Pepperpot 05 22 2016

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Former Miss World Guyana contestant Ali Williams models a Sidney Francois design at the Jubilee Fashion Extravaganza

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Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

Philip Moore Artists’ Retreat And Maroon Sculpture Walk At Yukuriba Heigths Launched

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ave for the fact that not everyone who promised was there, not even the Minister of Education Dr Rupert Roopnarine, the Philip Moore Artists’ Retreat at Yukuriba Heights got launched successfully last Sunday. However, can’t help getting the impression that not everyone cares to identify with this POV, shared in last week’s column, stating unequivocally, inter alia –

“...History should be taught to Guyanese children with the idea of inculcating (in all of them), a sense of pride in self...of their original culture, and an awareness of the contribution each group/community has made and continues to make in creating the overall design of the Guyanese persona. We especially need African Guyanese to understand and dignify their history, which does not begin as chattels of slavery.”

...will not shed tears about a perceived disinclination to recognize the necessity for a “new cultural paradigm for people of African descent”, though I must confess my mystification about the fact that Black folks are a great part of this reluctance.

The Philip Moore Artists’ Retreat at Yukuriba Heights was launched; Philip Moore Jnr was there, and so was his wife Sheira, and his daughter Anistasia, who told me on the phone that when the time came that her grandfather could not write fast enough, he talked to her and she wrote for him.

His granddaughter was chronicling a great mind when she became Philip Moore’s scribe; I urged her to recognize the importance of those documents now stored in a suitcase - to digitalize, preserve them. Even though she must have known before then, she was privileged to hear expressions of how great a man your grandfather was at the launch of the Philip Moore Artists’ Retreat at the Burrowes School of Art last Sunday, I submitted.

“Ohhh yes”, Anistasia Moore affirmed.

Testimonials on Philip Moore’s influence on their choice and direction of careers were presented by Ivor Thom, Burrowes school of Arts Director and creator of the Damon monument as well as Barrington Braithwaithe, prolific Guyanese artist and historian. Philip Moore, Jr. read from this document (below), written in his father’s own hand, expressing some of his unfulfilled dreams.

In Philip Moore’s own words – •

Restoration of the 1763 Monument

“The 1763 Monument was designed by Philip Moore in 1975, while working in his Studio-Museum in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. It was cast in Basingstoke England, by Norris Singer in 1975-1976 and was unveiled by L.F.S. Burnham, the first President of Guyana, in May 1976. It has a run► Continued on page III

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016 ► From page II ning fountain and lights. Hundreds of people from Lodge Village Charlestown Alboystown and around visited the environs of this monument for relaxation in the evenings; it was their sea walls.

After the death of President Burnham, the monument was grossly neglected and has become what it is today, a vandalized, neglected abused and unvalued work of art.

Psychologically speaking, its an object of derision and scorn especially in the lifetime of the artist. Therefore it’s with great expectations that the public and myself will want its immediate attention, Thanks Yours Philip Moore

Philip Moore hoped to supervise the restoration of our national monument he’d created thus: Proposals for Possible Funding 1.

Funds for the restoration of the 1763 Monument a.

Cleaning of Plinth

b.

Restoring of lights and water pump for Fountain

c.

To design and build a proper fence around, making it a Park, which will accommodate working artists and other perform-

III ing artists d.

To erect crafted seats around, made of scrap metal and concrete

2.

Funds to restore and frame paintings, clean up sculptures with the co-operation of the Curator of the National Collection at Castellani House of which 120 pieces belonging to the Philip Moore’s Collection (stored with Castellani...)

3.

Money to move my entire collection to different parts of the country until a permanent (place is found) 4.

A joint-venture business, making duplication of specific sculptures for worldwide sales distribution; printing of Post Cards, Pictoral Prints of some of the best pieces of paintings for worldwide sales distribution.

Two things were clear at Sunday’s launch. First of all, in Guyana art is still seen as a secondary subject not only in schools but in our everyday life. There is a disregard, a non interest in art, especially pieces produced by Guyanese.

Secondly, our students are taught about van Gogh or Picasso…Europeans. Ask them about our homegrown talents – dead or alive – few would list even Philip Moore, the great mind behind the spectacular 1763 National Monument.

But who can blame them? How many of our local artists’ works – sculptures, monuments, etc – are on public display in our towns and cities?

The change must start with our schools’ curriculum. There’s a pressing need to review our schools curriculum, promoting art giving artists the prominence they deserve. This is the main reasons we were so disappointed that the Minister of Education did not make it to the launch on Sunday.

