Guyana Chronicle pepper-pot E-paper 10-04-2020

Kim Spencer has a connection with animals

SUNDAY, October 4, 2020

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 4, 2020 UYANA AND WEST INDIES BATSMAN CHANDRAPAUL HEMRAJ IS DANGEROUS WITH THE CRICKET BAT. HE WAS OUTSTANDING IN THE CARIBBEAN PREMIER LEAGUE (CPL) AND HAS SOLIDIFIED HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S TOP CRICKETERS, BUT WHO IS CHANDARPAUL HEMRAJ AND WHAT MAKES HIM TICK? IN ANSWERING THESE 21 QUESTIONS, THE EXPLOSIVE 27-YEAR-OLD OPENER DELVES INTO HIS CAREER, HIS LIKES AND HIS DESIRES.

Hemraj’s celebrity crush is Shenseea

Chandrapaul Hemraj is an explosive opening batsman

1) How old were you when you started to play cricket?

I started early, maybe at 6 or 7 years old.

2) Who is your favourite cricketer of all time?

All-time favourite Brian Lara, current favourite Rohit Sharma.

3) Which bowler do you like batting against?

No one specific, but I enjoy batting against the spinners.

4) Which bowler do you fear?

Honestly, I’m not afraid of any bowler, but Jasprit Bumrah is the most difficult I have faced.

5) Best moment so far in cricket?

Making my debut for the West Indies, something I always dreamt of.

6) If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?

Stop being harsh on myself whenever I don’t preform.

7) If you were not a professional cricketer, what would you be?

I would have been an accountant.

Chandrapaul Hemraj and his wife Lakshmi

8) What’s your second favourite sport?

Table tennis

Hemraj’s favourite movie is Rango

9) If you had to rename yourself, what would you choose?

My friends and family call me ‘Rudy’, I actually like it more than my actual name.

10) At what age did you get married?

I got married at the age of 25 to Lakshmi Mohabir.

11) Roti or rice?

Roti but I swapped both for Quinoa lately.

12) Coke or Pepsi?

Rarely use any but if I do Coke.

13) What’s your favourite alcoholic beverage?

Lol, Red wine 14) Who is your celebrity crush?

Shenseea 15) Favourite musicians?

No one specific, but I enjoy reggae and dancehall 16) What’s your favorite movie?

Rango, one of the best animated movie I ever saw 17) Do you have any pets?

A dog ‘Skullpoint’, unfortunately he passed away a few months ago.

18) Where is your ideal vacation destination?

Bahamas and Mexico 19) One place in Guyana you want to visit?

Rupununi Safari 20) Favourite tv series?

Blacklist 21) If you could become a superhero, what powers would you want?

I would have become the Flash so I can time travel.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 4, 2020

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By Telesha Ramnarine

Primary and then Aishalton Secondary, after which she was hired as a ranger.

“I learned essential skills and became trained and equipped with a variety of environmental knowledge, such as handling birds, navigating GPS, and using camera footage to collect and analyse data of t h e nat-

IM Spencer has a deep connec-

tion to wildlife.

From the slogans on her t-shirts to the ornaments she chooses to wear; they all reflect passion and profound respect.

F o r her there is a bond with the animals, with nature and with the Rupununi, which brings her

ural environment.”

K i m m y, who is of the Wapichan indigenous tribe, also got to work with R u Kim ‘Kimmy’ Spencer

Kimmy goes bird watching several times a week before she starts her classes

immense serenity and contentment.

‘Kimmy,’ as she is fondly called, knew her path at an early age, but things fell into place when she joining the South Rupununi Conservation Society as a cadet ranger.

To travel the Rupununi and conduct surveys on animals and the environment was

her living a dream.

Having grown up in a ranch and farming environment, Kimmy was no stranger to wildlife and had vowed, to not only learn about flora and fauna, but to teach others about them.

Born and raised in Katoonarib and Dadanawa Ranch, both Region Nine villages, Kimmy attended Katoonarib

pununi Trails, a tour operator based at Dadanawa Ranch in the South Rupununi, which has been operating over the past 40 years and has been the choice of wildlife photographers, scientists, birdwatchers, fishermen and nature lovers.

“I learnt a lot from the senior rangers as we went out on field trips basically doing

surveys on the red siskins, and we also went to schools to take students out for bird watching and to teach them how to use the bird books and binoculars.”

Kimmy’s work with the schoolchildren inspired her to enter the teaching profession.

So after having started her training at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), she was appointed to teach at the Sand Creek Secondary School in 2016.

Things did not work out for her at CPCE because of illness and other personal reasons, so she opted to return home without graduating. “Working in the education sector didn't stop me from doing my ranger work in the fields during the weekends and on holidays.”

Currently, she is a Mathematics and Environmental Education teacher.

“Before going to work, I go bird watching with the

students as the sun rise; in the afternoons as well.”

Recently, Kimmy also got her license as a tourist guide.

“I have also been working with tourists and went on training as a bird tour guide. It was one of the best experiences I had, trav- eling to lodge and seeing some of Turn to the birds page XIV for the first time.”

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 4, 2020 The founders and hosts of the Guyanese Podcast series; “Balancing the Bars”.

(From left: Arian Richmond, Abeena Gomes and Jamicia McMcalman) (Shane Samuels photos)

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By Marissa Victoria Foster

Balancing The Bars” is ready to set the bar and open Guyana up to a different type of audio expression—podcasting.

Birthed through the creative interests of Jamicia McCalman, the concept was to get locals in the ‘know’. The television producer and founder of the “Heart to Art” foundation has always been a trendsetter and had aimed to create her own YouTube channel with the intention of spreading positivity while keeping her content fresh and local, but she could not pass on a challenge.

Podcasting has grown expeditiously in the developing world and its projections are staggering. By 2026, it is estimated to be a $41 billion industry.

Jamicia reached out to her good friends: Arian Richmond, who currently holds the title of being Miss Emerald Guyana and the owner of Dahlia L’Arista as well as, Abeena Gomes, the founder of the “Shine your light” initiative and the owner of ASG solutions—both of whom shares similar interests with her.

Together, they hold a passion for the arts, but they also have a love for advocacy. They wanted to use their creative mindsets and experiences to raise awareness and form meaningful conversations on topical issues.

Jamicia said that the trio: “wanted to do something that reaches everyone”. She said that the target audience was not specific, since they had a wealth of knowledge to share. “…We did some brainstorming and we figured out that we’re all invested in business, advocacy, arts, relationships and social issues. We combined those things and our voices have “bars”.

Hence, the name of the programme “Balancing the Bars”.

Moving forward, the creative team is determined to package their experiences and perspectives to their audience, with the hope of inspiring and motivating them regardless of their age, race a n d gender.

Turn to They also plan on featuring spepage V cial guests on the programme, in the hope of getting a cross-section of

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 4, 2020

Turn from page IV stories and perspectives.

The creative females noted that one of their biggest challenges to date has been to find persons willing to commit to the project.

Videographers, photographers and all other creative persons are invited on the journey.

The first episode was “The ugly truth of entrepreneurship, #TheStruggle”.

Their new episode is titled: “Know your relationships; friend, foe or acquaintance”.

Moving forward, the trio also have a collaboration with the Ministry of Social Protection for the International Day of the Girl.

Among the other topics to be discussed include: the Black Lives Matter movement, advocacy, relationships and art. “The main goal is to continue learning and growing. We are looking for new ways to create innovative con- tent.

One of the purpose is to engage our fellow Guyanese as well as, learn from their experiences. The project will definitely make a great impact in Guyana and the reviews thus far have been very good from our audience,” Abeena said.

Each member of the team has a unique set of skills and passion, for Arian it is her great love for children, nature and art.

She believes that art truly enables us to heal and she wants to see that happen t o

Arian Richmond

youngsters in Guyana.

“I’m looking for constructive criticism and feedback from people. I feel like my core beliefs really adds to the mix of this show.

You can probably die and no one will notice you when you are gone because you didn’t leave an impact on anyone. I just want to help others”.

“Balancing the Bars” is one of Guyana’s first podcast series and the team behind it encourages everyone to tune in and be a part of this enlightenment.

The first episode is available on Apple Podcast and Anchor FM or can be viewed via YouTube.

For further info, follow the trio via social media @balancingthebars.

Jamicia McCalman

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HERE are no shortages of suggestions and recommendations. Often packaged as solutions, many are designed to attenuate the deep-seated issues that hack away at our core. Yet as a young Guyanese, living through somewhat turbulent times, I am yearning to experience real commitment—we need to heal.

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 4, 2020

COULD DIALOGUE BE OUR SOLUTION? According to Adrienne B. Dessel (2010), intergroup dialogue is a process of facilitating group conversation to listen and share. It is not meant to be a space for one-way communication but rather, a safe space to express oneself and interrogate the learned biases, prejudices, and stereotypes we might have. Dessel also notes that it can be used as a vehicle to foster trusting relationships, visibilise commonality, and

ideally, to promote social justice.

I was first exposed to intergroup dialogue in August 2017, during an exchange programme in the United States. I spent a few weeks immersing myself in leadership training and cross-cultural learning. There, dialogue was a staple part of my experience.

Then, I was bunched together with young Caribbean idealists (‘Impatient Optimists’, we eventually dubbed ourselves).

Each of us were as impressionable as they come, but were also filled with our own opinions and ideas. We were placed into smaller groups- the dialogue groups- where we sat in a circle and took the time to get to know each other, become comfortable with each other, and eventually, share our thoughts and feelings about the issues in our daily lives and our home countries.

Initially, it felt as though it was a simple activity, but I soon realised that it was not only a safe space for me to share, but also to recognise and interrogate misconceptions, biases, and prejudices I held.

I have since felt empowered to speak, to listen to others, and to cultivate that willingness to question my beliefs.

