Guyana Chronicle Pepperpot E-Paper 20-03-2022

Moulding minds for 49 years - Bibi Shariman Neshaw Ali

From the moment she stepped into the teaching profession 49 years ago, Bibi Shariman Neshaw Ali has continued to work tirelessly towards the advancement of Guyana’s education sector; helping to mould the minds of thousands of children, their parents, and young teachers who are now starting out (Adrian Narine photo)

Sunday, March 20, 2022

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 20, 2022

Moulding minds for 49 years - Bibi Shariman Neshaw Ali

FROM the moment she stepped into the teaching profession 49 years ago, Bibi Shariman Neshaw Ali has continued to work tirelessly towards the advancement of Guyana’s education sector, helping to mould the minds of thousands of children, their parents, and young teachers who are now starting out.

Not for one moment during this time did Ali ever feel that she lacked the energy and drive to press on in her career, and this was largely due to the positive outlook that she has always kept when approaching her work.

Meditating on the positive impact her efforts were having on the children also served to motivate her, especially as she would see them passing the College of Preceptors exams that she helped to prepare them for when she was just 16 years oldfresh out of school herself.

Growing up in Leguan, Ali was offered a teaching job shortly after completing high school. This meant that she had to leave home and head to the Western Hogg Island Government School. Not only was she going to a strange place as a young girl, but she had no clue that she was expected to teach a multi-grade school, owing to the student population being very small.

Ali was allotted Prep A and B and also Ali is now in her 49th year of had to juggle the responsibilities of teaching helping to mould the nation’s children English ‘A,’ English Literature and History in the upper classes. Even though teaching

the older children who were preparing for their exams was a bit intimidating, as some were just two years younger than her, her positive disposition and good grasp of the teaching content helped her manage well.

Eventually, she would go on to teach at Cornelia Ida Primary and Leonora Primary and Secondary Schools before moving on as a Test Development Officer and Chief Curriculum Development Officer at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD). She was then promoted to Assistant Chief Education Officer Primary and Deputy Chief Education Officer Development at the Ministry of Education.

Even in those years when she was out of the classroom, though, Ali continued to work with children, tutoring some of them as they prepared for the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) assessment.

With her husband, Mohamed Osman Ali, and grandson.

The Teaching Instinct Back in 1973, there were hardly any opportunities for young teachers to be trained or mentored. As sad as this was, it was quite understandable. In Ali’s case, she was one of the two untrained teachers at Hogg Island, while the other three were busy with their own roles and responsibilities; even the headmistress had a class of her own to teach!

A sample book with lesson plans was all the young teachers had to guide them. But this presented no particular challenges to Ali. “Most of what I did as a young teacher was by instinct; all the methods I used were by trial and error and my own intuition,” she reflected in an interview with Pepperpot Magazine.

“When I looked at the faces of the children, I felt an affinity with them. I somehow felt closeness to them; as if I really wanted to do something for them. They were so innocent, keen to learn, and easy to get along with,” she continued.

Her fondness for them only grew when she thought of the sacrifices they were making to attend school at such a tender age. “It was a real struggle for them to come to school; they had to paddle boats. Many of them came from far distances.

They were making such an effort to get to school, so naturally, I felt the need to do the best I could for them.”

Even though she was not professionally trained, Ali saw that she was helping to make a difference in their lives. The sole fact that they were passing their exams boosted her self-esteem. It motivated her to continue trying her best in the circumstances.

What she found especially helpful was fostering a good relationship with parents and the community. “Even though the students came from distant places, somehow we managed to foster such a good relationship with the parents and the community, and they SEE PAGE III supported any event that was

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 20, 2022

Moulding minds ...

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carried out by the school,” the educator explained.

Personal Connection “You may have all the qualifications and know all the philosophy of teaching, but if you do not connect with your students, they will not have confidence in you,” Ali believes.

“So always try to understand and empathise with them and make a personal connection with them, so that they can feel free to confide in you.”

From experience, she’s seen the importance of continuing to learn. In fact, she was still studying well into her 50s. “Never stop learning. Every day, things are evolving, and we have to keep up with the times. Learn about all the tools you can use to enhance your work and always seek help and support if things are not working out for you in the classroom. Talk to your colleagues; you may be surprised to know that they can help you. Never be too shy to ask for help,” she advised.

It is also imperative that teachers refrain from responding aggressively to parents and children, she advised. “Never do anything that will lower a child’s self-esteem. It is very easy for us to cause damage to students by our words and actions.

Be very careful about what you say and what actions you take to resolve issues. Let them see you as fair.”

Retirement Ali officially retired from the Ministry of Education 10 years ago. She knew all along that the time for this was coming and felt sad at having to leave, but at the same time, she was certain that she would continue to serve the sector in one way or another. “I still had that drive and energy. I still felt that I could continue because I cherished the school community,” she recalled.

So she became the principal of a private school. During that time, she used the opportunity to mentor, guide, and train young teachers, while still being active in the classrooms.

“One might think that they knew everything after being trained, but you would not believe that when they actually go into the practical school situation how many things they need to learn. Most principals should play this role because our teachers still need a lot of help when they graduate from college and even university.”

As she helped the teachers, though, the benefits were mutual. Ali took the time to learn technology and other modern teaching methods.

Having retired from the school last September, she is still actively involved in the lives of children. From time

Ali with her husband (right) and sons, President Mohamed Irfaan Ali (second from right) and Aqtar Ali, a professional Machinist

to time, she would do consultancy work that would have a direct bearing on children. “I still feel I have that passion and energy, and I can still do whatever I can to impact the lives of young people. So many students still approach me and ask me to tutor them,” she said.

The President’s mother “Even though teachers don’t get rich from the profession, seeing our students take their place in society is very gratifying,” Ali remarked, especially as she looked at how her own two sons have turned out: Aqtar Ali, is a Machinist, while Mohamed Irfaan Ali, is the President of Guyana.

Although having a career that took a lot of her time, Ali

Mr. and Mrs. Ali are very fond of their grandchildren

still managed to create a balance between her family and work responsibilities. “Do not get too overwhelmed and forget the other roles you have in your life. If things don’t go well at home, you will go to school not feeling motivated,” she advised.

Her husband, Mohamed Osman Ali, made it easier for her to create a good balance, as he too was a dedicated educator. In a previous interview with this publication back in 2012, Ali said: “When he went there [Hogg Island], people were hardly interested in education, and he went house to house encouraging parents to get involved.

And he used to take his own money and buy biscuits and tea and anything else to encourage the children to study.”

As she looked at her children growing up, it wasn’t hard to see that they would’ve turned out well. Speaking about the now-president, she said: “There was never a doubt that my son had what it took to excel. He was a very confident person; never afraid to meet challenges. He would just dive into them.”

Ali described him as someone who was a risk-taker.

“Even though this caused me endless worry as a mother, I realised that it was one of the traits that made him excel.

I have to admit that he was not a bookworm, but he had a natural knack to learn quickly. He was very analytical and practical in his approach to problems.”

She continued that she is extremely grateful for how things have turned out for her family. “I do believe that everything that happens is by the will of God,” she mentioned, adding, “I also feel very humbled that someone who came from the countryside and whose parents were teachers could attain the presidency of this country. I am also honoured that my son was able to attain the highest office of this country and that he is given the opportunity to serve all the people of Guyana.”

Describing what she especially loves about her son, the president, she said it is that he loves to have his parents around him. “All mothers want loving and caring children who would find them to spend with them. My son has not disappointed me in this regard. I really appreciate that he is loving, caring, and attentive towards us. He loves having us around him and I just feel so blessed that he’s my son because of the good qualities that he has.”

Ali also shares this love for her son, Aqtar; daughtersin-law, Arya Ali, First Lady of Guyana and Hafeeza Ali; and her five grandchildren.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 20, 2022

GCU aims to preserve Guyanese heritage within Guyanese-Canadian community

G U YA N A - b o r n J a n e t Naidu is recognised for her literary contribution to poetry and other writings, having published three collections of poems – Winged Heart, Rainwater and Sacred Silence.

Janet also initiated the formation of the Pakaraima Writers’ Association to encourage writers and poets to support each other in their writings and publications.

She served as its president for 12 years and continues to participate in community readings while encouraging writers to join the group.

Some of Janet’s poems have been academically published in the University of the West Indies Journal on Women’s Studies.

Being someone who is not content to rest on her laurels, Naidu is the brainchild behind the recent formation of Guyanese Canadians for Unity (GCU) which was recently launched in Toronto, Canada and saw participation by attendees from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Winnipeg, and Saskatchewan.

The aim of the GCU is to work to bring together Guyanese Canadians and friends of Guyana to preserve and foster principles of human rights, equality, social justice, democracy, peace, prosperity, and unity for the progressive development of Guyana.

It also aims to foster social engagement and the preservation of Guyanese heritage within the Guyanese Canadian community.

According Naidu, who is also the president of the entity, the timing is right for communities to be revived, and to come together as Guyanese-Canadians, whether as immigrants from Guyana, or are Canadian-born.

It is also an opportunity to bring people together, “given our diverse cultural

heritage, perspectives, and identities”, she said. “[We] have been coming together in many ways through the years, through

– Fawzi Wahab, Membership Secretary - Roslyn Bacchus; Assistant Secretary/Treasurer, Sachie Ramnauth, and Social Me-

Janet Naidu

formations of organisations to serve our community here and participate in the wider Canadian landscape. Many of our folks have contributed significantly to this great journey, and many continue to also give back to Guyana through donations to worthy causes.”

Additionally, “We are at a pivotal point now – to come together and be re-energised. To help one another feel valued as part of this society, and at the same time, to give back to Guyana, where possible.

We want to be positive, to be united, and build on our strengths. Many of us want to have the Canada-Guyana connection – perhaps to go back, visit, travel, and some may want to volunteer in needed causes.”

Apart from Naidu, the GCU’s board of directors includes First Vice-president - Jito Naraine; Second Vice-president - Nadira Somwaru; Treasurer - Terrance Charles; Secretary

dia Management Officer - Frederick Halley.

Speaking at the virtual launching, Consul General (ag) Gerald Whyte reminded the audience, which included Rosalinda Rasul, Head of the Diaspora Unity at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation, that during the Inaugural Virtual Diaspora Conference, which was held last year, H.E. President Mohamed Irfaan Ali said that the “Diaspora is a key element in the New Guyana that will bring with it great opportunities and prosperity.”

According to Whyte, the GCU is eager to further build and strengthen the existing relations with the Guyanese Community in Canada and also in their homeland.

