Pepperpot E-Papaer 10-10-2021

A second chance at life

Breast Cancer Survivor’s determination to try again

After finding out she had Stage Two Breast Cancer, Sarita Yabindranauth Halim struggled to endure chemotherapy and after several failed attempts, finally completed the procedure and is now cancer-free

Sunday October 10, 2021

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 10, 2021

The preservation of Guyana’s rich history

By Dillon Goring GUYANA has always had a rich cultural history for locals, and tourists who are visitors to these shores. Against this backdrop, Rex Lucas, a qualified photographer and former teacher, believes that the history of Guyanese culture should be taught in schools. Still, better absorption would be needed if awareness of historical sites is provided. During a recent interview with the Pepperpot Magazine, Lucas lamented that when he was a teacher in the North Pakaraimas, an area located in the interior of Guyana, there were no references to which he could have referred students during

his teaching. “My experience in the interior was very informative, because I found myself in a situation where I had to be teaching about parts of Guyana and there were no books with images for the students or me as a teacher to use as a reference,” he explained. “The other problem was when I returned to the coastland and was teaching again while attending the university, and still there were no books to show the students what the interior looked like, no documented books, no school text, nothing at all.” He noted that after he qualified himself as a certified photographer, he then embarked on creating a record of Guyana in a manner

that can be beneficial to mature adults, provide them with information about the country, as well as provide information for persons visiting the country, inclusive of tourists. “Our background is multicultural. That is the environment in which I grew up. Yes, there was internal conflict and all of that is recorded in the book I have written,” Lucas mentioned during the interview. The book he wrote, he noted, has some 340 pages with about 700 images. He also made the point that he wants to let Guyanese learn a little bit more about their country. Since his return to Guyana, he has only been taking

Rex Lucas, a photographer, takes photos of various aspects of Guyana’s history, landscape and culture in order to preserve the memory for future generations

pictures of buildings of a historical nature, such as the City Hall, but says that he is concerned about Guyana’s history and its culture. The importance of leaving a historical legacy Lucas was adamant that

if the history of Guyana continues to be destroyed, there will be nothing left to show our children where our nation has come and what it has been through. “We as Guyanese, especially our educators, our leaders have a responsibility to ensure that our history is

taught to every child in the country…,” Lucas told the Pepperpot Magazine He also advocated for preservation of the content that lies in our museum. Pictorial history is one of the few issues that must SEE PAGE IV

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 10, 2021

A second chance at life Breast Cancer Survivor’s determination to try again

Undergoing chemotherapy was not easy, but Sarita managed to complete it.

By Telesha Ramnarine SARITA Yabindranauth Halim, upon suddenly discovering that she had stage two breast cancer, decided that she would be content to live the roughly five more years that doctors told her she had because she wasn’t in for the bumpy road she knew awaited her if she decided to seek treatment and have one of her breasts completely removed. But she went home from the hospital that day and thought long and hard of how her decision would impact her husband and son

and the rest of her family. So she changed her mind and began chemotherapy, which she describes as one of the toughest ordeals that she’s ever had to deal with. It all started when Sarita asked a close friend one day to come over and feel the lump in her breast. Being completely ignorant of breast cancer, she took it for nothing for almost one year, even though she would feel the lump ever so often. “It wasn’t bothering me, hurting, oozing or anything,” Sarita reflected in an interview with Pepperpot Magazine. She is just happy that she told her friend

Family and friends play a crucial role in a cancer patient’s recovery.

about the lump and decided to follow up on it at the hospital. Doctors removed a two-centimetre lump and Sarita’s right side breast had to be removed completely. “It struck me. I left myself on the backburner because it wasn’t bothering me,” she expressed, noting that she was angry at herself for not checking on the lump sooner.

Breast Cancer survivor Sarita Yabindranauth Halim.

It wasn’t an easy road for Sarita when it came to chemotherapy. She didn’t know what to do and she had never known how it makes your body feel. She had to undergo eight cycles and to this day, she can still remember how she felt the first day she took it. “I didn’t know what to do. I thought it was an injection I was going for and then would go back home. I had

no idea how badly I was going to feel. It hurt so much,” she remembers. She didn’t think that there were things that she should not have been eating at the time, so when she got home the first day after ‘chemo’ she had her roti and boulanger. She explained that she did not leave the washroom area for the entire night. Eventually, all she would ever be able to stomach was dhal, calaloo and coconut water. “When I did chemo the first time I took seven days to get better and I told myself I won’t continue with the treatment, but after that week, I felt so much better and I decided to continue. I went again and I gave up again and again and again until I completed it,” she recalled. The ‘chemo’ worked on her body, so after completing the eight cycles, she started radiation to complete her treatment. During this time, she met several women like herself from whom she could draw strength and inspiration, including a 32-year-old teacher who sadly eventually lost her battle with breast cancer. Sarita feels that she would not have been able to be successful without the support of her family and friends. “The important thing in a cancer patient’s life is family and friends.

If these turn their backs on you, you have nothing; believe me.” She is extremely grateful to everyone who played a part in helping her to recover. She is advising other women not to wait until it’s too late to get screened. “Examine your breasts after your cycle of period every month and with your belly, don’t play with it. Many women are ashamed of having breast cancer, so they don’t tell anyone about it, but don’t be ashamed of yourself or your scars. Every scar on your body is a story of your life,” she remarked. Sarita said even though she is now cancer-free, she does not plan to become complacent with her health. “Not because you finish ‘chemo’ and radiation means you’re free of cancer; you need to go and do your check-up every month. I am taking every precaution; I am on my diet and it’s not easy to maintain, but I am doing it.” Sarita is proud of the person she has become and is happy that she chose to fight cancer. Breast cancer is said to be the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. An entire month, October, is dedicated to raising awareness and advocating for sufferers.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 10, 2021

The ‘ins and outs’ of the fashion industry

By Dillon Goring FASHION designing is one of the most lucrative businesses worldwide, but few people understand the “ins and outs”of the industry. The Pepperpot Magazine sat down with Karen Hughes, a Fashion Designing Teacher, at one of the country’s leading arts schools, the E.R. Burrowes School of Art. Born in the ancient county of Berbice, Karen always had a love for fashion since she was a teenager. “I had no knowledge that I was a fashion designer. I was just dabbling in stuff at a young age, but my mom is the person who saw it. She was the one who told me when I became a single parent and I was looking for something to do, a career of choice and she mentioned, why don’t you take up fashion designing?” Hughes told the Pepperpot Magazine. Coupled with being a single parent, Karen recalled that she lost her job and began classes in textile- making on her way to developing her career. “My mom encouraged me to buy a sewing machine, but instead, I purchased a washing machine, but since I was already working, I did not have the patience to sew. However, three months after I lost my job, I decided to give it a try. This was in the late ‘90s. Thereafter, I migrated to Barbados and attended college where I perfected my talent after three years,” Hughes told the Pepperpot Magazine. Hughes recalled the first time she sewed her first piece, she had no idea but conceptualised that she wanted her seams to be straight and present a neat finish. Motivation to move forward despite challenges “At one time, I said I am going to sell out everything. I am going to finish with my career, but my passion grew when I went to college and discovered ‘Pattern Making,’ which is the technical side of fashion,” she said. According to Hughes, she likened it to building a house; pattern-making is the plan for the best fashion creations. “When I went to college, in my mind I thought I would have learnt the basics of sewing, not realising that it is more expansive than I realised. I had to learn things like the history of fashion, fashion illustration, political science, ethics and citizenship, Maths, English and more,” Hughes explained.

The ever-evolving fashion industry

Fashion designer and teacher, Karen Hughes

Hughes recalled that she would supplement her income by making food items for sale during her times of discouragement and despondency. She noted during her interview that she was a household name in the fashion industry as a result of her exposure to the fashion world through tradeshows and the like, even on the international scene.

The preservation of Guyana’s ... FROM PAGE II

be looked at with a great degree of urgency if a healthy generation of legacy is to be preserved. “What I tried to capture in my book is: what we have, it is for us as a people to recognise who we are and only the leaders can make a decision as to whether they want to keep our culture or destroy the culture,” Lucas noted during his interview. Maintenance of our Legacy Lucas believes that education is one of the major steps in the preservation of our history/legacy. According to Lucas, every Guyanese must play their part in the preservation of our history. “It is more valuable to operate in unity. Our minds must be broad enough to genuinely reach out to every citizen,” Lucas told the Pepperpot Magazine.

Hughes lamented on the fact that in the fashion world, styles and technics improve consistently. “Whenever persons bring clothing to me for alteration, I normally pay keen attention to the finishing of the garments, because everyone is trying to improve all the time, to raise the standard, raise the bar, because in the fashion industry, you want to stay unique, that is the way I think all designers should go,” Hughes told the Pepperpot Magazine. She emphasised that as a designer, your finishes play a very important role. “In the fashion industry, there are different body types… this is where you as a designer stand apart from a seamstress…it is your responsibility to bring out the shape in that person and make them look good,” Hughes emphasised. She explained that her mission is to help young fashion designers understand that there are certain fundamentals in the fashion industry that you should upkeep to go forward. According to her, one should follow the simple rules of garment construction; these include a neat finish, lining of the garment and the right colour thread on the garment. The most important thing that distinguishes her as a designer, she said, is the fact that she is proud to showcase her own clothing. According to Hughes, sometimes it might not be possible to wear her clothing, but she would wear her accessories. This, to her, speaks a message and makes an emphatic and profound statement. The fashion designer noted that she is always working on a collection. She noted that creativity is very critical to cushion the effects of financial challenges. This, she noted, is very helpful to combat the challenges that most creative artists face countrywide, since most creative careers aren’t lucrative and do not create financial sustainability for the artists. Additionally, she added that she uses the classroom to keep her dream, as she lectures to young fashion designers. In pursuing her dreams, Hughes says that she is always looking for opportunities and meeting the right people.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 10, 2021