Cognisant of the racial tensions planted under the surface and germinating when the conditions are just right, I think about the possibility of extrapolating this to communities across Guyana. I believe that well-facilitated dialogue groups can serve as safe spaces for us to navigate our ethnic insecurities, interrogate those learned prejudices and biases we have towards each other and eventually, help forge a more cohesive society.

“Although the various racial groups have shared a common space for over one century, they are by and large relative strangers...To get them more acquainted, there is need for more open and constructive dialogue,” Kampta Karran (1994) wrote in his paper on bridging the racial divide in Guyana.

Karran also emphasised that Guyana’s cultural diversity must be seen as an asset rather than the mechanism through which wedges have been driven into, in an attempt to divide us.

I have read research paper after research paper from scholars who proffer both grandiose and simple solutions to our problems.

The use of group dialogue has been the

simplest yet most profound one I have read so far (though I admit, my personal experiences may influence my bias).

Now, as much as I can use this space and these words to excoriate all the people (including politicians and leaders) whom I expect better from, too often I find myself questioning: what is the point? I had not realised how much I normalised the paucity of respectable politics in Guyana, until I was in another country, joining the criticisms for the same disheartening politics.

I have spent the past nine months away from my home, stuck in Trinidad. During that time, I watched Guyana celebrate 50 years as a Cooperative Republic, then descend into a political quagmire. I compared Guyana’s less-than-optimal handling of a global pandemic to that of my host country, which was effectively coping with COVID-19 (at least, it was, a few months ago). Now, I am back home and I see our frontline workers demand better treatment, while the families of the late: Joel Henry, Isaiah Henry, and Haresh Singh have still not received any justice.

The point, however, is to keep trying.

A few weeks ago, I asked a professor I admire if he is ever daunted by the task of researching solutions for Guyana, which may never be acted upon. He reminded me of Hindu scriptures where Krishna told Arjuna to fulfill his duties and not worry about rewards; he said he offers ideas of what is possible, but is not daunted by whether they materialise now or not. He tries how he knows to try.

Dialogue presents itself as one of those ways that can help us to try, too. National healing cannot be achieved through a televised concert, no matter how immaculate the production is. And it is not being achieved through the perpetuation of ethnopolitics, which, evidently, has been exacerbated over the past few months.

Meaningful dialogue will probably demand resources and commitment. But, what is the alternative? Who benefits from our paucity of cohesion? Who benefits from the incendiary relations we have?

If you would like to discuss this column or any of my previous writings, please feel free to contact me via email: vish14ragobeer@gmail.com

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 4, 2020

Focus on the Village

Residents of Kumaka Village

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By Michel Outridge

UMAKA Village is a scenic riverine c o m m u n i t y, which is nestled in thick bamboo and other vegetation, with welcoming, but cautious residents, living in rustic settings.

Located on the mainland of Region Three (Essequibo Islands- West Demerara), Kumaka is extremely large in size and includes several villages which stretches from Arawari to Kabawari boundaries.

The mainland of the overall settlement consists of the villages of Caria Caria, Kumaka, Schonoven, King William,

way to land.

The hectic ride is immediately forgotten once you enter Kumaka. The natural flora and fauna of the area are complemented by both sandy and muddy hills, which adds to its aura.

Kumaka Village has a population of about 50 families most of whom are related and descendants of the Dutch plantations owners.

The people are of mixed races—but overall most of them are fair-skinned in complexion.

As in many rural communities, the residents are loggers, farmers, fishermen, shop owners and miners while, they have a handful of health workers

Community Health Worker, Pretty Debideen, who provided her service to the team as a tour guide with Village Chairman, Everton Gibson as he welcomes us to Kumaka Village (Carl Croker photos)

Akaroo and Brandsburg.

Within these villages, there is a connecting trail, demarcated only by wooden bridges.

Additionally the area has five major creeks, which are pivotal to the everyday activities of the communities.

To get to Kumaka from Georgetown, one must first cross over the Demerara Harbour Bridge and head towards Parika, East Bank Essequibo, then go to Hubu Koker to board a speedboat, which then takes about 45 minutes, depending on the tide and horsepower of the vessel.

Upon reaching your destination, there is a small wooden landing, but when the tide is low, visitors have to exit in the shallow water and make their

and teachers.

Although this village is on the mainland, there is no electricity, internet service or potable water supply.

The people depend on rainfall and the water sourced from the Essequibo River for household purposes. Many also have small solar panels and generators for their electricity needs.

Both cellphone signals (GT&T and Digicel) are very poor in this village since there is no tower. To make a call, residents would sometimes have to position themselves at a certain angle at different points in the community.

The nearby village of Caria Caria is central. All the social events take place at it Community Centre ground, which is

perched on a steep hill.

There, also sits the multigrade nursery and primary schools with a wooden building, which houses the community centre.

Nearby is the health out-

to have been outfitted with a generator at Caria Caria, but it never materialised. That would have supplied water to the school, health outpost and the community centre building.

Gibson added that a lot could be done to ease the everyday burden on the community. He noted that transportation alone is rather expensive, but a necessary expense due to the landscape of the area.

“There is a need for a road linking the villages which is [currently] a trail; and the wooden bridges are damaged and needs to be repaired, a well station for potable water, electricity and an ICT hub for the schoolchildren because these things are basic necessities to enhance the lives of the people here,” he said.

T h e Village Chairman, Everton Gibson CDC Chairman added post. that logging was vibrant From Kumaka to Caria in the village, but now it is Caria it takes about an hour only the people with concesand a half by foot via the sions who benefit, since the trail and about 20 minutes by average man cannot afford speedboat. the heavy machinery.

“Life here isn’t easy or THE VILLAGE hard, it is how you make it CHAIRMAN and what you put in, you Meanwhile, the Pepperpot will obviously get out of it.

Magazine met Everton Gib- We have the land to farm, son, who is the Chairman of the river to fish and although the Community Development we have no land titles we Council (CDC). make do with this,” he said.

Gibson, who was born and Gibson added that the bred in Kumaka, said that the people need assistance from Dutch who had settled there the administration to boost and controlled the plantations, their farming capabilities named the community. Their and to clean the drains in descendants, which include the the community to alleviate Woolfords, the De Camps, the flooding which often damBelgraves, the Collinettes, the ages their crops.

Hohenkirks and the Gibsons “We have a village boat among others, still reside there. to take children to school, The village has a small but the engine is of no use church and plenty land which and we need that replaced to is utilised for farming. transport the elderly to seek Gibson stated that most of medical attention and to get the young men would have to their pensions at Parika.” leave the village in search of He disclosed that there work; and many would venture are no burning social isinto the interior to do mining. sues and the people, since He disclosed that there is they are related, get along a well which was supposed very well.

Residents of Kumaka Village

One of the houses in Kumaka Village

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 4, 2020

Focus on the Village

―Kumaka resident hoping to rebuild

By Michel Outridge KUMAKA Village has always been a peaceful and quiet place for Leslyn Couchman, but a fire last week spun her world out of control— now the 49-year-old is trying to rebuild, but she needs help to do so.

Couchman lost everything in the fire.

The mother of one stated that last Wednesday started as a normal day and she had completed most of her household chores. She then left two torchlights charging via a

small solar panel and went by the Essequibo River to wash some clothes, but then disaster struck.

Couchman said that villagers hurried to inform

her about the fire, but by the time she reached the house, it was already engulfed.

She watched in horror, helplessly, as her wooden

cottage-style home disappeared.

“I lost everything, including two boat engines, two solar panels and all

my household items, only the clothes on my back I was left with and I am staying with relatives, but I am not comfortable so I

Leslyn Couchman

want back my own place.

“I am glad for any form of assistance to rebuild, so I can once again live with my child,” she said.

HELP FOR PENSIONERS Meanwhile, the Pepperpot Magazine met an-

Victorine De Camp

The site where her house once stood

Wilbert Lobert

Shellisa Nelson (Carl Croker photos)

other resident, Victorine De Camp, a mother of six, who was there on behalf of her ailing and elderly parents, who reside a few villages away.

She disclosed that it is difficult for her sick parents to go by boat to Parika to uplift their monthly pensions.

“The money they get from the pension is used to pay a boat to take them and bring them….”

De Camp is of the view that persons like her elderly parents should be able to access their pension payment in the village or at least at a nearby place.

MORE TRANSPORTATION WOES Another resident, Winston Lobert, told the Pepperpot Magazine that he has been residing at Arawari Creek, Essequibo River for the past 12 years and has found life difficult.

H e s e e s transporTurn to tation as page XXXI a major

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 4, 2020

Focus on the Village

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―Elderly resident reminisce on community life was the school rotted away. It was a landmark and they had a big old silk cotton tree next to it,” he said.

After officially completing school, he enrolled in the army. He spent seven years as a soldier before he returned home; soon he married a young woman from Hogg Island.

Woolford settled in Kumaka village and Elder Ashton Woolford his family grew.

In all, Woolford

By Michel Outridge had five children, during which time he worked on the farm and supplemented it with SHTON Woolford would other activities. not trade his life in Ku“Back in the days the residents depended maka if he had to re-live heavily on the logging business to earn, but his younger years. At the these days accessing the trees have become age of 68, he is at peace difficult without the use of heavy equipment with his decision and and the locals cannot afford it.” is elated with the tran- quillity and comfort of the village— though CHANGING TIMES as many others, he also Woolford stated that over time, the trees feels dwindling rebegan disappearing and folks had to venture sources and lack further into the wilderness, but it was diffiof infrastruccult, so they started to depend on fishture are hining and farming to make a living. dranc“Life is simple here rees. gardless of the challenges of living this far out and being

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Ashton Woolford under a shady tree reading his daily newspaper (Carl Croker photos)

Now an elder in the community, with grown children and grandchildren, Woolford is one of its storytellers.

He recalled that as a boy he used to attend the Congregational School, which was on a hill at Caria Caria Village. He has fond memories of his time there, but things did change.

“The old Congregational Church which

remote we don’t have access to certain basic necessities but we try to survive despite it all,” he said.

