Guyana Chronicle PepperPot E-paper 12-09-2018

Sunday, December 9, 2018

Full Circle

Captain Wayne Gumbs is the first Guyanese pilot to fly the newly sanctioned American Airlines Miami to Georgetown flight (Delano Williams photo)

Guyanese pilot's journey around the world and back home again

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018

Cake for Christmas!

Young entrepreneur maximising on the season with baked treats

By Indrawattie Natram THERE is a popular Christmas song with the lyric “I’ll have a blue Christmas without you.” Certainly, lots of persons would feel the same way if they were deprived of Guyanese treats such as black cake and ginger beer during the festive season of Christmas.

Many persons, especially the older folks, would attest that there is no Christmas without a piece of delicious black cake or a drink of strong ginger beer as a special treat during the holidays. The making of black cake fosters that spirit of giving,

especially when you treat your guest to a slice or send some over for your neighbours and relatives.

Popularly known as ‘black cake’ in Guyana and ‘rum soaked fruitcake’ in the Caribbean, the dish is a type of dessert that is served during Christmas time. It is prepared with dried fruits soaked in rum for months and then added to a dough prepared with sugar which has been caramelised by boiling water.

This may sound like an easy process, however, not everyone can bake a perfect black cake since it requires a special art.

The famous delicious ‘melt in your mouth’ black cake whipped up by 25-year-old Nikita James of Cotton Field in Region Two, is a classic by itself.

James, who is a teacher in the day and a baker in the nights, capitalises on the Christmas season to promote her business.

James is the owner of Lioness’s Creations Cakes and Treats, and it is her intention to

Twenty-five -yearold Nikita James

Some of the cakes that were baked

by James

own a full-fledged bakery one day. Although she will never give up teaching as a profession, she said her bakery will provide employment for youths who have a passion for baking.

For the Christmas season, James has already begun working late at home whipping up her cakes for the season. According to her, orders are overflowing and she explained that she never gets tired baking cakes since it’s a hobby of hers.

James has both local and overseas customers who order her black cakes. “For me, my holidays are taken up with baking tons of black cake, fruit cakes and Christmas themed cupcakes. I find fun doing it and I love satisfying my customers,” James said.

She stated that a good black cake requires a long process of rum soaking. She said that once the fruit is soaked well then, the texture will eventually become perfect. “Most of my customers say that my black cakes are delicious and it melts in their mouth. I have mastered the art of black cake baking from constant practising. Even my mom Portia Jacobs is amazed at my cakes,” James said.

James was inspired by the show “Cake Wars” and after practising she has improved. She began baking cake on a commercial basis in 2016 and as time goes by her creations became popular. She now caters for weddings, graduations, birthdays and baby showers. She enjoys baking multiple fruit cakes and commented that it is an art to get the cake moist and spongy.

Her knowledge is widened by research online, including YouTube videos. During the holidays James would host several cake sales and she said she is amazed by the sales she received and the positive feedback. She recently held a cake sale on November 30. “Last year, the Christmas sales were commendable and I received raving comments. This year it will be better since I have promotional prices on my cakes. I am also dabbling with Christmas themed cupcakes and I have special offers.”

James can be contacted on Facebook at Lioness Creations Cakes and Treat or on Whatsapp at 6988823.

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018

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Guyanese pilot’s journey around C i r c l e the world and back home again

for even American Airlines or Delta or any other company,” he said. Being in the Middle East for nine years, Gumbs met his wife Maryam in Dubai, a nurse now working in the US and an Iranian by birth.

The two met while she worked as a flight purser at Emirates Airlines on a flight from Dubai to Johannesburg and have been married now for 10 years.

While in Dubai he also completed his Master’s Degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide in Aeronautical Science with minors in Aviation Safety and Aeronautics, graduating in 2013 with distinction.

In 2013, Gumbs decided to return to American Airlines as it was rehiring pilots and there he was senior enough to co-pilot a Boeing 777 until upgrading to an Airbus 319/320/321 Captain in October 2018.

By Lisa Hamilton

ON December 2, 52-year-old American Airlines (AA) pilot Captain Wayne Gumbs became the first Guyanese to fly the newly sanctioned Miami to Georgetown AA flight to the land he calls home.

What started off on the West Bank of the Demerara River as a young boy’s fascination with planes, led to his journey around the world with his hands on the wheel and with fate’s eyes steering him back to where it all began.

Before flying for the world-renowned airline which has an average of nearly 6,700 flights daily and some 350 destinations, Gumbs spent half of his early childhood growing up in the village of Uitvlugt.

During this time, his father, the late Professor Frank Gumbs was a Field Superintendent at the Uitvlugt Estate while his mother, Barbara Fowler was a library assistant at the Carnegie Free Library.

After his father left Guyana for Canada in 1967 to acquire his PhD in Soil Physics, he later accepted a job at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Trinidad and Tobago and at four years old, the young boy with a fascination for planes finally went up in the air for the first time.

“Every young boy has a dream like ‘I want to be a policeman, I want to be a fireman’. To me, just flight is fascinating in itself. I would ask my dad to just go to the airport and just watch planes take off,” Gumbs recalled.

“When I was leaving Guyana to meet my parents, I vividly remember just getting on the airplane and just the sensation, the sounds, the feeling when the airplane accelerates down the runway, I just knew it. It’s just something you know but it’s hard to explain.”

Gumbs would later spend most of his high school years on the twin island and, during his college years, he attended the California State University in Fresno where he acquired his Bachelors in Business Administration.

“To my dad, degrees were his thing but I told him when I graduated that I still wanted to be a pilot and he said ‘okay, well you showed me that you have the skills to at least go and get a first degree. We’ll pay for your pilot training,”Gumbs explained.

STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM After college, he worked at a company which fueled airplanes and at a hotel as a night auditor where a few of the employees there worked as ramp agents at American Airlines.

Soon, so would Gumbs, loading the luggage of hundreds of thousands of passengers heading off to all parts of the world.

He told the magazine: “I started with American Airlines from the bottom, on the ground, loading bags at the airport; cleaning the airplanes at night; fueling the airplanes and that sort of stuff just to get around the airplanes. And then I started taking flying lessons at the airport in California, got all my ratings: my private, my instrument; my commercial.”

Moving up wasn’t easy. While working at American Airlines, Gumbs noticed that the new Guyana Airways was hiring pilots and so he took a leave of absence and travelled all the way to England to complete the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) pilot licensing, the one accepted in the Caribbean.

However, by the time he returned he was out of luck --- the company was no longer hiring.

“So, I came to Guyana and I sat at Ogle waiting for someone to pick me up whether it was ASL Airlines or Kayman Sankar Aviation at the time or Trans Guyana. No one took a bite of me, so I went back to Trinidad and decided that I was going to study the Skyvan technical exam and the Twin Otter technical exam and then, hopefully, Guyana Airways will take a look at me.”

A TURN OF LUCK As fate and hard work would have it, in November 1993 Gumbs received the call he hoped for and began flying as a co-pilot to the interior regions of Guyana at age 27.

“Everyone thinks Guyana is just Georgetown but there’s so much more to this country than just the city,” he said.

Captain Wayne Gumbs in Miami, Florida shortly before flying the American Airline flight to Guyana

“Originally I thought ‘I want to be a jet pilot, I want to fly a big airplane’ but the best flying I ever did – stick and rudder, just relying on the skills on handling the aircraft – was flying in the interior.”

Some of the colleagues he remembers from his time in Guyana’s aviation sector include Captain Lloyd Marshall; Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Director General Lt. Col. (Ret’d) Egbert Field; Captain Guy Spence; Captains Patrick Nichols; Captain Alvin Clarke; Captain Mike Rogers; Captain Gerald (Gerry) Gouveia and others.

He continued at this for three years until the opportunity arose for him to apply to American Eagle, the commuter carrier for American Airline.

Gumbs grabbed a hold of the opportunity with both hands and applied in 1997, and was hired as a co-pilot to man an ATR 42 twin-turboprop in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Just one year later he moved a step forward, being employed by American Airlines as a Boeing 727 Flight Engineer in his early thirties. “I took my dad as my guest to the New Hire Orientation. He was very proud and it made me very happy to show him that a boy at aged three knew what he wanted and here he is doing it with his father’s help and blessings,” Gumbs recalled.

There, with his seniority, he was able to bid for flights which saw him operating as a co-pilot on the Boeing 757 and 767 from 1999 to 2004.

When his father was diagnosed with cancer during this period and sought treatment in Miami, Gumbs did the Trinidad to Miami flights so that he could be the pilot to fly his father and mother.

“It was an honour to do that,” he told the magazine, noting his dad’s passing in February 2004.

During this period, too, Gumbs reminded that the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks had caused the airline industry to take a dive.

Economies all over the world were crashing and over 3,000 pilots were laid off between 2001 and 2004.

NEW TERRITORY Gumbs was able to escape the full effect by taking a voluntary furlough, so that a junior pilot would be able to keep his job and he applied to Emirates Airlines in the United Arab Emirates in 2005.

With his assets, he was hired as a Boeing 777 co-pilot for two years, later upgrading to the position of captain in 2008.

“It was a great job. I got to deliver brand new airplanes for the factory in Seattle, I flew them to Dubai and I got to see places all over the world that I don’t think I’d ever see, flying

BACK HOME AGAIN On Sunday, December 2 at 22:29hrs, Gumbs landed the flight on local shores proudly announcing to the passengers that he was the first out of 10 Guyanese-born AA pilots to fly the plane home. The passengers broke out in rounds of applause with both locals and foreigners alike moved by the significant achievement.

“A young boy had a dream and with hard work; with guidance from mentors; with focus you can do anything you want to do. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t attain whatever your dream is. I never in a million years would have thought that I would have become a pilot; fly for the major airline and actually become Captain and fly back to Guyana,” Gumbs said.

The message he sends and he leaves behind is: “If someone told me this 50 years ago, or 20 years ago, even 10 years ago I would not have believed. I hope that I can be an example to someone [to say] put your mind to something and you can do it. But, you have to remain focused.

They’re going to be distractions, they’re going to be setbacks, they’re going to be difficulties but if you stay the course, you will succeed.”

Captain Wayne Gumbs (Delano Williams photo)

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The iconic

Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018

British Guiana

One-Cent Magenta Stamp rocks

By Francis Quamina Farrier THIS is my third Feature Article about the World Famous British Guiana One-Cent Magenta Postage Stamp which is on a special Exhibition at the Smithsonian American Postal Museum in Washington, DC. The three-year-long exhibition at the Museum should have ended last Sunday, but due to the many persons, Guyanese included, who have been going to the museum to view it, a request was made to the owner, Stuart Weitzman, for an extension.

Weitzman agreed and so the iconic One-Cent Magenta will remain on exhibition at the Smithsonian American Postal Museum, for an indefinite period. That is great

news for Guyanese who are residing in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia, as well as those who plan to visit the Capital of the USA sometime soon. Going to have a view of this historic stamp is worth it - and it’s free. The museum is located just next to the popular Union Station.

The iconic postage stamp now valued at US$9,480,000, was printed in British Guiana (now Guyana), at a Printing Facility on Church Street, Georgetown just east of the National Library, in 1856. The Printing Press on which it was

An image of the Magenta superimposed on a stamp released for Guyana’s Independence in 1966.

The World-Famous British Guiana One-Cent Magenta Stamp is now worth US$9,480,000.

Guyana’s Ambassador to South Africa, Dr. Kenrick Hunte and his wife Claire, at the Smithsonian American Postal Museum, in printed, still exists and is on display on the ground Washington, DC, USA on Monday, December 3, 2018, (Photograph floor of the National Library on North Road George- by Francis Quamina Farrier)

town, opposite the General Post Office.

