Culturepulse magazine issue 27

November 2014

Issue 27

Introducing...Joan Achong UN wants Ebola concert She looked like me...

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Contents She Looked Like Me p.3 Has feminism gone too far? p.5 Introducing Joan Achong p.8

It is always a pleasure to complete another issue of Culturepulse magazine. Someone once described their work as 'a labour of love'.

Without a doubt, Culturepulse is a labour of love and, without the' labour and love' form our supporters and contributors alike, this publication would not be possible.

Alvin Kallicharran p. 15 Trouble in the Caribbean p.19 UN wants Ebola concert p.25 London leads with top universities Production and concept: D.T. Kalloo

Culturepulse is designed and produced by cashewmedia and published by Securisit Ltd. Copyright 2014 Views and comments expressed by contributors are not necessary those of Culturepulse but of the author/s

For all enquiries, please contact Culturepulse at 07920752131 Email: culturepulse@hotmail.co.uk

We welcome Tessa Robinson; a Londoner from Belize who has made a significant first contribution to the magazine with an article on a serious topic that not only affects the Caribbean but other societies too.

Respect to our man in Trinidad, Nasser Khan who never fails to furnish us with superb articles and a big supporter of the magazine. To Ansel Wong, Amos Armstrong, Soshina Stephen, Akilah Holder-Stewart, Rhianna Kalloo, Chris Boothman, David Wears, Michael LaRose, Ron Ramdin, Michelle Yaa, Juanita Cox-Wesmass and Jimmy Kainja for their continued support throughout.

You too can become a contributor to Culturepulse magazine, if you have flair for writing and would like to submit an article please contact us at culturepulse@hotmail.co.uk or call 07920752131 for further information.

D.Kalloo Editor

Cover photo courtesy Joe Young

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She looked like me: The London Black Doll's Expo.

Director and producer of the film “Beauty Is” exposited the concept that beauty in such a diverse world and culture is volatile. Toyin Agbetu dilated the issues of skin bleaching, hair straightening and the media’s role in propagating beauty in a dominant and, vastly Western context and the lengths to which non-whites will go to attain it.

The Expo was a formidable one, in addition to dolls there were books and material for black children, talks by the Miss Trinidad UK Pageant President, Mrs Angela Cox. There was face painting and doll making workshops for the children and adults as well as art works displaying themes of the event by Yahw Arts.

On Saturday the 13th of August,

Operation Sankofa hosted its 6th Black Dolls Expo in Brixton. The event which was well attended provided a great platform for doll makers, vendors, and collectors to share their passion for dolls.

Vendors and creators from the UK, Senegal and France showcased their selections dolls and art for the public.

'I want one just like me' was Operation Sankofa’s director Ama Gueye’s vision for the last 5 dolls event. She says “The vision to bring African doll makers, collectors and vendors in one place to celebrate their creations and also to educate parents and children about the significance of owning a black doll.” That message resonated strongly with me as when I was age 7 or 8 my mom too, purchased me and my siblings our first black dolls and story books.

Dolls that looked like me reflected the plethora of shades across the African Diaspora in an effort to reinforce the concept of our natural beauty. 'I want one just like me' was the theme for children and parents alike who flooded the hall, radiant with excitement to both purchase and admire what was on offer.

Doll creators Verona C of Dolls by Verona.C and Diane Patten of Ebony Eyes both said that it was an exciting experience. They have been making dolls for a while now and understood the importance of every child owning a doll toy that positively reflected its own identity and culture.

For more information regarding the next doll event contact Operation Sankofa. gueye_ama@yahoo.com

Story and photos by Soshina Stephen.

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Has feminism gone too far? to offer their societies. Therefore, they must be given a voice.

by Akilah Holder-Stewart I was a bit of a feminist before leaving Trinidad to study; and while in college, I became even more so. I was never a radical feminist, but I do believe that at some point, I resented being the one with the womb and gave serious consideration to using an artificial womb. But I have recently been wondering if feminism has gone too far. In fact, I have come to the conclusion that it has.

She went on to say, "let woman live as she should. Let her feel her accountability to her Maker. Let her know that her spirit is fitted for as high a sphere as man's, and that her soul requires food as pure and exalted as his. Let her live first for God, and she will not make imperfect man an object of reverence and awe. Teach her responsibility as a being of conscience and reason, that all earthly support is weak and unstable, that her only safe dependence is the arm of omnipotence, and that true happiness springs from duty accomplished.

Thus will she learn the lesson of individual responsibility for time and eternity. That neither father, husband, brother, or son, however willing they may be, can discharge her high duties of life, or stand in her stead when called into the presence of the great Searcher of Hearts at the last day..." Put another way, Cady Stanton states that a woman must be allowed the right to self-determination; that she must be allowed to think for herself.

When Elizabeth Cady Stanton kicked off the first wave of the feminist movement (the first wave is also considered the suffrage movement) with her address at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848*, and Betty Friedan kicked off the second wave of feminism in the 1960s with her publication, The Feminine Mystique (the text hypothesized that although many suburban women had done what they were told by American society to do in order to be happy - get married, have children and stay at home - somehow, they were still discontented and depressed)*, did they mean for women to become "men-haters", lesbians, single moms by choice and sexually "loose"?

Friedan fought for something similar; she fought for the personhood of women. She writes in The Feminine Mystique that, "the problem lay buried, unspoken for many years in the minds of American women.

It was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a yearning that women suffered in the middle of the twentieth century in the United States.

I don't think so. Consider the words of Cady Stanton in the opening of her address at Seneca Falls, that, "we do not propose to petition the legislature to make our husbands just, generous and courteous, to seat every man at the head of a cradle, and to clothe every woman in male attire...We are assembled to protest against a form of government existing without the consent of the governed - to declare our right to be free as man is free, to be represented in the government which we are taxed to support..."

Each suburban wife struggled with it alone. As she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffeured Cub Scouts and Brownies, lay beside her husband at night -- she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question -- 'is this all?'" Friedan suggests that suburban wives are discontented, although they are leading a life that according to American society

Cady Stanton, in other words, merely demanded that women be acknowledged, respected and treated as the rational human beings that they are, that have something 5

ought to bring them complete happiness.