Use Pandemic as accelerant for Change – ASG Cox at Special COTED on Agriculture

MR. Chairman, Ministers, Heads of Delegation, and Dis- and thereby hinder yield improvement. In fact, only 18% of tinguished ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honour loan applications are approved across the Region, while in to welcome you to the 94th Special COTED on Agricul- some jurisdictions more than the 50% of land under use for ture. “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity”. agriculture, have no registered titles and therefore cannot be Those prophetic words from Sun-Tzu in the notable book used as collateral in securing loans. The Art of War, really define the precepts that govern the However as I often advise, the COVID-19 pandemic Agricultural sector as we look to the optimisation and has not been a disruptor per se but an accelerant for change. sustainability of food production. The challenges which have faced our Region, have created The current vulnerability of our food production in the Region is stark, as collectively we continue to be buffeted by the COVID pandemic, the ravages of climate change, pests and plant borne diseases and other associated maladies but there are indeed opportunities. This is therefore not a time for lamentation but represents a call to action. Indeed when cognisance is taken of the fact that the worlds food production needs to increase by 70% by 2050 to feed the expanding global population, this represents real opportunity. When nourishment is brought into the equation, the challenge and therefore the opportunities becomes even more pronounced. For example, a kilogram of corn has over 2.5 Assistant Secretary-General, Trade and Economic Integration, Mr. Joseph Cox times the number of calories as a kilogram of rice and over twice the number of calories as a kilogram of cassava. [This the space for sectors like Agriculture to strategically pivot, is not either or but and] to take advantages of the opportunities that arisen. In this In this regard, research has revealed that by 2027 the regard, I come to the table therefore with a very basic perworld will be short of 214 trillion calories per year, as the spective. I am not a glass half full or a glass half empty type calorie production gap, the difference between calories of person. Instead while others are deliberating about these used and calories produced, continues to widen. Growth in things, I will drink the water and refill the glass. This is the food demand emanates both from population growth and approach that I am commending to the 94th Special COTED increasing per capita income over time as countries develop. on Agriculture, one of pure pragmatism. In fact, with the exception of Belize and Guyana, all other Therefore, as part of the necessary strategic pivot to CARICOM countries are net food importers, with at least create the requisite fillip for the Region’s agricultural sector, seven of these countries importing more than 80% of their emphasis has to be placed on four primary areas of reform: available food rendering the Region a net calorie importer. Policy Intervention, Institutional Strengthening, Investment, This is a troubling data point, which mushrooms into a full and Sector Financing. blown crisis, when we are reminded that all foods are not Under the rubric of Policy Intervention the suggested created equal, even if they weigh the same. areas include: Further, we are at a point in the Region where on average, 1. Collateral Reform through the establishment of a acreage under use for agriculture is no longer expanding, as Secured Transactions framework which will facilitate the the arable lands are being repurposed for use in other eco- use on non-traditional types of collateral e.g. farm animals, nomic activity. This is compounded, by the continued use crops etc. of a flawed risk appraisal mechanism by our financial insti• Land Titling Reform which will treat with secututions, which only serves to inhibit agricultural investment rity of tenure and therefore unlock the latent capital that is bounded by unregistered and common law titles; • Support for the optimization of trade facilitation; • Support for the reduction of food waste; • Support for strengthening internet connectivity in our farming communities. According to an October 2020 study by IICA/IADB/Microsoft, in Belize, Guyana and Jamaica some 71 – 89% of their rural population do not have connectivity services of sufficient quality; With respect to Institutional Strengthening, the following is being suggested: • Strengthening Research and Development with emphasis on Precision Agriculture. Precision Agriculture represents a series of strategies and tools that allow farmers to optimise and increase soil quality and productivity by implementing a series of targeted key interventions utilising

high technology sensor and analysis tools. This would facilitate even more opportunities for production integration; • Employ land use mapping to facilitate optimisation of crop yields. This would incorporate analysis of soil moisture and soil nutrient levels and facilitate phenotyping; • Establishment of a Regional virtual extension platform affiliated to tertiary institutions to ensure that knowledge being shared with the farming community is the most up to date feasible. This process must be periodically audited to ensure that it is meeting its mandate as upskilling and reskilling are an integral part of the strategic pivot in Regional agriculture; • An audit of regional guidelines for agricultural health and food safety to ensure alignment with global best practices; and • Increasing production and promoting the availability of relevant planting material, agricultural inputs, and livestock, as part of the Region’s food security strategy. With respect to Investment and Private Sector Participation solutions would incorporate: • Development of a PPP Framework to allow for the effective participation of the private sector in Agricultural Development • Strengthening of supply and value chains including development of a Regional anchor farm model • Optimization of transportation and logistics coordination with particular emphasis on shipping; Finally with regard to Financing of the Agricultural Sector solutions should include: • Design of a Regional Agriculture insurance mechanism • Design a Regional mechanism for Agriculture factoring and other creative financing mechanisms • The conduct of a feasibility study into the establishment of a Regional commodities exchange These suggestions are not exhaustive, neither are they intended to be as they represent a statement of intent and can form the basis of a more detailed intervention strategy. Rome wasn’t built in a day and no one expects to solve decades old issues in a few sittings. Rather the imperatives highlighted before requires a tripartite collaboration optimising the efforts of the public sector, private sector and International Development Partner Community. However, I am buoyed in acknowledging that this 94th COTED, particularly under item 6, is today well poised to treat with some of these concepts and proposals as the process of transformation in the Region’s agriculture is now underway. This is indeed a new day for Agriculture as the decisions made here over the next 8 hours are of such fundamental import that they will set the performance trajectory of the sector for many years to come. It is a new day for Agriculture, whereby we begin to explore the benefits of the Blue Economy and as a collective stand firm against the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing which has cost our Region billions of dollars in lost revenues. It is a new day for Agriculture, where it is evident that the traditional dogmas must now be retired and the private sector will be required to step up their investment, role and sector engagement driven by strategic partnerships. The private sector is the engine of growth in the new dynamic and therefore must rise to the challenge In this new day, we yet again stand at the crossroads of our Regional development, steadfast in our resolve through this, the powerful Council for Trade and Economic Development, with its important decision making function and influence, to effect the type of transformation of the Agricultural sector sorely requires and our Region deserves. (today.caricom.org)

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 10, 2021

Sarah Johanna A safe, serene village

By Michel Outridge This week the Pepperpot Magazine visited Sarah Johanna, East Bank Demerara,to highlight the way of life of the people and the village itself.The community runs deep into the backlands from the East Bank Public Road.

24 miles from the capital city. The community’s immediate neighbours are Land of Canaan to the north and Pearl to the south. The village is divided into three sections, one of them being the Sarah Johanna squatting area which, according to residents, is called ‘Somalia’ because of its present condition. The

ployed persons, shop owners and other professionals who work in all sectors. The village extends from the public road way down to the backlands and has many nooks and crannies, small tracks and internal streets. There are no all-weather roads in this community, but through self-help efforts, funds were raised and loads

Sarah Johanna is said to be named after the sisters of Dutch plantation owners. According to residents, the community was originally an estate that was later purchased by the late Donnie Roberts who divided the land among his three sons, Samuel Jaisingh, Paul Jaisingh and James Jaisingh. Sarah Johanna is about

other two sections are the housing scheme and the old road. Sarah Johanna is about eight miles from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). The main economic activities of the locals include farming, poultry and pig-rearing. There are also skilled workers, self-em-

of sand were bought and used to sand-fill the streets. The squatting area section of this village is thickly populated and the residents said they converted a swampy area into lands they occupy. When it rains, the lands become flooded and there is no drainage in this part of the village, but the residents

Focus on the Village

would come together and continuously sand-fill the small tracks and dams which serve as streets. This section is yet to be regularised, but some residents have access to potable water supply, electricity and landline services. Sarah Johanna is home to Bliss Bar and Lounge, which is located on the public road at the start of the village; there are also wash bays, barbershops, mechanic shops, small roadside greens and fruits stalls, rum shops, other bars and other small businesses. The people of this village are friendly and it is a

place where there are simply no thieves, since stealing is not tolerated there and, as the residents say, the only things that go missing are cigarette lighters. In some sections, the people of the village keep the place clean and it was evident that they sweep the streets and have wooden benches under shady trees for the ‘afternoon’ sitting and on some houses there are security cameras and solar lights. Sarah Johanna is a closeknit place where the people are all known to each other and it consists of a mixture of people of East Indian,

African, Amerindian and mixed-races. There are no schools or government facilities in this village and residents would access services in nearby villages and would go to banks and other places in Grove for shopping or to conduct other business. It is a village where the people have their own kitchen gardens, fruits and vegetables and there is a lot of greenery that adds some colour to the sand-filled walkways, dams, loam streets and tracks. SEE PAGE XXX

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 10, 2021

Friendly faces in the community

By Michel Outridge

PERHAPS it is her warm smile that attracts people to her roadside stall, or it is just her friendly face and effervescent personality, but all in all Poran Deinauth better known as ‘Aunty Vena’ is a pleasant person who is always up for a chat. She has been selling fresh fruits, vegetables, ground provisions and green seasoning at Sarah Johanna Public Road for the past 15 years and she is well-known and

It is a good spot for business, as it is conveniently located and this resident is making use of these advantages. The 59-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that she has been residing at the location for the past 22 years, and she feels safe because she doesn’t have to worry about thieves or any crimes. Aunty Vena added that life in Sarah Johanna is quiet and she goes about her daily routine peacefully and has her husband, Premnauth Dhanraj, beside her to assist.

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thing going around, so we would use the fruits and things we sell to make homemade remedies and use it for relief and to boost our immune system,” he said. He was also assisting his wife in selling and tending to customers, which is an around-the-clock job. Whenever someone needs a break they assist each other to manage the stall and to tend to customers on time, rather than have people waiting for service. Aunty Vena reported that people have been occupying

Tending to customers

Poran Deinauth, called Aunty Vena (Carl Croker photos)

Customers at the stall

Home-made cold remedy

would often serve as the village leader. Aunty Vena has been vending for longer. She used to sell in the nearby village of Pearl and later moved to Sarah Johanna after she erected a wooden stall just in front of her house.