During the exhibition of the stamp at the Smithsonian American Postal Museum in Washington, DC, quite a number of Guyanese have gone to view it. Those who have done so when I was also present include Guyana’s Ambassador to the USA and the OAS, Dr. Riyad Insanally, Guyana’s Ambassador to South Africa, Dr. Kenrick Hunte and his wife Claire, President and CEO of Federal Management Systems, Inc., Aubrey Stephenson, Capt. Beverley Drake, who is one of the very few living Guyanese whose image is on a postage stamp, Clare Murray who worked at the Philately Section of the General Post Office (GPO) in Georgetown for many years, Lawrence Lachmansingh and his family, Radio Technician Shamier Ali, Zena Stoll of Grant Enterprise on the Pomeroon, USA-based Valarie Charles and my daughter Arlene.

Regarded by many philatelists as the world’s most famous stamp, the Magenta has spent most of its 162 years away from public view. The current display at the Smithsonian American Postal Museum is the longest. There were just two interruptions when it was taken to Stamp Exhibitions in New York City and The Kingdom of Monaco in Europe. Tens of thousands of persons have seen this unique stamp and while there were two instances when individuals tried to present bogus copies, there was the signature of the Post Master General (PMG) of British Guiana on the real stamp, which verifies that it is the genuine Magenta, and exposed the attempted scams.

Throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century, there has been extreme security for this stamp reducing almost to zero, any possibility of it being stolen. There is also that saying, “Don’t even think about it”, because to steal something which is the only one on the planet, is an exercise in futility, since Interpol and all the international crime fighters, will be on the look-out and would nab the scoundrel or scoundrels in a jiffy. So any such thought should be dispelled

immediately since it would be absolutely foolhardy to attempt such a stunt.

While the British Guiana One-Cent Magenta Stamp with origins in a “lowly” English-speaking country in South America on April 4, 1856, it has played a most important role in the Second World War, having been sold to pay off German war reparations. That stamp has always been in great demand by wealthy stamp collectors, including Queen Elizabeth ll, who failed in her attempt to buy the stamp. Over the years it has been owned by a few very wealthy individuals and was the centre of some highly dramatic issues, including a fiercely contested will.

The British Guiana One-Cent Magenta Stamp, which is listed as one of the International Treasures of the World, and which is now at the Smithsonian American Postal Museum in Washington, DC, may yet be taken to other cities for special brief exhibitions; cities with strong security and honest populations.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018

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Public-private and international initiative for business and trade

Regional opportunities for the agri-food sector

Wilmot Garnett, IICA Representative in Guyana making a point. He is seated next to Clement Duncan, Chairman, Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA)

tatives from leading companies in the local agri and agro-processing sector, government agencies, as well as other special invitees.

Shyam Nokta, President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) delivering the welcome remarks

By M Margaret Burke A HIGH-LEVEL workshop, chaired by Clement Duncan, Chairman of the Guyana Manufacturers and Services Association (GMSA), with responsibility for the Trade and Investment Committee, was recently held at the Cara Lodge, Georgetown. It was held under the theme, ‘Business and Trade Opportunities for the Regional and Agri-food Private sector’.

Organisers of the workshop included officials of CARICOM, as well as the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the discussions were primarily focused on encouraging and building opportunities in the regional food private sector. Duncan noted that this was the second such workshop being held within the CARICOM region; the first was held in Trinidad and Tobago.

In attendance were Shyam Nokta, President of the GMSA; CARICOM’s Agricultural Trade Specialist in the Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN), Nigel Durant; Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Desmond Sears; Vice-President of the GMSA, Ramesh Dookoo; GMC Representative, Nerissa Thornhill; Gregg Rawlins, IICA Representative in Trinidad and Tobago; Diana Francis, Policy and Regional Programming Specialist, IICA Delegation in Trinidad and Tobago, along with Wilmot Garnett, IICA Representative for Guyana; other represen-

MAJOR FOCUS The workshop directed its energies towards opportunities for trade within the region, as well as within the European Union (EU) market and there was open dialogue on this matter.

According to Allister Glean, IICA’s International Specialist in Agribusiness and Value Chains, “while challenges in accessing both CARICOM and EU markets was a major part of the conversation, focus was on two critical issues that tend to retard business opportunities in CARICOM, namely existence of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs), as well as Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) and export transportation and logistics.” It is well known that the combined effects of these issues have long frustrated exporters and businesses in the region, he said.

Consequently, two focus groups will be convened to address: Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) as well as Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) and export transportation and logistics.

REGIONAL AGRICULTURAL MINISTERS Duncan stated that the regional Ministers of Agriculture in October 2018, met and agreed on a course of action that would help businesses in this region to focus on pushing their agricultural products more regionally and extra-regionally.

“This workshop is a classic example of public-private partnership,with support from the donor agencies and the kind of support that the international agencies offer in helping us solve the problems… in the GMSA the main focus is manufacturing and services – services with a strong industrial focus and agriculture is very important to us in Guyana,” he said. “We have gone through three sets of strategies now, starting in 2006 – the national competitive strategy; 2010 – the low carbon development strategy and the green state development strategy (GSDS), which will soon be on board.”

He said that at the moment the GSDS is with the Cabinet and should be taken to parliament by December and hopefully by the first quarter of 2019 the country should

Attendees of the business and trade opportunities workshop seated at a round table

have a green developmental strategy for the next 20 years.

FOOD SECURITY Nokta said that the workshop is very timely and that he was happy to learn that such workshops are not just happening in Guyana, but in other member-countries of CARICOM. He said that the issue of food security is on top of the global list of issues because of a constant high and changing demand for food and with rising populations across the globe, to about nine billion by 2050. Further, he said that the demand for food will have to increase

60 per cent times greater than what it is today.

“When you throw into it that mix of issues such as climate change, availability of arable land, potable water, population shift, organisation, the rise of the middle-class in some of the most populated parts of the world, and the changing food demands, it really becomes quite a complex issue,” he said. “And perhaps this is one of the reasons why the United Nations has identified food security as one of the critical goals for our SDG and one of the key goals that we need to work towards by 2030.”

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018

#SupportCreativity

By Subraj Singh

The 10 Best Films I Saw in 2018

LET’S be real, there is no film industry in Guyana, and, perhaps, this may one of the reasons why many people continue to gravitate towards comedies and the torture-porn type movies all year round. There is no conversation, no reference point, no critical commentary being carried out about film in this country. Therefore, it should be unsurprising that many Guyanese people go through each year without becoming aware of a vast number of films (both from Hollywood and beyond) that have much to say, particularly about the current affairs of the world in which we live. Of course, another reason why people’s tastes tend to be geared towards the more commercially-inclined films, has to do with the fact that good movies, worthy of critical thought and analysis, are not always available in Guyana. For this reason, even I have found it immensely difficult to see good films this year and, sadly, what I saw in 2018 is not entirely reflective of all the good movies that the year had to offer. For example, I would love to see films like, “Mary, Queen of Scots,” “Suspiria,” “The Favourite,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” and “Sorry to Bother You,” but these are the kinds of films that would be very difficult to find in

the local theatres. That is not to say that I did not see good films this year. I saw quite a few, just not all of the ones I wanted to see. Below, in random order, are 10 of the best of the films I actually got to see in 2018.

1) “Black Panther” – There was nothing cooler than seeing Ryan Coogler’s excellent adaptation of the Marvel Comics story that relayed the tale of the king of Wakanda (a marvelous, technological world set in the heart of Africa). Action-packed, suave, and brimming with a bevy of brilliant black actors, “Black Panther” is the superhero movie people of colour have literally waited all their lives for.

Chadwick Boseman leads the cast, followed closely by Michael B. Jordan who turns in a strong, ambiguous performance. Also, this movie is the breakout vehicle for Guyana-born actress, Letitia Wright. Wakanda forever!

2) “A Star is Born” – Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut is the third incarnation of the story about a talented young woman who meets the man who helps to make her a superstar, and as her star rises, his slowly falls, dragged down by jealousy and alcoholism. The plot was allegedly derived from the relationship of Hollywood actress, Barbara Stanwyck (of “Double Indemnity” fame) and her first husband, Frank Fay, and even though the duo

married in the 1920s, Cooper’s story is set in the modern era and the tale of a girl who finds the stardom she has always craved while almost losing everything that really matters, including herself, is undoubtedly still relevant to the audience of today with its star-struck youths and fame monsters. The music is really good, but it is Lady Gaga in the title role who really captures our hearts and our attention.

3) “Annihilation” – Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh and others form an all-female brigade of scientists and soldiers who plough through a mysterious, quarantined zone that has started to mutate on account of the strange “Shimmer” which encloses an area of land known as “Area X.” The team is hunting for answers, but in this excellent and weird science fiction adaptation, they find more than they bargain for – everything from a mutated alligator/shark hybrid, a strange humanoid, a zombie bear, and a woman who transforms into flowering plants.

Sure, it’s strange, but it’s strange in a manner that is closely linked to reality, supported no doubt by its science-fiction trappings, which work because they are built on very real scientific concepts, such as evolution, hybridisation, and mutation.

4) “Padmaavat” – Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film is a sweeping epic, swirling with music and colour, unabashedly flaunting the director’s usual trademarks. It is truly a marvel, perfectly capturing the essence of a bygone era in India represented by wealth, excess, secrecy, violence, and the exotic.

Deepika Padukone stars as the titular queen who is pursued by the ruthless Alauddin Khalji (Ranveer Kapoor). The film is dazzling and sensual, rippling with scenes of breathtaking beauty. However, like all good Bollywood films, it packs an unexpected emotional punch in its final moments that, unsurprisingly, is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. The lead performances are of the wonderful, showy kind, the production value is top-notch, and the soundtrack is gorgeous. “Padmaavat” also offers a rare character who seems to fall somewhere along the spectrum of sexuality that is not demarcated as “heterosexual,” and for such a mainstream Bollywood film, that is something definitely worth observing.

5) “Hereditary” – This is the scariest film I saw this year! It has everything one would need in a good horror movie. Toni Collette stars as a woman plagued by the supernatural after the death of her secretive mother. Collette’s performance is a thunderous, earth-shaking one, raw and terrifying because the plot calls for it, but also terrifying because the acting is so darn good. Alex Wolff as the son is equally brilliant, highlighting the terror and paranoia that cuts right through the family. There are possessed people climbing on the walls, creepy grinning men at funerals, a demon named Paimon, reincarnation, decay-

ing bodies, summonings, murder, and more.

This is not a movie for the faint-hearted. It is gruesome and chilling, likely to be the kind of film you would want to forget but will never be able to.

6) “Bohemian Rhapsody” – The British band called Queen has given the world some of the most iconic and enduring songs we know today. Hits such as “We Will Rock You,” “We are the Champions,” “Somebody to Love,” “Love of My Life,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “I Want to Break Free” are still played all over the world. However, it is still surprising how little people know of the glamorous and talented Freddie Mercury, the bisexual, coloured man who was the band’s lead singer.

This exploration of Mercury’s life does have its flaws, but they are all somewhat negated through a fierce performance by Rami Malek as Mercury. Malek’s performance is so committed and so adept at representing Mercury that it is worth watching the movie just for this performance alone.

7) “Crazy Rich Asians” – Based on the book by Kevin Kwan, “Crazy Rich Asians” presents a rare cast made up entirely of Asian actors, and this, in 2018, is a wondrous act of representation in film that the world needed to see. The Cinderella story of a woman (Constance Wu) being swept off to Singapore to meet her fiance’ s ultra-rich family, headed by his formidable mother, the excellent Michelle Yeoh, “Crazy Rich Asians” is a straight up romantic comedy that is funny and heartfelt and cutesy all at the same time. In a year filled with news about climate change, Trump, the crisis in Venezuela, and Volda Lawrence’s recent alleged comments, it is clear that we all need some joy and comedy and romance in our lives, and “Crazy Rich Asians” supplies all of that and more. It is the kind of film you’ll want to curl up in bed and watch on a rainy day.