“Like other diaspora groups in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), I am confident that this organisation will work diligently to foster increased social engagement, unity- that feeling of community and importantly

the promotion of democratic values, peace and prosperity.”

Whyte extended congratulations to the principals and

benefits of development if its people cannot live in a space that is enclosed by unity, respect for each other, and

Gerald- Consul General (ag), Gerald Whyte

members of the GCU and wished them every success in all of their further endeavours.

In her remarks, Rasul pointed out that the launch could not have happened at a better time, since “Guyana - as you are well aware - is currently going through a new wave of development that will usher in new lifestyles, greater opportunities and spectacular transformation like never seen before.

“The icing on the cake for the country in light of this transformation is a nation that exemplifies unity in diversity. We are a growing nation built on the contributions of six different groups of people, sharing common values such as respect for democracy, equality, respect for human rights and a drive for greater prosperity and social justice for its people.”

According to Rasul, this is important because no country can truly enjoy the

respect for key human rights and values. She pointed out that the President of Guyana Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has often spoken about “One Guyana” and every project, initiative, decision and action undertaken in Guyana aims to promote a country where diverse peoples can, in the purest form, display oneness.

Rasul said she was happy to see that the Diaspora in Canada has been thinking of the role they can play to this end and the ways in which they can help promote and uphold democratic principles, foster greater equality, social justice, peace, prosperity and unity for the greater development of their homeland.

Rasul commended those persons who came up with this idea and crafted the guiding principles and goals of the association. “I commend the new Board who will plan and execute various ideas that show the beauty of Guyanese people when uni-

fied and what things they are able to do for their country as a result.

“On behalf of the Government of Guyana, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Diaspora Unit, I wish you every success in your endeavours.”

Naidu emphasised that there is no time like now, with all that’s been going on around us in the world, to come together - as one people with our diverse cultural heritage and our diverse identities. “Let us create a sense of belonging within our community.”

According to Naidu, “we continue to be patriotic Guyanese living in Canada as Canadians. We are proud of the diversity of our heritage, be it our ethnicity, religion or other lifestyles.”

She pointed out that “we have been coming together in many ways through the years, through formations of organisations to serve our community here and participate in the wider Canadian landscape. Many of our folks have contributed significantly to this great journey, and many continue to also give back to Guyana through donations to worthy causes.

“We are at a pivotal point now - to come together and be re-energised. To help one another feel valued as part of this society and at the same time, to give back to Guyana, where possible.

“We want to be positive, to be united and build on our strengths. Many of us want to have the Canada-Guyana connection - perhaps to go back, visit, travel, and some may want to volunteer in needed causes.”

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 20, 2022

More ‘structured service’ to needy communities soon - Subraj Foundation completes outreaches in Regions Six and Nine

THOUSANDS of people in remote locations across Regions Six and Nine have recently benefited from an outreach programme by the Subraj Family Foundation and the Ophthalmology Department of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), leaving many of them without words as they received eye care services and glasses - some for the very first time of their life.

Clive Edwards, for example, a resident from one of the farflung Rupununi villages, said his eye problems had progressed to the point where he could barely see. “When I was young,

I used to see far distance, but since 2013 I have blood sugar.

I was almost blind. Today, I received glasses that are helping me to see far distances again,” he expressed.

Like many others who received their glasses, Edwards is especially looking forward to being able to read again. “I am so happy to be here to see the eye doctors,” he said.

Approximately 500 persons from 14 different communities within the district of Annai attended the clinic there, with many children and elderly SEE PAGE XXV ones. The residents have not had

A scene from the clinic at Lethem

A child receives a sonogram test

The veteran sugar manager There is that song that extolls the virtues of sugar with lyrics which state, “Sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening, sugar at supper time. Be my little sugar and love me all the time.” And in this article, we bring you some of the stories of sugar production in Guyana, out of the Boardrooms of King Sugar as related by Dr. Ian McDonald. A marketing professional, Dr. McDonald has made sterling contributions in the marketing of Guyana’s sugar on the world market for many decades, and for which he received the National Award of the Golden Arrow of Achievement (AA). Not many of the younger citizens are aware that McDonald was not born in Guyana, but rather in Trinidad. But that really does not matter. “I came to Guyana and worked in the sugar industry in the mid-1950s,” he informed me. So, just pause and reflect on that fact. Ian McDonald has been working and residing in Guyana for over half a century.

He experienced the industry as it blossomed and bloomed and as it was transformed by the Jock Campbell revolution, which many who are not even involved with the sugar industry were aware of. “It was a wonderful time of change and new ideas and betterment,” McDonald declared. “I remember going to work every day looking forward to the work to be done and the promise of improvements.” The marketing of much of the sugar produced in British Guiana was the major responsibility of the young Ian McDonald, and it improved even as the sweet commodity was very much in demand in Europe through the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement, and subsequently the European Union (EU) Sugar Protocol which resulted in much better and more stable prices.

Dr. Ian McDonald, AA.

That success brought rise to better wages and conditions and financial returns for the local sugar companies and British Guiana as a whole. The sugar workers were also better off, as they received higher wages and better working conditions. Dr. Ian McDonald further alluded to the many new housing schemes, with a potable water supply and better medical facilities. There was also a network of improved roads where the sugar workers lived. The sub-human logies in which the sugar workers resided in the old colonial days

also became a thing of the past. Relating other developments in the sugar industry during the pre- and post- Independence era of Guyana, Ian McDonald stated, “It was a time of great achievement and optimism.”

The personal life of Ian McDonald can also be similarly described. He has given much to the literature of the country, especially with his poems and Prize-winning publications. He has written many poems, some of them now published works that chronicle his love for his adopted country, especially the Essequibo River area near Bartica, where he spends many happy and relaxing times with family and friends. Somewhat of a romantic, he has also written a love poem to his wife Mary.

He has also been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) since 1970. Ian McDonald has further made a significant contribution to sports in Guyana; especially lawn tennis. His long tennis career included his captaining teams to the Guyana and West Indies Davis Cup. However, whenever you dip up a spoon of sugar for your coffee, you can realise that from the sugar workers who plant and harvest the sugar canes and those who work all through the process from field, factory and boardroom to your breakfast table, Dr. Ian McDonald most likely had a part of the complex but sweet process.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 20, 2022

Silver City

A picturesque village from hill-foot to hill-top This week the Pepperpot Magazine visited Silver City, Wismar, Linden, in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) to highlight the way of life of the people.

In the background of this village is the Demerara River.

From its Burnham Drive entrance, there is a huge masjid

and from this street the internal streets can be located which leads to Victory Valley and Blueberry Hill.

It is a very scenic village set on both the hill foot and uphill with residential houses lining the community, making a colourful picture.

Schools, health centres and other public buildings and services are accessed at neighbouring villages.

The population is about 250 residents, predominately of

People, places and things in Silver City Village (Delano Williams photos)

Silver City is located between Silvertown and Christianburg bordered by the Demerara River and other villages in Wismar.

It is a small village with a mosque, churches, an old Lodge building, a large hardware store – Bolo’s Variety and Furniture Store, shops and many roadside stalls with varying small businesses.

Afro Guyanese descent, and they are very welcoming and accommodating.

The main economic activities of the locals are centred on the rearing of pigs, ducks, sheep, goats, chickens, cash crop farming and small businesses.

Some people work in both the private and public sectors, and there are a few teachers, nurses and servicemen and women.

It is a relatively clean village that is prone to flooding, but through self-help methods, the residents continue to clear drains and do other community enhancement works.

Some folk have lovely SEE PAGE XXVII flower gardens, and it is a

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 20, 2022

Life in Silver City means doing many things to earn

By Michel Outridge For Ron Beckles and his family, life is not perfect, but it is still considered good in Silver City, Wismar, Linden since they have established a small business which is their sole source of income to the home.

Beckles and his wife, Nicola Sears, have a small

He would assist his spouse to operate the business when she is out and when he can he would buy clothes and take it into the interior to vend.

Since things have been slow, he is yet to return to the hinterland to conduct his small business.

Beckles stated that there is unity among the people

Lloyd Gilbert at his home

grocery shop that adjoins their fence from the yard and a roadside stall where they vend ground provisions and vegetables.

The 40-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that he is originally from Victory Valley but relocated to Silver City, at his wife’s place.

The father of two added that life in that village is very quiet and simple.

there but a lot has changed from the early times to now.

“We live in a good place because there is peace and no ghetto kind of behaviour here. Just one time, we had a break-in but nothing else since,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nicola Sears told the Pepperpot Magazine that she has been living in Silver City for all her 44 years in existence and it is

Nicola Sears at her stall

home.

She is trying to keep her head above the water with her small business since jobs are not readily available in Linden.

Despite these challenges, the couple seems particularly happy and contended.

Andrea Hinds Another resident, Andrea Hinds is also a stall owner who sells ground provisions, eggs, fruits and vegetable from her roadside small stall.

The 42-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that life in Silver City isn’t too bad since she is doing many things to earn from her home.

“I have the stall here and then I plant cash crops, fruits and we rear pigs,” she said.

She has lived all her life in Silver City and, at the time, was planting some peppers in the yard.

Hinds is the mother of four, and her grown children would assist her in the gardening.

This family does not buy greens and fruits since they grow their own.

“Nothing bad really happens here because it is quiet and nice. People are working, and things [aren’t] so bright, but still, there is some colour to life here,” she said.

Lloyd Gilbert This gentleman is a resident of Silver City and the father of six who has been confined to a wheelchair

Andrea Hinds at her roadside stand

be outfitted with a prosthetic leg, and he can resume his everyday life.

When the team visited, he had already prepared a pot of rice with curry chicken and was relaxing by the doorway.

Gilbert was a miner who has been living in Silver City for the past 40 years.

He is originally from Ann’s Grove but moved to Linden to help his mother sell after which he settled in that region.

Having spent 15 years in the hinterland working as a pork knocker, Gilbert told the Pepperpot Magazine that he retired as he began to advance in age.

He is supported by his son and his daughterin-law but would try to do things for himself.

“Life here is nice.

Today I went to the hosRon Beckles in the grocery shop (Delano Williams photos) pital to get a check-up for my leg and I got my for the past three months, stepped on an old nail and I having lost the lower part of didn’t take it seriously until meds too. I am accustomed my foot started to swell and to living here,” he said. his right leg.

Gilbert used to rear a It was amputated due to turned black,” he said.

By then, it was too late to lot of pigs but due to his his uncontrollable diabetic condition after a nail had save it, and he was advised diabetic condition he had inserted itself under his right that he had to amputate a to quit and now they just have some ducks in the part. foot bottom.