He was present that day and was having some of their home-made cold remedy; a mixture of passion fruit, lime juice, salt, pepper and grated garlic for his sore throat and cold. “At our age, we don’t want to get sick with any-

the lands in the village since 1981 and later more people from all over came and built houses and settled there and it has a large population. However within recent times, some newcomers have SEE PAGE XI

Aunty Vena and her husband, Premnauth Dhanraj

Focus on the Village

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 10, 2021

The people of Sarah Johanna are honest and hardworking

By Michel Outridge MAHENDRA Agard is a resident of Sarah Johanna, East Bank Demerara, and has been residing there for the past 23 years. His house is among one of the nearest to the public road and he is well-known and well-liked in the community. The 40-year-old is a chain saw operator, who worked in the interior most

The father of four told the Pepperpot Magazine that life in the village is good; once there is employment, things are okay. “I am here long now, of my four children my big daughter born and grow there, so that is how long I have been here and it is a place I like and will stay,” he said. He related that they need only a proper road because when it rains, the do-it-your-

working but I am looking for a job, because people owe me money for work I did and they haven’t paid me yet, so going in the bush to work is risky. Since you have to go and work for reliable, trustworthy people that will pay up and then it is also dangerous and it is a chance you taking with your life,” he explained. Agard added that he is originally from Zorg, West

Mahendra Agard (Carl Croker photos)

Ramanie Dookram

of his life, but due to the pandemic and other issues he is at home and being supported by his children.

self street they sand-filled would get soggy and fall apart. “Right now I am not

Bank Demerara and after marriage he relocated to Sarah Johanna, where he started his own family and

from the looks of things, he is contented. He stated that his eldest son is a labourer and his eldest daughter is working, while the two others are of school-age and he is in the process of adopting his wife’s niece, who is living at an orphanage. In his section of Sarah Johanna there are two small, sand-filled streets leading to many houses, while in the squatting area, there are about 300 houses with up to 2,500 residents. “I had to forget about the beams I put up to construct an upper flat of my

house because the public road is bumpy and when the big trucks pass it[sic] creates vibrations to the structures and it would shake and cause cracks in the concrete. My sister’s house crack up and they had to chip it out and recast it to prevent it from falling apart,” he said. He, like many other residents is concerned about their safety and would like something to be done to rectify the situation. Agard disclosed that he is afraid that when the big trucks pass his house it would collapse one day and is asking that the issue be looked into by the relevant authorities. The villager related that despite some challenges faced by the people, almost everyone is doing something honestly for work and they have no thieves there because they have zero tolerance for that kind of behaviour and it is not condoned at all. The street where Agard resides is called Royston’s Street, named after a wellknown minibus conductor. This village has electricity, landline phones and potable water in some sections and some people have internet and cable and others cannot afford it or have access to it. Agard said the water pressure in this section is poor and he was forced to place a barrel in his bath-

room just to store water for bathing purposes and often the pipelines are destroyed by vehicles and is hoping the area can be regularised, so they can have access to more facilities and services. The shopkeeper Ramanie Dookram is one of the eight shop owners within that section of Sarah Johanna Village and she is very family-oriented. The mother of eight told the Pepperpot Magazine that she is a local of the community who has lived all her life there and for her that is home. The 49-year-old stated that the people in the village support the small business, the shop and they live in harmony. She has three sons and a daughter who live with her and is the grandmother of six, while most of the children are married and living elsewhere. Dookram reported that she used to work at the Rose Garden Restaurant as a cook but retired and is enjoying her golden years these days. “I worked hard most of my life, so it is time for me to relax now and look at my grandchildren,” she said. She added that Sarah Johanna is a nice place to live and she does not see herself residing elsewhere.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 10, 2021

Living the simple life in Sarah Johanna By Michel Outridge LIFE for Sheldon Corlette in Sarah Johanna is all about ‘the hustle’; that is doing many things to earn

do catering for events and functions. He takes care of manning the shop while his wife does the household chores and would buy meats by the bulk,

cleared before he could construct his house where he later added a small shop selling groceries. Corlette used to reside in the city and when he started

Sheldon Corlette at his shop

The shop (Carl Croker photos)

an honest dollar to keep food on the table and pay the bills. He has come a long way to be able to build a house and settle in the squatting area section of the community where the people came together pooled their money to buy sand and converted a mud dam to a sand-filled street, giving better access to villagers to traverse.

and parcel it off cleaned and seasoned with green seasonings, spices and ready for the pot of cook-up-rice and the meats include chicken foot, pork, beef, and chicken. Corlette, a mild-mannered man, told the Pepperpot Magazine that he built his house in 2001, a wooden two-storey building after converting his yard into a sand-filled plot of six feet

a family he wanted to have his own house and decided to relocate to Sarah Johanna Village, he was familiar with the place being a minibus driver in those days he heard of squatting lands and enquired. He stated that he was getting a plot at Sophia when he was 19 years old but refused because he did not like that village so he refused and

more than 20 years even before buses had no zones, so I know about these villages up here and I get to like Sarah Johanna because it is quiet and peaceful and we don’t worry about thieves or crimes here,” he said. Corlette told the Pepperpot Magazine living way down the back dam has its fair share of challenges but through self-help, the residents made a makeshift road but when it rains, it is flooded and very messy. The place would accumulate water quickly since they have no drains but they

would try to do whatever they can to make the place liveable and he also filled up a passageway that used to run through his yard. In this section of the back dam area, the squatting part, there are about 23 houses and they do not have potable water and would buy a black tank for $1000 for drinking and cooking. Rain fall water is stored for household chores and like any other village people have some quarrels at times but nothing serious and some people would play music and live normal.

“We live good at the back here, it is a safe place, people does work, do anything to earn honestly and the only thing that goes missing here is your lighter, nothing else,” he said. Corlette stopped driving minibus and sold off his bus and is living a simple, honest life in Sarah Johanna by operating a grocery shop where he would have a barbeque and is selling seasoned cook-up rice meats. He is well-known and respected likewise in the SEE PAGE XI

The sand-filled street made by residents of Sarah Johanna through self-help efforts

The father of one has a small shop which serves as a bar, has a pool table with some wooden chairs and tables and he does a barbeque at times and would also

higher since it was a swamp he used to catch fish (hassar). He revealed that the swamp also had large trees when he had to uproot and cut down and had the swamp

glad he did because Sarah Johanna is a good place to raise a family even though they don’t have everything. “I was a bus driver on the East Bank corridor for

Focus on the Village

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 10, 2021

Giving back to the community through free tutoring

By Michel Outridge CRYSTAL Hopkinson is making a difference in the lives of children in her village by providing extra lessons at her home since the pandemic began. She is a resident of Sarah Johanna, East Bank Demerara and her mother, a former school teacher in Berbice would also pitch in to assist her when she is overwhelmed and she recently secured a full-time job. It started when schools closed its doors last year and everybody was home, the children in her street showed up for tutoring and she readily agreed because she did not have the heart to turn them away. It was a time when many people had to adjust their lives and stay home was one of the things people had to do to reduce the spread of the virus.

It was an unprecedented time and everybody was frustrated, including Hopkinson, who was not working. One day, she was at home and a few children from her neighbourhood came to ask for help in doing their school work and she accommodated them in small groups at her bottom house. As word began to spread about the extra lessons, others came and at one time, she had to bring down the furniture from her living room upstairs to accommodate the children. Hopkinson ensured she had a blackboard and some wooden benches and desks were made to provide adequate seating accommodation for the children. The teaching area is under the house but in an open-air setting. She began taking younger children in the morning period for three hours and in the afternoon session she had older children and they came

from the same village and other nearby communities. With her mother being a former teacher she asked for help because the children came out in their numbers and she alone could not

the children and it felt good because I want to give back and it was the perfect way to do it,” she said. Hopkinson likes children and was a teacher at a private school (Alpine Academy) in

search and other homework, free of charge. Hopkinson stated that when she is at work her mother would help the children and on weekends she would take over.

Focus on the Village

manage. Hopkinson told the Pepperpot Magazine that she did it because she realised the need of the children most of whom were at home with no one to assist them since most parents worked. “I came from humble beginnings so I know what it is like not having access to things such as extra lessons and I was in a position to help and I did what I can for

Timehri for three years. She is also active in church, Soesdyke Seventh Day Adventist and is a Master Guide in the congregation where she would utilise her teaching skills to share knowledge among her peers. The 20-year-old related that she wanted to reach out to children and the extra lessons was the way to do it where she assisted with works sheets, printing, re-

“It is a fulfilling feeling being able to lend support to children most of whom cannot afford to take private extra lessons and they all come from depressed communities,” she said. For Hopkinson, it is not a money-making venture and her only intention is to assist children in completing their school work. Meanwhile, Carol Hopkinson, a former teacher

from Rosignol, West Coast Berbice told the Pepperpot Magazine that when her daughter began hosting the extra lessons at their home she was overwhelmed so she assisted. The mother of two added that with her experience she was able to guide her daughter and the children to meet in small numbers and had different sessions per day. She mostly assists children from the nursery and primary levels during the day, at least four days per week. Since she has her own small business of rearing meat birds and household chores to deal with, she would take intervals after host classes. The open-air setting under the house in Sarah Johanna Village is clean, tidy and all the children are masked at all times and they practice hand washing and social distancing.

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Friendly faces in... FROM PAGE VII

shown up, claiming that they have documents for the lands locals occupy, but have not produced any yet and have threatened them to vacate the lands, stating that the lands are privately owned. She disclosed that the people are asking for proof of ownership and they are not willing to relocate, because some of them have lived there for all their lives and are accustomed to the village. Aunty Vena added that the people are united and have cooperation, so they will not be easily forced off the lands. The wood cutter Meanwhile, another resident, Surendra Parmanand, told the Pepperpot Magazine that he has a simple way of life in Sarah Johanna Village and was not at work that day. The father of three reported that since 1990 he has been living in the community and is employed at a sawmill and is also a woodcutter. His wooden cottage is located through a small sandy track he said was built by the people there since it was once a muddy walkway. Parmanand added that the land he is on was a large swamp and he filled it before he built his house and it would be good if the area can be regularised. He said down that part of the village has about 200 houses and the people get by, earning honestly at various jobs. The shopkeeper Another villager, a shy shopkeeper, Maria Veersammy, related that she has been residing in the village for the past 23 years and describes life as good. She is a single mother who has a small shop to earn and was rearing some meat birds, but had to quit due to a lack of manpower. “Having a chicken business is a lot of work and I was

alone doing it and running the shop, so I had to concentrate on one business,” she said.

Living the simple life... FROM PAGE IX

community and his shop is the place where people meet to chat and sip on a cold beverage to ward off the heat of the sunny weather conditions. He and his fellow residents of Sarah Johanna looksout for each other and they have a crime-free village where people are safe and children can play freely in the village without worrying about anything. Sheldon Corlette.

The mother of three added that there are about eight shops in that part of the village and it has two internal

streets which are sand-filled and it was a community effort. “Life is not a bed of

roses and you have to work hard to earn to have a good life and afford things,” she said.