She wanted legal and social justice for women.

respect for women. Furthermore, Freidan was critical of the sexual liberation movement and of lesbianism. Blaine Terry Browne and Robert C. Cottrell write in Lives and Times – Individuals and Issues in American History Since 1865 that Friedan was fearful of “the excesses of radical feminism might fatally wound the movement, Friedan distanced herself from the advocates of ‘sexual liberation,’ warning fellow activists against the ‘braburning, anti-man, politics-of-orgasm school.’ Another issue with tremendously divisive potential was sexual orientation.

The question of lesbian rights had arisen several years earlier, and Friedan provoked considerable controversy when she expressed concerns about the damage that the ‘lavender menace’ might do to the movement.” Towards the end of her life, in 2006, Friedan distanced herself from the feminist movement, stating that it had gone too far. Leon P. Baradat states in his Political Ideologies: Their impact and orgins, that she felt that “the movement may be going to unwise extremes.”

Where Cady Stanton is concerned, her demand for equal rights for women – particularly where the right to suffrage was concerned – is grounded in the bible. She feels that like men, women could be responsible for themselves, think for themselves and control their own destinies.

Like men are moral agents, so too are women and thus, should be treated as such.

It must be reiterated that she makes clear that her demands had nothing to do with seating “every man at the head of a cradle, and” clothing “every woman in male attire...”

In fact, she makes the point that women are unique and have something special to offer society. She writes that, “There are deep and tender chords of sympathy and love in the heart of the down-fallen and oppressed that woman can touch more skilfully than man. The world has never yet seen a truly great and virtuous nation, because in the degradation of woman the very fountains of life are poisoned at their source. It is vain to look for silver and gold from mines of copper and lead. It is the wise mother that has the wise son. So long as your women are slaves you may throw your colleges and churches to the winds…Truly are the sins of the fathers visited upon the children to the third and fourth generation. God, in his wisdom, has so linked the whole human family together that any violence done at one end of the chain is felt throughout its length, and here, too, is the law of restoration, as in woman all have fallen, so in her elevation shall the race be recreated.” The biblical assertion found in Genesis 2:18 that the woman was created as the helpmate of man seems to underlie her assertions here.

And indeed, it has gone to unwise extremes. “Many modern-day feminists engage in man-bashing rather than making dignified demands for equality, as the feminists of the early twentieth century did. So Robin Morgan unashamedly admits, ‘I feel that man-hating is an honourable and viable political act’. The view many modern feminists seek to spread, in the words of Marilyn French, is that ‘all men are rapists and that’s all they are’. A Feminist Dictionary goes so far as to define ‘male’ as ‘a degeneration and deformity of the female’. This is an effort to make men seem inferior, not to elevate the position of women. It starkly contrasts with the goal of feminists of old, which was to make women be viewed as equal, not superior, to men,” notes spikedonline.com. In fact, forbes.com writer, Jenna Goudreau, notes in Who’s Afraid of Post-Feminism? What It Means To Be A Feminist Today that while in college, the

While Friedan makes no explicit reference to the bible, her theory is in keeping with it in that she merely calls for equal status and 6

use of the word “feminism” bothered her male friends and scared her female friends because the word has now become equated with “anger, man-hate and hairy underarms.”

And those who think it is o.k. to have a child out of wedlock? Feminism had never meant to advocate “men-hating.” It is selfish to choose to have a child out of wedlock when a child would benefit so much more from having both parents.

Early feminists demanded equality, not single motherhood.

Furthermore, modern feminism dictates too, that women be allowed to dress and behave however they want without being labelled as sexually loose.

Huffingtonpost.co.uk writer, Christina Sweeney-Baird, for instance, believes that modern feminism would be incomplete without addressing the issue of “slut shaming”. She states that, “the things I would change tomorrow if I could?...” the phrase, “‘what did she expect when dressed like that?’ going somewhere far, far away never to return” is one of them.

This would explain the anti “slut shaming” movement. Lesbians, too, continue to clamour for rights and consider themselves feminists, thoroughly misunderstanding, along with anti “slut shamers,” what early feminists fought and stood for and creating all sorts of contradictions as they go.

It is unfortunate that this is the present state of feminism. Modern feminists have damaged the movement by misunderstanding and subverting the very ideals fought for by early twentieth century feminists.

Postmodern feminists may disagree with me as they “seek to get away from any absolute assertions of what a feminist should be,” as noted on pages.uoregon.edu. *The information was taken from People, Power and Politics, edited by Gaston Alonso Donate, Corey Robin, Roberta Satow, and Alex Vitale.

Author’s e-mail: akilahholder@yahoo.com

In demanding that women be allowed to dress provocatively and lead sexually liberated lives is to make women into objects, things, and sex symbols, the very same things that Cady Stanton, Friedan and their followers fought against.

Moreover, to cover for women like Sacha Singh, contending that they were advantaged by men, is to objectify and victimize women for in saying that they were merely taken advantage of, you are not holding them accountable for their adulterous behaviour; you are saying that they are incapable of being responsible, and morally responsible for their actions, the very thing that early feminists fought for. To reiterate, Cady Stanton advocated that women be given the chance to be responsible “as” beings “of conscience and reason.” Friedan, similarly, fought for their personhood, their right to selfdetermination.

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Introducing...Joan Achong If you met Joan Achong, your first impression would be that she is Oriental or even Hispanic. This is not surprising as she the product of a concoction of Chinese, Carib, African, Spanish and Portuguese.

She was born in Point Fortin, the oil rich southern quarter of the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago, which explains her rich ethnic mixture that is synonymous with the melting pot culture that exists in Trinidad and Tobago.

Joan’s love for singing was not accidental, her mother was a singer and choir conductor with the Seventh Day Adventist Church that fueled Joan’s enthusiasm for music as her siblings sang and played musical instruments. Her inspiration and style was shaped by the likes of Diana Ross, Dion Warwick, Donna Summers, Roberta Flack and the queen of soul herself Aretha Franklin.