Images Of The Launch Of Philip Moore Artists’ Retreat And Maroon Sculpture Walk At Yukuriba Heigths

Amanda Wilson, Yukuriba Heights Media and Communications Coordinator, Ivor Thom, E.R. Burrowes School Of Art Administrator, & Barrington Braithwaithe, Artist/Historian, addressing the audience.

Terrence Fletcher

Mr and Mrs Philip Moore Jnr.

A section of the audience; from the left: Marjorie Cambridge-Carr, Monette Patterson (partly hidden), Tom Dalgety,Andrea Mentore, Makeida Jones, Ashley Wilson, Barrington Braithwaithe Mark Jacobs, Cloyd London, Keith Agard and Melissa London (partly hidden)

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Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

Points of Departure The politics of shaping a cultural identity (Pt. 3)

By Dominique Hunter “The writers and artists of Guyana exist in an uneasy equipoise above historical, political, cultural cross-streams evoking “the smell of their earth and the dreams of their people.” They have become image-makers for a people who had never seen images of themselves. The country out of which the art and writing comes is a cradle of archetypal symbols – forests, rivers, mountains, savannahs burgeoning into

colours, shapes, forms, words, and a polyglot peoples searching for an identity.”

Published almost 50-year-ago to the day, that excerpt from Jan Carew’s May 23rd 1966 column titled Guyanese literature and art, could well be used to describe our position today, balancing precariously with the knowledge that there is no safety net should there be any missteps.

The challenge of shaping a cultural identity was laid squarely at the feet of our

creatives and given the political and social climate at the time it was no easy task.

A few days after the publication of that column Carew was quoted in a May 31st article titled Artists’ freedom day speaking on our journey towards shaping a new collective image: “We still have slavery as a concept in our society in the Caribbean….

Unless we are able to discover ourselves and find new images, we will not be able to ► Continued

on page V

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016 ► From page IV exorcise the ghost of racism which lurks in the background.”

It’s hardly a secret that ours is a history tarnished by racially divisive politics. This “ghost” of racism didn’t just threaten the moral fiber of our nation by lurking in the background as Carew suggested. Instead, it marched boldly out of the shadows, materializing into something as real and tangible as the people it affected, pulled up a chair at the dinner table and demanded to be fixed a plate as the rest of the nation watched in disbelief. And yet, in spite of the resulting tension, we forged ahead tirelessly chanting “One People, One Nation, One Destiny.”

In the grand scheme of things, colonization, for the most part, has been synonymous with violent conquest, and most cultures would’ve been “unified” through the suppression of their cultural differences. As I mentioned in last week’s article, this suppression of minority cultures and traditions would’ve been employed as a means of ensuring cultural hegemony. And so a natural deduction would be that cultural identity is shaped more so by (cultural) power than it is by allegiance or national symbolism.

At the root of the formation of that power or even its transferal from one dominant group to the next would’ve no doubt been conflict. And on that subject Martinique-born psychiatrist and philosopher Frantz Fanon posited that the suppression of the cultures of colonial peoples forced them to “mask” themselves in the culture of the colonizer. Further, Fanon believed that in order to remove that “mask” violence needed to be an essential part of the decolonization process. He described it as the solution for “curing” persons who have accepted the “illness” of political oppression.

While I don’t necessarily agree that it “cures” anything or that colonized peoples simply “accept” political oppression, I do agree that violence, sadly, seems to be an unavoidable result in the process of decolonization. We have experienced the kind of violence that took the lives of our fellow countrymen and women, just as we have and continue to experience the kind of violence that works its way into our psyche, threatening our humanity. We’ve already paid that price so where does it leave us fifty years later?

How effective is the theory of cultural pluralism if after coming together once or twice a year to sing national songs we then retreat to our separate enclaves? How do we move past separatist ideologies in a way that is not superficial so that the feeling of community is sustained year round without compromising our individual cultures and traditions? We have already established that despite differences in race, gender, class and religion, a national cultural identity attempts to sterilize past wounds and unify each group into a single cultural identity representative of nationhood. But does this singular identity cancel out or subsume our cultural differences?

Jamaican cultural theorist Stuart Hall proposes that we should think of national culture as “constituting a discursive device” where cultural differences are represented as the collective identity. Those differences, therefore, are brought together through the employment of various forms of (cultural) power. So then we are not “born” with a national cultural identity, but rather that identity is formed and continuously transformed as it relates to representation.