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WHEN I CAN BE KISSED A HAND TO HOLD BY DAWN

For tiredness lies On my lids My body like a Broken goblet The Earth can feel ‘Mirror, No moremirror my feeton the wall Tell me “So I must come home, dear Lord,” was the hoarse plea What youold see?’ from the lipsdo of the woman, lying in a recliner on the patio. A middle-aged LONE figurenurse stoodaidin sitting the middle room, The close of by the reading theher dark tresses covering of her face. Her eyes were newspaper inquired of theone old side woman, closed, not “What is it, looking Sharda?”at her reflection, for she knew the answer. She did not answer, looking up at the clear blue sky, A thousand times she hadstill asked question, a the thouher eyes not so dim, her hearing fine.the She could see sandflowers times she hadand answered herself. lovely bloom hear theitsweet songs of the birds in ‘I see but a fair her garden, hermaiden love and passion for nature were slowly fadingWho away.was once pretty Butdoes now…’ How one continue to embrace life when the body has become aged and feeble, memory sometimes into in She turned from the mirror and sat down,floating deep pain nothingness, wheneyes, you need a young,wounds strong hand holdnot andyet her soft brown the mental of hertopast there was none? healed. She could still see the sharp glint of the knife, still “How thisblade happen?” herself, misting feel thedid cold as it she cut asked into her flesh tears and she shudin dered, her eyes, “Why did this happen?” a tremor passing through her body. The wasknown a deep how ache easy in herlove heart, craving for a If loneliness only she had could become thedeadly children she lovedHe and missed so much hear theirher obsession. whose cruel handsjust hadtoshattered voices. But they were gone, now matured adults pursuing careers and sharing their lives with new loves and interests. The mother now lived alone in the home where they had shared a beautiful family life. She had moulded and guided

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, August 8, 2021

world, now sat in prison, but the emotional scars were like haunting spectres in her life, day after day. “I’m alive yet I feel like them, her hard and I’m dead,” she work cried softly. sacrifices A f tlaying e r c oamfoundation ing home for the successes they had achieved in their lives. But after reaching great heights in the business world, their

rich lifestyles made them forget where they came from, and for the aged mother, there was no time. A lone tear trickled down her wrinkled face, a face still beautiful never mind her age

she had walked away from her matrimonial home with her four children into the throes of an unknown world. She had worked long hours every day to build a nice little home with comfort

children to provide care and companionship for they hardly found any time in their daily schedules to spend with their mother. That night as she laid in bed, she looked at the paint-

from the hospital, she had makes one feel they had long after her engagement withdrawn herself from so- found that special one, but to Vivek, flaws in his atticiety, not wanting to talk to sometimes there’s deception tude revealed what had been on the wall her pleasand them and today, instead in inghidden. and she lifted trembling anyone or foraanyone to see forwithin, causing stumbles His facing cool and a smile touched her lips, lessof holding her hand, like hand to wipe it. A hand that her because one side of her one’s life. pain PAGE in her XV heart. was once strong, that held her she had held theirs, they ening the SEE face was severely scarred. Shamita had found that children’s small ones every turned their backs, leaving It was the picture of three Falling in love always out the hard way for not children, her father working her alone. step of the way. A choked sob escaped in the garden and her mother A wry smile crossed her face and a faraway look her lips and once again she standing not far off with a shone in her eyes as her whispered, “It’s time for me bucket of fresh vegetables thoughts took her back to a to come home, dear Lord, on her arm, smiling warmly as she watched her children. time when she was a young there’s nothing left here.” A portrait that captured The nurse aid got up and woman. She was so full of life, like a butterfly with took her hand, urging her a simple life and a beautiful amazing colours and a sim- gently, “Come on, Sharda, family. “You have left so long ple, little home filled with it’s time for your meal and ago, mother,” she said in a love, then her father gave medication.” She sighed and looking weak voice, “I can’t rememher hand in marriage to a rice farmer’s son; a new life up at the nurse. She inquired, ber much for now I have grown too old.” as a bride and later, a young puzzled, “Who are you?” The brother and sister “I’m Jeanette,” the wommother. Paths she had walked paved with love, compassion, an answered patiently, as she playing with her had also tears and pain, episodes of assisted her to her feet, “Your left, their names now written on tombstones whilst she, the her life written on the leaves nurse aid.” “Oh,” she exclaimed soft- youngest, waited still alone. of time. “Whisper my name, Then one day, fourteen ly, a momentary lapse in her mother,” she said, “And I years later, when she could memory. The kind woman had shall come, so we can be have borne no more of her

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 10, 2021

XIII

MATT’S RECORD BAR PLUS AND THE AGES OF POPULAR MUSIC Defining culture and creeds

MATT’S Record Bar was my definite intention to celebrate, but verification of all the data I have will take some time to complete because all the authorities are now to my knowledge residing overseas. But Matt’s was enveloped by a world that transcended the later years of being forced to sell pirated music and movies and was legally acknowledged to pay taxes on that merchandise. Matt’s was part of a popular culture that transcended the urban wards that were defined by record bars that included PICWIC, GEM’S, Alphonso’s, Mohamed’s, Bibi’s,and Auto Supplies, w h e re M a d a m B a p t i s t e worked among other music sellers. But it was indeed during the worldwide Entertainment music concert featuring Buju Banton that the copyright issue hit us in the face. We were taking Buju on the promotional walk around town. MATT’S was the first showplace. Upon entering, Buju and team turned reverse on us, on recognising that everything we were selling in Guyana was pirated, and it has been that way ever since. Of the most recognised sources of music in post ‘Oil Crisis’ from 1973-80s Guyana, when piracy became the expedient normal, in that era, Matt’s stood out. Most of the others started by buying cassettes, then to CDs from Matt’S and converted them as their master copies, except for Majestics and Jacks, and a guy over the recent years, that knew his music, he played around Bourda Market, but hasn’t to my knowledge frequented there for a while. The music shaped our imagery, captured far-flung issues and enveloped us in ideas, values and ideals that captured the cultural and political issues of our time and across times. Jimmy Cliff took us into the world of combat with his song ‘Vietnam,’ while touching on the same era. The incredible ‘Swamp Dog’ in his symbolic piece ‘Sam Stone,’ allowed us to imagine the torment of the drug-ridden veteran, that tune and Bobby Womack’s ‘Harry Hippie’ were frightening, causing conversations of hope among my peers, that such callous exploits would avoid our shores, you know the rest, we hoped in vain. MAJESTICS evolved as an institution of reggae music. Though other music was available, Reggae was the staple that most clients sought. This was the open period of Reggae concerts in Guyana, led by Worldwide Entertainment, the dismal copycat by the Drug Cartels of music concerts, which were yet to come. Jacks was the initial Music Cart sysSEE PAGE XV tem that peddled music across

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WHEN I CAN BE .... FROM PAGE XII ant personality transformed sometimes into anger and jealousy that created tension in their relationship. She couldn’t understand what happened, for he was as intelligent and ambitious as she; two young people, forging ahead in their respective careers, he an engineer, she a journalist. Her intelligence and warm personality were great attitudes for success, but that ignited in him jealousy and the dangers of a possessive attitude that made her

uneasy. He had always apologised for his anger, but his sincerity and regrets seemed shallow. It gave rise to a budding fear in her heart and after reflecting on the real-life stories of women who saw these warning signs and ignored them, she gave him back his ring. She chose to break away before it got worse, not willing to forgive her aggressor, thus saving herself a lifetime of abuse. He had taken it calmly, telling her he understood how she felt but a couple

weeks later, when she came home from work late one night, he attacked her. “You don’t want me anymore!” he shouted in raging anger, “But I will end it here and make sure you don’t belong to anyone else!” She had fought him valiantly, an agonised cry in her mind, “I will not die here tonight,” as the knife cut into her flesh. His merciless quest to kill her failed as she continued to fight, grabbing hold of the knife that cut deeply in her palms, until help ar-

rived. And as she laid on the ground, gasping for breath, weakened by the knife’s wounds, she whispered, “I will not die.” She had won the battle to stay alive, hailed as a heroine for her brave stance, but a young woman’s life had been interrupted. She now lived in a small house in the countryside, in seclusion, away from the world. Scared to even speak to a man outside of her family. “You can’t do this to yourself, Shamita,” her mother had cautiously ad-

monished her, deeply concerned about her emotional state. “You have your whole life ahead of you.” “I’m sorry, mom, but I need time to heal mentally. I need to be alone for now to find my strength again before venturing into society.” “But living in seclusion would give him satisfaction, though he’s languishing in prison, that he has destroyed your life.” Her mother had broken down in tears and Shamita had hugged her and comforted her.

XV “Everything would be fine, mother, just believe in me.” She got up and faced the mirror, pulling back the hair from her face and passed her fingers slowly over the deep scars. A look of firm determination lit her eyes, and she said in a low tone, “One day at a time, mother, one day your daughter will be strong again.” “One day…” she mused as she wrote in her diary. To be continued… Pic saved as Fables

MATT’S RECORD BAR PLUS... FROM PAGE XIII Reggae, Rhythm and Blues and oldies. His was the most copied system, in that it allowed individuals to earn by peddling their merchandise, individuals did set up similar systems, from my knowledge, Jacks licensed his own fleet of music carts. His encouragement blossomed, here, there and everywhere. But ‘Matt’s always retained a significant edge. Aubrey Baptiste her son, was well schooled. An independent archive of musical tastes across the classics, and I’m talking about every subtle era of classic music era, movie music, Broadway music, Jazz era, Motown, Calypso, Rocksteady to Reggae, popular icons that reached every inspirational taste and mood, local, Caribbean, Latin, and the An-

glophone realms. This also went for the movies, you wanted a copy of ‘All the young men’ the only place to go was Matt’s. Why this entertainment provider was important is because they represented a knowledge base that was rooted on the unique perspectives of a very special experience, that cannot be replicated in substance, by just ‘New money fuh invest’; the knowledge has to be there, learned and honed into a sharp resource of knowledge , by constant attention. For example, years ago when I heard Jackie Wilson sing a song named ‘Night’ that was all my CD had for cut number six. I liked how he handled the song. I didn’t know the song before, it was different, full of drama, we were listening to this Jackie Wilson’s very best from Matt’s,

on Hoppie’s auto system in Robb Street when this fellow who frequently wore a suit and at times would be singing concert music as he walked along, came over, addressing the song as ‘Into the Night’ from the Opera Sampson and Delilah. But , Jackie Wilson didn’t do Opera we insisted, he merely concluded, an Opera by the French composer Camille

Saint-Saens. Like doubtful Thomas I investigated, the concert singer was right, I never saw him again to tell him how grateful we were, I’m told he lived/or lives in Alberttown or Queenstown. Every time the world or nations enter troubling and uneasy periods, music becomes a quiet balm. I miss Matt’s, because CDs tend to deteriorate. There are Jazz, Rock

steady and music of solitude and inspiration that I’ll have to buy on the internet. Though there are musical sources around, there’s a vacuum in the broad-based culture that remain fractured, when expertise that are taken for granted becomes absent or end their tenure, and only memory remains, without the present means to instantly grab the baton and

continue to endeavour, add and repackage. There is a peeve I cannot express until I contact Aubrey Baptiste to verify a matter concerning the very human legacy of Matt’s. Hence, until then, understand how we evolved, how musical gifts enveloped and empowered us in so many profound ways.