In 1990 Joan’s strong-willed character and determination led her to England where she had hoped to ignite the fires of a musical ability and etch out a career in the music industry. Speaking candidly, she says, ‘I saw it as an adventure, it was exciting, I was truly on my own with no family to support me.’ The adventures of a young adult had its drawbacks too saying with a sombre tone, ‘I was disillusioned with people I was surrounded by within the music industry and gradually drifted away from singing.’

Coming from a religious and musical home played an important part in her career too, helping to shape and, eventually curtailing her early progress into the music business. By the age of sixteen, Joan was writing and performing songs with a Gospel Rock band called Oasis. After submitting one of her songs to a record company in America, the US recording studio was eager to sign her and offer a recording contract. However, the dream was not to be, her parents objected and said at 16, she was too young to embark on a musical career. This, Joan said ‘gave me hope and more determination to become a star singing on stage like Diana Ross.’

A musical career seemed destined to elude Joan and in 1994 the BBC did a documentary with her called Second Chance for Adult Learners Week. The programme put Joan in the spotlight and in 1995 she returned to her native Trinidad, where she began exploring the local music culture, blending house and garage music.

Her exploration led to the recording of two tracks 'Non Stop' and 'I want You Back' at one of the country’s top recording studios, Sound Basin Studio in Port of Spain.

Joan's career in the music industry after her visit to Trinidad appeared to be 8

moving in a positive direction. Feeling revitalised and full of renewed energy, she returned to the UK in 1995. On her return she was offered a recording contract with Sony BMG. Newly married, she was forced to choose between her marriage and a career in music. Joan chose her marriage over music, both married life and music failed to prevail as her marriage ended just over a year and further dismantling all the progress she had made in building her musical ambition.

the family and the burden of unemployment, Joan felt she had to take the healing process into her own hands.

She returned to her father's house in Point Fortin, Trinidad where she took time to reflect on her life and chart a new course to recovery and to reassemble a music career that for most of her youthful years had eluded her. With a broad smile and a broad 'trini' accent she said; 'God wouldn't give me a voice like this and not want me to use it.' Her smile infectious and draws you into sharing her enthusiasm and energy.

Her stay in Point Fortin renewed her inspiration and Joan re-emerged, she wrote, co-produced and recorded 4 tracks which was produced by Raye Hamilton of Jus Blaze Studios in South Trinidad. She worked vigorously her vocal dexterity by joining a choir. It was all part of the new Joan rising out of the doldrums after years of setbacks, traumas and ill-health that plagued her. Through her singing with the choir, she was interviewed live on BBC Radio 1 Baroque Festival where she was being recognised for her voice. Her smooth, sultry infectious and soulful tones were also being noticed. So much so that her image was being used for the London Community Choir, BBC Singers and the London Philharmonic Orchestra concert programmes at Festival Hall, Southbank.

Joan performing at the Miss T&TUK 2014

Joan Achong was on the rise and this time there was no obstacles in her way. She was carving and charting her way into a career she had always hoped to fulfill. In September 2013 she graced the stage at Wembley Arena with 'The Love School' and in April 2014 she performed at the Vocool Variety Show in Streatham, London. She was also one of the

Grappling with failed attempts to break into the music industry, the breakdown of her marriage Joan cast aside her musical aspirations and made the decision to go into further education. She graduated with a BA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance from the University of East. Despite her efforts to rise above ill-health, deaths in 9

performers at The Russell Henderson Tribute at the Tabernacle in Notting Hill, London and at the Young Vic Theatre at the ATC award winning play 'The Event'.

In 2014 Joan flew out to Lagenhagen, Germany where she performed with the German 'Choir Under Fire' doing a solo of Pharrell Williams 'Happy'. More recently she performed and shot her new music video at the Miss T&TUK pageant in London

Gracing the stage and belting out soul, R&B and gospel music is not the limit for Joan, she's currently in the process of penning her first musical drama for the stage. A story based on forbidden love in post-colonial Trinidad and while she's not absorbed with writing songs and musical she is comfortable in her day job at the Trinidad and Tobago High Commission in London. Asked what was her best moment in London, she beams a smile and put graduating from the University of East London with a BA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance as a great sense of accomplishment. Her one regret and sense of sadness came when she was unable to return to Trinidad in 2004 to attend her mother's funeral.

Time has healed many wounds for Joan and she is comfortable with her renewed enthusiasm and the drive that has been reestablished to pursue her life-long dream.

There are no obstacles to great to overcome and Joan is holding a steady as intends to set cold London 'Burnin'.

To catch a glimpse of Joan Achong, visit www.youtube.com/joanachong and you can follow Joan on twitter.com/joan1achong.

Joan is finally in the driving seat of her career, a rising star. At forty she says, 'This is the new Joan, I'm Joan of Arc' She erupts into a blaze of laughter that exudes confidence and maturity. Two of her songs Let Her Go and Burnin are currently enjoying airplay on UK radio stations.

Joan's songs reflect on life stories that occur in our everyday lives. Her song. Let Her Go tells a story of a relationship gone wrong while Burnin is a flirtatious number about love.

Photos courtesy Joe Young and Joan Achong

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Save Shockoe Bottom. Letter to Mayor Dwight Jones Dear Mayor Dwight Jones,

integral part of these students' unique educational experience.

My name is Lupita Nyong'o. I am an actress, best known for my portrayal of Patsey in Steve McQueen's film, 12 Years A Slave, based on the autobiography of Solomon Northup.

Historical sites like these are valuable not only to Americans, but to the entire world that engages with America. I, for one, originate from Kenya, and had it not been for the preservation of slave history on the plantations in Louisiana and within the walls of museums that I visited, my immersion into Patsey's life and lifestyle would not have been as deep nor as empathetic as it was. I may not have been as equipped to portray her and thus contribute to the cinematic heritage that we now have in the movie, 12 Years A Slave.

I learned recently that the "Revitalize RVA" program intends to construct a minor league baseball stadium, among other commercial structures in Shockoe Bottom, over the archaeological remains of America's second-largest slave trading center. I write to ask you to withdraw your support of such a venture.