The 73-year-old is opti- backyard.

‘I was doing some yard work and I accidentally mistic he will soon be able to

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 20, 2022

A place for sport and recreation

By Michel Outridge Silver City, Wismar, Linden has a basketball court/ football space with a pavilion, and it is a safe place that is utilised by the community for both sports and other social

be erected with a shed, and the place became more established.

Perry added that often they would take money out of their own pockets to do repairs, and she replaced a breaker recently, which was damaged so the facility could get safe

unknown who or what caused the inferno.

She is of the view that a new community centre should be built for skills training for the many out-of-job young people in the community.

Perry noted that young people in other villages could

The Silver City basketball court (Delano Williams photo)

activities.

It serves as a recreational area that is fenced, and in the afternoons, the locals would visit to play games and host other undertakings.

Regional Democratic Council (RDC) Councillor, Donna Perry, who is also a resident, told the Pepperpot Magazine that this facility was there when she settled in the village in 1995.

She noted that maintenance works had been done for the general upkeep of the place ever so often.

Perry added that the Silver City football court is the place where football is also played.

Members of the community would donate towards the repairs of the place, which is a well-maintained basketball court/football space.

Perry disclosed that residents are responsible for cleaning the place, and she is not sure how they got the plot which was just sand-filled when she first settled in the village.

She reported that over time the facility was developed, the sand-filled plot was replaced with concrete, and it was fenced.

Later, donations were given for a wooden pavilion to

electricity.

The councillor stated that many games are played there, it is a busy place mostly in the afternoon, and people would gather there to socialise and engage in various recreational activities.

She related that school children and others would also visit to host events there, and when villagers have a death in the community, the space is used for wakes.

Perry disclosed that the pavilion is in a state of disrepair, and there is a need to construct a new one.

She is hoping to garner funds to undertake that project and welcomes partnership for the community-based project.

Perry revealed that at the entrance of Victory Valley, they had a community centre building, but mysteriously, three years ago, a fire ripped through the entire structure.

When the dust settled, there was nothing left except debris, and it is still

also benefit so they can be empowered to lead meaningful lives by becoming self-employed.

“There is an urgent need for such an undertaking because the young people are simply wasting away, doing things they ought not to because they cannot find work in Linden,” she said.

Perry told the Pepperpot Magazine that if the young people gain a skill, they can begin working from right out of their homes and can become gainfully employed and contribute to society.

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 20, 2022

The Linden Jamah Masjid fulfilling its role in the community

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By Michel Outridge Rasheed Abdul-Malik became a Muslim in 1998, and he was drawn to the teachings of Islam after reading from a newspaper called Nation of Islam which was in circulation back then.

He is originally from the city but settled in Silver City in 1974 after visiting Linden in search of work.

At age 17, his interest was perked when he began spending time reading about Islam.

Today, he is the caretaker of the masjid and Vice President of the Trustees Committee at the same mosque.

Abdul-Malik told the Pepperpot Magazine that the Linden Jamah Masjid was established in the 1950s.

Today, the vast building that is 90 percent complete sits at the village’s entrance.

It is an impressive structure made out of concrete with a huge tower, and the interior of the building is just as massive and boasts intricate Rasheed Abdul-Malik (Delano Williams photos) designs.

The construction of the new masjid started in The Linden Jamah Masjid distributes monthly hampers 2018, and over the years, it took shape and is almost comto its members which consists of groceries, and they also do pleted. a similar exercise for the community via a clothing drive.

He reported that they have worship services five times Abdul-Malik told the Pepperpot Magazine that they are per day and they do prayer services via television. hoping to re-start their community initiatives which were On Friday, they host a special service which is referred halted as a direct impact of COVID-19. to Jumah Day where a sermon is delivered by the Imam, and He noted that they have Islamic teachings on Saturdays that starts at 12:30hrs and lasts until 13:30hrs. at the masjid for both boys and girls.

Abdul-Malik added that the sermon is a reminder of their “At this masjid anyone can show up and based on their

role as a Muslims and their purpose to humanity.

He stated that they would invite other priests at times and do public lectures on television, outreaches and exhibition of Islamic books and reading materials where they go out in the community.

According to Abdul-Malik their active membership stands at 50 in total, but a lot more brothers and sisters would attend services from time to time.

He added that Ramadan is a busy time for the members where they pray and break-fast for 30 days depending on the sighting of the moon. It is observed annually.

immediate needs, we assist and our doors are open to members of the public at any given time,” he said.

The Linden Jamah Masjid also have a sisters committee which consists of seven women who are responsible for garnering funds through food sale.

The group would host barbeques, fish fry and cake sales to raise funds for their section of the masjid to do things necessary.

Abdul-Malik related that the members have good relations with the community.

They would often distribute Islamic reading materials and have awareness sessions with

The Linden Jamah Masjid

members of the public in their outreaches.

“We used to do a lot of community-related work, but it became inactive. We will re-start that programme and are hoping to reach out to more people through our teachings,” he said.

He added that the masjid is supported by its members and their external Muslims via donations of barrels with items for distribution.

The inside of the Linden Jamah Masjid

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 20, 2022

It’s all about family for this Silver City resident

By Michel Outridge

Trevor Cumberbatch is enthusiastic about his family, so he didn’t mind not getting married or having children as any normal man would. Still, there are no regrets since he is all about the family business.

The 59-year-old is at the helm of his family business, a store which operates from the lower flat of their newly constructed two-storey house in Silver City, Wismar, Linden.

Cumberbatch had lived in the only zinc house in the village which was 60 years old but a year ago they decided to tear it down.

“We wanted to do away with the old house and a modern building was erect-

ed to replace that and it is a family house,” he said.

As such, a new, modern structure with concrete was constructed but it is not quite completed but it stands tall.

“I lived all my life here and we have this family business for decades now and we sell haberdashery, hardware, groceries, and other items. We are wellknown in the community and the people support this family business which is still growing to date,” he said.

Cumberbatch has one sister and three brothers who are still alive. His three other sisters and two brothers have since passed away along with their parents.

He is a quiet kind of per-

son who is soft-spoken and enjoys his time manning the store and when he has some free time, he would watch a movie via his cellular phone or plug in a music box to listen to some of his favourite music.

The businessman told the Pepperpot Magazine that the street he resides on was one of the busiest because it leads to Victory Valley and a lot of people passed by daily.

Being at the store every day, he still does the cooking and tending to the house while holding down the full-time.

Cumberbatch does go out much but when he does he certainly has a good time.

“I don’t feel like I

Trevor Cumberbatch at the family-owned store (Delano Williams photo)

missed out on life. My life is good because I did what I had for family, and I would do it all over again if I have to,” he said.

He stated that he had liked a girl, but then she

migrated, and he was disenchanted and never wanted to date anyone else.

“I just never bothered to try again and I wanted to be there for my family, to support my siblings in the fami-

ly-owned business,” he said.

“I never harbour any ill feelings of not being able to have a family of my own,” he said.

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Passionate about youth empowerment and community development in Silver City

By Michel Outridge

build at my own risk since the village was not regularised,” she said.

Perry disclosed that as the years went by the place was developed and people began building better

Perry stated that last year and the year before they suffered a lot due to flooding and she lost her garden.

According to the councillor, in the central budget

Donna Perry, a councillor with the Linden Regional Democratic Council (RDC) is upbeat about community development and does her part to reduce flooding in her village.

She is a resident of Silver City, Wismar Linden and her house is located at the hill foot, which is flood-prone when it rains heavily.

Similarly to Silvertown, a neighbouring village, Silver City also was named due to the bauxite dust settling onto the then zinc houses that made up the village in the 1950s when Bauxite Company was flourishing.

It is said the bauxite dust glistened thus, the name derived as Silver City as a result of the appearance it created.

Perry related that people from all over the country came to Linden to work in the bauxite plant in Linden and settled in Silver City like most villages in the region.

The village had zinc houses back then, and as time Councillor, Donna Perry (Delano Williams photo) changed, all the modest houses were replaced with contemporary houses and the landscape money was allocated for ones. changed. two concrete drains to be Perry has been living “This place nice to live built to boost drainage in in Silver City since 1995, but when we have rain the the village. when she relocated from sand and water come downThe current drain is inBlueberry Hill. hill from Buck Hill, a high adequate to accommodate “When I first came here point and it is a huge mess all the water when it rains, there were a lot of little which causes flooding. I and it leads to the Demerara houses, resembling a squat- had to dig drains around my River, which overlooks the ting area and it has a small house to prevent flooding,” village. trail, no roads. I was told to she said.

Perry now spends her

days as a councillor and is involved in community development after 25 years as a teacher in the public school system.

The mother of five is also engaging the youths and would often motivate them to

equip themselves with a skill to become self-employed because jobs are hard to get in Linden.

Perry is of the opinion that grants should be given to young people to start their own small businesses to earn

since most of them are qualified and sitting at home.

She has been a councillor for the past two years and is enthusiastic about empowering young people to make a change in their lives in that region.

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Some inherited norms need to be abandoned in the interest of accelerating motivation

SOME years ago, my eldest brother, who passed last year under unclarified circumstances, had proposed a business concept that I supported. A company was formed. I had the money at the time and paid the filing fee, and as agreed in principle, received shares. So, not long after, he told me he had investors, and I must meet them, and in so doing, I visited their office. That visit is memorable, though the location of the office is not. A tall Guyanese gentleman at the entrance was the first person I met. I greeted him, extended my hand and introduced myself.

SEE PAGE XXI He responded by telling me

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WIBI to host INSPIRE YOU

THE celebration continues in creative ways. After looking at the beautiful display for the preview of the I AM Collection, I decided to invite Vanda’s Designs, Nature Luv, Enchanted Gardens A&J Creations, Lizzy’s Diverse Anguli, Purple Heart Or-

ganics,Magnificent Fragrance,CJ Pepper, David’s Creation and Beckeys’s Blessings. The event was called Unique Selling Promotions. I constantly try to create a platform for small businesses, especially those without a store front, to generate sales and the

exposure to build a client base. These businesses are anxiously awaiting the Women in Business Expo on March 30 and 31. Check out the women in business FB page for details and a chance to win daily prizes.

INSPIRE YOU is also on

the agenda but with a twist.

The Women in Business International (WIBI) will be hosting this virtual event this year.

I partnered with Dr Sabeeta Bidasie-Singh to launch this new business venture, “Women in Business International” (WIBI), in tandem with International Women’s Month – March 2022.