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The importance of living well with neighbours

o not always know what I’m looking y phone is such a normal part of my my hand that I cannot count the numhed for it, while it was actually in my o when I get up in the morning and going to sleep is check my phone. I healthy and something must be done. and found that women were more d to their phones simply because men cial media apps. Also, older people e addicted. I believe this is because use smartphones (My father actually

y colleagues and friends how bad

losing your phone would be on a scale of 1-10. 98 percent said 10 and 2 percent said 9. They all claimed that it would be the worst material possession that they could ever lose. They continued to say that feelings of anxiety, irritation and overwhelming sadness would be felt if they were to lose their phone today. It seems harmless, right? Caring so much about a phone? Well, this week I’ve been really paying attention to the importance that I and others around me give to a phone, rather than what’s actually going on around them. Our phones -- whether we are speaking to other people, using social media or playing games -- can be addictive as they alter our moods, beliefs and trigger enjoyable and unenjoyable feelings. Apart from obviously being my main source of communication, my phone is my newspaper, watch, alarm, map, recorder, day planner, calendar, camera, music player, calculator, a weapon (sometimes) and my friend when I’m bored or lonely- basically everything. However, it is also my constant interrupter and distractor. I (I imagine much like most of you out there) have a deep desire to know everything that is going on. a conversation with helps But us to feel safer and I gave the examI believe thatIa HAD is human nature. when doesLike it become reader the other day who more protected, knowing ple of borrowing an egg, too much? brought forward a topic there are other eyes looking neighbours can save you that I hadn’t thought of out for us. This can bring a an impromptu trip to any Well, I believe toothat much when has name. before. Heit’s explained genuine peace ofitmind as astoreonce the ‘Norequests are he is not getting along there is safety in numbers. small and not very frequent. mophobia’ is with thehisterm coined toThere describe the fear of being neighbour and is is a Chinese provNeighbours can also be afraid to step foot into his erb that says, ‘Neighbours there to share mutual chores without a mobile phone. Seriously, what have weresponsibilities. come to? own yard due to resentare better than relatives that and For exment and fear of conflict live far away.’ Close prox- ample, taking turns to take It becomes anas addiction when the object begins to control it is also affecting his imity allows for more time the garbage out, carpool family when he has theseyour spent and an extra support (usingwork, the same car) to work your life and interferes with daily activities, and arguments. It’s a very system-for both small and or school, share a babysitissue to have as we big issues. ter, and split the pay if you relationships. serious I read somewhere that Whether “The you biggest obstacle are already uncomfortable need to borrow an egg, have both have kids and both in so is many places, that it a shoulder to cry on or start want out on one a night. to productivity connectivity,” but overuse canto goaffect is an absolute shame when a community support group, I don’t have pets, but I hear home becomes a neighbour lot more thanyour ourownproductivity. The truth is,beoveruse of also ouruseful can always neighbours are one. So, thank you for the there to help. for looking after your pets phones can harm us psychologically, socially physically. suggestion and I will talk I love to have neigh-and when you are out of town. about the importance of bours for a wide variety If you are new to your With regard to affecting ourofsocial skills,theyhow neighbours (as there are reasons. Firstly, n e i many g h b o u r h oof o d , us neighmany), why we should live keep an eye on my home bours are also great for miss out on awell joke conversation as not welocal were on around our the with or them,good as well as and family when I’m knowledge on how to better those there. They enrich my so- community itself. Neighphones? Howtips many times havecialwe annoyed our good friend relationships. life based on proximity bours can provide joint Now, because I think it is obviplus, I can actually withmedia anything from or family member we alonewere posting on ventures social ous to say that having good see when they are home! A a business idea to a mutual many with friendly neighbourhood garden. They canour be good how much funneighbours we arebrings having them? It dytruly affects advantages. First of all, namic encourages you (and/ advisers and allow great having lots of neighbours means you’re in a community – one that can look out for your best interests. It

or whoever you live with) to get out of the house, have some fun, or even meet new people.

business networking. ReSEE PAGE XVII

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The importance of... FROM PAGE XVI member, your neighbours know people too! Also, we have all unfortunately seen sad things happening in many communities over the years and watched them all come together to fight for something they believe in. How can we do something so special without neighbours? F i n a l l y, u n l e s s y o u move houses frequently or are planning to, neighbours can be lifelong friends. Now, please remember that we get what we give so, are you a good neighbour? Yes, there are qualities to being a good neighbour. It requires selflessness, servitude, understanding, empathy, patience, and forgiveness. A good neighbour is friendly, quiet unless its positive celebration, respectful, helpful, and trustworthy. A bad neighbour is nosy, noisy, messy, and is always complaining. Now, how specifically can we live well with our neighbours? Be respectful- if you are going to do anything that may inconvenience them- anything at all, let them know. If it’s some-

bad days and would like some quiet time.

thing positive such as a loud celebration, maybe even invite them. Put your garbage out on garbage day so they don’t have to deal with the sight or smell. I know some people burn garbage so do it on a day or time that is convenient for them as well. Keep your yard clean to not make their property look worse. Also, I think it’s more beneficial for you for your own yard to be clean and well maintained. Don’t park in their driveway or anywhere that blocks their cars. We all know what annoys all of us- just don’t do it! Be generous – if you have it and they need it, give them. You will get it back in return. Don’t ovAerdo the borrowing -there is nothing

more annoying than someone knocking on your door or gate for something every day. Be kind and empathetic – Do you know if they are going through anything? Do you know if they are struggling to get anything done? Are you aware of any information that they may need? If so, give them! Be willing to compromise – there will always be things to disagree on or with- small and large. Find a way and action that makes

both parties comfortable and feel heard and respected. Be apologetic – did you do something wrong and offended your neighbours? Apologise like you would with anyone else. As I said above, neighbours may be more beneficial than most. Be forgiving – just like you will make a mistake and offend your neighbours – so will they as they are human too. Bring out your compassionate side and forgive. Do not judge – your neighbours while physically

close may be very far away in terms of lifestyle choices or structure. Mind your own business – Unless you hear serious distress or are called upon, keep it to yourself. Give them personal space – it’s nice to be friendly and smile every time you see them, but you don’t need to have a longdrawn-out conversation every time you see each other, unless both parties want to-and don’t feel offended if they don’t. Everyone has

Finally, handle conflict respectfully- Generally, if you have an issue with a neighbour, your first line of defence should be to try to resolve the problem with the person directly and face-to-face — not over text message or email, where messages can get misinterpreted. Work together toward a solution as there is always one. Don’t know your neighbours? No problem- put yourself out there and organise a neighbourhood event. This could be anything from a game’s night to a clean-up community night. They will respect you for both reaching out caring. Thanks for reading and please continue to send topics you’d like to discuss/ read about to caitlinvieira@ gmail.com

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g seven amazing women from the Women Anthologies. st of Watch Radio NY requested an interasked him if it was okay for me to invite join me. I am sharing some excerpts from

Evan Phillips -- born in St Lucia, living in

towards being a Midwife of Purpose came f being broken, displaced, and ough this journey, I experienced a divorce, te and got displaced education administrator’s position. Coupled were two major eclipses One week later I completed my life. An eclipse happens when you can my assignment with CTO calling becomes greater than your current and was now ready to move hrough this process, you can transcend to a on to my next career move. thinking where you can connect with your I called Monique to let her ourself as one with nature. know I was available as we blett – born in Guyana and living in NY agreed and she was so hapegan to have the real experience of dreampy to have me start my first my dream world alive. I was immediately temporary assignment with interview with the agency where they tested Deutsche Bank. My first n using Microsoft and typing WE recentlyOffice celebrated thespeed. first year of the Virtual Writers Retreat and we had a lot to celebrate in such a short time. We have had people from Guyana, French Guiana, Trinidad, Barbados, The Bahamas, Suriname, Antigua, St Lucia, South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon, Canada, and various parts of the United States. The first person to publish was Wendy Hermonstine and she is now working on her second book. Alicia Amanda published a couple of books, Phil Umoru Iko-Ojo and Beverley Been also published theirs. The most recent author to publish from the retreat is Sara Khalil, who was born in Guyana and left for New York in her teenage years. I had the honour to contribute the cover, and it was a privilege to read the manuscript first, because I assisted her to publish her book ‘InComplete.’ I did not want to put it down because her story is so compiling. Sara has always felt that her life is a solidarity journey