Evidence of America's slave history simply must be preserved, as the legacy of slavery affects all American people. The tactic of the enslaver was to systematically erase all memory of the African's past; let us not repeat this ill by contributing to the erasure of his past in America too. Though this history is ugly and unjust, Shockoe Bottom is a site of conscience, a place where we can bear witness to the human rights abuses of slavery, learn from the lessons of history, and spark a conscience in people so that they can choose the actions that promote justice and lasting peace today.

We would be appalled if a casino was built over Gisozi in Rwanda, a mega mall was constructed over Robin Island in South Africa, or new condos were erected through the gates of Buchenwald in Germany. Let us therefore not have a baseball stadium sit atop the legacies of slavery at Shockoe Bottom.

And yet you are no stranger to the cause for education and the advancement of society through knowledge. On top of being an accomplished scholar yourself, during your term as mayor, you have seen to the construction of four schools in Richmond. I am confident that these schools are intended to engage students in understanding and interpreting our shared history, stimulating their minds about social issues that concern them, and promoting humanitarian values. A preserved Shockoe Bottom can be an

Respectfully

I urge you to set aside the baseball stadium plans and, instead, fully involve the public in determining how best to commemorate the past of slavery at Shockoe Bottom.

Lupita Nyong'o

This letter was republished with the kind permission of Lupita Nyong'o. For further information and to lend your support, go to:

http://bit.ly/SaveShockoeBottom

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Black Scorpion Trade

Suicide Watch

on the Rise A report recently published by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says that almost 65,000 people in the Americas, including the Caribbean took their own lives, putting the figure at 7 an hour.

The report, using data collected from 48 countries and territories in the Western Hemisphere documented that the countries with the highest rates of suicides during 2005-2009 were Guyana with 26.2 per 100,000 followed by Suriname with 23.3, Uruguay 14.2, Chile 11.2, Trinidad and Tobago 10.7, the USA 10.1, Cuba 9.9 and Canada 9.7

Scorpions from Pakistan is becoming big business in recent months according to the authorities in the Sindh province. The scorpion are great demand from pharmaceutical companies in Sweden, Australia, the US and Cuba.

Scorpion hunters are cashing in on the new trend that is sweeping through Sindh. One scorpion hunter claims he can make as much $5000 for 60 grams of a black scorpion. The local press in Sindh said the trade in scorpions is illegal; however, it is in fact legal to hunt the scorpions. Traders and hunters alike are reluctant to trade openly despite no laws prohibiting them from doing so.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) report states that the Americas has a lower average rate of 7.3 per 100.000 inhabitants in comparison to the global average of 11.4 per 100,000 and lower than the World Health Organization figures. Suicide rates vary significantly in different countries and territories as well as by age and sex. PAHO revealed that North America and the non- Hispanic Caribbean have the highest rates of suicide citing that men among the age groups of over 70 have higher rates.

Scorpion traders prefer to trade with US, Swedish and Australians rather than the Chinese buyers, claiming the Chinese don't offer as much for the prized black scorpions. Officials in Pakistan admit there is no real evidence where the scorpions go when they leave the sands of Sindh. They can only confirm that in the last 12 months the trade has escalated.

The PAHO report also states that suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 10 to 24 with men four time more likely to die from suicide although the rate for attempted suicide are higher in women. The report found that the most common method of suicide in the regions where data was collected is suffocation, including hanging.

This is followed by firearms, poisoning which took various forms such as drug overdose and ingestion of pesticides.

There are speculations that research is being carried out around the world to develop a vaccine for cancer. Cuba is currently thought to be using the venom of the blue scorpion in its research. However, this has not been confirmed nor denied.

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Legends of West Indies Cricket Alvin Kallicharran…an interview at the Queen’s Park Oval

By Nasser Khan

I had the privilege, courtesy of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board, to sit down for a special interview last month at the Queen’s Park Oval with West Indian batting legend Alvin Kallicharran during his recent coaching stint here in T&T. This was his first visit back to the West Indies in 20 years! After the 40 we spent some time with Kallicharran in the Oval’s members lounge area where he regaled us with a few stories from his heyday, including the tour to New Zealand where Rodriguez was the team’s manager.

is etched in the annals of cricketing history and folklore, little Kalli in the days of no helmet and the myriad of other protective gear. In fact Kallicharran also had the honour of representing the West Indies in their repeat triumph at the 1979 World Cup, four years later. He was also a member of the Guyana Shell Shield winning squads of 1973 and 1975 and scored 5 regional centuries including one against T&T of 184.

Now 65 years old, the sprightly and jovial Kallicharran had his young charges lapping up his coaching techniques at the Queen’s Park Oval when we met up with him. He even ended the session by having them bowl at him in the nets showing flashes of his brilliant left handed batting of yesteryear.

During his career he played 66 Tests (4,399 runs at an average of 44.43 and 12 centuries) and 31 One Day Internationals for the West Indies from 1972 to 1981. He scored Test hundreds in his first and second Test matches, a feat few have accomplished. In his First class career he played 505 matches scoring 32,650 runs at an average of 43.64 with 87 centuries and 160 fifties while in his One Day career he played 383 matches scoring another 11,336 runs with an average of 34.66 and 15 hundreds and 71 half centuries!

In 1975/76 calypsonian Maestro sang after the West Indies won the 1975 World Cup: It was a fantasy to see, tiny little Kalli hit Thommo and Lillee boundary after boundary (listen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =KZjDykXB6kI). This after the master batsman tore apart the bowling of the Australian great fast bowler Dennis Lillee during one of the World Cup matches (view at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =m8lfKm0NRnQ). That onslaught 15

Out of his 12 Test centuries, 4 were scored at the Queen’s Park Oval, scores of 101, 158, 103 and 127.

day to Tony Greig at point before walking down the pitch towards the pavilion. Greig threw down the bowlers stumps and Kallicharran was given out by Douglas Sang Hue. The outcry that erupted then and overnight led to Kallicharran being reinstated next morning after the future of the tour was put in jeopardy.