Dr Sabeeta Bi-

dasie-Singh is the CEO of Cardinal Services, a Houston-based management consultancy and technology provider, who believes in the power of disruptive innovation in providing solutions to workplace problems. Cardinal’s model is built around emerging technology that delivers an immersive experience. Sabeeta has lived and worked throughout the Caribbean and on four con-

tinents, so her differential is firmly rooted in a local flavour with the international focus. She has spent the greater part of the last 15 years consulting for governments all over the world in the transformation push.

Women In Business International (WIBI) exists to connect women entrepreneurs and female-owned SEE PAGE XV

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WIBI to host...

businesses to international markets.

We are both passionate about building local capacity, and so WIBI is an organic evolution of their desire to create opportunities to empower, encourage, and inspire women as part of a global village. Women In Business International will leverage the power of technology to foster collaborations using digital networks. The nucleus of this initiative is really about women’s economic empowerment and the drive to make this a social and economic imperative. With ongoing concerns around the business case for diversity and equality in the corporate sector, women entrepreneurship is shattering the “leaky pipeline” and “glass walls” phenomena. “Sonia and I fundamentally believe that women are natural connectors, collaborators and love the power of teams. Their passion is seeing other women win and celebrating those successes,” Sabeeta said We have had fantastic line-ups over the year for this event, but this year we are taking it a notch higher. This is the amazing line-up: Sarona Samaroo is the Vice-President of the recruitment and manpower agency, El Dorado Offshore. Sarona currently manages and oversees all operations for El Dorado Offshore regionally. El Dorado Offshore has entities incorporated in Guyana, Trinidad, and Suriname due to the oil-and-gas exploration and discoveries there. Under her leadership, the EDO teams in each country were able to rapidly scale up El Dorado Offshore’s business. Sarona is a strong advocate for Youth Development and Female Empowerment in the workplace at all levels.

Dr Natasha Gaskin-Peters, Director, Centre for Local Business Development – Natasha is an Economist with experience in both micro and macroeconomics. Natasha’s experience covers the real and fiscal sectors, which include modelling and forecasting of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), fiscal revenues, fiscal expenditure, and inflation, along with analytics on the interlinkages between these two sectors. Presently, Natasha works with local companies in Guyana to assist them in entering the oil-and-gas value chain.

Dr Auliana Poon is Germany-based and heads Leve-Global. She is a courageous and passionate businesswoman. Auliana Poon established Caribbean Futures Limited that became Tourism Intelligence International in 1990; Villa Being, Tobago, in 2000; Being Sustainable in 2010; the Tourism Intelligence Academy in 2015; Lévé -the event in 2016 and Leve-Global, which aims to cooperatively elevate Tourism, Trade and Lives, in 2018. A trained Economist, Dr. Auliana Poon graduated with a B.A. (hons.) and M.Sc. (Economics) from the was the first person in the world to qualify with a doctorate in Technology and Tourism.

Mireille Toulekima is an Award-winning Australia-based global entrepreneur, Thought Leader, Global Influencer, Global Energy and STEM consultant, Women empowerment advocate and champion, international speaker, published author and online talk show host and producer.

A Petroleum Engineer who gained experience working for more than 25 years in Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia in a range of technical and leadership roles for major oil, gas and energy companies, she published four books. She has lived and worked across four continents and carries out empowerment work internationally. Mireille is the managing director of the Perth Australia-based company MT Energy Resources, Global Chair Engineering of the eminent and prestigious G100 Club (comprising some of the most powerful and influential top 100 women leaders in the world).

Dr Safeeya Mohammed is the CEO of SISU Global Wellness and pioneers a Wellness Revolution in Trinidad and Tobago. Motivated by the overwhelming burdens of ill health, escalating NCDs and unwellness in the Caribbean, Dr Mohammed aligns her organizational consultancy to the United Nations SDG 3. SISU Global Wellness bridges the science of physical activity, nutrition, sleep hygiene, stress management and other healthy habits, empowering individuals to *Consciously create equanimity.* She added co-author to her portfolio in 2018, contributing her personal story of resilience to the transformational anthology: Woman Across Borders, curated by best-selling author, Dr. Sonia Noel, Founder, Women’s Association for Sustainable FROM PAGE XIV

Development, Guyana.

Richard Young is a Caribbean creative impresario who has worked extensively in the region and Diaspora directing and producing fashion/arts/beauty/culture-related projects for the past 30 years. He has become one of the most sought-after cultural industry specialists/creative strategists in the region, and he will be the moderator for this empowering virtual event.

The event will be streamed in the Caribbean, USA, South Africa and Australia You have a chance to have a front-row seat as we continue to celebrate History Month and this journey called Life BEYOND THE RUNWAY.

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NEW SILICA CITY COULD EMULATE SOME OF OLD GEORGETOWN IN GIVING RICHER LIFE TO CITIZENS IN the Guyanese psyche, over the centuries, there have existed some dreams which exuded optimism that buoyed spirits and morale and helped the Guyanese people to successfully exist with the harsh realities of life. The most known of these is “El Dorado,” which is closely linked with the idea that Guyana is a land of rich resources of every kind, which is waiting to be uncovered and developed and will one day bring great wealth to the country and people. A dream of more recent vintage is that Guyana would have a new and very modern capital city somewhere in the interior, not growing organically like Georgetown, but planned like Brasilia or Washington, D. C. From decade to decade, even in the harsh days of World War II and of dictatorial government privations, and even when Guyanese settled in foreign lands, these optimistic dreams gave them morale and self-respect. Then suddenly, in the first two decades of the 21st century, these dreams began to materialise: the soil of Guyana began to bring forth hundreds of tons of gold and the forests began to earn foreign exchange and oil and gas resources began to be developed and a new annexe to the capital city has begun to materialise.

This new city is at present known as Silica City and 3,800 acres of land situated in the upper reaches of the East Bank of the Demerara River between Soesdyke and Timerhi have been allocated for it. House lots are being marked out and enquiries are already being made regarding purchasing land in the area. It is projected that in about 20 years, the

new city will house 50,000 people. It must be remembered that old Georgetown with 60,000 people, was a town that provided a rich and comfortable life for its inhabitants. There were edifices such as the Public Buildings, the Victoria Law Courts, the Stabroek Market, St George’s Cathedral, the Town Hall, a fine Public Library, the Assembly Rooms Theatre and Concert Hall, a number of good education institutions such as Queens College, efficient garbage disposal, piped water, a garden city where colourful birds lived, a recreational seawall area, a famed Botanical Gardens, and so on. The present population of 300,000 of Georgetown came about when there was a massive emigration from the countryside from the 1950s and the city was legally expanded to include large areas of the East Bank and East Coast Demerara. It was largely the poor administration that took See page XVII

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NEW SILICA CITY COULD EMULATE...

From page XVI

over the city from the early 1960s which destroyed the douceur of Old Georgetown.

The new city is not meant to replace Georgetown as the capital. Dr Ashni Singh has shown in patient detail why this is economically prohibitive at this stage. Silica City would be creating an urban centre supplementing Georgetown and meeting the environmental criteria that Georgetown finds so difficult and expensive. For example, climate change with its rising sea levels would not be a problem for Silica City The new city would be planned on broad lines and not minutely, since this would provide an opportunity for organic growth. In the formal planning, there would be residential and non-residential districts. It would be compact and pedestrian-oriented with streetscape designs. A famous example of a specially designed street is the Champs Elysees in Paris.

The transportation system would accommodate both private and public vehicles and would avoid the parking problems of Georgetown for the foreseeable future. The drainage system would be different from Georgetown, which is below sea level. The educational, recreational and sporting areas would be extensive enough to accommodate growth and there would never be a shortage of land as occurred in Georgetown in the Thomas Lands/Eve Leary area.

Indeed, there would be more than one site to cater for such activities. There would be a golf course and an eco-industrial park.

The garbage disposal would be carefully planned so there would be no recurrence of the

XVII

problems of Georgetown. For example, there would be a separation of types of garbage and recycling.

The city, from the start, would be using the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and would be powered by solar, hydropower and possibly wind power, which would be healthier and cheaper and synchronising with Guyana’s international commitments, such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

There would be the avoidance of utility poles and pipes going willy nilly over the city, since there would be a shared utility corridor routed underground.

A very large agricultural area, “a backdam,” should be allotted to farmers who will keep cows and other livestock to supply the city with fruits and vegetables and milk and meat. In Old Georgetown, La Penitence and Ruimveldt, now turned into housing areas, were used for that purpose.

In the new city, as had been done in Old Georgetown, the house lots allotted should be large enough to have backyards where fruit trees and kitchen gardens could be cultivated with space in front yards for flower gardens. With so many fruit trees, birds of every type flourished in Old Georgetown and one woke up in the mornings to the sound of birdsongs and the sight of colourful birds. When Georgetown began as Stabroek, it had 5,000 or 6,000 inhabitants and in its glorious days when it provided a rich and civilised life for its inhabitants, it had 60,000 citizens as had been pointed out above. Silica City could certainly emulate some of Old Georgetown.

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The beginning of an end to the COVID-19 pandemic?

A MAJORITY of the COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine rules have been lifted in Guyana, signalling a return to some semblance of normalcy - or at least, what we knew before March 2020. Certainly, this does not signal that the COVID-19 pandemic is over, or that the world has rid itself of the deadly virus, but it appears to be the beginning of an end to the pandemic.

A few days ago, on March 11, we observed the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. The same day the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the spread of the novel coronavirus a pandemic, Guyana recorded its first COVID-19 infection and death.

At the time, I was a first-year university student, attending face-to-face classes in Trinidad and Tobago. And when Trinidad recorded its first case on March 12, I vividly remember

the fear taking over me. I never imagined spending the next nine months in lockdown conditions in this foreign country and each day, I thought about what the end of the pandemic would look like.

I imagined I would get to return to face-to-face classes and activities in about a year. When I was forced to relocate from my original hall of residence on campus, I packed away some tinned foods with January 2022 expiry dates in the storage room because I believed that by then,

the pandemic would be over and things would return to how they once were.

Perhaps that was wishful thinking because here we are, in March 2022, still unsure of when the pandemic will end. Fortunately, countries everywhere - not just Guyana or Trinidad - are relaxing long-standing COVID-19 restrictions and rules. This is meant to restore a greater level of economic activity and certainly, provide us with some semblance of normalcy.

In Guyana, restrictions on social gatherings and activities were recently removed; vaccination requirements to enter most buildings have been discarded. The Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony has been quoted as stating that the relaxation of these measures is justified by Guyana’s low number of new infections and high vaccination rates.