Woolford added that with jobs being scarce, the youths have become idle and they are finding unsavoury hobbies to occupy their time, which has become quite worrisome.

“We had two young men gone complete-

ly out of their minds due to the abuse of illicit drugs and we don’t know where they are sourcing it, but it is brought here,” he said.

The elder reported that there is dire need for a recreational facility for the youths to be able to do something meaningful with their time such as skills training after which they can become self-employed.

At best, youngsters would get together and play sports, but idleness creeps in.

Without jobs, some people in the community venue out. At times, many young men would look for work in the hinterland, which means months away from home. There, Woolford

noted that some would get malaria and would have to return home for medical attention and to recuperate.

Woolford disclosed that via speedboat, it is about seven miles to Parika, East Bank Essequibo from Kumaka Village, Essequibo River and it would take several gallons of gas depending on the outboard engine.

He added that there is a timber operation at Buck Hall and it is a transhipment point for fuel and often the river becomes polluted and the fishermen suffer.

The villager said that certain basic needs would help the community to thrive.

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NGEL A S t e phen, l i k e most other residents, says that there is a need to access better healthcare in Kumaka Village since the health post at Caria Caria is not functioning as it should.

The mother of two told the Pepperpot Magazine that she was ill recently and could not get the needed help at the facility.

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 4, 2020

Like many others, she was then forced to go to Fort Island to get treatment.

“At times we get sick and basic pain medications we cannot get, so we have to travel out of here to seek medical attention and when there is an emergency we have to go to Goldfield place for help.”

Stephens said that the community needs its own health outpost with an active community health worker to serve the med-

ical needs of the people.

Medications, especially for the sickly and elderly should also be readily available.

“Imagine you sick and you have to get a boat to take you elsewhere…it is not fair for us to have to spend so much money to go out the village to get medical attention.”

Stephens is of the opinion that the current worker at the Caria Caria post needs to do more for the community.

Along with accusa-

tions of incompetence, the villager also feels that new blood in needed at the facility—since the current worker has been at the post for a very long time.

She disclosed too that the community needs a secondary school because students have to go to high schools located on the Essequibo Coast or at Parika and it is costly venture.

Meanwhile, Anita De Camp also interacted with the Pepperpot Magazine and reported that the village well, which is at Caria Caria should be operational for residents to get potable water.

She noted that during the dry season, which is current on, people in the community have difficulties sourcing water. A single standpipe would help to

Focus on the Village

Anita De Camp

alleviate the problem, the housewife noted.

De Camp is originally from Hogg Island, Essequibo River but relocated to the community 30 years ago.

The Pepp e r p o t M a g a zine also talked to another resident, A n d r e Daniels, who

Andre Daniels

Men of the village having a gaff (Carl Croker photos)

stated that a lot is needed to enhance the lives of the people living on the mainland.

He added that drains need to be dredged for better irrigation for farming and that bridges linking the villages should be repaired.

The father of two resides a few villages away at King William, where former President Donald Ramotar is from.

Daniels reported that he is a miner and a farmer since it is necessary to do more than one jobs to support his family.

“The people are in need of basic things and if they get it, it will improve their lives significantly and they can prosper,” he said.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 4, 2020

Focus

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By Michel Outridge

AVING amassed 24 years of teaching, Cecilia Craig is still passionate about her role as an educator in her community.

The 40-year-old is from Kumaka Village, Essequibo River and is attached to the multi-grade school at Caria Caria, a few villages away.

She is one of three teachers, who resides in the community. Unlike other teachers from different parts of Guyana, who are relying on the internet and electronics to facilitate learning during the pandemic, Craig is left doing her job the old fashion way.

“As is, we try to distribute worksheets to pupils and with the permission of the parents we do home visits and assist the children, but at the same time there is only so much we can do.”

The Grades Three and Four teacher noted that the children are trying at their end.

“We give the children textbooks and worksheets given through the Ministry of Education

to promote home-schooling from Mondays to Fridays and the children are receptive but yearn to return to school”.

Craig added that the community has a large number of school-age children.

“Sometimes I would feel bad about myself not being able to do more for the children with schools closed because I know of the challenges they face in learning and when we were not handing out worksheets and textbooks there was nothing to do.”

The village teacher related that being out of the classroom is not easy because they cannot get face-to-face interaction with the children to gauge their reactions.

She disclosed that she would walk around the community to do checks on the children to see how they are coping with the worksheets and textbooks.

“If we get an ICT hub it will be useful and beneficial for us because the children can access the internet and be more aware of what’s happening in the country and further afield.”

The veteran teacher noted that they are receiving support from the Ministry of Educa-

tion and are thankful that the children are being home-schooled.

Craig disclosed that despite challenges, they have had success stories as it relates to the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC).

As for the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) six pupils gained entry to secondary schools on the Essequibo Coast such as Abram Zuil and Aurora with the highest marks attained being 420.

The only time that Teacher Craig left the area in the last 24 years was to attending the Cyril Potter College of Teacher Cecelia Craig has been educating students in the Education communities for over two decades (Carl Croker photo) (CPCE).

on the Village

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 4, 2020

By Naomi Parris

S the curtain falls on this year’s Indigenous Heritage Month celebrations, the Pepperpot Magazine is featuring an up-and-coming videographer/photographer who uses his creative talents to share with Guyana and the rest of the world the unique beauty of the hinterland.

Chris Elliman, who hails from the Arekuna nation of Paruruimo (Paruruyma), like many Amerindian youths, spent most of his childhood

Chris Elliman

days helping his family on the farm or scurrying the forest for adventures.

“During my childhood days I have been engaged in subsistence farming with my parents in order to provide for the family where we usually plant cassava, beans, peanuts, eschallots etc. I still do that to this day because I love and accept the life that we Indigenous people live.”

In 2008, while working as a part-time photographer for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), at the Registration Office in Kamarang, Elliman discovered his love for the art form. Soon after, he started documenting the traditional way of life of his people through photographs.

“I began to see that photography was my interest…I was able to purchase a small camera of my own along with a photo printer and took a lot of family photos as well as photos of my residents.

Eventually I tried to compile photos in a video form which attracted some of my people.”

‘A BIG OPPORTUNITY’ The 32-year-old disclosed that he quickly became known in the Upper Mazaruni area for his talents as he would make various compilations of videos and place them on DVDs to sell, however it was not until 2017 that he saw the strides of his work coming to the forefront when he was

presented an opportunity to better his craft.

“In 2017, the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) of Guyana saw some of my work and asked if I was interested in doing a Youth Media programme voluntarily. I accepted same and I was joined by other youths from regions one, two, seven, eight and nine….”

The selected individuals took part in several workshops in Georgetown, which among other things taught them how to conduct interviews and video edit.

Elli- m a n was later Turn to able to attend a page XIII f o u r- d a y

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communication and leadership meeting in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador where he met and interacted with other indigenous youths from Colombia, Suriname, Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and the host nation.

“We were encouraged to create videos portraying our way of life and [told] that we should preserve our culture and protect the Amazon at large. This gave me thoughts about my homeland Guyana where we have a lot of nature that we should take good care of, we should preserve our culture as Indigenous Peoples and that’s when I decided to further my skills in creating videos of my village.”

Since this year’s Heritage celebrations were done virtually due to the impacts of the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic, Elliman was able to put his talent to good use. He made a number of videos showing the resilience of the Indigenous people during this time as well as videos of their traditional way of life.

‘SHOWCASING GUYANA’S PEOPLE’ “…I was encouraged by my community members to create short videos that would highlight the activities of the Arekuna

Nation. After posting some videos on my Facebook page, a lot of persons became interested in the videos and shared my work,” He added that, “Indigenous and non-indigenous persons were now becoming aware of my work and started sending a lot of friend request. Currently some persons are following me on social media and have asked me to upload more videos.”

Elliman’s former schoolmates helped him to upload a video of his village entitled ‘Paruima and its Arekuna People’.

He noted that many persons from all parts of the country have reached out to him, sharing how much they have learnt about the Indigenous people who live in hinterland regions through the videos and content he shares.

‘NOT WITHOUT ITS CHALLENGES’ Elliman, who mostly does volunteer work, noted that it can sometimes be tedious for him to make videos and edit them in a timely manner, since he also assist on his family’s farm.

Additionally he noted that with the limited access to finance and without a decent internet connection he is unable to produce more quality videos.

Chris Elliman

“Probably if finance is available I can manage to do a lot in creating videos,

but that is a huge problem for me in my village since I do not have a full-time or part-time job to support my family… also the internet system is not much accessible so posting videos to my organisation or on my page is very difficult.

If the village can be given a free internet system, then it would be easier to communicate via videos and photos with others around the world.”

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Turn from page III “I love the work I do because I have a passion for it. I enjoy interacting with students and people from different cultures and I also love nature. It's peaceful and calm, brings me joy and happiness.”

This is exactly what Kimmy had in mind as a young girl growing up. She never thought that she’d enjoy an office job, but always dreamt of being able to travel from village to village, as she is doing at the moment.

Kimmy also loves her home. Her village, Katoonarib, is located about 72 kilometres from Lethem, and there are just about 200 people living there.

“I love the Rupununi because of its natural beauty, the people, the environment and everything about it. It’s open, it’s friendly,

there’s nothing to be afraid of. Being in nature is one of the greatest feelings. I can go to the creek without any cost and I don’t need to worry about electricity or bills or anything.”

If ranger, tour guide, bird watcher and teacher was not enough, Kimmy is also is a competitive horse rider.

She competes at the annual Rupununi rodeo, in events such as bareback branco, saddle branco and once as a bull rider.

Despite her many adventurers, completing her studies at CPCE remains very close to her heart.

Her intention is to give back and create a whole new generation of pro-active nature lovers.