He played county cricket in England for Warwickshire from 1972 to 1992, 20 years, ending in his early 40’s, and also in between and thereafter with Transvaal and Orange Free State in South Africa in the 1980’s. He also had a brief stint in Australia for the State team Queensland in the 1977/78 season. After his Warwickshire days he did some cricket consultancy and coaching around the world and then became the manager/player for 10 years with the Lashings in Kent, England.

“I’ve made the rounds”, according to Kallicharran.

---Where were you born and where did you grow up?

In Port Mourant (contrary to what is shown on Cricinfo).

---What schools/institutions did you attend?

St. Joseph Anglican School and Port Mourant Comprehensive High School. After high school from the age of 16, my education was obtained from playing or being involved in cricket regionally and internationally, from then until now….you could say the ‘university of cricket’.

---Who are the people who influenced and inspired you the most, in your career and in life in general?

All my uncles on both sides were cricketers, my father captained the local team so it was cricket all around. We followed them around and fed off their passion and learnt a lot from them. Interestingly it was a shopkeeper back in my village, Mr. Ramsey, and his family, who influenced me in the early days by providing money to travel to Georgetown to see and play cricket and I was inspired by being in a village that produced so many West Indian cricket heroes like Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher,

He had the honour of captaining the West Indies team in 6 matches during the infamous Packer era, losing just one game at the helm.

There is a memorable incident at the Queens Park Oval, in 1974, when during what many regard as his finest innings, 158 in a match winning inning against England, there was a huge controversy, when on 142, he watched T&T’s Bernard Julien (who made 86 not out) play the last ball of the first 16

Joe Solomon, John Trim and Robert Christiani. I also read a lot at the local libraries about earlier heroes like Learie Constantine, George Headley, Weekes, Worrell, Walcott (the 3 W’s), Frank Worrell and then came the genius Garfield Sobers…these were the people who influenced and inspired me the most, people who you copied mentally and physically and felt their vibrations and sense of purpose…those who set high standards and the strong foundations for us who came later.

prepared to work hard and most of all have discipline…I don’t know how many have the upbringing and the influence in their lives to have that burning desire and discipline to make it happen. The mental strength and understanding that you are in a battle, in a war, you do not see danger or anxiety, but you must win the battle, mentally and physically whether as a batsman or a bowler. That’s how we played as a team in my era and were able to dominate for so long.

---Between your playing days as a professional cricketer and today what have you done “job” wise?

Basically travelling to different parts of the globe doing cricketing consultancy and coaching. These days I share my time between the USA and England.

---What else would you have been if you weren't a cricketer?

You know Nasser, who knows; maybe a fisherman or a cane cutter back in my village, but my fate was to be a cricketer. It has and continues to be my life.

---What is your greatest accomplishment in cricket?

---What are your plans for the future? What goals and or ambitions do you still have?

It was to play a Test match for the West Indies which was my dream as a child growing up in my village.

That was my greatest achievement in cricket, to wear the West Indies colours at an international level. It was the highest accolade, prize, award, whatever you want to call it. Of course there are many medals and trophies but playing that first Test match back then, nothing can beat that. Being recognized and being invited to contribute to cricket in the West Indies for the first time by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board is very special too I must say.

We all have dreams but for me being back in the West Indies after such a long time has had me thinking that it would be nice to finish my life’s work where it all started…but it’s only a dream, who knows.

---Why do you think West Indies cricket has deteriorated like it has?

The feeder system leaves a lot to be desired. There are too many gaps from the grass root to the national and international levels. These gaps are a lot wider than in my era. Also to be a success, you have to be hungry, to want it and be

---Is an autobiography in the making?

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Many people ask me this question but as a human being sometimes it’s best to leave the past behind.

To go back and dig up and bring out the truth behind the scenes that no one writes about is sometimes best left alone. There is so much to say. But who knows maybe one day…There is a lot I would say about South Africa, for example, and Packer and the West Indies administration in those days. I better keep quiet yes (laughing).

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Nasser Khan is a historian, writer and researcher. He has written several books and is a regular writer with the Sunday Guardian, The Independent Online Newspaper in Canada, Parkite magazine and Culturepulse magazine.

This article is reproduced with his kind permission and has also appeared in the Sunday Trinidad Guardian, Trinidad’s Queen’s Park Cricket Club’s Parkite magazine and The Independent online newspaper in Toronto, Canada.

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For further information contact: David 07973751339 Email:david@cokal.co.uk 18

Trouble in the Caribbean

By Tessa Robinson The Problem With 64% of the population of the Caribbean comprising of people below 30 years of age, Caribbean society can be described as youthful and vigorous. Given the predominance of young people in Caribbean society, it stands to reason that our collective priority should be to create an enabling environment for young people, by passing policies and laws which enhance their performance and contribution to Caribbean society. Sadly, quite the opposite is true, and young people in the Caribbean remain largely powerless and voiceless.

and guns. The terrible plight in which so many of our youth find themselves is evidence that either our priorities lie elsewhere, or that the measures and solutions aimed at engaging with and solving youth problems are not working.

Studies in Jamaica, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Haiti (the list goes on) tell a story of truancy, poor academic achievement, crime and violence amongst our youth. The Caribbean is now faced with a growing number of young people defined as unattached. Unattached youth refers to young people who are either jobless, or who are not within the education system or other training programme. In other words, they exist outside of society. Aged between 14 and 25, these young people are unable to adequately read and write, are unskilled, and consequently are unemployable. The existence of entire communities of unattached youth right across the Caribbean is the product of decades of neglect and indifference. They are the generation which Caribbean society has both forgotten and failed. The ugliness of neglect blights the landscape; a landscape populated by urban ghettoes, gangs, drugs

The subject of unattached youth in the Caribbean represents a vast area of research, and much of the data tends to focus on the various kinds of antisocial behaviour associated with this particular group. The primary response of Caribbean states to unattached youths who commit offences has been to criminalise them as delinquent and follow this up with incarceration. Incarceration tends to be a pan Caribbean solution to the growing ranks of increasingly angry, disenfranchised, and impoverished youth.