Because these restrictions and requirements have been core components of Guyana’s public health measures in-

stituted to counter the pandemic’s impact, a relaxation of these signals to me, that we are inching towards the end of the pandemic.

While the national measures have been relaxed, let me hasten to add that the local authorities have encouraged people to maintain some precautions. The mask mandate, for example, has been dropped, but people are strongly encouraged to continue wearing their masks - especially if in a SEE PAGE XXVIII public space. Vaccination require-

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AN ANGEL FOUND ME

THE sand was hot under my bare feet as I walked along the foreshore, in ragged baggies and vest, combing the beach for little treasures that may have washed up with the tide. It earned me a little more money, aside from the vegetable garden I planted with my mother. The odd maid jobs she did in the neighbourhood were not enough for a family of four, since my father had died crossing the road in a drunken stupor.

Talk about a life of wretchedness and misery, where there were more wrongs than rights and help, real help hadn’t found us yet.

Living in a hut near the beach since the landlord kicked us out for delayed rental dues, our lives had spiralled from bad to worse. I cared about school but not anymore; no one liked the poor boy and the teachers never seemed to believe me when I defended myself with fists against the cruel taunting. My mother wanted me to stay and study to be somebody of worth, that my father wasn’t, and though in my heart I wanted that for myself too, I couldn’t stay.

I was sorry for her unhappiness and her tears, but I vowed to myself I’ll make it big one day. I’ll be rich one day and my poor mother wouldn’t have to work so hard.

No more would there be pains of hunger or sleeping under a leaking roof - somehow I would find a way, but what? A tough question I was unsure of the answer to.

The beach had become my playground when I was not sitting under the shade of the coconut palms, browsing through cricket magazines. It was a game I loved and followed with deep passion, but not even in the neighbourhood club could I get in, for I had no money for the gear or to pay the fees. So with my coconut branch bat and young coconuts

for balls, I formed my team called ‘The Beach Boys.’

We played rough cricket, hardened from the sun and long hours of swimming and running, and our young bodies were strong and tough. It was easy to fall into games with visitors and our aggressive style of cricket won matches and earned for us food, drinks and a little money on some good days but that was all, and surely not enough.

“A time will come for you,” that little voice in my head always said, “For time is endless.”

On moonlit nights I always sat on the riverbank, watching the golden light shimmering across the water and allowing my mind some peace, from the harshness of life for those short moments. The magic of the moonlight stayed with me as I walked home, and in that brief moment of heavenliness I wondered if there are angels on earth and if there’s one for me, as my mother said.

But when I reached home as I laid on my bed on the earthen floor, listening to my mother’s soft moans of pain, the thought drifted away like wind blowing across the sand.

I sat up and looked at her, a tired woman with broken spirits, her life not blessed with a good dream, more or less a nightmare. She was once a beautiful woman but the heartaches, the suffering and hard work, had painted lines of worry and sadness on her face.

“One day hopefully, mother,” I said to myself before falling asleep, “Life will be good and your children will once again look upon your beautiful face.”

Time went by and I continued to work in the garden, and play cricket on the beach with my friends, struggling still to save enough money to buy my cricket gear and to get into a club. Then one day there came a new twist in my life, when two strange men whose outlook spoke only one word – money, but whose personalities seemed somewhat shady, made me an offer of big bucks for every ball I hit over the boundary.

The game we played on the beach everyday was powerhitting and it was for me a great way of making money, so I didn’t hesitate, not wanting to lose that first opportunity in my life. All six balls bowled to me were put over the boundary line with ease and I smiled thankfully as I received the money with hands, young but hardened and rough from hard work.

They looked at me with great interest and that made me feel a little uneasy.

“You’re quite a poor boy, aren’t you?”

I nodded, a little hesitantly.

“You have very strong arms and great potential for a power hitter. How would you like to become rich?”

I looked at them carefully before answering, “It is my dream.”

I listened with interest as they laid out a plan to enrol me in a top club in the city and finance my training to become a great cricketer, but under certain SEE PAGE XXIX circumstances. They would have

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Success from self-employment is a result of self-discipline Nobody talks about the amount of self-discipline it takes to work with yourself or for yourself. When you’re employed by others, you answer to supervisors and follow their authority. When you are your own boss, you have to almost always maintain a sense of self-discipline to get work done. We are so conditioned to perform “well” under pressure, under supervision and authority that it seems impossible to work under ourselves. Your efficiency and effectiveness rely solely on your work ethics and productivity as a self-employed entrepreneur. If I don’t have to answer to anyone, my mind sometimes thinks that gives me room to constantly relax and do things at my own pace. This is one of the main reasons why some people can never be self-employed. They mistake

entrepreneurship or “freedom”. In some ways, it is freeing, but if you want to meet a target goal for your business, reach a certain profit margin or expand—it takes a lot of discipline and self-awareness to get it done, and I can assure you that it is no easy task.

This is the same self-discipline I had to apply for my studies and all other achievements in life. I had to keep my mind fit because the minute you become mentally lazy, that’s where things start going south. To break it down for you; I timed myself when I was studying. I made sure to have a goal and

personal criteria whenever I was doing my assignments for UG. With my business, I make sure to have a yearly plan of the things I want to achieve. I changed my mind from, “I can’t do it” to “How can I get this done?”. That made all the difference in the world. All of this required all but one thing—discipline. Even in the realm of freedom, there is responsibility. When I first started my journey as an entrepreneur, I thought it was an “easy” way to make money while being my own boss. Boy, was I wrong. Anybody can slap a logo onto a Facebook page and sell products. That’s easy.

That’s what I mistakenly thought being an entrepreneur meant. The point of this rant is to shed light on the importance of responsibility and discipline—holding yourself accountable when there is nobody there to do so. Not only is it a moral obligation to do so, but you should do it because it will ultimately increase your productivity.

I can either choose to wake up at 1PM, stay home and tell myself I’ll make up for it tomorrow, or I can choose to be disciplined enough to know that every hour in the day counts—so I have to make the best of it. Same way, I’m not saying overwork & burn yourself out. You need to ultimately change your mindset and make productivity a lifestyle. When we think of “self-made” successful moguls, we only acknowledge their overall success and not the self-improvements and lifestyle changes they had to apply to themselves to get where they want to be. I’d advise you to prioritize and schedule your time effectively. Self-awareness is perhaps the most important factor in order to achieve self-discipline. You need to know your boundaries, your limits, your skills and even the things you need to improve on. You constantly need to be aware of who you are, in order to figure out what you can and cannot do. Success is just the tip of the iceberg.

It’s an illusion because that’s all that people see most of the time. They hardly ever see or notice what’s behind that iceberg—discipline, hard work, perseverance and commitment.

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Some inherited norms need to be ...

FROM PAGE XII his name and immediately asked, in an authoritative way “Who is your father?”

I responded, “My father is not a part of this business, this is just me and my brother.” (Fortunately, I understood from teachings as an adolescent many of the bad values that attached itself to the otherwise excellence of the achievements of colonial British Guianese.) He seemed confused and offended, and I was glad that we were interrupted by another presence, his colleague.

This would seem to be a casual question, but it has other overtones, unlike the question, “You’re a Fraser, from wuh village?” That, in most cases, is based on acquaintances and relationships - “Who’s your father?“ is a question that determines ‘the worthiness

of one’s line of descent, from a ‘social status view point’ and not necessarily from a character assessment. Social status has been reduced to, over the last century, derive from wealth acquired, ‘Office held’ etcetera. It diminishes the individual and imposes inferiority complexes that are instructed by the subjective authority of a fabricated doctrine of class.

This was not a concept developed completely by those who crave this practice today. To use a reference that I’ve used before (taken from the text of an 1823 historical book) mentioned in respect to the plight of the new missionaries who came to the colonies of Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice. “There is not a country on the face of the earth, where classes are more numerous and party spirit more firmly rooted

than in this.” In a society with so many divisions and protocols it would be impossible for the missionaries not to blunder”-Royal Gazette in August 1822.-see ‘Crowns of Glory, Tears of Blood’-by Emilla Viotti da Costa. There’s a recent second book on the same subject of the 1823 slave protest -‘WHITE DEBT’

by Thomas Harding.

An Aunt, now passed, who was a businesswoman of her day, in discussion with a visitor while I was present, related as follows about a conversation between then Prime Minister Burnham and a member of a prominent Afro Guyanese family of professionals, who accused the then Prime Minister: “ You are creating a system that is placing the children of my servant in the same schools with my children.”

Burnham replied, “ If they are bright enough, yes, you

must remember, when we came off the plantations, there were no distinctions between us. Why adopt them now?” I was convinced that as a teenager, my Aunt wanted me to hear this, because when I attempted with ‘good manners’ to rise and leave, she had signalled me to remain seated. In the ancient human world, the leader of the tribe was a combination of the warrior and wise leader that preserved the tribe from annihilation, where in some cultures it was expected that his heirs would follow suit, and were miserable failures, in others.

To prevent that, the heir was selected from the most able son of the king’s sisters {matriarchal systems} that was identified on merit by the ‘Elders’ to be the next

leader. But that was a time when leadership determined holistic survival. The class, political-status and race selective preferences, rather than on merit, has become endemic across much of the world, is rooted in the custom of practice that is also implied in the question “Who is your father?” only now, the revolution of callous opportunism is even more adamant with personal agendas, to which loyalty is hinged on the common agreement “ to have no permanent enemies or Friends , only common Interests” -paraphrased from- Henry Kissinger” however interpreted, the disconnect of duplicity will prevail, where the concepts of establishing trust, principles and character are deemed mere philo-

sophical, trivial and irrelevant, thus, the precipice of eventuality.

As a specie, we have always identified in nature forces that were beyond our comprehension, the Kosmos, forces of nature that affected us, both positive and negatively, the phenomenon of special gifts within our humanity, the acknowledgement of forces beyond our quick understanding, that led to rites of honour, and the identities of deities. But we have reached the stage now that with temerity, class has been reinterpreted, against our admittance, in an even more deceptive mode, merit is subjective, based on ‘personal-common interests’ regardless of the implications.

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What a healthy relationship looks like I’VE received some emails based on my last few columns on common but relatively unknown signs of abuse such as negging and love bombing. A few asked me how do you know if a relationship is healthy, is it just an absence of these things and it was a great question, because the answer is not a direct yes or no - i would answer not necessarily.

Therefore, I am going to explain what a healthy relationship actually looks and feels like.

