm I am going through. I had to develop a mindset to embrace the storm knowing it will not last forever. Even though some storms hit you on the blind side, they are many positives that come out of them. Stormy seasons force change, test our faith; they expose weaknesses, test our foundation, bring you back to what is important and reminds us we will not be here forever. Maybe one feature in this column will be about storms lol. Let’s get back to the conference. This entire day was super inspiring and I motivated everyone in attendance. I also made some new connection’s with some great women I met for the first time but it did not feel that way. The phenomenal ladies who made amazing presentations were Dr Patricia Shaw,Carolyn Barwicki, Elizabeth Madison, Toni Coleman, Brown ,Nicole McCullum ,Drenee Boothe , Bridgett Jobe , Dr Juliet, Mc Bride ,Sharon Webb Richards, Denise Hicks Francis ,Cynthia

bell and the lone guy Peter Ivey, Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of The Reggae Chefs , Creator of Mission:Food Possible. I love the idea of having an amazing young man who was born in Jamaica to be the keynote at a women’s conference. “I believe that true progress cannot be made when we work in isolation. Collaboration is key and I can see that is what the Sisters of Excellence Women’s conference tried and succeeded in accomplishing. I was proud to be given access to such an event and be able to make an impact on the audience, “ Peter Ivey said. I love when he shared his seven life lessons with us: listening, writing your own story, believe in magic, go beyond your limits, it is better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission, be authentic, and it is more important to be useful than brilliant. His story every young man should hear because it will motivate them that they too can rise no matter where you begin. I am looking forward to future collaborations with Peter Ivey because we speak the same language and are passionate about contributing in a positive way to humanity. Everyday “I CAN” should be part of our vocabulary as we continue to celebrate this beautiful journey called life BEYOND THE RUNWAY.

others, air, water and soil quality. The EPA through in monitoring and enforcement arm seeks to ensure environmental users adhere to environmental protection and conservation laws. It also encourages and supports a number of best practices and initiatives such as; • Sustainable harvesting of forest resources. • Increase education and awareness. • Climate Smart Agriculture. • Water resources management — saving, reuse of treated water, rainwater harvesting. • Use of best available technologies to reduce the impact on land, air and water. Feel free to share with us via our Facebook page, one way you plan to join the rest of the world to observe this day. KEY FACTS “By 2025, 1.8 billion people will experience absolute water scarcity, and 2/3 of the world will be living under water-stressed conditions.” By 2045 some 135 million people may be displaced as a result of desertification.”-UN 2019 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 or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

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English

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STUDY SUCCESS

are always helpful. Be wise.

Dear Student,

Love you.

In your field of study startling and revealing things happen. Sometimes you can be positively convinced about your prowess in some area of knowledge; only to find out differently. It is well known that going into an examination ill prepared can be disastrous[HW1]. Substantiate your position by strengthening those study areas. Sharpen all necessary skills and access all prescribed texts. Also, you will find that positioning yourself with study partners and self-testing devices

THE PASSAGE “It’s too small for Mrs Peters,” said Septimius. For the first time for days he was speaking as he used to do! Of course, it was – absurdly small, she said. But Mrs Peters had chosen it. He took it out of her hands. He said it was an organ grinder’s monkey hat. How it rejoiced her, that! Not for weeks had they laughed like this together, poking fun privately like married people. What

Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

she meant was if Mrs Filmer had come in, or Mrs Peters or anybody, they would not have How often have I said to you when you have understood what she and Septieliminated the impossible, whatever remains, mius were laughing at. however improbable, must be the truth? “There,” she said, pinning a SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE rose to one side of the hat. Never had she felt so happy! Never in (1859-1930) “The Valley of Fear” her life! But that was still more ridicuhouse, lands in the yard and breaks a led. lous, Septimius said. Now the poor woman “Stop it,” the owner screams. “I will looked like a pig at a fair. (Nobody had call the police . . . this is criminal. You ever laughed as Septimius did.) must pay for this.” What had she got in her workbox? She He struggles with the hired hands, had ribbons and beads, tassels, artificial three convict-type bullies. flowers. She tumbled them out on the table. “You have broken my table, you . . He began putting odd colours together – for . you . . .” though he had no fingers, could not even “We will fix that,” the landlord says do up a parcel, he had a wonderful eye, and from a distance. “Soon as you pay.” often he was right, sometimes absurd, of “You have no right to raise the rent,” course, but sometimes wonderfully right. the tenant complains. “No right at all.” Dressed only in a vest and pair of ragged ABOUT THE PASSAGE trousers the bank clerk looks pathetically Today’s passage was chosen to help you comical. They must have caught him in enjoy good, simple and unadulterated writ- bed. ing. Check it carefully. The author chose “You know how much tax I have to no huge words like boulders, not too much pay today?” the landlord argues. “And the deeply implied meanings, and no diplomatic price of water . . . and the price of electricstyle to relate the event. And an event it ity . . . and the cost of fuel to come here and was. Yet an interesting story was formed. collect? Then you talk of right, huh. The You would surely want to read more of that price of food?” writer’s work. “I also eat,” the bank clerk complains. WHAT TO DO Together with your study committed partners, complete the following questions. 1. Look at dialogue in use. See how the writer’s choice of words allow dialogue to help tell her story. 2. Do you see the male character, Septimius, as being loveable? How can you say his behavior affects the milliner, his wife? 3. What little can you say about the wife-character, Rezia? Think up a short list of words to suitably describe her. 4. Write an enjoyable story of your own. Let your partners read and comment with explanations. GRAMMAR Syllable Connection Since written syllables are sometimes quite different form spoken syllables, check an authority when you need to break a word. A word can be broken between syllables or pronounceable parts. Remember that words pronounce as a single syllable are never broken in writing. Nor should a single letter be separated from a word either at the beginning or at the end. More about the use of the hyphen. a) Hyphens are used to divide words at the end of a line. b) Hyphens are not usually used to join a prefix to a word, but there are some instances of exception. c) Hyphens are used with compound adjectives, compound number, fractions used as adjectives, and compound numerals. Can you tell how to break the following words, or whether or not they should be broken? Have a try. merrier, éclair, leafy, once, tracking, fluctuate, graduate, bruise, redolent, refer SECOND PASSAGE The eviction crew works thoroughly, relentlessly. A coffee table sails out of the

FORMATING DIALOGUE IN A STORY There are rules that govern what is to be done when characters speak as the story moves on 1. The characters’ exact language should be in quotes, and the reader should know who is speaking especially when there is a dialogue scene with a lot of information being passed on. 2. Each speaker gets his or her own paragraph; a return and indent. This mimics real conversation, indicating pauses and so forth. Example: “You have broken my table, you . . . you . . .” “We will fix that,” the landlord says from a distance. “Soon as you pay.” 3. Always use a comma at the end, even if the line of dialogue sounds like a sentence, and punctuation must always be inside quotation marks. Example: “She is a person sorts out her garbage,” observed Desiree. 4. Punctuation must always be inside quotation marks: Gregory said, “I wish I had accepted her wedding invitation.” 5. Use “said,” “he said,” she said,” and variations, but not too much. Do not make variations too repetitious. Use these ascriptions/ credits/ tags at the start of quotes, in the middle, or at the end. Do not overuse tags. They get in the way of the reader’s understanding about who is speaking. Observe that a comma is used after an ascription (She said,) when introducing a quote. 6. If the character is not tied to the quote, then the quote is a sentence and the action is a new sentence. Example: Desiree finished her sorting. “There it is.” 7. If you show who is talking in the middle of a quote, then the whole statement is one sentence. Example: “Can you imagine,” he said, “all the churches in the neighbourhood marching together . . .?”

Chronicle Pepperpot June 16, 2019

Peanut Punch

INGREDIENTS 1 oz peanut butter 1/2 pt milk 1-2 oz sugar crushed ice INSTRUCTIONS Add milk to peanut butter gradually and stir well to avoid lumping Sweeten and add crushed ice. Whisk or shake. Serve

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