Rather than address the underlying causes to what we, in the Caribbean, have conveniently termed ‘youth delinquency’, we chose the easier option of incarceration. As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind. Incarceration has offered a handy way to divest ourselves of social responsibility; we wash our hands off the fallout from decades of youth 19

neglect. Consequently the Caribbean has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. If we opened up our prisons, I think we would find that they are primarily comprised of youths, mostly from urban ghettos such as Jamaica’s Tivolli Gardens or Belize’s Southside.

youth have become linked to other developmental issues’ such as ‘high levels of youth unemployment, poor educational opportunities, and feelings of voicelessness and exclusion from national and regional governance processes. The report also notes that the majority of Caribbean youth who fall foul of the police or justice system are the product of long standing neglect, abuse and abandonment and are, in fact, desperately in need of care and protection. These so called ‘delinquent youths’ are better described as ‘at risk youth’. Delinquency, a term used to frame the behaviour of a section of young people in the Caribbean, is fast turning into a characteristic or pathology seen as inherent to Caribbean youth as a whole. The great convenience of the term ‘delinquent’ is better appreciated when we look at Caribbean prisons, now home to entire communities of apparently ‘delinquent’ youths. Replace ‘delinquent’ with ‘at risk youth’ and suddenly the crime is open for all to see; it is not the youth who are delinquent but a society grown indifferent to the needs of its young people.

Unattached Youth and the Growth of Gang Culture With unattached youth comprising as much as 32% of the total youth population, Belize is home to one of the largest communities of unattached youth not just in the Caribbean, but in Latin America.

Belize is closely followed by Jamaica, where unattached youth make up 29% of the total youth population. This breaks down to over 200,000 unattached youths in Jamaica alone. Where unattached youth are concerned,

It is critical that Caribbean society, its policy makers and legislators, recognise that it is from the ranks of unattached youth that gang members arise. To understand gangs requires understanding the whole phenomenon of unattached youth. To illustrate this, we only have to search for the one thing which gangs share in common in the Caribbean. Although the structure of gangs, and the kinds of crimes with which they are associated, vary between Caribbean countries, there are consistencies. Gang members tend to come from the lowest socio-economic group and enter gangs because legitimate

Belize and Jamaica are not anomalies but reflect what is now a growing trend in the Caribbean. The numbers of unattached youth in the Caribbean bear testament to the existence of a culture of youth neglect.

The Caribbean Human Development Report 2012 notes that ‘involvement in crime and violence among Caribbean 20

access to opportunities and resources (academic, social and economic) are denied them. Gangs circumvent the obstacles and barriers to economic resources through criminal activity.

Why Is The Caribbean Choosing Incarceration As A Solution To What Is In Effect A Problem Of Youth Neglect?

As part of the war on drugs, the US has instituted policies in the Caribbean aimed at suppressing gang culture. Elite police corps, trained in the US to combat gangs, can now be found across the Caribbean and Latin America. In order to gain insight into our approach (in the Caribbean) to gang crime, it is important to look at the US, because methods used in crime prevention in the US, are being trialled in the Caribbean. In particular, US penitentiary culture, largely a response to the war on drugs, is touted by many as a model to be emulated by the Caribbean.

Where incarceration is concerned, America leads the way, but to our shame, the Caribbean is right up there, a close second. Following the example set by the US, we have succeeded in criminalizing a whole segment of our population, primarily unattached youth, stigmatised by poverty and having few skills to trade on the job market.

Why Incarceration Is Not A Solution Research in the US has shown that the prison system has played an important role in creating, sustaining, and facilitating gang culture. Further, evidence suggests that the rapid growth in prison incarceration rates is actually facilitating the growth and spread of gang culture, and what we are now seeing is a parallel growth between incarceration rates and the growth of gang/criminal groups.

It is becoming clear that prisons are central to gang life. If the Caribbean really wants to address the problem of gang culture then it needs to start by a thorough investigation of the prison system.

Prisons have always functioned as focal points for recruiting and building gangs.

Young men entering the prison system, with no previous gang affiliation, soon realize that to survive prison requires protection, and this is achieved by joining in-house prison gangs. In US prisons, as in the Caribbean, there are many options with multiple gangs being housed within a single prison. Examples of gangs which had their inception in prison are the Mexican Mafia, Neta, Aryan Brotherhood, Black Guerrilla Family, La Nuestra Familia and the Texas Syndicate. None of these gangs had counterparts on the street.

Incarceration, a primary solution to so called delinquent behaviour amongst Caribbean youth, may well be one of the factors aiding the rise in gang culture in the Caribbean.

We are so keen to emulate all things American, but if we knew a little bit more about what we are emulating, there would be less reason to be proud of our achievement. Michelle Alexander, Ohio 21

State University law professor, civil rights activist and author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, claims that more black American men are behind bars today or being processed within the criminal justice system (on parole or probation) than were slaves before the Civil War. Alexander shows how, in the US, racism has been restructured in such a way as to be almost invisible, mediated through a penitentiary system which stealthily removes certain people off the streets. The demographic of US prisoner populations is 50% African American, 35% Latino and 15% white.

These statistics have been used by law enforcement and white citizens alike as evidence of the pathology of US African Americans and Hispanics. Backed by these statistics law enforcement can target African Americans and Hispanics, whilst white communities can find support for segregation. US prisoner demographic continues to be manipulated as evidence to support arguments which caste black and Hispanics as inherently criminal.

poverty is concentrated, where opportunities are few and consequently, where crime is rife. Ghetto communities are marred by social and economic inequalities that are traceable to events in the in the early 1900s, notably laws and policies designed and enforced by federal and state governments to segregate blacks from whites. Seitles notes that the ‘emergence of the black ghetto did not happen by chance, but was the result of deliberate housing policies of the federal, state, and local government and the intentional actions of individual American citizens. As a result, the creation of the urban ghetto has had a lasting impact on America. The consequences include: a lack of capital in inner city communities, segregated minority neighbourhoods, and minority families unable to find affordable housing in the suburbs due to government sponsored racism.