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018

VISIONS

Pushing the frontier of photography as an art form

THE COMPETITION- A cluster of images that portrays the various stages of a competition (Michael C. Lam/VISIONS Exhibition 2018 photo)

By Vishani Ragobeer PHOTOGRAPHS have the ability to freeze a moment and quite possibly preserve it for all eternity. A good photograph- whether it captures something good, bad or ugly- should invoke some feeling that makes you ponder over the situation the moment it is captured.

But quite often, photographs are taken just for their face value, according to local photographer Michael Lam. Most times, it’s about whether it is pretty or a cool image as against it being a fragment of something bigger, portraying a wider narrative.

But photographers (and artists generally) look at their art differently. And it is the yearning to make others understand their art that led to the creation of the “VISIONS” photo exhibition.

Lam, one of the main drivers of the exhibition, highlighted: “[The primary reason for the exhibition] was to have a showcase for photography as art in an exhibition format, to introduce the photographers and the viewing public to a curated exhibition rather than a competition format, and to encourage photographers and viewers to approach art in a different way.”

In a snapshot, the exhibition was created to provide an opportunity to look at photography through the different lenses of the mind.

The exhibition is being hosted at Michael Griffith’s ‘Oxygen Arts’ Gallery. It is a small gallery that is typical of the art world- a snow white space, spacious enough for free movement but also enclosed to foster a more intimate setting.

Its location in Industry, on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), seems unlikely since you have to go through narrow roads that would cause you to question if you were heading in the right direction. But perhaps, that is a necessary precursor to experiencing the exhibition that would follow.

Thirty photographers submitted about 137 images. Of that lot, 30 images were selected from about 15 photographers. Some artists managed to scrape in a single piece, while some others had multiple pieces.

Each piece was printed as a Gallery Wrap: Canvas on pinewood frames, at a size of 16”x 24”. But here’s where things get interesting. The images are arranged in clusters, under a specific theme. Without the curator’s little notes to guide you, you

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might not be able to understand how the images relate to each other in the clusters. And even with the notes (which are provided, by the way), it might still take further explanation for you to truly grasp the vision.

Take ‘The Competition’ for example.

It combines a home decorated with diyas, a masquerade band, the famous GT rodeo, and two distinct photos of birding in Guyana- into a cluster. The curator asks that you understand how the different phases of a competition are portrayed through these five images. Would you have garnered that this was the underlying significance?

It was this careful ingenuity that guided the creation of VISIONS in 2016.

During that year, the then Ministry of Culture conceived ‘Capture Guyana 2016’, a curated exhibition which, for some reason or the other, fell through. In an attempt to salvage this, few local photographers joined forces, Lam explained.

Michael is the organiser but Karran Sahadeo has been and continues to be the curator- arguably, the man with the ‘VISION’.

At the gallery, Karran harnesses the photos taken together by local photographers and frames them his own way. Keno George’s “Indigenous Way” is juxtaposed with Trevon Barker’s “African Power”- under Karran’s theme of “Stoic”. But there’s also Darrell Carpenay’s “Dawn Dance”which illustrates hundreds of birds in a thick fog flying next to a colossal mountain and Meshach Pierre’s “Face Off” of two caged birds. And seemingly out-of-the-ordinary,is Kenny Harrinaraine’s “Astro”- the cinema, or at least what used to be a cinema.

Sahadeo explains: “Standing unmoved and without emotions is what links this series, but upon closer observation, you will notice the formal elements which appear from one element to the next.”

The display runs from December 1 to 15, at the gallery and then will be shown at The Duke, (the Restaurant / Art Gallery at Duke Lodge) from the December 17 to the 29.

And if you’re empathetic to the plight of artists in Guyana, you would appreciate that the exhibition fully catered for them.

All the local photographers needed to do was to select few of their own images and digitally submit them to the team.

“Artists, on the whole, are not usually flush with cash,” Michael noted and explained, “Our approach was to remove

STOIC- One cluster of images at the gallery (Michael C. Lam /VISIONS Exhibition 2018 photo)

the burden of production [by acquiring] enough sponsorship to produce the pieces and partner with exhibition spaces which

are artist-friendly, who worked with us for the love of the art rather than for profit.”

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018

Moving beyond Potential Part Two Management of oil is critical for the nation to maintain stability

By Wendella Davidson OIL is known as one of the most important raw materials, as every day we use hundreds of things that are made from oil or gas.

In addition, tens of thousands of people work in the oil and gas industry, hence oil and gas are also important for the number of jobs that are provided

Just last week, the United States oil giant ExxonMobil made another welcoming announcement of having made a tenth oil discovery at Pluma I well in the Stabroek Block, which pushes this country’s production figure to 750,000 barrels of oil daily by 2025.

With such news about Guyana, a country once ranked as being impoverished and on about the same level as Haiti, it is expected that Guyanese will be waiting with bated breath

Carolyn Walcott, former University of Guyana lecturer and emerging Political and International Communications Specialist

to see the economic tables turn for the better and our citizens treated with utmost respect. It is in this light that recent statements by former University of Guyana lecturer Carolyn Walcott, an emerging political and international communication specialist, in relation to Guyana’s new-found wealth can be considered as well timed.

According to her initial observations published by overseas-based and managed Guyana Business Journal Magazine, Guyana’s ‘black gold’ signals “the awakening of hope for the country to arise from the ashes and label of poverty and underdevelopment.”

As such, Walcott passionately urged her fellow Guyanese not to “sit by and contemplate wealth while investors move beyond contemplation to action” and also urged that prudent political and economic stewardship be undertaken as it relates to the discovery and management of oil in Guyana’s basin.

In an exclusive interview with the Pepperpot Magazine, as a follow-up to her earlier comments, Walcott said that the business of political and economic stewardship with respect to the management of oil is critical for the nation to maintain national stability, transparency and a healthy economy. “I would offer that both the government and the opposition are equally responsible for the political stewardship to which I referred in the Guyana Business Journal article given that initial negotiations for the exploration commenced under the previous administration.

“While the government has indicated its intention to consider or renegotiate the current arrangement in 2020, political tussles should be conducted around a table rather than via media frames. Political stewardship, therefore, implicates the nation’s political leadership in advancing toward maturity through active dialogue for the good of the country,” she contended.

Added Walcott: “I do believe that prudent economic stewardship starts from the level of negotiating what is best for Guyana contractually and progressing toward a sustainable national development plan for the allocation of resources.

Studies and reports suggest that oil producing nations including Nigeria have suffered from what scholars and critics have termed the resource curse as a result of economic mismanagement. The need for transparency and accountability by all parties involved in the negotiations and subsequent production cannot be overemphasised because the nation’s economic future rests on these pillars. We must abhor corruption as a nation.”

Asked what greater role the University of Guyana, as this country’s institute of higher learning, can play in the entire unfolding scenario? Walcott proffered: “I’d like to consider the University of Guyana as a critical repository and interlocutor in the current oil development. I say repository from the perspective of building human capacity and the knowledge base necessary to support this vital sector of the country.

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018 ◄◄◄ From page VIII

Many developed countries that have invested in research and development have yielded significant results from a healthy marriage between industry and research, built on a foundation of trust and transparency. The existing anxieties regarding issues such as who benefits from the wealth and what environmental effects are likely to occur following the extraction process should be used as teaching moments by UG drawing from external subject matter experts where necessary,” she said.

“This is where the role of interlocutor becomes necessary as the university should ideally function as a bridge between the private-public concerns and discourse. I say this from the conviction that whenever there is a lack of basic information there will be speculation, misinformation and misunderstanding of what the development means for the ordinary citizen apart from those directly involved in the investment. Simple FAQs are necessary not just from the investor’s information machinery but national media including both state and private entities. There must be a common recognition that this is OUR development,” she added THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF UG’S CENTRE FOR COMMUNICATION STUDIES Relating as the former head of the UG Centre for Communication Studies (CCS), before being granted leave to further her studies overseas, Walcott said “I’m aware that there are at least three streams from which knowledge regarding oil and opportunities for enterprise can be stimulated. These include the Science and Environment writing course that can be used to encourage practising and budding journalists to research and write about the environmental concerns, past experiences of oil producing nations and the aspirations of environmentalists.

I’m not aware of the complement of reporters who are on the environmental beat, but the current development does create an emerging area of specialisation for serious reporting. The CCS can facilitate the process of capacity building in this regard, in collaboration with experienced specialists, as there are theoretical and technical issues that will require training to enable interpretation and reporting,” she said.

Walcott opined that a second stream through the CCS can create a steady flow is its new media and broadcast courses, specifically online journalism and introductory and advanced radio and television. “These courses can be used to create the platform for public discourse while recording, storing and retrieving the aspirations of citizens. Through content creation, students would, in fact, be part of history, critical conversations and the evolution of an oil economy thereby augmenting the efforts of mainstream media. Also, the CCS can build a solid research profile by encouraging its final year students to undertake baseline research and inquiry exploring both opinions and the levels of existing public awareness regarding the oil investment. Data can then inform a deliberate Communication for Development intervention, which is a necessary component of any serious development particularly since citizens will be engaged at various levels across several sectors including hospitality, tourism and trade.

“Picture a citizen being asked what he knows about Guyana’s oil exploration. The natural response of an unengaged citizen would be ‘Well ah hear we gon be rich and that we gon get nuff investors, but I don’t know nothing more.’ Community and national engagement are therefore necessary to create an inclusive, optimistic and progressive climate. Although the season for public consultations may be over I believe that the social, economic and other implications should be public knowledge,” Walcott said.

And, in terms of the involvement of the media in processing and disseminating information to the general public, Walcott said her preliminary research has revealed what she’d like to describe as frame contestation, but added that it is a study that will be developed in the coming months for a larger project.

PROGRESS MADE Asked whether she sees the need for studies on oil and gas is undertaken as a major discipline and whether it should be compulsory for new university students to embark on such studies at the preparatory level, Walcott commended the university for it’s insight. “To their credit, the administrators of the University of Guyana have made progress with the establishment of a programme in the Faculty of Technology which has been renamed, to my knowledge, in keeping with the new direction in which the country is headed. Therefore, preparation is already underway, with collaboration between the UG and the University of the West Indies, for a Diploma and Degree in Petroleum studies, respectively. There may also be plans for graduate studies in this discipline. I believe that the current head of the EPA, Dr. Vincent Adams, played a role in this development.

As such, she stated that the establishment of the School of Entrepreneurial and Business Investment (SEBI), as part of the Faculty of Social Sciences, is another significant accomplish-

ment by the UG to train citizens in preparation for business creation and expansion. Moreover, she said that the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES) continues to facilitate research and student engagement consistent with the oil sector engagement. As the highest institution of learning, the University of Guyana has also strategically partnered with subject matter experts to host at least two oil and gas forums.

“Thus, I believe there are existing avenues for knowledge building within the newly implemented courses, but the notion of creating a specific course on oil development as mandatory does seem like a reasonable consideration perhaps as an introductory tool. A cross-faculty arrangement may also be a useful model,” she contended.

ABOUT CAROLYN WALCOTT Walcott is currently pursuing a PhD in Communications at Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, where since beginning her studies there in August 2015, she has taught courses on Human Communication, Public Speaking and Media, Culture & Society.