Working as a cadet ranger inspired Kimmy to become a teacher

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Dillon Craig is one of Guyana’s rising artists

The artist won third place at the Guyana Visual Art competition for this piece in 2018

―Dillon Craig’s journey to art

D

ILLON Craig was known for his scribbles in primary school. Most of his books were littered with artwork as his imagination and the fleeting activities of his young life dominated his waking moments.

Art to the pre-teen was an escape. As a young ‘adventurer’, living in the village of Caria Caria in Essequibo, he con-

stantly interaction with the flora and fauna near his home and when he could not live out his adventures— he drew about them.

That passion for nature would become the muse that inspired his future paintings.

Even with his obsession with pencil and paper, young Dillon also experimented with wood—he had the lineage, given that

The Eagle and the Jaguar are Craig’s favour animals to paint

his uncle Winslow Craig is a renowned sculptor.

“Most of my spare time was utilised creating something new.”

Despite his artistic abilities, excelling at the National Grade Six Assessment would place him out of his comfort zone.

“While growing as a child, I always liked the kind of environment in which I lived, because at that time it was all I knew about, I never really went anywhere outside of my community for long, I was so attached to the different activities of normal day-to-day living. It was so jovial and cordial; it was like here is where I belong.”

Attending the Vergenoegen Secondary School on the East Bank of Essequibo changed the youngster. He was somewhat intimidated by his new environment and the need to excel in school overpowered his urge to draw.

E v e n when he did doodle, it was not with the passion of his early childhood.

Following the completion of CSEC, Dillon grew in confidence and with the help of his family; he was able to return to his passion.

“After I completed secondary school, my love grew even stronger for art. That was when I came to realise I was chosen by art.”

Meeting his uncle and seeing his work was also an inspiration, so in 2016, a few years after completing high school, Dillon enrolled at the ER Burrowes School of Art. At the top art institution in the country, Dillon was at home, but he was unsure about which art form he wanted to pursue.

“Being a visual artist I participated in every aspect of art. My focus of studies were based on painting and leather art, both of which I enjoyed doing. It allowed the pillars of my artistic foundation to become even stronger.”

During this time, Dillon was able to win a logo competition and refine his penciling techniques.

Additionally, his confidence with paint grew since he

was taught at a high level by some renowned names.

“I was tutored by some of Guyana’s best artists, some of whom were recognised internationally. I later graduated as the best certificate student in my batch during the year of 2019, with a major in leather art and a minor in painting.”

Soon after graduating, Dillon was also chosen as the winner of Guyana’s 50th Golden Jubilee Anniversary Commemorative Golden Medallion designing competition.

After sometime in the city, the talented artist returned to the tranquility of Caria Caria—and he quickly became inspired.

“I have explored the theme of nature since it was one of my greatest inspiration. In

most of my painting, one can recognise the dominance of the elusive Harpy Eagle and the Golden Jaguar. Those are my favourite animals, and I love to incorporate them into my work.”

The 23-year-old had one of his many beautiful pieces on exhibit at the National Art Gallery for Heritage month.

In total, the talented artist has some 30 pieces, 20 of which are high quality paintings—that number is however expected to rise.

“I didn’t make it so far based on my own strength but because of God’s mercy that endures within. I’m forever grateful for such and I will always strive to make my family, my friends and my dear Guyana proud.”

Cock of the Rock

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BUILDING THE STREETS OF SOCIAL MEMORY STONE-BY-STONE

I

― The Cinemas of Guyana was fascinated by a lecture at Moray House presented by knowledgeable engineer Bert Carter

on the architecture of Georgetown. Despite the eagerness to hear more, I was unnerved at the same time because from what I’ve heard senior relatives

speak about and from what I have read, and observed relics of, ‘that Georgetown’ was not all of Georgetown in its social realities and construct.

I was sitting next to Professor James Rose whom I knew way before politics caused us so many arguments and disagreements, but the longevity of our relationship still did not allowed the politics to continuously get in the way.

I turned to James and whispered about my worrying observation of the absence in every lecture I’ve heard and colonial books that I’ve read about the architecture of the other ‘George-towns’. Except for one book, Michael Swan’s second Book on British Guiana titled ‘British Guiana The land of six peoples’ that had pictures of a ‘Big Yard and of James Street Albouystown’ and early pictures of Laing Avenue pre-Independence.

To this, he leaned over and said: “You have the skill to make the missing relevant”. I was doing stuff, but those stories of the other George-towns were in many ways painful, but they had to be told, and from a cultural perspective.

For readers however, it must be noted that New Amsterdam/Berbice, was the cultural seat of Guyana post 1900s. We had stalwarts like Vesta Lowe described as ‘the pioneer in the field of Folk song preservation,’ the national musician Valerie Rodway, the incredible writers E.R Brathwaite and Edgar Mittelholzer- passed, and the still present Stephanie Bowry an incredible original by all means. Additionally, there were also iconic musician and pianist Madam Joyce Ferdinand-Lalljie, the Dewar’s and Philip Moore among others. They all eventually travelled to the port-town of Georgetown or beyond these shores, and it is here, in Georgetown that the competitiveness for cultural expression began in earnest.

The negative social norms of British class culture was inescapable in British Guiana. The false

pretentions of class, terms like ‘middle class and upper class’ had taken on different meanings and categories of social segregation, even between families.

It was in the shadow of this functional foolishness that the cinemas became not only venues for foreign films but places of local grass-root cultural expressions.

I do not have the information on when the genesis of cinema hosting of cultural events began. Though, I can remember as a boy travelling with my Godparents whom I grew with on the East Coast, to hear Mahalia Jackson sing at Globe Cinema.

Later, when I became a semi-Independent teenager, it was in Globe Cinema (1971-2) again that I saw King Floyd, by then I wore a wrap front drain pipe, Clarks, button down shirt, and fat cap that signalled I was old enough to be a non-matinee patron.

But it was not only American shows like ‘Sam Cook’ who to my memory came at Liberty, but the local shows as well. There were more skits or short plays and comedy, rather than the theatre fraternity plays, which were held at the Theatre Guild back then.

‘True to right’ as the saying goes, I doubt that the grassroots posse would have made it to the Theatre Guild, these are the folks that entertained crowds at the League of Coloured People [LCP] fairs back then. The star of that era, Sam Chase (in the 1930s onward), is captured by a writer: “Unlike the politicians, trade unionists, sportsmen and educators of his time. Comedian Sam Chase has left footprints of his talented life, only in the minds of those who knew him.” By Yvonne Isaacs: for Folk & Culture Illustrated volume1-1995.

I was able to lay hands on the treasure chest of knowledge that of the late

Michael Corrica, better known as the Mighty Canary, to lead me into the parallel dimensions of past times, where revered names such as Corrica’s were reiterated. “Sam Chase was the uncrowned king of the stage when the golden age of vaudeville cast its supreme cloak over a society that was in the process of attaining political independence after centuries of rule by European powers.

You could sit with your children and grandmother at one of his shows without wondering if there will be some nasty, suggestive lines that would throw families in a vortex of embarrassment”. Jack Mello, Madam O’Lindy, Sam Dopey, and many others like the late Mighty Intruder aka ‘32’ added to the cast of talents, that found expression on the stages of the cinemas in the decades before ‘The National Culture Centre.

In reality cinema stages inspired many great and not so great talents, but like many other important things in Guyana, they were allowed to fade away without ceremony and respect given.

I recall ‘The Mighty Pengeh’ who lived in one of those cottages that Petrie owned, prime Charlotte and Wellington Street real estate, sold out by children sent away to live in ‘Foreign’ who only came back to sell their birth-right. I knew Pengeh; we worked at Rice Board where the story was told to me that Ram, Pestano and the boys urged him to sing his debut at the Strand Cinema. Well, he took the ‘crank’ and was reminded the hard way that if yuh ent ready, the G/T audience gon pelt yuh with bottles and ‘ganga eggs’, and Pengeh was over six feet with shoulders, he was a prime target, I’ve always wondered though, where they got all those ‘ganga eggs’ from?

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 4, 2020

A

PREVIOUSLY unpublished writer has described the “extraordinary” moment a publisher offered him a six-figure advance on a three-book deal.

Egmont Books snapped up Jack Meggitt-Phillips’ children’s novel The Beast and the Bethany before it could go to auction.

Film rights are being chased by a firm headed by a Harry Potter producer.

“I did have to check a few times that it wasn’t spam,” said Mr Meggitt-Phillips, originally from Cardiff.

“I felt very sorry for the neighbours at the time because I jumped up and down and squealed not unlike a pig.”

Liz Bankes, fiction editorial director of Egmont Books, said she could see the work becoming an “iconic series” and a “modern classic” in children’s literature.

“The sign when something really special has come in was on our team WhatsApp group, we were already sharing favourite lines or moments from it,” she said.

The novel, written for children aged eight-12, is about a 511-year-old man called Ebenezer Tweezer who has a

Jack Meggitt-Phillips has publishing deals in 22 countries outside the UK for his novel

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hungry creature in his attic.

Ebenezer feeds him different things and in return the beast vomits out an ever-lasting youth potion, keeping him alive.

But things become complicated when the Beast announces that it wants to eat something new - a child.

He thinks he’s found a simple solution when he comes across the rebellious, naughty prankster, Bethany, but it is not as straightforward as he thought.

And the book has now attracted international attention, with publishing deals in 22 countries outside the UK. “It’s been really intere s t i n g seeing how the d i ff e r e n t countries h a v e a different take on the Turn to book,” said page XX Mr Meggitt-Phil-

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 4, 2020 The book features illustrations of the main characters

lips, a 27-year-old former PR worker.

“In Iceland, the Beast is going to be changed into a woman because apparently the word sounds prettier if it’s given a female noun.”

Meanwhile Heyday Films, headed by producer David Heyman who has worked on the Harry Potter series, the Fantastic Beasts trilogy and the Paddington films, has sought the film rights.

“My agent got a call which I was absolutely convinced was a hoax even though she affirmed it wasn’t,” Mr Meg-

gitt-Phillips said.