First and most importantly, I view an unhealthy relationship as one that is an assault on your individuality. Being in a relationship should not result in co-dependency which is basically a circular relationship where both parties need to be needed and this often results in an unhealthy reliance on each other where there is isolation from family and friends. While it is an amazing feeling if you can rely on your partner for all your needs, it is not healthy that you do. A healthy relationship is where two whole people come together, improving the other, rather than relying on each other to be whole in the first place. This is why it is always advised to properly heal from past trauma before entering a new relationship. Individuality is key, as one should never lose one’s identity because of a relationship - you were and should

remain your own person with your own individual wants, needs, friends and hobbies; don’t lose that.

People also often tell me that love is hard. Love is not hard or painful, but rather the things we think are associated with love are and it is very important to make that distinction. Many of us see the burdens or negative consequences that can stem from love. This can be infidelity (cheating), abuse, being heartbroken, and the list goes on. It is not our fault and does not mean that we are negative thinkers- these are just fears based on what we have seen or experienced ourselves. But that isn’t love. A possible consequence of something does not define it. Love in itself is beautiful and peaceful.

SEE PAGE XXIII

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What a healthy relationship...

There are key aspects of a healthy relationship. Love is among them yes, but just as important, there is respect, communication, trust, equality, personal space and privacy and fighting fairly.

When it comes to respect in a relationship, you have to respect yourself first, as it is impossible and almost unfair to ask someone to respect you if you do not respect yourself.

With self-respect comes personal boundaries - these are what you will and will not accept from a partner, and they should be communicated and acted on very early in the relationship. These are not controlling, nor threatening features, and one needs to be able to identify the difference between the two. Hint- one is healthy and needed, and the other isn’t. Personal boundaries are basic guidelines that we create that make us mentally and physically comfortable, and from those, we can set guidelines for how we desire to be treated. For example, a personal boundary is telling your partner that you do not appreciate it if they FROM PAGE XXII

call you multiple times after you haven’t answered the first time because of xyz. For your boundaries to be respected, they also come with fair consequences when they are crossed. This is very dependent on the situation, so I’m going to leave that just there. However, what does this mean? For yours to be heard and respected, you must listen to and respect your partner’s personal boundaries as well. This is the starting point to mutual respect, and not violating those boundaries ensure that the relationship remains healthy.

Communication is a critical aspect of any relationship. I dislike when people say, “oh yea, communication is key.” No, healthy communication is key. It’s not just that you are speaking to each other, but how are you speaking to each other? Healthy communication has a few key feaures. It is honest and open, calm and loving, on the right medium/platform based on the topic (easy example- you shouldn’t have serious conversations about your relationship over text messages), and it should be at the right time and place (easy examples- you should not force your partner to talk if they are not ready or able to nor should you have serious conversations in the middle of a party). Your personal boundaries will help in how well you communicate.

Trust- this is a difficult one, as most of us in Guyana have either been close to situations or experienced our own which causes us to have little trust. However, it is unfair to put that on to a partner if they have not done anything to cause mistrust.

I’m sorry to say as I know it is hard to read, but if you do not trust your partner, you do not have a healthy relationship. A little pro-tip when it comes to trust and whether you should or should not - if your partner has once violated your trust and you find it hard to overcome it, ask yourself two important questions.

First, has it only been once? We are all human and all capable of making mistakes, and if your partner, having all the knowledge they now have, on how much it hurt you and the relationship in general, would they do it again? This is an important question and how I can guide you to your answer is one time may have been a genuine mistake and often should be given a second chance, but three or more times is a behaviour pattern that I’m sorry to say will not change.

Now, equality looks different for everyone, but when it comes to a relationship, it means that both partners’ wants and needs are equally as important and met, both partners’ dreams and goals are equally attended to, and relationship efforts are fair and equal.

Personal space and privacy are critical ones and also the ones which I think get violated the most. While emotional intimacy is pivotal for a healthy relationship, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to share everything. You both have a right to privacy, and it is absolutely okay if not sharing your passwords and the phone is a personal boundary. Regarding personal space and independence, healthy relationships do not require constant contact. However, an important note is for you to note the difference between privacy and secrecy.

Privacy is keeping those personal things that are close to your heart just right there, while secrecy involves purposely hiding things that can be or are hurtful to your partner and relationship.

It is also important to know the components of fighting fairly because everyone has disagreements- you will never

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have a relationship without many- but do it right, and that’s okay. Unhealthy fights turn into a blame game, and there is a hunt for a winner. In healthy fights, there is a hunt for a solution. There are a few factors in fair fighting: - Mutual Vulnerability - communicating the truth that you are upset and why is vital.

- Mutual want to talk- both partners have to be ready and willing to find the solution.

- Mutual Empathy - both partners’ feelings must be understood and respected.

- Mutual Understanding - both partners’ feelings must be accepted.

- Mutual Apology - both partners should apologise for whatever role they played in the disagreement.

- Mutual Compromise/ problem-solving - a changed decision is made that both partners are comfortable with.

- Mutual Forgiveness - each partner has to decide what they need for this and how they best do it, but if it doesn’t happen, the same issue will continuously resurface.

Overall, I think you know you are in a healthy relationship when your physical, mental and emotional needs are met and most importantly, you feel safe. You feel safe to be vulnerable and feel safe to be protected when you are.

Thank you for reading, and please continue to send topic suggestions to caitlinvieira@gmail.com

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Facial pain Dentists occasionally encounter patients who suffer from agonizing pain somewhere in the mouth, which often includes areas of the face and neck. After routine examination, however, nothing to justify the patient’s agony is found. Sometimes the dentist may then prescribe analgesics, not being sure of what is causing the pain. But

frequently, the pain either subsides mildly or not at all.

The frustrated patient then seeks the help of another professional, only for the process to be repeated. However, any astute dentist will know that, in general, the diagnosis of facial pain is a complex process.

The initial step in diagnosing facial pain is a thorough

medical history that should include a complete review of systems, a family history, social history, and a cursory psychological evaluation. Particular emphasis should be placed on disorders involving the head, neck, nose and throat because disorders affecting any of these areas may present with facial pain.

Patients with psychiatric or psychological problems could present either chronic or acute facial pain. It is not a simple task for a dentist to convince a patient that the painful sensation experienced in the face in fact, originates in the patient’s mind.

There are thirteen systemic disorders that are associated with facial pain. Ischaemic SEE PAGE XXVIII heart disease, for example,

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More ‘structured service’ ...

Regular Outreaches While eye care, glucose and hypertension testing are featured services by the foundation, Mission Coordinator Richard B. Mahase said that the Chesney-Fyrish clinic was augmented with additional specialties.

“Director of Regional Health Services, Region Six, Dr. Vishalya Sharma provided dental, ultrasound, vaccination and blood donation units. The number of persons for vaccination, especially second and booster shots, exceeded our expectations; the same for the sonogram machine. The demand was constant,” Mahase shared.

Kept at Fyrish Number 2 Masjid with over 500 residents attending, Member of Parliament Faizal Jaffarally was overwhelmed by the response and thanked the masjid and its

A resident having a tooth extraction done

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access to Ophthalmology services for quite some time now; hence many were appreciative of the visiting teams. Some 4,000 pairs of glasses (readers, distant, blue light and sunglasses) were distributed.

The teams saw many elderly ones with cataracts and other serious eye conditions that require surgery. In fact, about 100 Cataract/pterygium/glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy patients were identified.

“This outreach, which was part of our activities for World Glaucoma Week, was very timely, especially in Region Nine where a number of cases were diagnosed,” Head of GPHC Ophthalmology Department, Dr. Shailendra Sugrim noted.

“As we work collectively to address these and help establish permanent structures, advances have been made at Lethem, Region Nine, where a building has been identified to service ophthalmology patients going forward. The same is in place at Suddie, Region Two,” he shared.

“And as opportune as these outreaches are, working with the Subraj Foundation is helping us explore ways to preMP Jaffarally with one of the pare the buildings frontline workers for full-time service. There is still a way to go in terms of equipment and staff but the process has begun,” he added.

President of the Subraj Foundation, Tony Subraj, offered that the plan is to collaborate with Dr. Sugrim and his department to establish a structured service for the needy communities of Guyana. “The fact that the government has invested in buildings, we are optimistic that a progressive alliance will take shape shortly and residents will get the help needed for their eye diagnoses earlier.”

To this end, having conducted five well-attended health clinics at Annai, Shulinab, Lethem, Chesney-Fyrish, and Number 57 Village, Corentyne, the Ophthalmology Department and Subraj Foundation are actively planning their return to other far-flung, needy communities of the country.

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executive for hosting the team.

“Bringing this level of health service to one’s doorstep from New York and Georgetown with added professionals from Region Six, is first of all commendable of our health care workers giving up their weekend; and most importantly working as a cohesive unit to serve so many is meritorious,” Mahase quoted the MP as saying.

“Based on the numbers we are seeing at these clinics, the region is looking at ways to introduce regular outreaches. We are at the planning stages and can hopefully introduce these with the assistance of the community leaders,” he added.

With supplies also provided to schoolchildren present, Gloria, Jasmine Subraj and Jay Jainarine are already consumed with plans for the foundation’s June-July 2022 visit.

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Do you need an excerpt to market your next writing project?

I RECEIVED an email from a curious writer who wanted to know the ins and outs of self-publishing on Amazon.

Now, because I am still on my own journey to publishing, I admittedly do not have all the answers, but one question did jump out at me. He was curious whether it was necessary to release an excerpt of his novel to early readers to help his marketing efforts. This was an interesting question because it is not a path that many local writers I’ve met usually consider. At one point, I did it for my project, but that did not turn out the way I expected, mostly because I was ignorant about some important things to consider when releasing an excerpt- which I will explain below. But if I were to give that question a general answer, I’d say: go for it.

Here’s why: beyond its marketing benefits, providing an excerpt for early readers - whether through publishing, selected readers groups, or both - is a good way to ensure that you don’t get lost in your own fantasy about how good your work is. The right set of early readers can give you valuable feedback to fix errors, gain outside perspectives and even predict the general public’s possible response to your book ahead of time.

Where marketing is concerned, excerpts help you to succinctly package your product to “sell” it to different stakeholders within the publishing process. Editors, agents (if you are heading the traditional route), publishing houses and marketing agencies may all ask for a sample of your book for consideration before taking you on as a client. If you publish your excerpt in a magazine or newspaper, you can generate interest from publishers who are looking for clients. Your published excerpt can also serve as an added item to your writing bio and build your publishing portfolio for future marketing.

Professionally, having an actual excerpt (which is more than just a chapter of your book) shows your seriousness and preparedness as a writer. Excerpts also allow the author to “test the waters” before sending their project into the world.