Apart from teaching, she has also been fortunate to have her scholarly work shortlisted for conferences organised by leading academic organisations, including the Association for

IX Educators of Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and the National Council for Black Studies (NCBS). These conferences have so far helped her to situate Guyana in discourses related to national identity and visual production. She has already received acceptances for conference presentations in 2019, where her work will focus on race and gender identity and political rhetoric, respectively.

And, in addition to her academic pursuits, Walcott currently serves as the Vice President of the Communication Graduate Student Association which allows her to understand the intricacies of departmental administration and also advocate for student benefits.

“As I progress with my studies it is my intention to develop a body of knowledge relevant to media in the context of Guyana’s national development, as a vital research and policy implementation source. In the meantime I’ll continue to use every available opportunity using an advocacy standpoint to encourage thoughtfulness about Guyana’s future” she said. “The architects of the Guyana Business Journal and I share a common love for our country and optimism about its future. I’m also a firm believer in being part of the solution rather than the problem or, for that matter, any hindrance that will stymie development.”

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018

Recognising volunteers’ efforts

By Indrawattie Natram

OFTEN times we underestimate the works of volunteers who make a difference in society. These persons offer their time and efforts in making a difference in the lives of persons or a community. This year the theme for International Volunteer Day 2018 which falls on December 5 every year, is quite appropriate: “Volunteers build resilient communities” considering their time and efforts.

In observing International Volunteers Day 2018, the Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sport honoured 23 individuals in Region Two for rendering their services to the department in various endeavours. Those honoured were persons from a number of sectors, youth groups and the Guyana Police Force. They were treated to a luncheon and an award ceremony where plaques were presented.

Speaking to Volunteers at the Granville Hotel in Henrietta, on Wednesday, Culture and Youth Officer, Herald Alves said the successes of the department are because of the works done by volunteers. He, therefore, thanked them for their contributions in making a difference in the lives of countless youths in the Pomeroon-Supenaam region.

Alves said the department recognises the sterling contributions made by these individuals in volunteering, especially off-duty, and pointed out that it is a classic example of resilience. He said volunteers would usually reach up and lend their help and support, especially during summer camps.

The Prime Minister’s representative in Region Two, Karan Chand who spoke to the volunteers and commended their efforts. He said people around the world are involved in volunteerism for a variety of reasons which include helping to eliminate poverty, improving basic health and education and

Prime Minister’s representative in Region Two, Karran Chand, presenting one of the plaques to Anasa Federicks, a youth volunteer from Capoey

tackling environmental issues. He said that whatever may be the field of volunteerism each person makes a specific contribution by helping to shape people’s lives and communities.

Chand said the work of the volunteers helps to build human relationships. “Volunteers matter and when they participate in several [types of ] work it shows their interest; it’s their social relationship and human involvement that matters,” Chand said.

With that, he thanked the individuals on behalf of the region’s prime ministerial office. The Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sport is presently working on promoting the work of volunteerism in the region. The department is willing to work along with youth groups and individuals toward the cause. After the luncheon, volunteers from various communities along the Essequibo Coast interacted with each other. Recently also, the department recognised several volunteers who assisted in making the Summer activities a success. ◄◄◄ From page VI

8) “Shadow” – Zhang Yimou is one of the most brilliant directors to come out of China. His newest film presents us with a curious situation where a commander in a young king’s army uses a healthy lookalike to masquerade before the king while pretending to be the ailing commander. It is a good narrative starting point that launches the audience into a tale set in historical China, where palace intrigue, forbidden love, and revenge are all a part of the plot. Yimou’s films are all known for having a distinctive colour palette – think of the sea of bright-green trees in “House of Flying Daggers” or the fight-scene amidst the falling, golden leaves in “Hero.” The director’s artistic vision is also represented in “Shadow” which is entirely mounted in tones of black, white and grey. This palette compliments the film’s rainy setting, as well as the stark balance between all of the opposites (man-woman, healthy-sick, etc.) set up in the film. At times, it is like watching poetry in motion.

9) “Love, Simon” – The great, gay, high school romance emerged this year with “Love, Simon” which is a simple but beautiful story of a boy finding himself and finding true love at the same time. Sure, Simon’s story is way too neat and happy to ever be entirely relatable to Guyanese gays, but a gay rom-com is more than welcome, and the sort of escapism it offers has been something urgently needed within the LGBT community for a while. The love story at the heart of the film is one that even straight people can get behind. It is sweet and tender, overflowing with all the nostalgia of being a high schooler battling homophobia and both the light and dark sides of social media.

10) “Widows” – Steve McQueen’s follow up to “12 Years a Slave” sees Viola Davis as the widow of a man who has been killed, along with his fellow conspirators, after robbing a bank. With mounting pressure building all around her, the widow must recruit the other women who were close to the robbers and complete one final heist.

“Widows” is an action film, packed with adrenaline and style. However, it also offers biting commentaries on relevant themes such as race, class, and power. Furthermore, it also presents an astounding cast with everyone turning in thoroughly calculated, intense performances. Viola Davis is as good as always, but in this film, Elizabeth Debicki also manages to stand out, using minimal expressions to highlight the trauma and backstory of her character. “Widows” is a heist film with heart and soul and guns.

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Ninth Caribbean Beekeeping Congress deemed a tremendous success in Grenada in 2011; the US Virgin Islands in 2013; Tobago in 2016 and once more it was held in Guyana.

David Westervelt of the USA delivering his Florida honey bee report

By M Margaret Burke THE Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with Association of Caribbean Beekeepers’ Organisation (ACBO) and Guyana Apiculture Society (GAS) recently concluded the Beekeeping Congress 2018, a five-day workshop, which was held at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA). The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) also played a pivotal role in the endeavour, organising and providing some of the much-needed resources for the occasion.

A GREEN ECONOMY The Guyana Apiculture Society (GAS), one of the major players in the Congress, was formed 10 years ago, with the intention of not only widening the scope of beekeeping in Guyana but also with the purpose of getting many other young people on board.

The GAS executive members Linden Stewart and Aubrey Roberts told the Pepperpot Magazine that the organisation has so far been very successful in its endeavours and this was evident in the number of young people who have gotten involved.

Roberts said that when the Ministry of Agriculture organised the fifth congress, one of the objectives was to really get beekeepers back together; to start working as a group and to build capacity. GAS was therefore created and took off on a programme of education, networking, marketing and advocacy.

Stewart, Executive Member of GAS also led a discussion on the topic ‘Towards a green economy through beekeeping’. He told the participants that the intention of GAS was to build on the achievement that they have made since the fifth congress in 2008 Congress that was held in Guyana, culminating with that of 2018.

CARIBBEAN PERSPECTIVE “One of the real benefits of the series of

Bees clinging to a honeycomb outside of the hive

At the forum, there was much dialogue over the beekeeping industry in Guyana, as well as the rest of the Caribbean nations. In fact, the discussions went as far as issues coming out the United States of America, which was also well represented at the Congress.

Under the theme, “Natural Beekeeping for a Green Caribbean”, the Congress catered for around 200 participants. The Guyanese had participants from every administrative region in Guyana; while other participants travelled from Trinidad and Tobago, St, Lucia, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, Dominica, Belize, The Bahamas, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and other Caribbean islands, as well as from the United States of America.

This biennial congress began in Tobago in November 1998; continued in Nevis in 2000; Jamaica in 2002; in 2005 it was once again held in Trinidad; Guyana in 2008; then

Caribbean beekeeping congresses, which has been borne out by experience since this is the ninth one, is that it causes governments, institutions and organisations to evaluate their own policy positions – what you have done and sometimes to review their own contributions and if necessary step it up... to commit themselves,” Gladstone Solomon, Chairman of the Association of Caribbean Beekeepers’ Organisation (ACBO), Trinidad and Tobago, said. “We have seen before in each host country there is a ramping up of beekeeping and after the congress, it maintains a level before it dies down. If there was no congress in that country it may have just ‘flat-line’.”

He stated that while it has to be confirmed, Bahamas has made a decision to host the next congress, which should be in 2020 and that ACBO is already speaking to another country for the hosting of the 2022 congress. Ideally, ACBO is hoping to give themselves a four-

A group of participants dressed in preventative garments for the beekeeping tour

year lead so that may be many opportunities for the country to embark on projects, ramp up their policy, putting things in place.

Solomon said that the overall beneficiaries of the host countries must be the beekeeping sector of that country and also the region in

general. Apart from that, beekeepers have the opportunity to meet others that they had not seen before, or that they had not seen in a while. This he said is one of the very strong intangibles.

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Agricultural diversification NAREI takes spices project to Essequibo Coast THE National Agricultural Research and Extension (NAREI) has been working with farmers to expand spices cultivation on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two, as part of its agriculture diversification agenda.

“Spices cultivation is uncommon on the Essequibo Coast since most farmers dedicate arable lands to rice and fruits and vegetables. [The] majority of the spices being used in the region are purchased from Barima- Waini, Region One- the country’s spices capital,” Eon Sampson, NAREI’s Coastland Coordinator said.

Sampson related that earlier this year NAREI approached two farmers to establish demonstration plots for turmeric and ginger production. Mr Cromwell Mentis of Queenstown is one of the farmers who took up the opportunity.

According to Usha Ramlakhan, NAREI’s Extension officer, on May 10, 2018, the spices project commenced on Mentis’ farm. “The objectives of this project are to increase the production of spices in the region so as to reduce importing from other regions. And, to test the price stability of the crop in relation to demand and supply,” she added.

Mentis was provided with 10lbs ginger and 10lbs planting materials. NAREI also provided limestone and fertiliser to aid land preparation. Mentis added chicken manure to further enrich the soil. NAREI’s staff routinely monitored the progress of the project.

“I usually plant celery, cabbage, and eschallot in my backyard and sell at a stall through Post Office Street...So NAREI staff would usually visit me. They asked whether I would be interested in planting ginger and turmeric on my farm and I said yes,” Mentis said.

Eight months later, Mentis is currently harvesting ginger and would do similarly to his turmeric crop shortly. “I was surprised with the entire project. I didn’t realise it was so easy to grow spices. So far I reaped 52 and three-quarter pounds of ginger and I still have some more to harvest. And, in about a week I will harvest the turmeric,” he added.

Of the two crops, Mentis intends to continue planting ginger. From the harvest, he will keep an amount for planting materials and sell the remainder for $300 per pound. Ginger is currently being sold for $400 per pound in the region.

According to Ramlakhan, the project conducted on Mentis’ farm was successful. Data obtained from his farm will be compared with the spices project being implemented in Taymouth Manor, Essequibo Coast.

“After harvest, we will make a comparison based on the soil type since the one in Queenstown was planted on a more loose soil with clay and manure while the soil type at Taymouth Manor consisted more of clay with burnt paddy shell or black dust,” Ramlakhan said.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018

folklore

A WILD RIDE

MY ambition is to be a jockey. I love to listen to the races and picture the horses bolting from the starting gates. “And they’re off! Dancer and, Red Red Rose have taken the lead, Classic Girl is closing in.” I am breathing fast. “They come down the home stretch. Sunny Boy makes his move.” I am up on my feet in excitement. “They fly down the Homestretch, Red Red Rose and Sunny Boy are neck and neck!” I am riding an imaginary horse by now: knees bent, left hand holding the reins and right hand using the whip mercilessly. All the while making the up and down movement of a jockey, upper torso getting a thorough workout. The winner is always the horse I am riding.

This ambition also manifests itself in dreams.

I own a Stud Farm and horse racing tracks. I have the best horses in the business. People from all over the world come to admire or buy my horses. Most of them are winners. Incredibly this kind of dream recurs at regular intervals. If by chance I wake up halfway through to make an urgent call to the bathroom, on my return to bed, the dream continues. It’s no lie. Believe me.