“I couldn’t think of a better partnership to help bring The Beast and Bethany to the screen.”

However, the pandemic has meant the book release and publicity campaign has had to take a different turn this year.

“The sad thing for me is that it would have been great to do school visits and meet and talk with hopefully the readers of the book,” said Mr Meggitt-Phillips.

“It’s been such a surreal year.”

The author said he had

wanted to beTurn from come a writer page XVII since the age of 10, despite an unsuccessful entry in a creative writing competition at school.

“The judges disagreed and ever since then I’ve been trying to disprove them and have kept writing,” he said.

He continued to pursue writing throughout his A-levels at Llanishen High School, his English undergraduate degree at Warwick University and in his work at a PR agency in London. (BBC)

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By Naomi Parris

ITH the aim of changing the narrative of her village, Sophia, 26-year-old Petula Christian has been delivering a variety of delicious creole cuisines with an echelon twist.

The young woman, who is also a final year medical student at the Georgetown American University, noted that she discovered her culinary talents during the partial lockdown, which kept her home. With time on her hands, she decided to enhance what was already a chef’s touch.

“My business Sophia Girl Cuisines in ‘A’ field, this thing started by me being home due to the Covid-19 and since the first case of the virus I haven’t g o n e back to t h e hospital….”

T h e young woman noted that she spent most of her childCorilla with Salt fish, hood days watching her mother Dhall & Rice prepare dishes for her own local eatery.

“Since I was small my mother would always cook, I grow up with her in the cooking because she had a few canteens and so me being around there I always had a thing for cooking, so with me being home I started cooking and experimenting.”

Petula feels that Covid-19 made her recognise her cooking potential.

As it relates to the name of the business, she noted that she se-

lected ‘Sophia Girl’ to change the misconception that people who Pumpkin and Rice with Fried Shark and Steamed Vegetables hail from the area are delinquents.

The young woman noted that during her high school days whenever persons became aware of where she lived or came from she was taunted. “ I attended Richard Ishmael Secondary school and I always use to get trouble, ‘you’re from Sophia yall does thief light yall does thief that’ …a lot of negativity is attached to the name Sophia so for me I see it as a way of taking the whole negativity point of views and [turn] it into something

positive.”

The young woman added that being a healthcare worker, she is a big advocate for healthy eating and always uses fresh vegetables while making her meals.

“It’s creole food with a boujee twist to it …I use a lot of vegetables, I would use corolla and salt fish and have the stir-fry vegetables at the side, I might use fettuccini and put prawns at the top with broccoli and cauliflower to put a little colour and flavour to the plate,” she said.

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I

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 N 1968, an anti-Vietnam War protest at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago escalated into a violent clash with the National Guard. A different time, maybe, but this Netflix drama about the protest, and the six-month trial that followed, seems spookily similar to recent US news footage, as its writer-director, Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, The West Wing), admits. “The movie was relevant when we were making it [in early 2020],” Sorkin told Vanity Fair. “We didn’t need it to get more relevant, but it did. The polarisation, the militarisation of the police, the fear of black activists, even the intramural battle between the left and the far left.”

Sorkin is supplying his trademark bravura dialogue to Mark Rylance, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Eddie Redmayne, and Sacha Baron Cohen in a rare dramatic role as Abbie Hoffman.

Released on 1 October in Denmark and the Netherlands and on Netflix from 16 October POSSESSOR Brandon Cronenberg’s surreal techno-thriller might echo the work of his father, David Cronenberg, but it also sounds like a Christopher Nolan or Charlie Kaufman film, except with more stabbings and eyeball squishings. Andrea Riseborough stars as an assassin who can telepathically control other people’s bodies and get them to do the killing for her. Her latest job is to bump off an IT tycoon (Sean Bean) and his daughter (Tuppence Middleton) by possessing the daughter’s fiancée (Christopher Abbott). When Possessor premiered at the Sundance Festival in January, David Ehrlich of IndieWire called it “unnervingly good”, adding, “90 minutes of Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott engaging in ultra-gory psychic warfare over control of the latter’s body is more satisfying than what most of the current best picture nominees have to offer”.

Released on 2 October in the US and 9 October in Canada SUMMER OF 85 François Ozon, the prolific, genre-hopping French writer-director, gets back to his roots – and, perhaps, his own adolescence – with an adaptation of Aidan Chambers’ ground-breaking gay coming-of-age novel, Dance on My Grave. The young lovers are 16-year-old Alexis (Félix Lefebvre) and a swaggering 18-year-old, David (Benjamin Voisin), who saves him from drowning when his boat capsizes off the coast of Normandy. Critics have compared Ozon’s nostalgic recreation of a sun-kissed summer fling to Call Me by Your Name. But in this case, as Alexis’s voice-over warns us, David doesn’t have long to live, so the mystery of who killed him and why looms over their intoxicating time together. Boyd van Hoeij of The Hollywood Reporter praises “a story that’s frequently awkward and a little painful to watch but also sincere and truthful about adolescence in a way seldom seen in films about teenagers made by middle-aged directors”.

Released on 9 October in Spain and 23 October in the UK OVER THE MOON One of the first cartoons to be financed by Netflix, and one of the first cartoons to be co-produced by American and Chinese studios, Over the Moon is a musical inspired by the legend of moon goddess Chang’e. When a 12-year-old girl (Cathy Yang) hears the legend from her parents, she builds a rocket ship so that she (and her pet rabbit) can visit her.

The director, Glen Keane, has talked about the film’s painstakingly authentic depiction of Chinese family life, although he had an American fairy tale in mind, too. “So much of the story in Over the Moon is like Wizard of Oz,” he explained to Animation Magazine, “and believing that Dorothy goes up in the tornado and visits Oz. Our main character is going to the Moon to meet a moon goddess, and just like Dorothy, she has to go through this experience to be able to deal with the problems she is facing at home.”

On Netflix from 23 October

I AM GRETA Turn to It was just two years ago that Greta page XXIII Thunberg, then aged 15, went on her first ‘School Strike for the Climate’ by sitting

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Turn from page XXII outside the Swedish parliament. Nathan Grossman w a s there with his camera on day one, and his documentary follows Thunberg every step of the way to worldwide fame.

I Am Greta shows her at home with her parents, in public with supporters including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Emmanuel Macron, and crossing the Atlantic by boat to address the United Nations in New York. It’s a stirring film about the need for activism, writes Lee Marshall at Screen International, but also “an uplifting, inspirational story about a girl with Asperger’s who turns her difference from ‘normal kids’ into a strength”.

Released on 16 October in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and on 22 October in the Netherlands REBECCA The most famous adaptation of Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier’s Gothic romance, is the Oscar-winning Alfred Hitchcock classic starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. How can Ben Wheatley’s new version possibly compete? Well, one answer is to have Kristin Scott Thomas as the formidable Mrs Danvers, a stroke of casting genius which is enough to justify the film’s existence. Another answer, which Wheatley gave at the 2019 London Film Festival, is “going back to the book and trying to get closer to the actual story... You think you know it and you just don’t.” Lily James stars as the innocent young woman who is swept off her feet by a handsome English widower (Armie Hammer) in Monte Carlo. But when she marries him and moves into his Cornwall mansion, she is haunted by the reputation of the previous Mrs de Winter.

ON THE ROCKS On the Rocks might not be a sequel to Lost in Translation, exactly, but it’s as close as we’re ever likely to get.

Like 2003’s beloved comedy-drama, it’s written and directed

by Sofia Coppola, and she has again cast Bill Murray as a man dispensing marital advice to a younger woman. This time, though, the late-night heart-to-hearts take place in the swanky hotel bars of New York City rather than Tokyo.

Murray plays a wealthy playboy who suspects that the husband (Damon Wayans) of his daughter (Rashida Jones) is cheating on her. BBC Culture’s Caryn James gave it four stars, and according to Alonso Duralde in The Wrap, “Coppola may well have crafted the quintessential Bill Murray role. But... Jones is enough of a skilled actor and comic that she more than holds her own opposite the larger-than-life Murray.”

On limited theatrical release from 2 October and on Apple TV+ from 23 October HONEST THIEF Sometimes you want art, innovation and examinations of the human condition. At other times you want explosions, car chases, shoot-outs, and threats muttered down the phone in a gruff Irish brogue. In short, you want a post-Taken Liam Neeson action movie – and that’s what Honest Thief is. It follows the formula so precisely, in fact, that Mark Williams (co-creator of Ozark) might as well have used ‘Post-Taken Liam Neeson Action Movie’ as his film’s title. Neeson plays Tom, a retired bank robber who promises to return his ill-gotten gains in exchange for a reduced prison sentence so that he can settle down with the woman he loves (Kate Walsh). But the two FBI agents (Jai Courtney and Anthony Ramos) assigned to retrieve the money decide to steal it instead and frame Tom for murder. Unfortunately for them, he is a “former Marine, demolitions expert” – of course he is – with a very particular set of skills, hence the explosions, car chases, shoot-outs, and muttered threats. What’s not to like?

Released on 14 October in France, 15 October in Portugal and 16 October in the US ETERNAL BEAUTY Craig Roberts made his big-screen debut 10 years ago playing Sally Hawkins’s son in the stylised indie comedy-drama Submarine. Now, he is directing her in a stylised indie comedy-drama of his own. Hawkins (The Shape of Water) stars as Jane, a woman with schizophrenia, a toxic family, and a dreary hometown, but enough positivity to keep moving forward, especially when she comes off her medication and meets an aspiring musician (David Thewlis) with his own mental health issues. Leslie Felperin in The Hollywood Reporter calls Eternal Beauty “a highly unusual and welcome look at schizophrenia [which] borrows buckets of quirk from the likes of Wes Anderson (design sensibility), Michel Gondry (in-camera trickery) and Paul Thomas Anderson (general gestalt)”.

Released on 2 October in the UK, Ireland and the US. (BBC)

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I

Hello Everyone,

hope this week has treated you well.