The truth, however, behind the over representation of African-Americans and Hispanics in US prisons is much more complex. As activists, teachers and researchers point out; there is a system of state sponsored racism at work in the US which functions to roundup and usher young black and Hispanic children into the prison system. African-American and Hispanic children are channelled into the prison system, a process referred to as the school to prison pipeline.

The social conditions and the mind-set which gave rise to the ghetto in the 1900s, can be traced back to the American Civil War. In the American South, following the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, laws were enacted which allowed whites to regain control over freed slaves so as to

The Ghetto In the US, the ghetto is an important component of the school to prison pipeline. The ghetto is a place where 22

infrastructures originally set up by colonial powers to govern the colonies, and which functioned to maintain the status quo.

These governing bodies, now outdated, continue to structure the life of people in the Caribbean. The inability of Caribbean nations to develop new governance structures that reflect the changed circumstances of post-colonial life has brought criticism by researchers and NGOs. For instance it has been noted that Caribbean police forces are still functioning as colonial forces. Under colonial rule, the police force functioned to maintain the power, prerogatives and security of the colonial overseers who formed a politically and socially elite substratum. This could only be achieved by ensuring that the populace did not claim their equal rights to protection and security. The police force actively mediated for, as well as enforced the prerogatives of, the colonial rulers.

Following independence, the colonial elite were replaced by new home-grown political elite, who very quickly took on the same power relationships with the populace that had defined the colonial overlords. In other words, colonial masters were replaced by local politicos, and the structures which maintained the absolute power of the colonial elite continued to serve new local elite.

ensure the continuation of cheap labour.

These laws, first the Black Codes and then the Jim Crow Laws (1880s-1960s), gave white communities vigilante status, and encouraged individual citizens to actively police and keep blacks under constant surveillance. These laws functioned as a code of conduct by which blacks had to abide when in the presence of, or in dealings with, whites. The number and intricacy of these laws meant that a black person was always a hairs breadth away from an infraction. Therefore a black person not only risked prison but also lynching for such small infractions as looking directly into the eyes of a white person or not showing enough deference to a white person in social exchanges. Prison was a place where African Americans were directed to.

Implications for the Caribbean As in the US, ghettos are also common to the Caribbean. The similarity is more than just coincidental. Caribbean ghetto communities are the results of decades of state sponsored discrimination. This discrimination is directly linked to structural racism which still persists in the Caribbean region in the form of residue 23

These home-grown elite, because they were and still are on the receiving end of an unfair balance of power, see little reason to change the structures inherited from colonial times even though those structures never have and never will give representation to, or serve the needs of, Caribbean peoples. The Caribbean Human Development Report (2012) suggests that ‘post-colonial nations striving for full democracy, economic development, social stability and citizen security must find ways to evolve the role of security personnel into one whereby the rights of all people are protected and defended.

This means that the security agency must transition from a state security-oriented force to a citizen-oriented force. This type of force should include professional managers, a personnel system that makes the force representative of the population it has sworn to serve and a standardized method so that citizens can share their grievances with police, and it must include officers who see their first duty as loyalty to their countrymen and the rule of law, not the state or its political leaders.’

departing from Caribbean cultural norms, and for adopting imported black American identities, we need to start reading this as both an act of protest and a position of solidarity with an equally disenfranchised and much abused sector of society.

Tessa Robinson is our newest contributor to Culturepulse and hails from Belize.

Discrimination, mediated through institutions originally set up to serve colonial prerogatives, now has as its target Caribbean youth. Rather than resolve to look at the processes by which our youth have become pathologized as delinquent, we augment an already discriminatory system with further suppressive and punitive measures emanating from the US, as part of its war on drugs strategy.

Is it any wonder that Caribbean youth have appropriated black American ghetto identity with all its cultural forms, including rap music and gang fraternity?

Rather than blame Caribbean youth for 24

Ban Ki-moon wants Rock concert to fight Ebola crisis.

By D.Kalloo

Has the UN chief Ban Ki-moon ran out of ideas in dealing with the Ebola crisis?

The United Nations Secretary General recently appealed to Bono and other superstars to 'mobilise the world' in the fight against the deadly virus that is wreaking havoc in West Africa and threatening globally.

Quite clearly Ban ki-moon doesn't quite comprehend that Rock concerts doesn't solve world problems. The UN chief should cast his mind back to Band-Aid. The world doesn't need to mobilise another fundraising concert to tackle the Ebola virus crisis that has claimed the lives of thousands already. What Mr Ban Ki-moon should be doing is garnering a cohesive effort from world leaders who are currently wrapped up in bureaucratic bullshit and release the funds that is desperately needed to combat this epidemic that is increasingly finding its way into countries across the globe.

the world's leading pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline, in a statement recently claimed that a vaccine they are 'working on would be too late for this epidemic.' Had this virus broken out in Europe or North America, it would, without a doubt have been dealt with at an alarming velocity to conquer and stem the spread of the virus and, even a cure might have been developed. Africa, it appears, is still being stifled by those western colonials who divided and underdeveloped Africa.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) doesn't even seem to comprehend or, have a coherent plan in dealing with the outbreak. There is outrage too, with many claiming that western countries aren't doing enough, quickly to combat the virus.

According to WHO, over $375 million has been pledged to help fight the spread and finding a solution to curbing the spread of the Ebola virus. However, only $100m is thought to have been received so far.

Western leaders are quick to point out the poor health facilities in the regions most affected by the virus. Recently, a leading retired doctor returning from Sierra Leone was more vivid on the state of the hospitals there rather than what could be done to help and facilitate those dealing with the crisis. The US too, has the gall to lose patience with China and Russia for failing to honour pledges while they

Pharmaceutical companies are just as negligent as those countries pledging funds and not standing by their morals. One of 25

themselves have not been fort-coming in mobilising cash flow. You could have some sympathy with the US stance with China, as the second largest economy in the world it has pledged an unimpressive $38m while Russia's contribution is a minor $1m made up mainly of food aid.