Sara’s incomplete journey I knew that I would be in When I was six years assignment lasted two weeks, covering someone’s vacation. old I started school in Mesa, big trouble if I told my dad Due to my work ethic and Arizona, so I began staying what had happened. It was a secret: the desire to go the extra mile, with my mom kind that could get me and her husband routineI landed another assignment in the same department for ly. It was like going from into big trouble. I didn’t six months, then another for heaven to hell. It was a horror know how much trouble, but three months, which finally story that’s yet to be writ- I wasn’t willing to take a chance. “Shhhh... led to my permanent posi- ten. While at grandma’s I tion, allowing me to live a was filled with the love of Don’t tell anyone.” Maybe it’s the trauma of a grandma and Jesus daily. dream. Dr. Safeeya Mohamed – On the other hand, at my my experience, but for some mother’s house, I was filled reason I still cannot rememTrinidad We received the updates with Rock ‘N Roll, drugs ber how often it happened, when that the accident was horrific and inappropriate, wild sex and that the victim was stuck parties. Ultimately, from it started, or even when it such an environment you can ended in the car. The vehicle had to be cut imagine the kinds of abuse Penny Phakahi –South open to get to the victim. It that mom’s house provided. never occurred to me that When I was 11 years old, Africa I have had my share of grandma Shirley died and my my brother could be remotely in- stepdad left. My mom had turmoil and I strongly believe volved. The next thing I an emotional breakdown, so that it is these stints of turremember, I was looking at I ran away! I couldn’t take moil that brought me this far in my life. I was any more. the body of my brother and in thatblood we areinalla ridingAndrea a train through I got and her permission share an excerpt with you and I perhaps is to still in my Edwards – born covered ourstrident, hours, days, and years. believe many women can relate to her journey. refinery process. in Guyana, living in Florida hearse. The agonisthoughtful andI sat revealing As a young girl, I grew As in the back Excerpt: of ing scream of In mythis mother in upleave with today; one main my dad’s Nissan Bluebird,“II will the A&E that story of her journey, readers will accomjustambition, help me pack my belongings.” wanting far through the windows early morning pany one ofhas thenot most peered courageous women His mother startedtotoget packaway, his clothing in a suitcase. thepacking. system ofI was so upset and lost that the images on - a escaped my almost 17 toatself-discovery on mind her expedition Mikeaway also from started or the box fence years later as she howled remarkable life story ofthe trials andoftri-the IGuystarted to thinking cry and begged himthat to stay. I was in a place we often findmyself ourselves ana Botanical Gardensofand “my son died, my umphs. confusion, I hated andin. I blamed myself. I felt I Apart from Iunderstanding Zoological Park.inThe wasn’t radio good son died, nobody’s help Her book ‘Incomplete’ offers enough. threw myself on the floor, in a foetal always dared blasted popular ing us!” But nobody sights into could, Sara Khalil fromthe childhood position,myself cryingI out as loud astoI could, more so screaming. be was different, which wasIaloved him with all my song “1985” by as his spirit at the to departed adulthood. She livedcalypso her childhood My world upside down. constant sur- and hurt he caused a then-popular calypsonian. point of in Guyana then migrated to the USA heart; even withstruggle all the when infidelity rounded by my situations. I for the sake of my I would have just celebrated impact.with Up her to this day, family. She was determined to me, I still wanted to hold on to him grew up under a strict my sixth I ponder where the strength fight against all odds, even after two family and my child. I never wanted to let him go, no Christian my birthday, on quite came from failed to navigate that Reflecting marriages. heroblivious matter what. He hadfamily madewith his decision and wouldn’t be andevening, step granny, to the but grandfather night. nomadic early years, we concept witnessofalltime, budged. At 6 pm that Mike left with his Mom. as my mother her mom song would not allow that she faced as shethat doggedly pursued Our six-year-old son,lost Jayden, started to run behind me to forget Shanon her Paar – Arizona SEE PAGE calling. his father, but Mike keptXXV walking; Jayden asked me, thatwarmth it was 1985. Sara shared with and “Mom, why daddy leaving again”? I didn’t have any honesty how she dealt with betrayal, answers at that time. I quickly tried to control myself forgiveness, and feelings of being and started engaging in other conversations with my unloved. son, thinking he would get distracted and forget. Guess This book is authentic, sassy, in- what? I was wrong. He kept crying and asking the same spiring, bold, and pragmatic, qualities question, over and over. Finally, after some time passed, quite similar to the author herself. he stopped crying and asking questions and started to She launched her book at Artfest be himself again. It was close to bedtime, so I bathed in Atlanta and will be launching in Jayden, took a shower and we were off to bed. The very New York later this month and Guyana in November. SEE PAGE XX

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Sara’s incomplete ... FROM PAGE XVIII

next morning, I took my son to school and decided to go to the bank and withdraw some cash because my ex-husband didn’t leave us with any money, and I was unemployed. When I reached the bank, I proceeded to the ATM to withdraw 50 dollars and declined. ‘Insufficient Funds.’ I then decided to speak with one of the tellers at the bank. It was a TD Bank, at the time. I waited for about 10 minutes before a teller finally approached me to enquire about my concerns. I showed the teller the receipt I got from the ATM indicating, ‘insufficient funds.’ The teller asked for my bank card so that he could himself try at the cashpoint machine. He got the same message. There was no money left, only

79 cents. I started to panic, my heart was racing. I got an instant headache. I started to worry. With no money, how was I going to survive? How was I going to feed my child? How was I going to pay the bills? “I am failing,” I thought not just me but my son” I felt like a failure many times as a mom and I think lots of moms felt that way at least once. Not only is failure a possibility, but it is also a certainty. We have to find a way to fail forward.” I love how Sara overcame her hurdles and she is now helping many people because of her journey. You can purchase her Ebook or paperback on Amazon. She is passionate about making a difference in the world and recently launched her NGO, World Care Organization.

“Thank you both Claudia and Sonia for your outstanding leadership in the Writers Retreat. I was amazed at both of your abilities to engage the participants without losing focus on the topic. I have never seen that done so effectively with a large group. I was really pleased to see how you led us all to new awareness and insight. It was just delightful, and I came away committed to exploring some new things in my spiritual and relational life, and so much I learned and took away from the retreat that now I feel proud of myself and to know I can write more than one book.” Every life has a story and I encourage you to join us for our upcoming Virtual Writers’ Retreat (email info@ createcompellingstories.com)as we continue this beautiful journey called life BEYOND THE RUNWAY.

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Data and digital technologies are not fancy, foreign things

SOMETIMES I feel as though there is a pervasive sense of apathy towards data and digital technologies, locally. If not, it at least appears as though we are not inclined towards efficiently mainstreaming digital technologies, nor are we enthusiastic about harnessing data to inform decision-making.

Just like many others, I watched in horror at the sheer devastation caused by the recent fire at the Brickdam Police Station. Aside from the destruction, what was particularly worrying for me was the loss of so many documents needed for court cases, investigations, and aids to police work in other regards. Though officers tried to save these

frankly inefficient way of compiling reports, but this is the prevailing system. Another worrying situation that was recently brought to my attention was this manual or print type of reporting in the health sector, specifically in the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccine cards issued when an individual is vaccinated become an essential

papers, many of them went up in flames or were soaked. This reminded me of a few years ago when I visited this same station to make a report about being robbed. I recall the officer taking my statement on a blank paper (no lines, headings, or anything at all). This was not in a book, it was just a single paper and I sat there wondering if he was not taking my report seriously or whether this manual, paper-based system was the norm. I later found out that, in many cases, this was indeed the norm. Reports compiled in other places or my other groups of people, such as social workers, were all done similarly. It should go without saying that this is an incredibly outdated and

item due to certain vaccine requirements instituted. Yet, the system of record-keeping and data retrieval is highly flawed. Information about a person who goes to get vaccinated is- surprise, surprise- manually written. And, this information is then stored in one location. What this means is that there are mountains of paper with people’s information. Though there is some system of organisation, if someone misplaces their vaccine card and needs a replacement, for example, it would require a considerable amount of effort combing through those mountains of paper to find the records to verify if someone was vaccinated. With this system, I encourage you to think about

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Data and digital technologies... what happens if those records are damaged in any way (because there is no digital backup as yet). I also encourage you to think about the various loopholes in the vaccination rollout that can be exploited because of the paper-based system (Hint: Think about the reports of stolen books and forgery). And now, compare what you might have thought about with a digitalised system that allows for swift queries and data retrieval and the ability to guarantee greater data

integrity. This sounds like a fancy “first world” mechanism, but it is not that complicated. We live in a world where it is easy to download an app that uses your phone’s camera to scan documents and save those as PDF files. We live in a world where smartphone cameras automatically detect QR codes and where some applications can convert written text into typed words. I do not believe that we have scratched the surface of

data analysis and the integration of digital technologies. While we continue to grapple with this COVID-19 pandemic, we have not seen sustained efforts at representing the spread of COVID-19 geographically. The same data provided by the local authorities on which communities are “hotspots” for COVID-19 can be used in a Geographic Information System (GIS) to illustrate the spatial relationships that exist and allow for the analysis of trends that appear.

With that sort of integration of technology and analysis, there are greater possibilities for mitigation strategies. Let me hasten to add that I have long believed there is a seemingly lacklustre approach towards data collection and analysis and the integration of digital technologies to make data easily accessible in the local health sector. Data is often woefully outdated or plain limited and that prevents many people from analysing trends and informing their

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decision-making. This is an issue that has been acknowledged by the Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony himself, according to a January 4 report from the Guyana Chronicle. We have to do more than write reports on paper and store them in filing cabinets and allow time to make those records wither away or get destroyed. We are doing ourselves an immense disservice by still relying on these archaic methods without properly integrat-

ing technology and making efforts to use data to inform our decision-making. Let’s not wait until another building filled with important records goes up in flames before we decide that we must hasten our efforts towards digitisation. Please! If you would like to connect with me to discuss this column or any of my previous works, feel free to email me at vish14ragobeer@ gmail.com

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Dental Anxiety

SHOW me someone who is not afraid of the dentist while sitting in the dental chair, and I will show you an elephant that can fly. The prevalence of dental anxiety is universal and although a precise reason for it has not been scientifically confirmed, research is continuously being conducted to elucidate the phenomenon. One such study was recently conducted in Australia and it

is believed that the results reflect a global blend. Dental anxiety has been reported to impact upon both dental status and the use of dental services. There is an association between dental anxiety, correspondingly greater levels of untreated oral disease, and patterns of care provision, which were dominated by emergency treatment and irregular dental attendance. When two Australian

scientists studied dental anxiety by using a long (one to two-hour) semi-structured psychiatric interview followed by dental examination, the National Dental Telephone Interview survey (from random sampling of telephone numbers by computer) and by using Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale (13 points and above considered severe), they discovered the following: 1. The ‘dental pho-

bics’showed greater numbers of missing teeth, more loss of alveolar bone through gum disease, and greater denture use, when compared with other subjects. 2. The adults had fewer natural teeth.

3. Those with natural teeth had more missing and fewer filled teeth, but did not differ in their numbers of decayed teeth. 4. They had four to five times the odds of needing immediate treatment to re-

lieve pain or infection. 5. The prevalence of denSEE PAGE XXXI

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REVIVAL OF GUYANA’S MUSICAL CULTURE XX XIV REVISITING THE GUYANA/ THE SEAWALLS VENEZUELA CONTROVERSY SOON TO COME BEFORE THE ICJ FOREVER!