I recently received a request to discuss adultery and its effects on mental well-being.

A woman had written about her husband’s infidelity and the anguish it brought her. I think it is an important topic to discuss, as it is so prominent throughout our society. I myself know very few relationships that are monogamous- which means to be married to or to be in a sexual relationship with just one partner.

We’re going to talk about being unfaithful in general as only married people can commit adultery, but you do not have to be married in order to be devastated by that betrayal.

For the religious, adultery is a sin; the word from its Latin heritage ‘adulterare’ means to corrupt. It is one of the major causes of breakups/divorce worldwide. However, its effects on both individuals are widespread.

Unfaithfulness/cheating causes many problems with both the cheater and the victim, ranging from psychological, physical to financial stress (long and short term). It also affects an entire family. Even though it’s so rampant and typically ignored, cheating is usually disapproved of in society. In fact, it is still against the law in certain countries such as Saudi Arabia, North Korea and Pakistan.

There is no doubt that the idea of adultery/cheating is attractive. Humans love reading about it, watching it on television and many simply love the excitement of pleasures we cannot easily have.

Nevertheless, there are after-effects.

For the person who has committed adultery/cheating, they may experience: - Intense guilt - Anxiety about being caught - Depression due to consequences if/when caught - Violence, as some peo-

ple can get physical if they find out they have been betrayed - End of a marriage/ relationship - Broken relationships with children and other family members - Financial stress - Medical consequences such as acquiring a sexually transmitted disease (STD) - Pregnancy (themselves or the outside person) Now, what does cheating do to the victim?

It causes extreme hurt, low self-esteem and selfdoubt. It ruins the trust for not only the current, but also for future relationships. This is called projecting, when the victims are more often than not afraid, insecure and untrusting in their new relationships. This can lead to high anxiety, depression and even suicide.

Cheating will also affect the children if the family is split apart. Typically, trust issues are also passed on to them, affecting both their future friendships and intimate relationships.

I know many people who have never been cheated on (to their knowledge), but are terrified of it because one of their parents were unfaithful. This prevents them from having a normal, healthy relationship, which includes trust, love and respect.

Why do people cheat?

Other than serious illnesses such as sex addiction, there are many contradictory reasons as to why people cheat. It is known that rich and powerful men/women cheat, as they believe everything has a price. However, people who are not rich or those who are instead with powerful partners cheat.

Why? Because they feel as though they do not have enough power in the relationship. Many people also blame cheating on drugs and alcohol. They have had too much, their inhibitions are lowered which causes normal thought processes to go haywire.

Whether you are male or female, rich or poor, black, white or brown, powerful or not, have a mental illness

or not; there are people who cheat and people who do not. It’s simply a personal choice. There will always be other problems to ‘blame’ the cheating on, but despite temptation, we as humans have the capability to choose whether we hurt someone deeply or not.

The main reason always cited to me is a lack of attention. The partner has felt ignored by their significant other which has lowered their self-esteem and selfworth. Therefore, they seek attention elsewhere.

There are many ways to give attention to your spouse. Some examples are constant communication of the problem—not talking, ignoring and holding a grudge solves nothing.

Other examples are being physically and mentally present and affectionate, compassionate, patient, empathetic and sexually active. Human beings long for these types of connections.

Basically, cheating is an external reaction to an internal problem. Participating in the above examples are internal solutions.

What happens after you have found out?

Well, there is a big decision to make. Do you stay and trust that it will not happen again or do you end the relationship? I did not realise until recently how many people are stuck in this type of situation, as they have nowhere else to go and no other way to financially support themselves or their children.

This is where the community groups that I have previously spoken about come into play. If you have been betrayed in this manner, you are definitely not alone.

There is strength in numbers and together we can start the healing process.

Please continue to write to caitlinvieira@gmail.com and let me know what you would like me to discuss.

Suicide Helpline numbers – 223-0001, 223-0009, 623-4444 or 600-7896 Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always!

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By Maureen Rampertab

HE sunset: a collusion of brilliant, rich colours, a backdrop to stately coconut palms and smooth flowing, black water creek in the conversancy backlands.

A stunning tropical scene!

Vahin sat in the anchored engine boat, in the middle of the expansive creek, camera in hand, captivated by the beautiful scene.

In the quietness of dusk with only the soft sounds of the wind and the emerging nocturnal animals, he felt as though he had found his own little world. The untouched natural exhibits of his surrounding astounded him, for he had lived almost all of his life in Europe, away from such raw beauty.

Since leaving as a young boy, his travels had taken him to several different countries, but never once back home.

All he knew of the tropical South American country were stories told by his grandfather. These included stories of colonial rule under the British when his grandfather was a young boy, of sugar plantations and of pineapple and citrus farms.

There was always a yearning in the old man’s voice whenever he spoke of his homeland and Vahin had always listened with interest.

“I will visit one day,” he had told him, not sure at the time that he would, but it had brought a comforting smile to his aging relative.

It came as a great surprise to Vahin when the old man passed and left him one of the family homes and some acres of land.

“What would I do with that?” he thought to himself, “My life, my future is in Europe.”

The pain of losing his grandfather was great and time did little to alleviate it. There

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was still an emptiness in his heart months after the funeral, which prompted Vahin to return home.

He had planned his visit to his birth home with doubt in his mind, wondering if it would be worthy of his time, could he relive his grandfather’s adventures or were things too different?

Now as he sat there in the boat, in the embrace of beautiful nature, he understood his grandfather’s deep love for this place.

He smiled and said, “Bless your dear old heart, Grandpa, you have gifted me something of heaven”.

Vahin was about to put down his camera as the shadows of dusk descended when he heard the distant barking of otters and saw them on the horizon coming his way.

“This is amazing!” he exclaimed, capturing them on camera.

Then something so unexpected happened, it stunned him!

In the otters’ midst, like an illusion, a girl emerged from below, long black hair cascading down her shoulders with water glistening on her smooth dark skin.

For one mesmerising moment, he saw something of pure beauty, but as quickly as she appeared, she disappeared.

“What the ---” he exclaimed, scrambling for words, almost dropping his camera in the process.

He attempted to follow the otters in the hope that the girl was close, but they had also disappeared.

S h e surfaced s l o w l y, h e r head barely above water, behind a huge fallen coconut palm as she watched him leave.

“Who is this handsome stranger? Why is he here?”

She was a simple farm girl and the black water creek with the aquatic animals was her playground.

In his room that night, Vahin could not sleep, the vision of the girl was imprinted on his mind, but he questioned himself, “was she real”?

His grandfather had told him, that in the wild there are untold riches and that if he had ever found a “flower of the wild” he needed to keep it in his life forever.

“What did he even mean by that?” Vahin wondered, “What flower in the wild?”

The family house Vahin inherited overlooked the creek with an inlet running behind, en route to the citrus and pineapple farms.

The forest stood on one side as a silent guardian and the caretaker’s house on the other.

It had been a guesthouse in colonial times.

His grandfather, an astute businessman, had bought the property when it went on the market.

Vahin looked at the house and pondered, “It’s an important part of history, maybe I can restore it as a vacation home.”

He stayed that night at the house to get the feel of a place he never lived in, one that he now owned.

The caretaker and his wife, an Indigenous couple, made sure he was comfortable.

The next morning, sitting on the veranda, sipping a cup of herbal tea, and watching the sunrise, he thought: “The peacefulness and

natural beauty of this place is priceless.”

Hours later, he was dragged away from his thoughts of balancing his life between Europe and Guyana, by the sound of a loud splash in the creek. He stood up in a flash and looked across the water but was disappointed to see young boys playing. He exhaled slowly; disappointed that it was not the mystery girl.

For the next few days, he travelled across the creek from the house to the mainland, as he began formulating restoration plans, but not once did he see the girl. He was beginning to think that maybe she had been an illusion, and just to be sure of that, he anchored his boat in the creek and waited for the sunset. The crimson glow seemed to glitter across the water and from a distance, he saw the otters coming but she was not with them.

He shook his head silently, deeply disappointed. He turned to start the engine, but his hand froze as he saw her sitting on a sand bank, looking at him. The world stopped for him at that moment as he looked at her.

Was she one of the riches of the wild his grandfather had spoken about?

He started the engine and turned the boat, wanting to talk to her, hoping she would not swim away and disappear again. As the boat drew closer, she stood up on the bank, poised to plunge in the water.

“Wait!” he called out to her, “I just want to talk to you.”

She stopped and turned and when he was close enough to talk to her, he said, “I am new here, don’t quite know anyone and I would really like for you to be my friend.”

She looked at him for a long moment, and then she smiled a little with a slight nod of her head.

He smiled, happy for this small start, for he had found something unique that he knew he would never want to let go.

His flower in the wild.

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and the

By Francis Quamina Farrier

T

HIS feature article is dedicated to veteran theatre icon, ‘Sir’ Ken Corsbie, AA, who celebrated his 90th birthday a few weeks ago.

Ken Corsbie is among the all-time theatre greats of Guyana and the Caribbean.

Although he migrated to the USA some years ago, he is still fairly well-known in this part of the world.

The International Day of Older Persons was observed last Thursday October 1. In this year, 2020, please join me in saluting Ken Corsbie, as well as elders such as Barrister-at-Law and former Minister of government Hon. Ashton Chase and Hon. Eusi Kwayana, also a former minister of government, who have been giving sterling service to Guyana for over 65 years, and continue to give, even as they approach their century.

For over 15 years, during the 1980s and 1990s, I produced the Radio Programme Series entitled, “The Eighty Plus Club” in which I featured elders 80 years and older.

We talked about life and living, as they knew and experienced in their younger years.

Their stories were always riveting. Here is an example. It is about a man who was separated from his mixed-race wife. “She was a ‘hot sweetie’ and was very much in demand.” That is how he described her.