The US and Britain appears to be the forerunners in aid with the US response being $350m and the UK $201m

So Mr Ban Ki moon forget about Bono and a world rock concert and start acting on mobilising world leaders to act coherently in dealing with this crisis. It is not just in the interest of Africa, but in the name of humanity and in case you didn't notice, it could have a serious impact on world markets...just a thought Mr Ban kimoon.

What is Ebola?

The UN estimates that it needs over $980m to tackle the disease form the next 6 months and with a paltry $365 pledged (note this is pledged, not received) it is becoming increasing strained for medical personnel and those involved to carry out vital work in combating the crisis. There is anger in the WHO's Africa office of the incompetence of world governments who are failing, not just Africans but the world in general with their inadequacies in dealing with the problem. The medical charity MĂŠdicins Sans FrontiĂŠres said in a statement. 'We are angry that the global and national health systems have failed.

The global response to this outbreak has been slow and inadequate.' The World Bank president Jim Yong Kim said, 'The fight against the virus is in danger of being lost.' To date, over 4,500 people have lost their lives to the Ebola virus and over 9000 recorded cases of the virus since the start of the year. A WHO representative said that they are expecting the figure of those infected to reach 10,000 by the end of the year.

Key facts Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.

The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.

The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks.

The first EVD outbreaks occurred in remote villages in Central Africa, near tropical rainforests, but the most recent outbreak in west Africa has involved major urban as well as rural areas.

Community engagement is key to successfully controlling outbreaks. Good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely case management, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, safe burials and social mobilisation.

Early supportive care with rehydration, symptomatic treatment improves survival. There is as yet no licensed treatment proven to neutralise the virus but a range of blood, immunological and drug therapies are under development.

There are currently no licensed Ebola vaccines but 2 potential candidates are undergoing evaluation.

For further information visit: 26

www.dec.org.uk/Ebola www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/en

London is world leader for universities.

universities alone. They need integrated international teams.

London may be one of the most expensive cities in the world but it is also one of the destinations that has the top universities. The Imperial College in London was the highest ranking university in London with Oxford University trailing in third spot and Cambridge in fifth in the world top ranking universities.

The Times Higher Education also names University College London in 22nd with London university in 9th, Kings College London ranking 40. Editor of THE said; London has more world-class universities than any other city, these great and growing institutions are helping to ensure that the UK capital is one of the strongest and most innovative and dynamic cities on the planet.'

The editor of Times Higher Education(THE) said: 'There are many great centres of higher education in the world, including Boston, Paris, Singapore and Hong Kong, but nowhere on earth beats London. According to the league tables of universities published by THE London has four of the universities in the top 40 world rankings.

Professor Alice Gast writing in the Evening Standard says; 'Students benefit from a university environment that represents the global spectrum of cultures and values.' At the Imperial College London, where almost half the students are from overseas, the ICL presidents says; 'Great education must be global, attracting brilliant students from all corners of the world.' Gast feels though that London universities need to form global links if they are to stay top of the world rankings, expressing that 'the challenges facing the world are too big for individual

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A Brief History of Seven Killings

Caribbean writer Marlon James is winning rave reviews for his book A Brief History of Seven Killings.

The book is set around the assassination attempt of legendary reggae singer, Bob Marley. James admits that if you are going to read the novel as history, you are bound to be disappointed. The novel is just me being a trickster.'

The novel encompasses characters that based on real-life people, interweaving politicians, criminal militia, Cuban exiles, gangs and even the CIA are central to the novel.

Publishers Weekly says; 'No book this fall is more impressive than A Brief History of Seven Killings while the New York Times described James as a 'prodigious talent' producing a novel that is epic in every sense of the word.

Marlon James sees himself as a postcolonial writer with a hybrid intellectual background. He says 'while I read Shakespeare and |Henry Fielding in school I also listened to Michael Jackson. He notes that an interviewer once asked 'as someone who escaped the ghetto...'

Quickly he pointed that he grew up in the suburbs, we had two cars and argued about T.J Hooker and Starsky and Hutch.'

Marlon James Author of A Brief History of Seven Killings

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Science News Scientists at David Kaplan's biomedical lab at Tufts University have made a breakthrough by developing silk screws to be used in surgery. They are using protein fibre that silkworms spin into cocoons to turn into screws and plates to hold bones together.

The silk screws were developed by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Tufts as an alternative to the traditional steel screws and alloy plates. One of the disadvantages with steel and alloy is that it places stress on the bone and surrounding tissues. Often they require additional surgery to be removed.

The advantages of using silk are that it degrades in the body, eliminating the need for follow up surgery to remove the screws. A spokes person for Kaplan University said 'it has the right mix of properties and advance engineering can create silk screws that last as little as a few hours or several years.

Silk screws were first tested on rats; however, human use is yet to be tested.

Kaplan said the first application with humans may entail facial reconstruction in children whose growing bones can benefit from silk screws that will disappear.

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EVALUATOR, CULTURAL CO-OPERATION SOCL3 HERITAGE TRAINING PROJECT

London arts and heritage charity Cultural Co-operation invites tenders for a below EU threshold contract to evaluate its Heritage Lottery-funded Strengthening our Common Life 3 (SOCL3) project, which is being led by CC and a Consortium of the UK’s leading museums, galleries, historic homes and cultural centres from 2014-17 The SOCL3 project aims to make Britain’s heritage resources more accessible and meaningful to its increasingly cosmopolitan population. It does this by offering accredited work-based training in heritage skills to young people from sections of the community currently under-represented in the heritage sector, specifically Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic young people, and by embedding community engagement and outreach in the trainee work programmes.

Over the next 3 years, Trainees on placement will achieve a QCF Diploma in Cultural Heritage Level 3 through a customised learning programme at their HP and associated institutions. They will gain a broad mix of skills and experiences through working on exhibitions, interpretation, collections, archives, cataloguing, learning and interpretation activities and communications and/or visitor services.

The project also aims to leave a positive mark on the way that cultural heritage organisations approach workforce ethnic diversity; and on how they achieve ethnically diverse audiences through their programming.

For more details and information on applying, email Selina Papa (selina.papa@culturalco-operation.org) Fee: Up to £15,000 Deadline: Monday 24thNovember 2014 Start date: Immediately

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