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ―― Sunday, CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT Sunday,February January 28, 10, 2021 2021

THE only type of music fact that it is impossible and the Police Band gave kirtan groups would sing usually heard on the ra- to buy a violin, piano, or regular public concerts in the classical bhajans such dio and TV is American even harmonium in any lo- Georgetown and New Am- as Rajrani Mira’s repertoire. music of the peripheral cal store. This situation of sterdam. At these concerts, On the weekends, regular kind and Bollywood In- an almost vanished musical marches, waltzes and polkas concerts by such performers dian music of the same culture could be contrast- by such composers as the as Lynette Dolphin, Lynette level. The Classical and ed with the sparkling and Straus family, Delibes and Katchay, Rosemary Ramdesemi-Classical music of vibrant musical culture so on were presented and holl and the Loncke family both traditions are rarely which pervaded Guyana they always ended with one were offered at Georgetown and invariably New Amsterdam Town E Guyana/Venezuela controversy will or again and discussions where become ever heard and many young three four shortly decades ago: or two Guyanese folkfactual songs. bases Halls. Many young Guyme uppeople before do thenot International Court of Justice (ICJ). blurred. even know The radio presented reg- The churches still had their anese had their first expoGuyana, most of the writings on the controversy have In this offering, we will depart from this norm and try their existence. ular programmes of classical today THEofSeawalls lie deep This in theisconsciousness of Guyanese organists andmuddy organs was and once in covered with seashells to is rather and sure to Mozart, Beethoven, teachers in most sun had risen.communities musical culture, many efmusic and the Militia Band manifested in the the mandirs, enthusiastic npeople, of aclearly historical and factual nature and this is a good answer two questions that many have been asking theup the but especially Georgetowners. Yet it has rarely there would always be children exploring and since picking Chopin and others at these is,who why is the Venezuelan public convinced they fortssowere must be made simulaccommodated children On moonlit nights the Seawalls always athat crowded ng, since the Guyanese of theoftwo Guyanese fishing boats inthey Guyana’s terribeen noticed by the newspublic mediaare andnot the encouraged last time it wasseizure seashells different colours; sometimes may find large concerts. taneously,so that it could of well-to-do parents. have a valid claim to two-thirds of Guyana’s territory and promenade. Many went to socialise with friends, but all went mentioned as an item into of national concern was five or sixtorial conch shells. move their attention the realms of arguments waters by a Venezuelan navy ship. The first There was question always a why their be accomplished in three to Many shops stocked mupoliticians bellicose aggressive about to enjoy the beauty ofarethesomoon risingand from the sea and the years ago when the Ocean overtopped the wall and flooded The foreshore or continental shelf gradually rises and falls stream of world-famed ar- this four years. For example, sical instruments, especially claim? And the second question is, why did President blue-green moonlight which was brighter, since there were the yards parallel to the Public Road. This was the first every 20 years and today, the foreshore Camp violins and pianos, as well recreating music education tistes, land who,between when visiting Venezuela this time seizethe thevarious boats no road of lights to dilutechoose it. Others wouldtoenjoy time in living memory that there was such an occurrence Street and the Pegasus Hotel has almost risen to thewould heighthave of Maduro South America, as parts to repair such instru- could be achieved in three

and it led to great panic. The authorities hurriedly constructed a barrier of standing concrete slabs on the Walls to counter such overtopping. In the last few weeks, the Seawalls have again featured in the news, but in a happier vein. From Camp Street to the Demerara River, the wall had become disfigured by an accumulation of unsightly garbage and no one assumed the responsibility of cleaning it. A homeless man, Carl Melville, who sometimes slept there was noticed by Dwayne Hackett trying to clean the garbage and immediately volunteered to help him. Hackett placed the incident on social media and immediately numbers of persons volunteered their services. First Lady Arya Ali was one of the first to volunteer and the Ministry of Public Works, the Director of Solid Waste Department of the Georgetown City Council and the Fire Service became involved with her. The Fire Service cleaned the bandstand and in a few days all the garbage was removed and Seawalls appeared as if they had always been maintained! Many have been high in their praises of this example of civic responsibility. The Seawalls had always been the promenade and park for the people of Georgetown and the surrounding villages from the last quarter of the 19th century and continued to be so until the 1960s when the country became plagued with political tension and there were robberies on the Seawalls. For most of the 1960s, therefore, fewer and fewer people visited the Seawalls. In its heyday, the Seawalls were the most delightful place in Georgetown. The vast openness of the seascape and the surrounding landscape, the blue skies and silver clouds, the ever-present seagulls and the steady flow of the health-giving trade winds and the enveloping peace and quietude attracted hundreds of people at all times of the day. The beach which

he would the Guyanese phasesheofknew the New Moon alienate with the background of population purple skies the wall and coconut trees and other vegetation grow on it. when and cause embellished the international community to condemn or with thousands of stars which appear disapprove brighter of his action, Venezuela intersince leaving there were no cityisolated lights. Others nationally on the issue. would go to the Seawalls in the late afternoons to The answer to the sunsets first question began during theinto Cold admire gradually transforming the light ofof dusk. War: At theblue beginning the 1960s Britain had decided to joysthe of colony the Seawalls were the withdraw fromAnother Guyana of andthe grant independence, earlylikely evening concerts givenof bythe the newly Militia but it was very thatSunday the Prime Minister the Police at the Bandstand which independentBand stateand would be DrBand Cheddi Jagan, an avowed attracted of people. Their repertoire conMarxist. U.S. Cold hundreds War interests tried to persuade Britain sisted ofindependence, light classical music Strauss’ and to delay Guyana’s but allsuch that as Britain could ballet Delibes’ pizzicato promise wasother that waltzes, she would handmusic over such power to a non-ComandMinister. Sylvia, atAmerican least one English patriotic such munist Prime Intelligence feltsong that this “This royal throne of Kings” and British offerasneeded further insurance andand so Guyanese they devised Caribbean songs. The concerts arranged a plan whereby theirfolk client Venezuela wouldwere threaten to for early evening so that children could attend; many Guyanese in later life have admitted that their first exposure to classical music was from these Bandstand concerts. On Easter Monday thousands of kite-flyers turned out from five o’clock in the morning. Kites were all hand-made and were in a variety of shapes such as boxes, birds and snakes, but the predominant shape was the Guyanese octagon and in a variety of colours. a kite which Guyana as part of their itiner- ments. There to four engines, years, inclusive of were several Singing a loud droning of the most popular. ary. Guyanese were thusSeaable made Likewise, the sea has reclaimed the land along the Kitty the one training of music teachvery able piano tuners sound, in the was was always combined with picnicking. The Easter to see athe greatest violinists, wall where houses once stood. Indeed, substantial building Kite-flying and the returning to country. Today, there are no ers pianists, singers even kite-flying today is a pale reminiscence of the heyday. and study programmes piano tuners or expert instruis still standing close to the wall near the Kitty Pumpand Station, ballerinas performed Asrepairers. mentioned above, the political tensions and examinations of criminality the Roybut the sea is under it. Old fishermen whowho set their nets onin ment the metropolitan cities al School of 1960s. Music; other few persons, assuming keptApeople away from the Seawalls in the By the the foreshore sea could vividly describe the cyclical riseonly. and invade Guyana if there wasstable any possibility oforganising a Marxist The musical education in 1990s tasks asagain the role ofhad devil’s advocate, life become more andsuch people began to fall of the beach. installed inambience Guyana. the country was lively. Most government music festivals; identifying may question the desirability the being Seawalls, but the had changed. There The Seawalls provided a favourite for health en- frequent schoolsplace had music teachers The 1899 Arbitral Award had settled the boundaries of suitable concert venues; of expending so much time, grew up stalls lining the parapet of the Public Road from the thusiasts. Many would go there towho practise deep breathing of mainly taught singing Guyana getting the electronic meexpense and effort in reviving and Venezuela and these boundaries were fully Pump Station to the Pegasus, selling refreshments and the clean and fresh sea breezes. Others would be cycling or Kitty and in the secondary schools, diaInternational such as radiocommuniTV a country’s musical culture. accepted bystalls both parties and the all of these were well-lit. The character of theand Seawalls even training for cycle races. Probably most notable were From the times they the usually had musical to broadcast more classiof primitive ty. One of the junior lawyers representing Venezuela at changed from a peaceful promenade tothe a lively fair. the ones who went for physical culture. Many this group instruments andofmore formal had music; shops again Man, music wasMalletknown to be calleft the arbitration, Prevost, a letter that was not Now that the tourism industry is being revived, the would go to the Seawalls by eithermusic jogging to get thereA or by something that enriched the beginning to stock musiinstruction. fairly have been opened until after his death. In that letter, attractive number long of students cycle and they would arrive therelarge at 5 o’clock, before toSeawalls instruments or inviting quality ofstill lifeoffer and an later on, calattraction. claimed that the Arbitral was the result of to an studied for the Royal College hethere world-famous artistes grew up an entire phi- Award between Britain and the Russian arbitrator of Music examinations to the arrangement losophy of it. For example, again visit Guyana, being of itsasrights. After half extent where, every year, one toitdeprive induced to more come than by the twoa is used Venezuela to raise morale of the senior professors of the century, Venezuela, based on Mallet-Prevost’s Steinway pianosposthumous which the in military music; it is used School would visit Guyana letter, and in work nowsituations rejected to themake Arbitralcountry Awardnow and possesses claimed twoto conduct the higher-level thirds the new, attractive image of workoflighter or more pro- Mallet-Prevost’s Guyana’s territory. posthumous examinations. These vis- letter oil-producing ductive; used toVenezuela bring a democratic was it theiscausus used to threaten Guyana iting professors often gave enjoyment and festivity to country. Using the computand this continued after the Cold War, the raison d’etre for recitals. The Indian Cultural life; it is used to eliminate er in its multifarious guises claim, had ended. Centre, later the Vivekanand the anxieties and tension; it is would strengthen the other several short documentaries Most lawyers and historians who any Cultural Centre, kept the used to help andtook ensure thenotice quick in spiritual de- efforts called the “Secret Life of of Mallet-Prevost’s letter dismissed it as a historical Indian classical tradition velopment. rebuilding of the country’s Giant Anteaters” and each or very flimsy evidence on which to attempt to alive with its Ragas. There curiosity musical culture. In rebuilding Guyana’s episode focuses on different were several private music upset a long-accepted Arbitral Award. But the Venezuelan aspects of the work being

Research work helping curb... From Page III

timate for that area and in the space of 18 months, some 33 Giant Anteaters were identified. According to Millar, re-

zone in the village. “So we will work with the villagers to create certain rules and help them to know what they should and should not do. For

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The Brickdam Police Station’s fire should be a wake-up call for digitised databases