Should she encounter her ex-husband, she would “wine she bodyline” he told me. That annoyed the man very much. So, like some men in that situation, he decided to “Out she light” (murder her) he said. She worked with the wife of the manager of the sugar estate as a cook, and left work at a specific time every night to go home. The man told me that he sharpened a number 22

cutlass for days until it was as sharp as a Wilkinson sword.

The gruesome act was to be swift and precise.

On the evening of the planned murder, he told me: “I took a few good shots of rum to strengthen my nerves”. It so happened that he fell asleep and woke up hours after the woman was to be murdered. Luckily, she had long left work and reached home safely.

After failing to commit murder, the man then decided the next best thing would be to commit suicide. He was depressed because, “That

Ken Corsbie and Francis Quamina Farrier in May of 2017

woman started to wear tighter skirts and would wine she tail whenever she saw me. Provocation, Mr. Farrier! So I decided to take my own life.” His plan he said, was to go to the train line and as the express train sped by, “put my neck on the line and let the train sever my hurting head and take me out of my misery.” On the appointed day he waited by the train line for the express train to speed by and do its guillotine job.

He waited and waited and waited. “You know what,

The Hon. Ashton Chase, former Minister of Government and veteran Barrister-at-Law, is in his 90s. (Photo by Francis Quamina Farrier)

Mr Farrier? That Express train never turned up. It had developed engine trouble!”

Among the more than 550 elders, who I had interviewed over the years, about 15 were East Indian immigrants. One who lived on the Essequibo Coast, told me of the way East Indian immigrants were treated by the European sugar estate managers. As a young boy, he was brought to British Guiana by his mother, who had left her husband back in India.

“Dem white man put me mooma wid wan man in de loggie room fo’ live with

​The Ken Corsbie production “My Name is Slave” at the Theatre Guild Playhouse, Georgetown. (Circa 1972) Note the various races. Farrier at top right

abee, an’ suh me gat fo’ call am “Bap” like me dadee back ah India.” He also spoke about the cordial relationship between the East Indian immigrants and the Barbadian immigrants on the Essequibo Coast. The two immigrant groups worked together in the cane fields without incident.

From time-to-time, I would get a letter from one of the elders whom I had interviewed. Here is a portion of a letter which I received from John Tjon-A-Yong; “I was thrilled, exhilarated in the full sense of the word. My gratitude to you is beyond words. How inscrutable the ways of the Lord! At age of 3, 4, 5, years, I had a grandmother who used to sing me a lullaby in Chinese. Today at age of 82 plus, I have found a person (and that person is YOU) to play me a Chinese song.”

Surprisingly, the programme was extremely popular with younger listeners.

Here is one example. One of my male Club Members who was a postman in his younger years, told the story of being engaged to his lady love for five years. During that period, he built a house bit-by-bit. It was to be their matrimonial home. “Man can’t catch bird and not have cage to put it in.” he told me. So after five years the house was completed and the wedding took place. The proud postman took his “bird” (wife) into the cage (home) he had built over the five-year period.

The day after the broad-

cast, I got a phone call from a teenage student. She had a question about the five years of engagement. My immediate thought was that she wanted to know what level of intimacy and pregnancy there might have been during those five long years of engagement by the couple. I was wrong. The young female student discussed economics. “I want to know how a postman could build a house in just five years if he did not get a loan or a mortgage?” was her question. She was trying to figure out the strength of the British Guiana dollar, in comparison to the strength of the Guyana dollar.

She was also interested in the discipline of young men of the colonial era with those of the present.

Actually, The Eighty Plus Club was not the only programme on Guyana Radio to highlight the elderly in our beautiful country.

Previously, there was “Salute to Senior Citizens” which was hosted first by Pat Cameron and later

by Margaret Lawrence.

At present, that queen of radio in Guyana, Margaret Lawrence, is teaming up with Desiree Edghill with the production of “The Big People Show” on which I was once a guest. To my dear friend Ken Corsbie, AA, who loves to say that he has the blood of all the races in Guyana running through his veins, I say, keep going strong in these your Golden Years.

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EPTEMBER 21st was celebrated as World’s Peace Day and even though it went under the radar of many, I believe its significance is of utmost importance, more so, due to the current state of the world.

Peace Day should not just be acknowledged for a 24-hour period, it should be every day and as cliché as that may sound, peace is needed more than ever now.

In the midst of the chaos around us—a global pandemic— peace is at a distance. When death seems more familiar than ever, social interactions with our loved ones can be a threat to our health.

Adding to the dilemma, our everyday routines have dramatically changed. How can we still have peace? Is it still attainable?

Truth is, if we aren’t at peace with ourselves then we can never have it elsewhere. We won’t be able to have it in the midst of a pandemic, after the virus is gone or in another lifetime. It starts with you. On that note, Covid-19 is just but one virus we’re faced with.

Let’s not forget the racial divide that’s been happening since the month of March. Our country has been torn apart during the election period, the racial tensions and a killer virus, so excuse me as I defend the citizens of my country for not being at peace with themselves—myself included.

Peace may start with oneself, but it surely should not end by the hands of another, the way it was during these past months.

The inability to find peace is very common in these times.

It is saddening, but true. People are anxious, frustrated, confused and even angry like never before. We cannot ignore all that is happening around us, but the first step to finding inner peace is to change our mindset.

It’s good to be a realist, but sometimes it’s also good to look at what can be, instead of what is. If we change our perspectives and try to think positively, once in a while, we just might be able to find a bit of comfort.

I believe our policy makers and overall governing bodies also have an integral role to play in promoting peace. At the end of the day, our citizens should be able to live in an environment that is safe and stable—one which gives off a good vibe towards their mental and physical wellbeing. This can only be done if the gatekeepers at the top maintain order, which will ultimately bring forth the peace we all so desperately need.

Maintaining peace during a pandemic is dependent on us and how we relate to our immediate environment. These two things need to be stable and at equilibrium. Take that break from social media, stay away from those toxic friends and families, start that hobby you’ve always contemplated—do what you must to find your balance; to find your peace.

It’s a word that seems familiar, but yet it seems as if we’re far from truly achieving it. With that in mind, believe me when I say that achieving peace while simultaneously living through the apocalyptic 2020 is highly possible. Yes, it is, but only if you are determined to find it and when you do, do not forget to share it with the rest of the world.

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SOME USES OF PEPPERMINT OIL

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OME months ago, this column carried an article on mint. The article treated mint as a folk medicine, but did make some reference to peppermint oil.

In this offering, we will be dealing with approximately 20 uses of peppermint oil and although the uses identified are different, the treatment tends to be similar. We would however not try to consolidate, but would deal with every use and its treatment individually.

Peppermint is derived from a species of herb, mint, which has over 20 varieties, but the two varieties most known are peppermint and spearmint. The main component of these mint species is menthol.

Peppermint oil, which has more menthol than spearmint, is extracted from the peppermint plant.

Peppermint oil was used for thousands of years and was known among the Greeks, Romans, Chinese and Indians. Indeed, it is still an important item in modern Chinese pharmacopeia. Two Chinese produced peppermint-based products, Shiling Oil and Tiger Balm, are well known and widely used in Guyana.

Although peppermint oil was known and used in the 19th century by Western countries (even in producing other medicines), it was only in the last few generations that intensive research on it had been done. Such research found that peppermint oil could bring relief to several kinds of ailments including digestive problems, bacterial infection, inflammation, fatigue, muscular soreness, congestion, allergies, headaches and halitosis.

Below we list a number of ailments and their peppermint o i l treatment. (These were taken from a reputable publication on alternative medicine.)

BOOSTING OF ENERGY: To improve mental and physical energy and clarity level, inhale peppermint oil throughout the day. This may be done via the use of an inhaler or merely by sprinkling a few drops on a kerchief.

GETTING RID OF DANDRUFF: Peppermint oil possesses anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties, which allows it to combat dandruff effectively.

Relieves muscular pain: The menthol in peppermint oil has significant antispasmodic and anti-painkilling effects and a few drops mixed in coconut oil and massaged or rubbed on the affected muscle would bring relief.

SORE JOINTS: Sore joints and sore muscles are treated the same way.

Simply mix a few drops of peppermint oil in coconut oil and rub the affected joints.

Reducing allergies: Smelling the peppermint oil directly or inhaling the vapour from a few drops mixed in very hot water could reduce allergy symptoms such as drainage and coughing.

RELIEVING RASHES AND ITCHING: A few drops of peppermint oil in olive oil or coconut oil rubbed on the affected area would bring quick relief.

INSECT REPELLANT: Turn to A few drops of peppermint oil in olive page XXXI or coconut oil rubbed on the exposed parts would repel mosquitos and other bugs.

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issue. It is $3000 oneway to go to and from Kumaka by boat and most people cannot afford it.

Lobert is a cattle and cash-crop farmer, who is rearing some chickens, goats and cows.

“Being a farmer is a hard task because you have to contend with so many hardships in this riverine village where we lack a lot,” he said.

Lobert reported that it is closer to shop at Supenaam, but at times, they have to go to Parika, as well.

The 40-year-old added that he also cultivates ground provisions, so he has more ways of earning, some people are not as lucky.

SCHOOL REPAIRS AND PROPER HEALTH CARE Shellisa Nelson, a mother of two, reported that her son attends the nursery school at Caria Caria, but prior to the closure of school, he had developed a rash from the bat’s droppings.

The 26-year-old added that with school out due to the pandemic, her son is healing.

“Access to proper health care here is non-existent and we have to go far to get medical attention,” she said.

Nelson disclosed that they would have to go to Fort Island or to Parika to get medical attention, which is a strain on their pockets.

SOME USES OF ...

Turn from page XXX

CALMING ACNE: A few drops of peppermint oil in olive oil rubbed on the affected area would allow the anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties of the oil to act.

RELIEVES HEADACHES: A few drops of oil rubbed on the temples, neck and shoulders would relieve headaches.

Relieving Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and bloating: The relief of bowel pain, distension and gas can be achieved by mixing a few drops of peppermint oil in any carrier oil before applying externally to the abdomen; ingesting a few drops in water or in capsule form can also help.