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Silver ...

From page VI

place with a lot of greenery, making it so picturesque.

Silver City Village is a good place to be, and it is a very safe neighbourhood. Being a small community, all the villagers know each other.

Most of the villagers have lived there all their lives.

Some settled after their families relocated there, searching for work with the bauxite company decades ago.

The early settlers had constructed modest zinc houses.

They were people who had journeyed from all across the country seeking jobs in the mining town when the bauxite company was booming.

Today, there are no such houses, the last one was torn down last year, and a modern structure was constructed.

The locals are simple, everyday people eking out a living by doing many things which involve using their skills to make pepper sauce, achar and other things to sell.

Silver City Village has one main street, an all-weather road that goes through the small community and two internal streets which are sand-filled.

Raymond Halley, his niece, Carlotta Rockliffe and his sister, Pam Halley

The next street is a busy thoroughfare- Sunflower Street, which is frequently used by people going to Victory Valley and Blueberry Hill.

Raymond Halley, giving a historical background of his life in Silver City Meanwhile, one of the locals, Raymond Halley told the Pepperpot Magazine that he has been living in the village since the 1950s.

His father was from Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara and had relocated to Silver City after he gained employment with the bauxite company.

Halley related that his father brought the family to Linden, and they resided at Dakama Circle, McKenzie until they moved to Silver City, after which a house was built.

Today, it is the same house his father constructed from bricks. In the early days, they had a rum shop on the lower flat on the building.

The 70-year-old added that after his father became a Muslim, he ceased operating the rum shop business and ventured into the ‘salt goods’ business where they had a small grocery shop.

His father passed away in the 1990s at 89 years old. At the time, he was an executive member of the masjid and one of the earliest practising Muslims in the area.

He converted to Islam after the 1964 disturbances, and his life changed significantly for the better.

Halley disclosed that when his father came to Silver City to settle, it was a thick jungle, and he began to do community work like building the roads and clearing the trees to have it more habitable.

He later struck with a strong friendship in the name of community work with then councillor, Walker Bourne, a

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local of Silver City, who has since passed away.

They named the street Gateway Alley and later, both Bourne and the senior Robert Halley decided that the name wasn’t fitting, and they renamed it to Sunflower Street.

Bourne was a political activist as well and was active in community development in Silver City. She passed away in the 1990s.

Halley stated that his life was enhanced when he converted to Islam 44 years ago. After two years of studying, he received a diploma and began teaching Islam at the local masjid.

He is now an executive member of the masjid, and in the absence of the Imam, he is often called upon to lead in prayers.

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Facial...

FROM PAGE XXIV produces pain that may be referred to the left side of the jaw, especially causing the molars to ache. Persons with high blood pressure when undiagnosed or uncontrolled experience vascular headaches which often radiate to the neck region.

A nervous disease called multiple sclerosis often results

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in neuralgia, a condition which is fairly common. But the most significant positive findings involving connective tissue disorders are arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus. This can affect the joints and muscles of the jaw resulting in myalgia (muscle ache) of the muscles involved in chewing. Arthritic involvement of the jaw joints and cervical spine can cause headache, neck pain and facial pain.

Significant historical findings involving the endocrine system include thyroiditis and low blood sugar. Common signs of thyroidism are muscle stiffness and myalgia; when undiagnosed, this disease might act as a perpetuating factor in chronic facial pain.

Certain factors may aid in diagnosis. Pain that occurs after a traumatic or stressful episode often implies that the cause is related to emotional factors. Neuralgia is mostly found in persons over the age of 50, although younger persons can be affected. Jaw joint disorders mostly affect persons between the ages of 20 and 40 years.

It must be emphasised that the diagnosis and consequent management of facial pain is not necessarily a simple matter. A careful assessment should be done. Patients need to understand that the dentist may question about psychological status (social stresses etc. and medical conditions (heart diseases) in order to ascertain the exact condition and so as to arrive at the appropriate treatment.

Finally, whenever a person has a pain that they believe is coming from a tooth, but they are not sure which tooth it is, they should consider that the pain may not be originating from a tooth at all, and therefore, the treatment may never be indicated in a definite manner.

The beginning of an end ...

FROM PAGE XVIII ments for travel also remain.

I, personally, will continue to wear my mask religiously.

Though I am confident of the Sputnik V and Johnson & Johnson “jabs” that I have been vaccinated with, I still believe that precautions such as mask-wearing would be necessary to protect myself from contracting the virus.

And on that note, I cannot overemphasise just how crucial it is for people to get vaccinated. With the relaxation of these measures that were originally instituted to slow the spread of the virus and protect people, it is almost as though a layer of protection we were covered with has been removed.

As such, I believe it is incumbent upon each of us to take as many precautions as possible. Fortunately for all of us, vaccines are a tested and proven medical tool that helps protect us from experiencing the more severe or life-threatening symptoms of COVID-19. Becoming fully vaccinated and boosted where possible, in my opinion, is one of the safest, surest ways of protecting myself and the people around me.

As someone immersed in reporting on COVID-19 and the COVID-19 pandemic, I can confidently state that research and officials agree that vaccination is also a key tool in helping us exit this pandemic. With increasing vaccination rates, there is a greater level of protection within the population. Resultantly, fewer people may become hospitalised or die, and the spread of the virus may likely have a much weaker impact on people if contracted.

While it appears as though we (at least, us here in Guyana) are preparing to exit the pandemic or the pandemic circumstances we have been adhering to, I think each of us must take as many precautions as possible.

With all of us able to congregate and hang out, we have to be keenly focused on the risks to which we may be exposing ourselves. And, we have to take as many precautions as possible in everything we do.

If you would like to connect with me to discuss this column or any of my previous works, feel free to email me at vish14ragobeer@gmail.com

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AN ANGEL FOUND...

FROM PAGE XIX

total control over my career, on what tournaments I would play and how to play.

I knew enough about the game to know that these men were from betting syndicates who influenced the game by cricketers they had financed and groomed. I looked at the money in my hand, that much I had never held at one time and I wondered how much more over the years I could earn in big games.

It was a gamble I was willing to take, but my mother wasn’t, despite living in the unkind clutches of poverty. She had taught me to recognize the wrongs from the rights, and though I could, it was the best opportunity I had. This was my chance to make something out of my miserable life.

“It will be like selling your soul to the devil,” she said, trying to make me understand that at 14, I was so young and there would be other options, she didn’t want to lose me just for the sake of a better life.

“The Minister of Social Services,” she said, “Will be visiting the district soon, she’s a good person who’s reaching out to help all those in need.

“We needed help so long,” I said, my anger rising, “How many times you tried to reach her and you couldn’t? What makes you think you will now?”

“We can’t lose hope, son. She can help us, you should come with me to see her.”

“No! I’m not wasting any more time!”

“She can be the angel you need in your life.”

“There are no angels!” I said angrily, “If there was an angel to help me, would I be living like this? I hate this life.

I hate you having to work so hard!”

I kicked the old table and it crashed to the ground, ignoring my mother softly crying as I smashed a chair against the wall and the last thing I saw as I ran out of the hut towards the beach was the helpless and tearful look on my mother’s face.

I sat down under the coconut palms, choking with anger and as my rage cooled, I felt deep regret for hurting my mother’s feelings, knowing she only wanted the best for me. In two days, a final decision had to be made and I didn’t know what to do. Saying ‘yes’ would give me everything I want and saying ‘no’ would leave me with nothing.

I sat down the last day staring at the calm river, my thoughts all confused, when a warm voice said, “Is something bothering you, young man?”

I looked up startled and saw a beautiful woman standing there, a pleasant look on her face. I scrambled to my feet and looked around, the beach was deserted, where did she come from?

I looked at her closely and in her eyes I saw that look of genuine concern.

“You’re—not an -a-angel, are you?” I asked hesitantly.

She smiled sweetly, “Is that what you want?”

No one had smiled at me like that and my heart warmed towards her.

“It’s what I need,” I said.

“Maybe I can be that to you. Your mother is very worried about you and she asked for my help.”

“The minister herself--?” I wondered. I couldn’t quite believe it and for once in my life, I felt something good was really going to happen to me.

She reached out and took my hand saying, “Come let me hear what’s bothering you.”

I talked and she listened, and at the end of it all she gave me hopes of a new beginning in my life, where my family would be given support and a better home. I would go back to school, join a cricket club and carve out a good name for myself. She promised me before she left that she would take a personal interest in my development in the game.

I had found my angel and she came just in time to save me from selling my soul to the devil.

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GROUNDWATER

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- MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water” – W.H Auden Water is essential to life on Earth – clean and potable water is essential to health and productivity. Fortunately, Guyana is rich in water resources. Most of the population and economic base of the country is concentrated in the low-lying coastal plains, much of which is below sea level.

This year as Water Day is celebrated on March 22 every year brining to our attention issues and solutions related to freshwater resources. GROUNDWATER- making the invisible visible was chosen as this year’s theme and raises awareness of the hidden water resource that has always been critically important but not fully recognized in sustainable development policymaking.

In Guyana, groundwater from the coastal aquifer system provides about 90% of the domestic water for our country.

As such we can clearly see the importance of water, specifically groundwater as a whole.

At the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), we are well aware that groundwater is one of the nation’s most important natural resources. As such, the Water Quality Unit within the Technical Services Department is responsible for ensuring that developers, especially those with operations that have direct discharge into our waterways, are conducting this in an environmentally friendly manner.

These developers are required to submit bi-annual, annual or, for some operations, monthly water quality testing from a reputable laboratory in Guyana. Failure to comply with such a condition can result in stringent charges provided in the Water Quality Regulations 2000. Mining operators are required to have a catchment basin before water is discharged into the waterways because groundwater can exert negative influences on mining economics by creating risks for operational continuity and miners’ safety, as well as having adverse environmental impacts. So the mining operators always need to be in high compliance when it comes to water quality. Since groundwater is the most accessed source of freshwater around the world, inSEE PAGE XXXI cluding drinking water, irrigation,

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GROUNDWATER ...

FROM PAGE XXX and manufacturing, it is our duty to make sure that as citizens we do everything in our power to keep our surrounding waterways clean and safe.

How can we protect and conserve groundwater: 1. Reduce chemical use; 2. Manage our waste, especially by making compost which helps to reduce moisture loss in plants and reduces the amount of water they need; 3. Don’t leave our taps running; 4. Fix the drip if our pipes have leakage and report major leaks or pipe breakage to GWI; and 5. Wash smarter by choosing phosphate free laundry detergents, as phosphate aids in plant growth which chokes our waterways and affects water quality.