THE Brickdam Police Station was completely gutted due to a recent fire and while it’s a sad sight to see, my mind ponders beyond the physical infrastructural loss. It’s quite a tragedy and when major disasters such as these occur, it usually disrupts the entire system of service delivery— might I add the quality of such service delivery. You may be wondering, what other loss are we faced with due to the fire? First, to understand what that loss is, we need to understand that Guyana has an outdated paper-based system of documentation and

accounting. I was first enlightened about this when I worked on a practicum for UG at the Probation Department. Social workers have to manually document (write) every single event that occurs during counselling, home visits and investigative reports. It is time-consuming which can be deemed inefficient. This also resulted in very labouring work for the social workers. Depending on the situation, one case can have a worker writing for hours behind their desk. That’s not productive labour, especially if there are easier documentation methods that can be utilised, such as software and database

and the police provide should be of the best standard in our country. It should be an envious model by other countries. Some of our laws and legislation seem progressive

storage. I am now assuming that the Guyana Police Force utilises the same method of documentation. As I write this post, I’m taking a few steps back to think about all of the sensitive documents, paper trails, and evidence

destroyed in that fire (if I am correct about paper-based documentation for the police force). Being a Third World country should no longer be an excuse. It’s sad that we mostly or act to get our rational thoughts together after a tragedy. I hope that stops sooner than later. Where does this leave those victims with the success of their cases centred around one document? Will those police officers be paid overtime to retrieve and/or remake all of those documents? What if a victim was only mentally able to speak on the record ONCE? Are all of those cases that were lodged through that station now “tainted”? Do we even think about the victims

before setting up security and social services? Or, do we do so just because it’s a requirement to be a signatory for international aid? That is the real loss for our country. A new and improved building will probably be constructed shortly, but workers and victims alike won’t retrieve

the time, energy and resources used to build cases and claims. For our public servants’ sanity and for the sake of justice for the disadvantaged, we should develop electronic database systems. Not only will it make the jobs of social workers and police less taxing, but it will also help us to detect missing data, find information faster and most importantly, prevent sensitive information from getting destroyed. While we’re at it, carbon copies of documents are not a solution. The earth is dying and that simply adds more industrial paper usage to our environment. The service social workers

on paper, but there’s always a gap and fault regarding practicality. That very gap is where our victims “slip and fall” through. As we recover from these losses as a nation,

I hope conversations such as these are encouraged. Let’s utilise better technology to help victims and workers alike.

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Sarah Johanna... FROM PAGE VI

The locals are hardworking people who do whatever jobs they get to earn honestly, and it is a very safe place to live and there are no such things as petty thieves and crimes there. It is said to be one of those villages where you can walk at any time of the

day or night without fear of being robbed. The people are comfortable and most of them have lived their entire life there, but stated that their lives would be further enhanced if the village is developed with infrastructures such as paved roads and drains. It is a breezy, quiet vil-

lage where you hear the birds chirping and the fowl cocks crowing and there are a lot of fowls in the community that walk around all over. Some people have poultry farms on which they rear layers and meat birds, while others have cows, pigs, sheep and goats.

This village has long, winding, sandy streets, tracks and dams that go

way down into the ‘backdam’ area, where scores of families reside in wooden

cottages and other houses, making do with the basic necessities.

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Dental Anxiety ... FROM PAGE XXVI

tal fear was higher among those of lower education levels and social class. Dental anxiety has also been shown to be associated with the avoidance of regular dental care. Evidence of the adverse health consequences means that estimation of the prevalence and severity of dental anxiety may be of significant importance to dental public health. Individuals with high dental anxiety are likely to suffer greater impact from dental conditions, with significantly more toothache, discomfort and avoidance of some foods. The condition may be a component in a cycle of dental disadvantage among individuals who are inflicted with it. The dental health status of the victims will progressively deteriorate, unless the condition is overcome. It follows that dentally anxious individuals would be more likely to experience marked social impact from impairing oral diseases; that is, not only are they more likely to avoid care, they are more likely to need it, and they suffer the dental and social consequences of not seeking it. But the good news is that persons can overcome dental anxiety to the extent whereby they may enjoy good oral health as anyone else. I will deal with the solution to dental anxiety later.

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THOUGHT FOR TODAY It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees. DOLORES IBÅRR URI “LA PASIONARIA” (189 5-1989) Speech in Paris, 3 Septembe r, 1936

October 10, 2021 STUDY SUCCESS Dear Student, Welcome, dear friend. Take heed in your examination preparation. Be honest with yourself and realistic in your expectations. Utilise enough study

time depending upon your course success so far, your natural ability, and your expected examination performance. How well positioned are you currently? Find out by practising on past examination questions. Use enough material as you need to succeed. Approach a manageable amount each day. Work along with study partners and friends, also professionals for required support. Be wise. Love you. THE PASSAGE Read the following poem carefully and then answer items from 1 – 6 based on what is stated or implied. Accounting Nights too warm for TV we’re flung outdoors to the porch, citronella candles scenting the space between us, our faces aglow in gold light. She crowds the card table 5 with coin banks, an abacus, five and tern dollar colling paper, our tidy ledger. I count, line the coins in neat rows, the abacus clicking out our worth, 10 how much can we save, stack up against the seasons – winter coming, her tightly braided hair turning white; her hands quick, filling the paper casings Like home-made sausage. 15 There’s money in the bank downtown, but this we’ll keep at home buried in jars beneath the house, the crawl space filling up, packed solid As any foundation. 20 (Natasha 1. The activity described in the poem is (A) viewing television (C) counting money (B) playing cards (D) making sausages 2. “She” in the poem is most likely (A) mercenary (C) thrifty (B) extravagant (D) miserly

3. Line 3 of the poem is an example of (A) alliteration (C) assonance (B) repetition (D) euphemism 4. The comparison between the paper casings and the homemade sausages (lines 14 -15) is a reference to (A) colour (C) quantity (B) shape (D) weight 5. The “crawlspace” (line 19) MOST likely refers to (A) a large container (C) the foundation of the house (B) a low, cramped area (D) very slow movement 6. The money is being saved to (A) be packaged in paper casing (B) safeguard against need in winter (C) fill the foundation (D) be placed in the bank downtown ( N a t a s h a Tr e t h e w e y from past exam paper) THE PASSAGE The room in which I found myself was very large and lofty. The windows were long, narrow, and pointed, and at so vast a distance from the black oaken floor as to be altogether inaccessible from within. Feeble gleams of encrimsoned light made their way through the trellised panes, and served to render sufficiently distinct the more prominent objects around; the eye, however, struggled in vain to reach the remoter angles of the chamber, or the recesses of the vaulted and fretted ceiling. Dard draperies hung upon the walls. The general furniture was profuse, comfortless, antique, and tattered. Many books and musical instruments lay scattered about, but failed to give any vitality to the scene. I felt that I breathed an atmosphere of sorrow. An air of stern, deep, and irredeemable gloom hung over and pervaded all. (Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”) Something to Do: 1. Give mean to each of the following words and phrases as they appear in order in the paragraph: very large and lofty, black oaken floor, The windows were ....

altogether inaccessible from within, the eye ... struggled in vain, encrimsoned light recesses of the vaulted and fretted ceiling, failed to give any vitality to the scene, The general furniture was profuse. 2. Find this paragraph’s topic sentence. What does it say? What points of support does the writer use in his paragraph? GRAMMMAR Test your competence in sentence correction Correct the following sentences. Write OK for any sentence that has no error. 1. Gregory is clever, thoughtful, and works very effectively. 2. Simon likes using this new keyboard, but he prefers her’s. 3. There is, as you already know, ten or twelve applicants interested in that job. 4. The secretary reported that neither the Main Street road-building contract nor the warranty is still in effect. 5. Yes, Megan likes to go to the craft school and studying. 6. Frankly, between you and I, I have little confidence in the committee’s ability to handle this month’s celebrations. 7. Are you sure that the young man whom you saw at the opening ceremony was Mr. Simon? Yes, I am sure that that man was him. GRAMMAR (keys from last week’s Conjunction Pitfalls) Corrections needed in given sentences: 1. Kathy often appears as though she has more troubles at work than she can handle. 2. The reason Orville requested a transfer to the East Coast office is that he and his mother prefer the country atmosphere. 3. If it does not look as though OR as if you will be able to join the women’s health forum tonight, will you please ask your secretary to substitute for you? 4. No essential worker can take vacation during the month of October, because OR since October is our month of four celebrations. 5. Recently, I read in a local magazine advertisement that Elizabeth Playtime products is planning to enter the computer game market.

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COVID-19: Global Vaccine Plan Aims To End ‘Two-Track Pandemic’ UN NEWS—The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday unveiled an $8 billion pathway out of the COVID-19 pandemic, in a bid to make vaccines accessible to everyone, everywhere. The Global COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy aims to inoculate 40 percent of people in all countries by the end of the year, and 70 percent by the middle of 2022. WHO had previously pressed governments to vaccinate 10 per cent of the world’s people by the end of last month. However, more than 55 countries, mainly in Africa and the Middle East, missed the target. In remarks to the virtual launch, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who has been strongly advocating for a global plan, urged nations to unite and make it a success. “Without a coordinated, equitable approach, a reduction of cases in any one country will not be sustained over time. For everyone’s sake, we must urgently bring all countries to a high level of vaccination coverage,” he said, speaking from New York.

A ‘Two-Track Pandemic’ As of Thursday, there were more than 235.6 million confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide, and close to five million deaths, according to latest WHO data. The new strategy requires 11 billion vaccines to be made available, to defeat what the UN agency has labelled “a two-track pandemic.” Even though nearly 6.5 billion doses have been administered globally as of the end of September, and almost one-third of the world’s population is fully inoculated, vaccine inequity persists. “High and upper-middle income countries have used 75 per cent of all vaccines produced so far,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking from its headquarters in Geneva. Meanwhile, less than half of one per cent of doses have gone to low-income countries. “In Africa, less than five per cent of people are fully vaccinated,” he added. Vaccines For All Global vaccine production currently stands at 1.5 billion doses per month, meaning “there is enough supply to achieve our targets, provided they are distributed equitably,” said Tedros. “This is not a supply problem; it’s an allocation problem,” he added. The strategy calls for a three-step approach to vaccination, starting with protecting older people, health workers and high-risk groups of all ages. All adults in every country would be next, followed by adolescents. While financing has been secured to procure most of the required vaccines for poorer countries, including through the COVAX solidarity initiative and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), additional investment is needed. ‘We Have The Tools’ “We call on vaccine manufacturers to prioritise and fulfil contracts with COVAX and AVAT as a matter of urgency, to be more transparent on what is going where, and

to share know-how and non-exclusive licences to enable all regions to increase manufacturing capacity,” said Tedros. Countries that produce vaccines should allow for cross-border flow of finished vaccines and raw materials, and facilitate sharing of knowledge, technology and licences. Governments were also urged to update their national vaccine targets and plans “to guide manufacturing investment and vaccine distribution.”

Tedros said the strategy can be achieved if the countries and companies that control vaccine supply prioritise COVAX and the AVAT, both for vaccine delivery and donations. “We have the tools to bring the pandemic under control, if we use them properly and share them fairly,” he said. (thecaribbeannewsnow.com)

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 10, 2021