At 13, I am still hoping to ride a horse. My friends think I am childish but what do they know about these things. Discussing the possibility of owning a horse with my mother met with emphatic refusal. “Absolutely Not!” I pleaded and she queried, “Who’s going to feed it, bathe it, shine and polish the riding equipment, shovel the horse dung, wash and clean the stable?”

When put over in this clear and practical way I decided that it wasn’t all that important after all. My friends Billy, Chris, Lloyd and Johnny and I were on vacation and we went camping on Billy’s grandfather farm in the Rupununi Savannas. Because we were all old enough to be out on our own, (only one of us was 13 years, the others were all 14-year-olds) we were permitted to camp out in one of the fields.

Each morning we’d collect necessary food, take baths then return to our dwelling ready to take on the world. Today we decided to go for a hike beyond the farm and into the hilly country not too far away. We’d watched it and fantasised about conquering the gigantic peak, which rose a staggering two to three hundred yards into the skies. The incline was gentle but to us, it seemed a steep climb. We would not be daunted. So off we went.

As we walked we marvelled at the beautiful open spaces, unlike the city from where we all came. The first hour passed quickly and we approached and entered a wooded area a short distance from our goal. As we drew nearer, the hills seemed to squat on us but we kept going. Emerging from the woods we saw an open savannah with thick green grass, wildflower and scattered trees.

A stone’s throw away was a herd of horses. One of the 13 was black and beautiful, which immediately reminded me of my dreams. My favourite horse on the stud farm was a black stallion. He was my personal pet and not for sale.

Before I could stop myself I opened my big mouth and put my foot right into it. “See them! I could ride them all!” There was immediate laughter. “If I want to I could ride one right now!” There were hoots and great merriment at my expense.

Turning away a bit angry at their lack of faith, I started on towards the hills.

“Wait up, Clint!” I paused. “Let’s see you ride one now.”

“We’ve got to get to our hills,” I reminded them deftly avoiding a crisis.

“Come on we really want to see. Bet you can’t even touch one.”

“That’s easy,” I blurted out. From here on things quickly got out of control. I sauntered off towards the horses and knew there was no turning back. How did I get myself into

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By Neil Primus

this? This was the first time I was actually that close to a real horse. The ones I knew disappeared when I woke up in the morning. Hesitantly I looked back towards the gang. “Go on!”

“Coward.” Goaded and egged on I stepped closer. As I drew near some of them trotted off and stopped a short distance away. Three remained cropping the rich lush grass, refusing to be deprived of their rights.

My anticipation increased with each closing step. The black looked up at me then returned to his meal. That casual look filled me with fear and excitement. The adrenaline raced through my veins. My heart thudded against my bony chest.

Gingerly I stretched out my hand and touched a brown mare.

My presence started it and it shied away trotting off to join the others. Laugher and shouts of satisfaction assailed my ear and dented my pride. Boldly I walked towards the black. It looked up and remained there. I touched it. Nothing. Rubbing its face and neck I marvelled at how easy one of my dreams had come through. Here I was actually stroking a horse and a black at that. Wow! Thoughts of riding it began to surface but I turned back. “What now?”

“Afraid?” “Look at the great jockey who’s afraid to ride a horse.” Laughter. That hurt so I threw caution to the wind.

I went up to the black and taking him by the mane with trembling hands I mounted with some difficulty. He was bigger than I thought but eventually, I settled on his back, my feet sprawled to cling to his ribs. Perspiration and jitters caused me to blink continuously. We just remained as if in a trance. Without warning a stone struck the flank of the black and with a start we took off. Despite the thick grass,

the hooves pounded as we increase speed. I clung to his mane and rested my confused head on his neck.

I stopped thinking and started praying.

Trees flashed by and his speed remained constant. From my one-sided view, the hills receded to be replaced by more trees. Scents I am good at, and somehow I smelt the water. Don’t ask how that’s possible; I just did. Sure enough, we came to a halt on the edge of some sort of creek.

This was my chance to get out of this fix. Visions of being hurled over a cliff by a wild stallion began to grow vague. My movement to alight seems to send him into action and turning we headed in the direction we had come.

It took a while for me to realise that we were moving at a slow canter. The air seemed to have lost its volatile properties. We were in control. Trotting back I felt sure the horse had just taught me a vital lesson and was taking me back, confident that I was cured of bragging and succumbing to peer pressure.

He was right. In the distance, I spied the boys racing towards me in panic. Sitting up I rode up to them and got down. They stopped short of breath and the incredulity of the situation robbed them of the little breath they had. The sheer awe on their faces was heaven to behold.

“Wow! He rode it wild and all.” The tone was full of respect and admiration. Heads nodded in agreement then my chief attacker piped up. “Aw that’s nothing,” Lloyd ventured. “Watch this.” With that, he walked towards the black. The black’s head rose and our eyes made contact. Those gentle wise circles spoke volumes to me. I kept quiet. Gripping the mane, he jumped onto the black and shouted, “Geed-e-up!” About 800 pounds of muscle rose into the air shaking him off like an unwanted pregnancy. With hooves beating out a sweet rhythm, the magnificent black sped off to join his friends leaving a rueful Lloyd to rub his sore butt.

Needless to say, we laughed ourselves into stitches and needled poor Lloyd all the way back to our campsite.

From then on everyone took me seriously and would listen whenever I spoke about horses and my ambition. As for me I have gained a healthy respect for animals and never make them the subject of any dare. Taunts I take in stride never doing anything I am uncomfortable with. My friends sense this and rarely push it.

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018

Forgiveness I RECEIVED many responses to last week’s piece on sexual abuse, especially the question of whether it is possible

to forgive your abuser and how to go about doing so.

I want to clarify a few things before I begin. Forgiveness

does not, in any way, mean that you condone abuse or are justifying it. It does not mean that you will ever forget what has happened. It does not alter the reality of sexual abuse being wrong and damaging. It does not require an apology or mean reconciliation. Forgiveness does not mean to pardon the act with no legal/judicial consequences for the abuser; Justice still takes place during forgiveness. It does, however, mean that you have accepted what has happened to you and that you are ready to move forward. Most importantly, forgiveness is for you, the victim, to finally find peace; forgiveness is never for the other person but rather your first step in releasing that crippling, all-consuming anger and hatred that comes with your memories.

Forgiveness brings abuse into the light. Many surviving victims want to forget or stifle those feelings. This typically leads to the development of unhealthy coping skills such as physical self-harm-cutting or overuse of food, alcohol or other drugs. Forgiveness indicates a clear acceptance and understanding of what has happened to you. It takes away the feelings of victimisation and allows for a feeling of control. Additionally, research done on victims of abuse has determined that those who managed to forgive their abuser experienced lower levels of anxiety and depression and higher levels of self-worth and hope for recovery.

Please understand that there is also an appropriate time frame to practice forgiveness and it is not shortly after the abuse. If someone opens up to you and say they were recently abused, forgiveness is not necessarily the place to start; their mental health comes first. If they are practising good coping skills and are ready to move forward, then hopefully forgiveness would be an option but it is their choice and their choice only. Only the victim will know the right time to try and forgive and must therefore never be pressured into doing so. Typically, forgiveness can only happen if the abuse has already stopped as of course, it is almost impossible to forgive someone for the wrong they are currently doing. Forgiveness comes when there is a feeling of safety.

Because forgiveness is an important part of religious beliefs for many faiths, a lot of the research done on forgiveness mention God. However, please keep in mind that it can be a God of your own understanding and can be absolutely anything. If you are not religious, that’s completely okay and does not mean that forgiveness won’t come to you. You can still practice the tips, excluding what you see fit.

A 2007 book by Jessica Tracy called The Self-conscious Emotions discusses types, as well as how to begin practising forgiveness. She proposed three types of forgiveness which included: (Directly adapted from research) Turn to page XXVI►►►

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An amazing three years in Guyana for the Holloways

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

“Rosaura you are a light that shines for others in the darkness and we will miss you so much.”

These were words at the farewell for Mrs Rosaura Holoway from Ms Jackie who runs the home for women who are abused at Help and Shelter.

It was an honour to accompany Mrs Holloway, wife of outgoing American Ambassador His Excellency Perry Holloway for her last visit. Denise Diaz who was the co-founder for the Women’s Shelter, embassy staff and spouses were also present as Mrs Holloway bid farewell to a place that was a significant part of her journey in Guyana. It was very emotional when Mrs Diaz presented her with a collage of pics from various engagements. We sang carols and presented gifts to all. I remembered meeting the Ambassador shortly after he arrived in Guyana and he insisted I meet his wife when she arrived in Guyana. “I heard you do charity work. My beautiful wife is coming to Guyana soon and I need you to meet her because she enjoys helping people. I believe you ladies can do something together,” he told me. He placed emphasis on the word ‘beautiful’ and indeed, she is INSIDE OUT. We did collaborate for a splendid dinner and fashion show at the residence and the funds were used to improve the living conditions at the home for abused women and children. Domestic Violence is close to my heart because in my younger days I grew up in a very abusive home. It was great to see the Holloways so passionate about this fundraiser which provided a magical ambience. I mentioned when I gave my farewell greeting at the embassy that one of the things I admired about the Ambassador is how well he integrated into the Guyanese society and always had his finger on the pulse. We were chatting at the farewell AMCHAM hosted and I was telling him how impressed I am that he usually tells me about my travels or projects I am working on. He revealed that he is a regular reader of this column. Thank you, Ambassador, for supporting BEYOND THE RUNWAY, your contribution to our country and sharing your talent as a rapper.

These are the words expressed by Rosaura Holloways as she departs the place she called home for more than three years: “When I arrived in Guyana almost three and a half years ago, I had already read about the country and some of its needs and challenges. As a result of my experience working with women in Afghanistan while I worked at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, I decided I wanted to work with women in need in Guyana. I met Denise Diaz who was the co-founder for the Women’s Shelter and we began to work with the women and children.

I organised a number of activities raising funds and receiving contributions. We started a group amongst the U.S. Embassy spouses as well as Guyanese local employees, and people from other companies too. My only regret is that we

could not do more. The place still needs work.

This was the work of many wonderful people and I would like to thank those who contributed in one way or the other.

Their help went towards making the lives of these women and children better, and in making the future of Guyana better.

I say goodbye to the beautiful country of Guyana and the fantastic people who live here, knowing that the Embassy Spouse and local Guyanese Group will continue in assisting

the Shelter, and I hope others are motivated to do so as well.”

We appreciate your priceless contribution and wish you and your family well and safe travels home. I have a feeling they both will miss this dear land of ours and we welcome them back in another capacity soon.

Let’s continue to make our contributions to humanity as we continue to celebrate this journey called life BEYOND THE RUNWAY

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Mouth infections INFECTIONS in the mouth are common as the mouth is full of bacteria. The usual causes for mouth infection are tooth decay, gum disease, and impacted wisdom teeth. Some people are more prone to infections if they have poor oral hygiene, or have less saliva in the mouth because of taking too many medicines. Good health and

nutrition also play an important role in our defence ability against infections. However, heavy smokers are also at greater risk of developing oral infections.

Pus discharging from the gums may not be painful when there is no pressure buildup. However when the pus is trapped it forms a “balloon�, called an abscess, and it can

be painful. If you should realise that you have an abscess, or begin to feel a slight swelling, you must have it checked by your dentist as soon as possible and have it managed early. Hot salt mouthwashes are particularly useful in the meantime, but smoking will make things worse. If an abscess exists, the pus could spread further and make things worse. Medicines alone will not work and the pus must be drained at the clinic as soon as possible. This drainage will give you relief immediately. It is absolutely essential to identify the tooth which is causing your infection and you must have it either treated or extracted. Even if an abscess is painless but you do not know it is there, you must never hesitate to seek treatment as early as possible.