To celebrate World Water Day, the EPA will be coordinating and participating in several awareness activities including: * Webinar on Restoring groundwater hosted by UNEP-WCMC - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cBUgpN3x30&ab_channel=UNEP-WCMC * Exhibition hosted by Guyana Water Inc. on Tuesday March 22, Cultural Center Tarmac from 10:00h * Media engagement – radio and television interviews Groundwater is invisible, but its impact is visible everywhere.

Out of sight, under our feet, groundwater is a hidden treasure that enriches our lives.

Almost all of the liquid freshwater in the world is groundwater.

As climate change gets worse, groundwater will become more and more critical.

We need to work together to sustainably manage this precious resource.

Groundwater may be out of sight, but it must not be out of mind.

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

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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Do you need an excerpt to market ...

FROM PAGE XXVI

So how do you go about creating the perfect excerpt?

Here are a few tips Chapter One is your first consideration. While I mentioned that an excerpt is more than just pulling a chapter from your book, if there are lots of action or conflict in your first chapter, it can serve as an immediate option to entice the reader. If you’re writing an anthology of poems or short stories, then one story or a few poems can serve as your excerpt as well.

Conflict or action is key. Chapter One may, instead, be an introduction with lots of backstory. This is not a compelling choice for an excerpt. Look at sections of your book that will draw the reader’s interest. For anthologies, choose one of your best pieces. Keep in mind that wherever you place your excerpt, it is to “sell” the idea of your book.

Choose your platform wisely. The mistake I made when releasing my excerpt was to do so without any focus on my book’s intended audience or platform. In a previous article

about receiving feedback, I advised that you must consider your audience and your genre then look for people with special interest or expertise in those fields to critique your work. Similarly, you should seek to publish or share your excerpts on platforms where there are readers that will have an interest in your genre.

Be aware of required word limits. This one is a bit more tricky given the increase in options to publish. Newspapers usually have a limit of 2,000 words (if they’re being generous). Traditional magazines could extend up to 3,500 words.

If you’re using your own blog or website, of course, you have unlimited space. But because of the varying word limits, make sure your excerpt generally falls within the above-mentioned range, and that it can easily be adapted to fit into smaller word limits if needed.

Switch it up. Try to save some mystery for your finished product for when you publish it. Change some of the details to make the story standalone rather than precisely out of your book. Your story is still considered to be an excerpt from your

book, even with some variations.

It doesn’t have to end perfectly. You don’t need to find the perfect ending to your excerpt. It is understood that this is not your whole project. So long as there is some satisfying stopping point that will still lead the writer to want more, that is sufficient.

While most of this advice considers full-length manuscripts, you can still take these points into account if you are writing anthologies or shorter projects. With the various platforms and pathways now available for publishing, you don’t really have to stick to a rigid set of rules, especially if self-publishing is your route of choice. But features such as excerpts can help writers prepare for the road ahead, especially when doubt tries to creep in. Remember, feedback goes a long way once it is constructive.

Interested in contributing to this column on writing?

Email me at thewritemind592@gmail.com

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THOUGHT FOR TODAY All seems infected that th’infected spy, As all looks yellow to the jaundic’d eye.

ALEXANDER PO P 1744) An Essay on E (1688Criticism,

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March 20, 2022 STUDY SUCCESS Dear Student, Welcome dear friend.

Get into the habit of practising and revising what you have learnt, or you may lose the capacity to remember it well. You may find that

sometimes your situation gets so bad that you forget things you learned earlier in the day. This can happen at crucial times. You try to learn too much at one sitting.

And boom! There comes the blockage. Anyway, never omit to involve your study partners at times. Be wise.

Love you.

THE PASSAGE Instruction: Read the following abridged passage carefully.

“But why shouldn’t I?” my mother argued. “Lots of people’s mothers work.”

“Those are American people,” father calmly said.

“So, what do you think we are? I can do the pledge of allegiance with my eyes closed.”

Nevertheless, she tried to be discreet; and if my mother wasn’t home by 5:30, we would start cooking ourselves, to make sure dinner would be on time. Mona would wash the vegetables and put on the rice; I would chop.

For weeks we wondered what kind of work she was doing. I imagined she was selling perfume, testing dessert recipes for the local newspaper. Or maybe she was working for the florist.

Now that she had learned to drive, she might be delivering boxes of roses to people.

“I don’t think so,” said Mona as we walked to our piano lessons after school.

“She would have hit something by now.”

A gust of wind littered the street with leaves.

“Maybe we better hurry up,” she went on, looking at the sky. “It’s going to pour.”

We arrived out of breath and wet.

“Oh, you poor, poor dears,” said old Miss Crosman. “If your mother won’t drive you, I can come pick you up.”

“No, that’s okay,” I said.

“We just couldn’t get the roof of our car to close, is all.”

(Gish Jen’s “The White Umbrella”) What to Do Answer the following questions as far as what is stated or implied in the passage.

1. Why might the girls’ mother try to hide the fact that she is working?

2. Read the passage again

and then determine the relationship between the girls and their mother. Ascertain your answer in more than two sentences.

3. Write about the characteristics of each girl.

4. Write what you glean about their mother’s skills.

5. Who is the narrator of the extract? How can you tell?

6. Write a brief creative, fictional narrative about two young boys whose love for their kind grandfather was overwhelming. Transport your reader to a place where he has never been and introduce him to a whole new world of engaging characters.

Now, see how to check your handiwork: 1. Are there one or more well-developed characters?

2. Is there a conflict that keeps the reader asking what will happen next?

3. Is there a clear storyline or sequence told from a consistent point of view?

4. Is there effective pacing?

5. Does your narrative develop dialogue, suspense, and other literary elements and devices?

6. Does your title catch the reader’s attention?

7. What do your precise vocabulary and effective word choice look like?

8. Have you tried to make your writing error-free?

Composition Writing The friendly, personal letter The address The Date Dear Mother, I am sorry that I am not able to get home before Easter, but I am looking forward to seeing you then. (I still need to complete two very important nature assignments for submission within the next two weeks.) Shall we have a party on Easter Monday as usual? I hope you will let me have my allowance in advance so I can make up some presents.

I am very happy here now that I have gotten used to the strange surroundings. It seems so funny to me that when I get up to go to school everybody on the farm is already hard at work. The flower hedges are already trimmed and watered, the lawn grass is swept and free from fallen leaves and downy feathers. Then the work hands have already milked the cows and taken the horses on their exercise regimen. They start very early, and sometimes wake me up. I do not think I will be a farmer’s wife when I complete my schooling down here, even though I like open spaces. The country around here is uncluttered and lovely with clean-smelling air and a steady breeze. All fruit trees are in rows and evenly spaced.

The other day a large fruit-picker came to harvest the mangoes, pears, and cashews which were packed into crates to be shipped out of the country. As Cousin Vance told me, the pickers are easier to rent at this time which is the best time for the fruits to be picked, sorted and properly labeled for shipping. If rented amid stiff competition later, most fruits would have to be sold on the local markets. Yesterday, Saturday, I helped him separate the lesser-abled chickens from being in the way of their stronger sisters, and this morning I saw baby chicks just out of their shells in the incubator.

I am learning many useful and fascination things about nature that I never thought of before. I am enjoying my cousins down here, too. I wish sister could be here.

Yours affectionately, Georgiana Points to note: This friendly letter has some good points worth considering. a. It is correctly written, with accurate spelling and reasonably good punctuation. b. The daughter has made a fair attempt to arrange what she has to say. c. Her paragraphing is quite sensible. d. The setting of the letter is correct. The address and date are in position, and it ends in a way that is generally accepted as suitable for a girl or boy writing to a relation.

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 20, 2022

Trade unionism and its benefits for workers ESLYN Harris is General-Secretary of the Guyana Postal and Telecommunication Workers Union. For all her years in the profession, she has a genuine love for negotiation and workers’ benefits and all the other tenets that trade unions stand for.

“Among the several reasons why workers continue to join trade unions are, they are better covered, trade unions negotiate for them for better working conditions, better pay, trade unions provide training for new skillsets in companies- generally trade unions give advice and support to its members,” Harris told the Pepperpot Magazine.

She also noted that one of the major areas of trade unions is the renegotiation for workers to enjoy better working conditions and a better payment plan.

Eslyn noted that as General-Secretary, she has negotiated on behalf of certain categories of employees within the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) and Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT).

“Among my many successes over the years, which no doubt has caused the membership to repose confidence in me for upward of 13 years, are the preservation of jobs, thorough representation for the membership and the implementation of robust training and development programmes. These apart, the accomplishments which have brought me personal satisfaction are the decentralisation of the union’s training programme, having the right to be heard institutionalised, and being able to expose our young membership to training at the regional level,” Eslyn told the Pepperpot Magazine.

Women as Trade Unionists The trades union movement is traditionally a male-dominated arena, but according to Harris, there is a need for more women to be involved and be in leadership positions.

“But for me, I find as a woman you have to assert

Eslyn Harris, General-Secretary, Guyana Postal and Telecommunication Workers Union yourself because, for some reason, some would believe that as a woman you are soft on issues, but I always seek to gain respect,” she explained. “I enjoy working among my male counterparts. I continue to gain more knowledge from them. It is my desire for more women to be in leadership positions in [the] trade union movement,” Eslyn said.

Eslyn is also an advocate for the protection of workers’ rights and is aware that much more needs to be done on their behalf. “As an individual and in conjunction with my roles as General-Secretary and Principal Assistant Secretary respectively, I stand on the principles of rights and the rule of law. These principles are the bedrock on which labour stands,” she explained.

Of special note, she explained that after many years of intense representation and finally taking legal action,

the most recent judgement in the High Court in the matter involving the Guyana Telecommunication Corporation (GTC) pensioners versus the Government of Guyana gives her particular pleasure. The judgement allows the former GTC (now known as GTT) workers to enjoy their rightful pensions.

“I believe that while we are governed by the Articles as contained within the Constitution of Guyana, there is an urgent need for constitution reform on many fronts.

Among those of note are the full recognition and enablement of labour as a significant contributor to growth and development; the enablement of inclusivity at all levels in the operations of the state; the organs of the state and their

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subsidiary agencies; the institutionalisation of forms of establishing effective representation; and dispute- settlement mechanisms in an essentially bi-communal society where, hopefully, truth, justice and fair-play are ascendant,” she explained. “As a trade unionist, it is my hope that workers-past, present and potential-be respected and their rights protected. Further, I find that I continue to ardently value hard work and frugality above all else.”

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 20, 2022