REDUCING NAUSEA: Take peppermint oil capsule or a few drops at the outset of the symptoms of nausea and vomiting.

FRESHENS BREATH: Many toothpaste brands and various types of mouthwash use peppermint. Place a few drops in water and gargle.

KILLING TOENAIL FUNGUS: Four to five drops on the discoloured nail daily will allow its antimicrobial properties to act.

RELIEVES STRESS: Peppermint oil is very popular in Aromatherapy and persons can feel relaxed and refreshed by inhaling throughout the day.

SOOTHES SORE THROAT: Gargling a few drops of peppermint oil in water help.

CLEARING STUFFY NOSE: Inhaling peppermint oil would clear mucus congestion from the nose.

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INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

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NTERNATIONAL Day for Disaster Risk Reduction began in 1989, after a call by the United Nations General Assembly for a day to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction.

Held every October 13, the day celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of decreasing the risks that they face.

In order to accomplish such, systematic efforts to analyse and reduce the causal factors of disasters are needed.

REASONS FOR DISASTERS Natural hazards are naturally-occurring physical phenomena caused by either the rapid or slow onset of events having atmospheric, geologic and hydrologic origins on solar, global, regional, national or local scales.

Disasters often follow natural hazards and they are a result of the combination of hazards, the conditions of vulnerability and of the insufficient capacity or measures to reduce the potentially negative consequences of the hazard.

RAISING OUR GAME ‘Disaster risk governance’ is the theme this year—a year that has been consumed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Secretary-General of the Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mami Mizutori feels that serious decisions need to be made and time is of the essence.

“It’s time to raise our game if we want to leave a more resilient planet to future generations.”

The Secretary-General added: “We Turn to have learned from the worst single disaster of the 21st century so far, that if we do not page XXXIII strengthen disaster risk governance to take

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Turn from page XXXII on the challenge of existential threats, we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the last eight months which have cost so many lives and damaged the health and economic and social well-being of millions.

“This year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is all about governance. You can measure good disaster risk governance in lives saved, reduced numbers of disaster-affected people and reduced economic losses.

Covid-19 and the climate emergency are telling us that we need clear vision, plans and competent, empowered institutions acting on scientific evidence for the public good.

“This requires having national and local strategies for disaster risk reduction in place by the end of the year as agreed by UN member States when they adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015.

We need to see strategies, which address not just single hazards like floods and storms but those that respond to systemic risk generated by zoonotic diseases, climate shocks and environmental breakdown.

“Good national and local strategies for disaster risk reduction must be multi-sectoral linking policies in areas such as land use, building codes, public health, education, agriculture, environmental protection, energy, water resources, poverty reduction and climate change adaptation.”

CONSIDERATIONS FOR GUYANA Mizutori delivered remarks in which she proposed “5 points to consider for investing in new or replacing existing infrastructure, as a core element of recovery from Covid-19, and beyond”.

This is an extract from her statement: 1. Member states are encouraged to incorporate infrastructure resilience in their national and local disaster risk reduction strategies. At present, there are 93 national strategies in place and the Sendai Framework sets a deadline of the end of this year, for a substantive number of countries to have these strategies in place. These strategies are the foundation for good risk governance, hence infrastructure resilience has to be an integral part of the strategies both at the national and local levels.

2. Infrastructure regulations must be strengthened. This is about developing risk informed laws, regulations and public policies which prevent the creation of new risks and reduce existing risks. Regulators need to include natural and man-made hazards as a key criterion, and have a clear definition of resilience. Regulations should include rules for risk assessments and stress tests to be conducted periodically to ensure that assets and services meet established standards for resilience.

3. The exposure of infrastructure investments to risk should be measured and monitored with disclosure of disaster risks made mandatory. This requires investors, operators and decision makers to ensure that disaster and climate risks are considered in the location, design, construction and operation of infrastructure investments. We need to support collection of risk data to inform these decisions and ensure that public safety is a core consideration.

4. Actively engage and create incentives for private sector to participate in the quest for building sustainable and resilient infrastructure. This is because the vast majority of investment for building infrastructure will be done by the private sector. Without their engagement we cannot meet demands and fill the financing gap. So public/private partnerships need to be encouraged and to be based on sound financing models which price risk appropriately.

5. Last but not least, we need to enhance knowledge and build capacity. Infrastructure development involves multiple stakeholders, and this is why awareness-raising, advocacy and training programmes targeting each category of stakeholder across a range of national and local contexts is necessary.

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THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Every great and origin in proportion as he isal writer, and original, must himgreat create the taste by whself he is to be relished.ich WILLIAM WORDS OR TH (1770-1850) LetterW to Lady Beaumont, 21 May, 18 07

October 4, 2020 STUDY SUCCESS Dear Student,

W

E LCOME, dear friend.

Please note that writers use

graphic organisers across all subject areas to help you, readers, grasp meaning. Though completely ignored at times, diagrams, illustrations, and such signposts are meant for good comprehension. You, too, can create your own organisers. Understand what things you are looking for; draw up a table headed with them; and as you read, fill the columns with your findings. Be wise, strong reading comprehension skills increase the pleasure and effectiveness of reading.

Love you.

THE PASSAGE Comprehending the passage 1. Read the two passages that follow for their specific and common features.

Here is where you can start learning to construct your own graphic organiser(s); just follow your reading instruction, or what you have in mind to find in the material you are reading.

Generally, a graphic organiser used for knowledge and understanding (comprehension), can be a table, chart, picture, diagram, Venn diagram using intersecting circles, map, and more for the specific purpose.

A. “Mother!” I said again.

But this time I spoke it very low, like a lament, sadly, as if it were a lament for myself.

“Yes, here I am,” said my mother. “I’ve come to see you.”

“Yes, you’ve come to see me.”

And suddenly, I passed from sadness to joy. What was I worrying about? What was I worrying about? My mother was there. She was here in front of me. I only had to go a couple of steps and I would be at her side; I would certainly have done so if there had not been that absurd order forbidding me to go beyond the gate.

“I am glad to see you,” went on my mother.

She smiled. At once I understood why she was smiling. ….

(Camara Laye’s “African Child”) B. There was no storm that day, nor the next. It merely rained, heavy black rain that

hid the valley and broke the flower-heads with the weight of its falling. Ralph Stephens was confined to the house and so as not to annoy him Christopher, almost entirely to his bedroom. By turns he painted and read and talked to Gip; but it was all rather boring. He wished school would begin again….

Not that that would help, of course, because, he wouldn’t anyhow be able to go to school. Even if the buggy did not leak, it would be impossible to keep the rain from blowing in. And then he caught a chill and developed tonsillitis. The wetting and the tonsillitis were unpleasant, but the horse’s behaviour on the slippery roads was what he feared most of all.

Normally, the most tractable of mares, Popsy had a habit on rainy days of putting her four feet together and sliding down Carrington Hill.

Sometimes the maneuver was successful; sometimes the harness broke and Popsy fell on her haunches. Once she had smashed the buggy against the hill face….

What to Do (continued) 2. Read each piece and get a good understanding of what each is saying and how the points are expressed. Express them in your notebook.

3. Note the many details each passage contains. Look also for clarity of expression, and how topics are linked.

4. Note that in Passage A, each speaker is given a new line and therefore a new paragraph. The utterances are not long and empty. Each utterance contains information that leads to the building up of some aspect of the story.

5. Note that in Passage B, the writer uses reasonings and explanations to build up his story.

6. Note how each writer varies the structure of sentences, making the writing more interesting to the understanding mind. You can even go as far as identifying the sentence types used. Observe it is said in the Study Success section that: strong reading comprehension skills increase the pleasure and effectiveness of reading. That is so good.

Improving Writing Ability 1. Have a good look at whatever aspect(s) you need to improve upon in your short story writing skills. You may

think that the punctuation of dialogue is of interest to you; or you may think that using dialogue to build up character, setting, and conflict is your interest. Any way it goes set your goal and work toward reaching it.

2. Suppose the style of the first passage is what you choose for a story; or suppose the second style is your choice, write a short story with the chosen style. The styles can be mixed also. Try your hand at them all.

NOTE: You were to read the two passages for their specific and common features according to the first instruction given. Then you were encouraged to use your own graphic organiser; do both and be comfortable in your comprehension experience.

Improving Written Expression Using different kinds of sentences makes writing more interesting. Here is an exercise that is surely going to help you vary your construction of sentences.

Rewrite each of the following groups of sentences using a participial phrase and /or a subordinate clause of time or cause. The first one is done for you.

1. He was an invalid. He could not walk more than a few steps on his own. Shirley called to enquire after his health. (a) Because he was an invalid, he could not walk more than a few steps on his own toward me when I called to enquire after his health. (b) Being an invalid, he could not walk more than a few steps on his own toward me when I called to enquire after his health.

2. He met her. He was a vulnerable young man with very little sense. He imagined at that time he was in love with that beauty queen contestant.

3. The puppy seized the plastic bag. The bag was not offered to him. He took pleasure in destroying it in play.

4. She wrote a letter to her friend. She explained why she could no longer go beyond the edge of the village. She was being monitored by her new parents.

5. He did something that turned out to be wrong. He found it difficult to apologise to his neighbour. She had always been good to him.

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, October 4, 2020

Condensed

INGREDIENTS ► 1tsp

butter ► 1 tin condensed milk ► 1 cup full cream milk powder • ► 2 tbsp warm milk mixed with your preferred spices ► Nuts (optional) INSTRUCTIONS ■ Heat butter in pan.

■ Add condensed milk and

spiced milk.

■ Mix well on low heat until mixture thickens and is without lumps.

■ Turn off heat and pour mixture on a flat surface or plate to cool.

■ Grease hands and prepare balls.

■ Add nuts (option)

Cuisine: Indian Prep time- 5mins, Cooking time- 10mins

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