Keeping abscesses in the mouth is not healthy for you and the bacteria can leak into your bloodstream and be carried to other body organs.

The gum line is, in fact, an open gateway for bacteria to enter your bloodstream, known as bacteremia. This is why it is so important to keep your teeth as clean as possible, particularly at the gum line. Unknowingly minute traces of bacteria do enter our bloodstream every day from our gums at the gum lines. Under normal circumstances, as these traces are indeed minute, our body defences protect us enough from their harm and we would never fall ill because of it.

There is a direct correlation between gum disease and heart disease and researchers have found that people who have gum disease are twice as likely to develop coronary heart disease. One theory for this is that the bacteria which enter the bloodstream via the gums can travel and infect the already accumulated fat within the coronary artery to damage it further.

The heart, and in particular the heart valves are at risk of infection. Those who have already had their heart valves damaged by Rheumatic Fever at childhood are at great risk of becoming infected again during life by oral bacteria (S.viridans) and a next attack can cause the fatal condition known as Infective Endocarditis (I.E.). This reinfection is most unaffordable.

It is now thought that their maintaining the highest standard of daily oral hygiene all-year round is a real lifesaver.

People who have had their heart valves damaged before and visit their dentists for a scale and polish or tooth examination should have an antibiotic medicine taken orally one hour beforehand. Gum disease and abscesses in the mouth should never be tolerated as they can be a good source of bacteria for infecting the heart.

Did you know that your maxillary sinuses exist just above your upper back teeth? The roots of these teeth are pointing upwards towards these sinuses and sometimes their tips even penetrate right into them. If any upper back teeth should develop an infection, the bacteria and pus can spread from its roots to enter into the sinus directly. This can cause a bacterial sinusitis.

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Decentralising resources

I HAD a conversation with an older friend this past week that made me think for a bit. He contended that youth are positioned in a time period where they have more leeway to have their voices heard and to effect change than they have ever had before. And though this is far from enough, it is a great start.

More importantly, the point he drove home is that politics is not the only way to effect positive change or wide-reaching (positive) change. In a way, I think I knew this, but maybe I never gave it too much thought because I was so invested in the thought of using politics as the avenue to effect change.

The next logical question would have been: What are other ways of effecting change? If youth are so positioned to effect change, how do they do it- aside from using politics?

In addition to unleashing a diatribe on why youth in Guyana do not have too many effective leaders who illustrate an array of ways to effect this positive change, the friend said: “Go out on the road and talk to people- Listen to their concerns- make sense of their suggestions- and empower them to help to effect their own change. These are just simple ways of connecting with people individually and working collaboratively to make things better.”

I suppose, while I would like government to intervene and craft (and thereafter implement) policies that are tailored towards fostering development- it’s not totally up to them. And really if we did wait on the policymakers to render assistance in every instance, then we would be waiting for a long, long time.

It is in this context that I appreciate the work of volunteers all across Guyana. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but there seems to be some volunteer fever that has enveloped primarily young people all across this country. For me, personally, I think this is an avenue that my people are exploring to see how they can effect change in their individual spaces.

The International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development, more commonly referred to as International Volunteer Day, was observed on December 5. On December 8, the Department of Youth recognised volunteers across Guyana (you know, Saturday being a more flexible day and all). Youth are moving in droves, into communities, to get stuff done and I think it is really important that their work is acknowledged.

Then on that note, there comes the matter of direct focus on national efforts to decentralise services in Guyana.

The government has allocated some $1.5B in the 2019 budget, to fund current and capital projects under the Department of Citizenship, with the aim of continuing the decentralisation of key citizenship services.

Through this, there are plans to commence official services at the spanking new passport offices at New Amsterdam and Linden in January of 2019, and during this same year, the construction of passport office in Lethem will commence.

This is just the most recent announcement of how services will be decentralised. Adding to this are the moves to establish capital towns in the various regions-with the aim of making

public services accessible to citizens in the regions.

You see, with these towns it is expected that members of the community acquire more agency towards getting things done. It is also hoped that the concept of local democracy and governance would become entrenched so that the people would really become empowered.

The nexus I’m trying to illustrate here is that I have become accustomed to the centralised way of doing things. But I have found that there is an unrivalled brilliance in exploring the decentralising of resources.

Maybe, just maybe, there are innate connections in so many things around us that we fail to explicitly comprehend. At the National level, perhaps it will lead to the empowerment of people and perhaps also make daily life much easier. And on the community level, perhaps there is greater leeway for more persons to effect (positive) changes. For now, I’ll wait to see how well the decentralising of resources actually works out.

Striving to make the world a better place Deveshrie Ann Dhaniram W E MUST acknowledge the portion of young people who aim to sprinkle positivity and bring about change in people’s lives, and, by extension, the world.

Twenty-three-year-old Deveshrie Ann Dhaniram, also known as Annabella, has hopes of setting up an organisation to help the underprivileged.

She has so far co-founded a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Youths on the Rise Guyana, whose mission is “We cannot always build a future for our youths, but we can always build our youths for the future.”

Annabella resides at Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo and is currently employed by Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) as the Training Clerk. She is a student at the University of Guyana, pursuing a Diploma in Public Management, who enjoys dancing, singing,

meeting new people, spending quality time with her friends and family, and doing voluntary work.

“My passions are in the field of Business Strategies, International Relations and Marketing, but my goal right now is to grow spiritually, academically and to become a better version of myself. I see myself graduating from university in the next five years and pursuing higher studies. I aim to be a career-oriented woman [who] will continuously work towards making the world a better place through charity and social work,” the young woman said.

Annabella said her motivators are her parents. “They are my pillars of strength. They are my guide and give me the courage to battle obstacles in life. They are the motors that keep me going. My parents are my motivation to be a hard-working, determined and versatile woman. What I am today and what I will become in future involves the support and affection of my par-

ents,” she said.

Sharing her aspirations in life, the young woman said that she aspires to have a fulfilling life where, “…when I am 60 years old, I can look back and feel happy about the richness of it all.

A life full of learning and knowledge which I can use to make others’ lives better. A life where I hope to find a loving companion and give my parents the respect and comfort that they deserve. I want to achieve most of my dreams while simultaneously earning the respect of the people around me.”

Her advice to the youths is to stay in school, stay focused and get a proper education.

“Education is the key to success.

Push your boundaries, never limit yourself, believe in yourself and be the best version of you. Never allow anyone to tell you that you can’t do it. I believe the youths of today are the future of tomorrow, so be wise and create your own future,” she said.

Twenty-three-year-old Deveshrie Ann Dhaniram

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018

Youth initiatives providing valuable opportunities for Guyana’s youth - entrepreneurship, skills training and leadership primary priorities National development is synonymous with human development and the development of youth is an integral part of this process.

The Government of Guyana embraces this responsibility and continually invests in its youths by providing opportunities for them to attain quality education, boost their skills sets and provide an enabling environment for entrepreneurship and investment.

Through the Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Youth, the Government has built capacity to implement several programmes geared towards the development of youth in various sectors. In his most recent address to the National Assembly, on October 18, 2018, President David Granger reminded the gathering that youth is a priority on the agenda for his Executive.

“Your Government has launched a number of initiatives aimed at stimulating employment, including youth employment, through the promotion of entrepreneurship, self-employment and skills training,” he said.

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND OPPORTUNITY

The President further articulated that opportunities are also being provided for hinterland youth in far-flung communities to benefit and to contribute to nation-building.

“The Hinterland Employment Youth Service (HEYS), provides Indigenous youth with opportunities to acquire income-earning skills.

A total of 3,941 youth, between the ages of 18 and 35, benefit from this programme, which has created 2,051 businesses over the past two years, he said.

According to the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs website, the programme is an intensive peer learning and exchange opportunity where persons teach, discuss, learn and exchange experiences and knowledge from a repository of information in order to improve their standard of living and contribute positively to the development of their communities. It utilises an integrated and progressive approach to learning, which seeks to empower youth and young adults, who, in some cases, need a second chance to maximize their full potential socially and economically.

President Granger noted that “The Government has provided community skills

President David Granger autographs books gifted to youth after an engagement with Linden Youth Leaders on matters of national development in July 2018.

President David Granger receives a token of thanks after engaging the Linden Youth Leaders on matters of national development in July 2018.

training in electrical installation, food preparation, information technology, leather craft, plumbing, poultry-rearing and other areas.

The Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Training Programme (YEST), since September 2017, has trained an additional 721 youth attached to the Sophia Training Centre, the Kuru Kuru Training Centre and the Vryman’s Erven Training Centre. These programmes complement the other technical and vocational training services being provided by government and which also benefit young persons”.

Director of Youth, Ms. Melissa Carmichael says that the Department of Youth has as a primary goal; to empower young people.

“The Department of Youth is mandated to provide activities and initiatives that seek to empower young people to, in turn, have them make meaningful contributions in their communities and wherever they are placed…

If we have been following His Excellency and other Ministers, we would know by now that the Government of Guyana is interested in the empowerment and development of its young people and they have been putting monies into various sectors, various ministries and agencies to develop programmes and initiatives for young people. So, the drive, or the focus, is to ensure that young people become entrepreneurs or to educate and to train [them] to ensure that they can access job opportunities within the relevant markets,” she said.

The Ministry of Social Protection has

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First Lady, Mrs Sandra Granger (seated centre), Co-Founder of STEM Guyana, Ms Karen Abrams (extreme right) and Chief Librarian, Ms. Emily King (extreme left) with trainers and participants.

also been working closely with vulnerable and at-risk youth, with the view of helping them become productive members of society.

Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry’s Board of Industrial Training (BIT) Mr. Richard Maughn, said that under the National Training Project for Youth Empowerment (NTPYE), BIT has helped many young persons who, when they started the programmes suffered from low self-esteem. First, he said, the facilitators had to change the participants’ mindsets, then embark on remedial training.

Additionally, this year, the Department of Youth hosted its first National Youth Conference which brought together 300 young people from across all Ten Administrative Regions to engage first-hand with policymakers and contributors to national development.

Several of the recommendations that evolved from the forum will be given consideration by the various subject ministries.

The Department also hosted the first National Youth Business Summit on May 23-24, which provided a hub for young entrepreneurs to start or expand their own

businesses. It successfully executed the Youth Innovation Project, literacy and numeracy workshops, trained young people in the area of agro-processing, administered night schools, the President’s Youth Award: Republic of Guyana (PYARG) programme.

It also collaborated with STEM Guyana on a venture to train out-of-school youth in Robotics and successfully executed leadership camps.

YOUTH SERVICE The Youth Leadership Training Programme which commenced in 2015, has empowered a total of 1,200 young people from across the country. The training touched on areas including critical thinking, governance and democracy, and administrative procedures.

Mr. Orin Nelson, who was among the first batch of graduates from the Youth Leadership Training, held at the Madewini Training Centre, says that it has spurred his interest in youth activities and service.

Since the close of his course, Mr. Nelson Director of Youth, Ms. Melissa Carmichael hands over a grant to Youth Innovation Project Winner, Ms. Maleka Russell.

has become the Programme Coordinator of the Sophia Night School. “I do not live in Sophia but I’m doing work in Sophia helping at-risk youth, underprivileged youth, and giving young people a second chance to get a secondary education,” he said.

Graduate Ms. Filesha Mohamed receives her certificate from Facilitator of the First Lady’s Early Childhood Development Workshop, Mrs. Paulette Bollers at a graduation ceremony held at State House.

YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP Ms. Melissa Blair, who is enrolled in the school, said that she stopped formal schooling to work after her step-father died so that she could contribute to her home. She said that the school has given her a second chance to pursue her education and she is elated.

“The experience is great, the teachers are awesome, sometimes they even sacrifice Saturdays to come out and help us and sometimes they go extra hours just to get things right and make us learn… My next step is to go to the University of Guyana to do [Accounting]. I want to be an accountant or a pay clerk,” she said.

Twenty-three-year-old Ms. Maleka Russell of Kwakwani, Upper DemeraraBerbice (Region 10), who is a beneficiary of the Youth Innovation Project of Guyana (YIPoG) was keen to share how it has helped her to advance her business.

The YIPoG aims to foster and support

the design, development and production of innovative ideas through Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, Archaeology, Anthropology, Architecture, Arts, Mathematics and Spirituality. Thirty youth groups and individuals have benefited from the $45 million grant this year.

According to Ms. Russell, “We are trying to make sorrel into a more value-added product on the market. As [you] see, we can only find sorrel in its natural state. However, we are trying to add value. What we are trying to do is to make a sorrel powder out of the sorrel. It is like the regular Tandy or Maxi that you will find on the market but the difference is that it is going to be a local product and it is going to be produced by us youths.”

Over the past year, Ms. Russell and fellow community members have collaborated with the Department of Youth to discuss youth policy and development.

Youth are a valuable resource to be developed and as a result must among other things, take priority in the agenda of any Government in its path to national development. This is a reality that is embraced by our national Government and is evident in the Government’s continuous investment in its youthful human capital.

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Launch of new biscuits

Real value for money THE Guyana Consumers Association (GCA) and indeed the Guyanese public as a whole have always welcomed the launch of any locally made products which achieved standards comparable to the best imported from abroad since such quietly awakened a sense of national pride.

Guyanese, a much-travelled people, are pleased to discover that many of the foods they find in the developed countries are the same as they produce in their homeland, and sometimes better.

A few weeks ago, Banks DIH the main producer in Guyana of industrially baked biscuits launched two new biscuit products - Midwest Tea Biscuits and Midwest Cookies and upgraded their Triskits range with improved packaging and baking techniques. The Triskit range, we may remind readers, consists of the delightfully crisp oval-shaped vanilla cookies and the whole wheat and white round crackers which are already widely accepted locally and in some Caribbean markets. The motto of the Guyana Consumers Association (GCA) is “Value for Money” and they would not recommend or endorse a product simply because it was locally produced; the local product must either be equal to or superior to the foreign one and should be sold competitively.

Accordingly, we asked 20 of our members who were experienced in pastries and biscuits and who had the necessary enthusiasm, to sample the newly launched Midwest Tea Biscuits and Midwest Cookies and the upgraded Triskit range and give their studied responses so that the association may be able to give a fair assessment of the new products for the benefit of consumers. The 20-person panel posed four reactions to which they had a week and a half to respond: Firstly, whether the taste and enjoyment were positive; secondly, how did the local product compare with the equivalent foreign imports; thirdly, the packaging and presentation of the products; and fourthly, whether in view of the large assortment of foreign biscuits imported, there was need for a new local brand.

The panel gave a very high rating to both the Midwest Tea and Cookies as well as to the upgraded Triskits:- The new Midwest range was inviting. They were not too sweet as some foreign imports were and could be used as a snack at any time of day. The Midwest cookies went well with coffee. The Triskit range maintained their previous quality and was further improved with their new presentation.

At the risk of being accused of hyperbole, the new packaging was revolutionary and this was the general feeling of all samplers. The Midwest Tea was in a handy blue and gold packet containing five cellophane wrapped packs of five biscuits each. The Midwest cookies were similarly packed but in a ruby red packet. Prominently placed on each packet was a health warning that no transfat was used and telephone number and email which consumers could contact. Expiry dates were clearly written as well as the ingredients of the biscuits. The Triskits were equally attractively packed using much blue. The tea biscuits were cut into rectangular shape while the cookies were square and on each biscuit was embossed clovers indicating luck, faith, hope and love. The Triskits were cut into circular shape and were in handy packages. The use of smaller packets allows the consumer to consume only what he or she requires, leaving the rest of the packets unopened and fresh.

All samplers felt that the launch of the new biscuits and the upgrading of the Triskit range was timely and necessary, since consumers could now enjoy fresh biscuits and that the market would now have a Guyanese product equivalent to the best imports within its range.at a competitive price.

Actually, an assortment of these biscuits could make a very fine Christmas gift.

In this column, in the past, we have mentioned Guyanese made products which are world class and so acknowledged in foreign markets. Yet Guyanese are often oblivious of the world-class bargains they have at their door-step. For example, the DDL rums, especially the 15-year old and 12-year old are found in all the world’s major airports and famous bars. Yet one may find Guyanese occasionally buying inferior foreign rums.

Similarly, the sweets, curries, spices and pasta produced

by the Edward B. Beharry Co have the highest ISO ratings and are sought after in foreign markets. Despite the very competitive prices, consumers could still be found buying foreign inferior products.

Coconut oil has become one of the oils most in demand in the world both because of its health value and because it could reverse dementia. Two companies in the Pomeroon produce high grade refined and virgin

coconut oil yet consumers buy inferior foreign vegetable oil. The same trend applies to turmeric grown in the North-West District (Region I). Turmeric has now been recognized as a healthy food and at the same time, an antidote or treatment for several diseases including Alzheimer and its demand is growing exponentially in the Developed Countries. Yet its use locally is growing very slowly.

FILES E S A C T R U CO

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018

Judge’s misdirection of jury led to Appellate Court freeing convicted robbery accused THE Guyana Court of Appeal in 1967 allowed an appeal and quashed a conviction and sentence of accused Mintra Chand, because the trial judge considered Chand’s silence to be indicative of guilt.

At the jury trial, the jury acting on the misdirection of the judge found the accused guilty resulting in him being sentenced to 2 years imprisonment. He appealed.

Justice of Appeal Edward Luckhoo who along with justices of appeal Guya Persaud and P.A. Cummings, con-

stituted the Appellate Court.

Justice of Appeal Luckhoo delivered the judgment. The other judges concurred to the judgment, that allowed the appeal, and quashed the conviction and sentence.

The trial judge had taken into account that when challenged by the police about the alleged robbery, the accused after being cautioned was told by the policeman that he was not obliged to say anything , unless he wished to dos so.

Acting accordingly, the accused said that he did not have

By George Barclay

anything to say, except to say that he did not know what the virtual complainant was talking about. The appellant for he first time gave a statement from the dock indicating that he and the virtual complainant had a fight that night relative to an allegation abut a stolen fowl.

The trial judge, not taking into account that the caution, gave a prisoner the right to remain silent was critical about the accused’s statement from the dock and pointed out to the jury that if what he was saying from the dock was true, he would have related that in his statement to the police in the first instance. That was a misdirection which the jury accepted in coming to their conclusion of guilt, the Appellate Court found. The facts disclosed that the appellant was cautioned by a policeman in the presence of B whom it was alleged himself and another man had robbed two days previously.

After the appellant was cautioned he said “I don’t know anything about that” In his statement to the Police the appellant alleged that at the relevant date and time he was at a nearby cinema with another man and denied robbing B. In his statement from the dock at his trial in the High Court the appellant said that himself and B had a fight in front of the cinema which his friend had parted.’ The trial judge failed to remind the jury that when a person is cautioned he is not obliged to say anything and he told the jury that one would have expected that the appellant would have told the police about the fight which the jury were hearing for the first time and that such an incident might have been a motive why B had made a false allegation against him.

THE APPELLATE COURT HELD:(i) It is not always that “silence is golden”: a Judge may properly, in certain circumstances, invite a jury to consider an accused person’s silence as a relevant factor in determining what weight should be given to any defence which he may subsequently raise, but it would amount to a misdirection were he to invite them to treat the accused’s silence as evidence against him; (ii) To avoid the danger of depriving an accused person of the protection which he has a right to expect from the implication of the words ‘that he not obliged to say anything contained in the caution it may well be that where an accused person makes no answer at all or makes some observation which in itself is not in the matter of an explanation, then the trial judge should make no observation . on it; (iii) here, the trial Judge’s directions clearly offended these principles and the result of his drastic and destructive comments made it difficult for the jury to resist coming to the conclusion that because the story of the fight was not told at the first opportunity it could not be true, was not in fact true, ought not to be believed and should be discarded.

Such comments could not be described as fair and proper and did not take cognisance of the paramount importance of not allowing the usual police caution to become a rap to the unwary.

Appeal allowed- Convictions snd sentence quashed, the Guyana Court of Appeal ruled.

According tp President of the Appellate Court Edward Luckho, ”The appellant Chand and another man, Mahadeo Sukdeo, were convicted on the12th January 1967, for the offence of robbery with violence, contrary to section 222(a) of the Criminal Law (Offences) Ordinance, Chapter 10, for which they were sentenced io two years and eighteen months, respectively, and from which they both appealed, but the latter, somewhat unfortunately (in view of the conclusion at which we have arrived ) chose to abandon his appeal before hearing .

No doubt his position will be reviewed by those charged with that responsibility to allow him to have, in justice, the benefit of what the appellant herein has derived from this decision.

Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018

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EPA Launches Television Programme

‘The Environment Matters’

Dr. Patrick Williams. Both of these men possess a wealth of practical experience in areas of environmental protection and management.

SHOW TIME Remember to join us on the National Communications Network (NCN) Channel 11 on the first Sunday of every month at 10:00 hrs, and for re-broadcasts on the second Tues-

Dr. Vincent Adams, Executive Director, EPA.

Dr. Patrick Williams, Chairman of the EPA Board of Directors.

THIS past year has seen the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) boosting its efforts and capacity to increase its visibility in both the public and private domains through radio, television, print, social media, and other media publications and outlets.

This week, we are pleased to announce that we will be launching our first ever televised programme - “The Environment Matters”. Recognising the need to provide the public with more up-to-date and relevant information, we saw this fitting. Equally, we believe that this will help to engender a Guyanese populace that is environmentally conscious and literate.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT Don’t think of this as just another TV programme that provides technical and not so interesting information to its viewers. The Environment Matters is one with a difference.

This high quality, viewer-centred programme will have something interesting for all who tune in. With pressing environmental issues climbing higher on the country’s national agenda, viewers can expect relevant information relating to; • Who we are - Inside the EPA • Our Authorisation Process • The Changing Climate • Managing the country’s Natural Resources • Fascinating ways to manage your waste • Air Quality –it’s no joke, it can make you choke • Water Quality Management • Noise Management • Guyana’s fascinating Biodiversity and • Preparing for the Oil and Gas sector.

The agency’s work enables Guyana to contribute to national and global environmental protection and conservation. In developing this programme and planning its content, we were sure to include content for all ages and groups to enjoy. As you tune in, you will get the opportunity to be alongside us in our journey of protecting the beautiful ecosystems of Guyana.

INAUGURAL SHOW Our first show will be aired on Sunday, December 16, and will provide viewers with information on ‘Who we are’, highlighting the key roles and responsibilities of the EPA, programmes and plans to align our work with the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS), and steps to address challenges as we forge ahead. We will feature two special guests, the newly appointed Executive Director of the Agency, Dr. Vincent Adams, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors,

day at 20:05 hrs and the third Saturday at 13:00 hrs, and the fourth Monday at 21:30 hrs.

You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O ECEA Programme, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, Georgetown, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018 ◄◄◄ From page XVI

1. “Judicial Forgiveness – Forgiveness that is granted only by God. This type of forgiveness, however, is contingent on confession, the acknowledgement of sin, and a form of repentance. Therefore since judicial forgiveness must be given

by God, an abuse survivor should not be pressured into giving absolute forgiveness.

2. Psychological Forgiveness – This type of forgiveness involves the personal healing journey of the person who experienced the pain. This two-part process involves initially letting go of hatred and personal revenge or turning it over to God. Part Two involves extending grace to the perpetrator.

3. Relational Forgiveness – This type of forgiveness describes the process of restoring or reconciling a relationship. This can occur only after the perpetrator has displayed genuine repentance.”

Additionally, she proposed five practical behavioural techniques. (Adapted directly from research): 1. “Clarify the offence (s) and resultant negative emotions.

Identifying the ways one has been harmed is an essential preliminary step to forgiveness. Holding the perpetrator solely responsible is important for getting rid of false guilt and self-blame.

2. Determine appropriate boundaries to check evil and stimulate repentance–The victim determines the appropriate boundaries for the protection of self. For instance, the victim should not be pressured to attend family events where the perpetrator is present in order to “prove” she has forgiven him.

3. Deliberately let go of the right to hurt an abuser for the hurt they have inflicted – This step involves turning over the responsibility of justice and judgment to God. 4. Revaluate the abuser and discover their humanity- Consider the perpetrator as a fellow human being.

5. Extend appropriate grace - Allowing the perpetrator to experience God’s healing.”

A typical healing tool recommended by psychologists is the approach method which involves confronting your abuser.

There are two ways of doing this. The first involves the physical/verbalised confrontation which despite what it sounds is not meant to be violent in any way. This is where the victim tells the perpetrator that the abused is remembered as well as the effects it has had. - How it has made you feel, the negative things it has caused you to do etc. Whatever you think will be helpful to get off your chest.

For some, this seems or may actually be an impossible task. This could be due to fear, distance or death of the abuser.

In this case, writing a letter to the abuser is recommended.

You do not have to send it to them. The act of writing it all down and fully expressing how you feel is healing in itself.

When you are finished, read it aloud and then destroy it. Many victims of abuse claimed that doing this provided closure they never thought possible.

Ensure you develop/practice new and healthy coping skills as most victims of sexual abuse do not. The key is to find new and healthy behaviours or hobbies that make you feel good.

This can be anything from dancing to an art project.

Much research has also shown the benefits of support groups. To my knowledge, there are no support groups specifically for sexual abuse at the moment in Guyana despite its prevalence. Why not start one as sadly, there are many around you who have been abused. If you are already aware of these people, meet with them once a week (or whatever is convenient) to each discuss your feelings towards it. This will allow for the acceptance and freedom of speech that comes with forgiveness.

“The first and often the only person to be healed by forgiveness is the person who does the forgiveness...When we genuinely forgive, we set a prisoner free and then discover that the prisoner we set free was us.” Lewis Smedes Thanking you for reading. Please keep sending any topics you’d like to talk about to caitlinvieira@gmail.com Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always!

Suicide Prevention Helpline – 223-0001, 223-0009, 623-4444 or 600-7896 Do not be afraid to reach out!

Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018

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Chronicle Pepperpot December 9, 2018 ◄◄◄ From page XI

“In every country in the world, apart from Arctic [countries] there are beekeepers; bees have a built-in tendency to cluster together; to work together towards a common goal and believes that some of that also rubs off on beekeepers,” Solomon posited.

He noted that with the support coming from the government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Guyana is indeed poised for a green economy, with beekeeping playing a great role in that.

A section of the participants listening to one of the speakers

PROSPECTS OF BEEKEEPING At the opening, the Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder addressed the gathering. There were also remarks coming from the Ministry of Business; the Guyana Livestock Development Association (GLDA); the Georgetown Chambers of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), and other key stakeholders.

All the remarks were geared at encouraging participants towards serious involvement in the business of beekeeping and also building capacity.

The activities for every day were all geared towards capacity building and covered topics which sought to inform beekeepers, as well as potential beekeepers on the various aspects of beekeeping, honey harvesting and the many different by-products of honey.

There were arranged mangrove beekeeping tours, as well as tours to the rainforest beekeeping sites. These tours lasted for the entire day, with participants being able to view the operations of actual apiaries at various locations in many parts of Guyana.

Some of the participants, who had their first experience with an actual apiary, told the Guyana Chronicle that it was not just a new experience, but one that they hope to follow through with, having apiaries of their own. Some said that they have even begun to consult with the GAS and ACBO executive to assist them in setting up their beekeeping enterprises. (mercilinburke2017@gmail.com) ◄◄◄ From page V

NET IMPORTER OF FOOD In Guyana, as with most of the Caribbean, there is a relatively small population base with a fair amount of arable land that can be used for agriculture, yet the countries are net importers of food. At the same time, the Caribbean Import Bill is about four billion US dollars every year, which is projected to grow to about eight to 10 billion by 2020, Nokta stated.

He said that the present situation is cause for concern because within the region there are the capabilities to produce, with Guyana being a prime example.

Nokta said that Guyana has always seen itself as the breadbasket of the Caribbean and this provides an opportunity for countries like Guyana that are producers of food and agro-products. However, the reality is a bit different; for indeed many of the agro-businesses and the supply chain continue to face challenges supplying these markets opportunities.

He said that these challenges range from trade-related matters and other issues such as logistics, transportation, packaging, promotion, regularity of supply, and quality control.

Therefore, with the bringing together of key stakeholders in this workshop, representing governments, international agencies, regional organisations and the private sector is timely, Nokta said.

GUYANA HAS HOPE Wilmot Garnett, IICA Representative for Guyana stated that Guyana with its vast landmass, many waters and know-how can certainly contribute as a major provider of agri-products and services in the Caribbean and beyond.

“Today this dialogue, being supported by the GMSA and IICA will provide a platform for all, to fully understand the many challenges and agree on the way forward based on recommendations available through numerous consultancies completed over the years. It’s time to implement those recommendations,” he posited.

He stated that the team will chart a way forward on matters such as Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) and Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs), transportation and logistics, which after extensive discussions, will be presented to CARICOM Ministers of Agriculture, who recently at the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) held in Barbados, supported these national consultations.

Garnett added that the new Medium Term Plan for IICA, 2018-2022 include a Bio-economy and Trade Programme to support the Private Sector in achieving its market share of both intra and extra regional-trade. (mercilinburke2017@gmail.com)

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English THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

STUDY SUCCESS Dear Student, To be good at English Language study, you need also to develop the ability to use new words well. Some new words will take a seat in your vocabulary without any effort. Still, some others will need you to deliberately use them in context soon

after you meet them. Words which are necessarily and particularly worthwhile knowing should be listed and used often in speech and writing. They should also be written individually and used in sentences or phrases and displayed where they can be seen often. Be wise.

Love you.

THE NARRATIVE

Was this the face that launch’d a

Narrative Types thousand ships, And burnt the Narrative writing tells a story. Narrative is found in topless towers of Ilium? prose and poetry.

CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE * A fictional narrative tells a story about imaginary char(1564-1593) Doctor faustus acters and events. * A non-fiction narrative another, and they stayed with me until we presents a story about real characters and were right next to the form. events.

It was a stump.

Both fictional and non-fictional narratives A six-foot tall, old rotten stump with present a sequence of events in a particular the bark knocked off, glowing in the dark setting. Here are some important differences with a bright green glow. Impossible. I stood between these two forms: there with the dogs around my legs, smelling i) A fictional narrative does not describe the stump and touching it with their noses. I real events. The author has complete control found out later that it glowed because it had over characters, setting, and plot. He can sucked phosphorous from the ground up into introduce new characters, change locations, the wood and held the light from day all night. or alter events to build the story.

But that was later. There in the night I ii) A non-fiction narrative describes real did not know this. Touching the stump, and events. The author is not allowed to change feeling the cold light, I could not quite get rid real-life events or invent details about settings of the fear until a black-and-white dog named and people.

Fonzie came up, smelled the stump, snorted, Become a better writer and relieved himself on it.

An expert, Elizabeth Yates, author of So much for ghosts.

“Someday You’ll Write,” tells how to become (From “A Glow in the Dark” from Wooda better writer: song by Gary Paulson) “Look at everything around you as if you About the Passage shared its secret life. Listen and let the thing In Paulson’s fiction, the ‘I’ narrator strugitself tell you its story. John Burroughs [a fagles with doubts and fears in a wilderness mous naturalist] wrote: ‘My thoughts go and setting. Paulson had written a true story about scratch with the hens, thy nip the new grass his experiences training for a dog-sled race with the geese, they follow the wild ducks in a cold country, Alaska. Later he pulled northward.’ pieces from his true story, “Woodsong” (his “The intensity of your imagination will non-fiction), and made the fiction, “A Glow have much to do with the vivid quality and the in the Dark.” spacious breadth of your writing. You are the You too, can look at your true personal eyes of the reader; you are the ears; you may experiences and make wonderful and exciting often be the heart. As you see and hear and fictional stories utilizing choice parts. feel, so will your reader.”

THE PASSAGE …..But curiosity was stronger. My legs moved without my wanting them to move and my body followed them, along-side the team in the dark, holding to each dog like a security blanket until I reached the next one, moving closer to the light until I was at the front and there were no more dogs to hold.

The light had gotten brighter, seemed to pulse and flood back and forth, but I still could not see the source. I took another step, then another, trying to look around the corner, deeply feeling the distance from the dogs, the aloneness.

Two more steps, then one more, leaning to see around the corner and at last I saw it and when I did it was worse.

It was a form. Not human. A large, standing form glowing in the dark. The light came from within, a cold-glowing green light with yellow edges that diffused the shape, making it change and grow as I watched.

I felt my heart slam up into my throat.

I couldn’t move, I stared at the upright form and was sure it was a ghost, a being from the dead sent for me. I could not move and might not have ever moved except that the dogs had followed me, pulling the rig quietly until they were around my legs, peering ahead, and I looked down at them and had to laugh.

They were caught in the green light, curved around my legs staring at the standing form, ears cocked and heads turned sideways while they studied it. I took another short step forward and they all followed me, then

WHAT TO DO Read the passage thoroughly to recognise use of details, and then respond to the listed questions.

1. Details used in the passage can affect the way you view the challenge faced by the narrator. a) State details from the narrator’s imagination which helped create excitement. b) State details which show the narrator’s bravery. c) State which details helped to alleviate the fears of the writer.

2. How much did the writer’s ignorance of a scientific explanation for the glow add to his fear?

STUDY SKILLS A Learning Log A learning log is an important writeup about any aspect(s) of your study. You can keep entries accumulated for a week or so. Re-read them. Think about how they have boosted your understanding of class/study sessions. Also, notice your different forms of record-keeping – have you been using drawings, tables, maps, charts, webs? Write an entry saying what you think about your experience using the Learning Log by summarising the session(s) in question, making note of any puzzling/ interesting ideas or concepts you had, and noting subsequent clarifications.

End by describing the next assignment in your own words. Remember that the main purpose of this writing activity is to clarify concepts discussed in study.

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Black Cake

INGREDIENTS 1/4 lb cherries 1 lb local dried fruits (or raisins) 1 cup rum 1 1/2lbs. brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 lb flour 6 eggs 4 oz orange or lemon peel 1/2lb butter

INSTRUCTIONS Grind dried fruits and soak it in 3 cups of rum. Store in an air tight container for three weeks.

Prepare the caramel by heating 1 lb of the the sugar until it turns dark brown.

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, soaked fruits, and rum. When it is well blended, pour the caramel.

Add the flour with the baking powder and mixed spice.

Fold in the cherries.

Pour mixture in a baking pan and bake in a slow oven (about 300 degrees F.) for two hours. Remove cake from pan after cooking and Soak with Rum.

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