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In his text titled Cultural Identity and Diaspora, Hall describes cultural identity as, “a matter of 'becoming' as well as of 'being'. It belongs to the future as much as to the past. Cultural identities come from somewhere, have histories. But, like everything which is historical, they undergo constant transformation. Far from being eternally fixed in some essentialised past, they are subject to the continuous 'play' of history, culture and power. Far from being grounded in a mere 'recovery' of the past, which is waiting to be found, and which, when found, will secure our sense of ourselves into eternity, identities are the names we give to the different ways we are positioned by, and position ourselves within, the narratives of the past.”

Next week’s conclusion of this series will examine some of the transformations Guyana has undergone subsequent to its independence, as well as the “dream” for the Guyanese cultural identity of the then Prime Minister LFS Burnham.

(Points of Departure is a four part series inspired by the pre-independence writings of several columnists of the then Guiana Graphic. The series is intended to reflect on key areas of cultural development and planning that were in discussions leading up the country’s departure from its British colonizer. As the name suggests, those discussions will be used as indicators to track the initial course of ideas proposed by thinkers of the time to present day realities.)

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Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

By Subraj Singh

Imam Baksh’s Children of the Spider

(Blouse and Skirt Books, 2016) Winner of the Burt Award for Caribbean Literature, one of the region’s foremost literary prizes for writers of young adult and children’s literature, Children of the Spider is a novel by Guyanese writer, Imam Baksh.

The story is about a girl named Mayali who comes to Guyana from the land of Zolpash – a place of sulphur, spider gods and slavery – in search of her missing father. On her journey, she comes across a variety of characters, including: Joseph, a tech-savvy, deaf/mute Amerindian boy and his girlfriend, Tara, and Rafeek, a street urchin who lives in the slums of Georgetown.

Together, these characters, along with various helpers, try to inform the Guyanese people of the spiders and the mechanics of everything that is going on in Zolpash, including the fact that Guyanese people are often caught and transported there, where they are forced to work for the spiders.

The premise is quite an intriguing one – rich with the potential for forays into many tropes of children’s fantasy, including the creation of a “new world” with Zolpash. Interestingly, Baksh chooses to bypass the opportunity to delve into the land inhabited by the spiders and sets most of the tale in Guyana – not that this is a bad thing. In fact, the novel being set in Guyana is one of the things that is sure to draw the young Guyanese and Caribbean reader to the book.

Indeed, writers like Baksh should be commended for not giving in to what must probably be a universal impulse for writers to “write what we have read” (works on American and European societies) and choosing instead to “write what we know” (Guyana and Guyanese society).

The way the novel shifts location – from Mabaruma to Georgetown to Kaietur Falls, and back to Georgetown – can be a bit abrupt, but journeys do involve a lot of travelling, and the various locations offers the writer room to present varying aspects of the country’s environment and culture. Baksh’s attempt at Creole is also praiseworthy, as it emphasizes the West Indian nature of the work and helps to bring us closer to the characters, who speak like us and, therefore, are instantly more relatable. As befitting a novel meant for children, the work contains genuinely funny moments that offer us temporary reprieves from the seriousness of the heroine’s quest to, as we say, “save the world”, and there are also other well-written moments that convey deep sorrow and pain, as seen especially in the character of Rafeek.

Also intriguing is the author’s use of myth. In a manner reminiscent of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, Baksh uses traditional mythical entities and gives them new forms and identities that become a part of his contemporary tale. For example, our very own Anansi is transformed and presented as a cunning and humorous character that pays homage to the original spider god from our folktales.

Sometimes the villains’ dialogue is awkward, and towards the climax all the action does feel a tad bit confusing, and although the heroes do confront the villains on their own eventually, one does wish the lead characters did not have to rely so much on the adults who often come to their aid earlier on in the narrative. However, apart from those little things, the book is a very admirable one that Guyanese children should read. It is slated for official release on July 15, 2016 and, as a Guyanese novel, will be available at various bookstores across the country.

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

VII

Sexual Harassment and Mental Heatlh Hello Everyone, I hope this week has treated you well.

I’ve decided to write about something that I’m sure all women, and sometimes men, experience in Guyana- sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment is defined as unwanted sexual advances or obscene remarks in any situation such as work, school or even in the home. In most countries, it is considered illegal and can be punished by expulsion or loss of job.

Some examples are unwanted physical sexual advances (hugging, kissing, touching), verbal requests, unwanted personal attention (phone calls, visits, letters, texts), sexual or “dirty” jokes, or even spreading rumours. Unfortunately, it can affect people of all ages.

Many Guyanese believe that people invite these actions by their behaviour or dress. This cannot be more wrong. It does not matter how you act or dress, no one deserves sexual harassment.

There are two major types of Sexual Harassment.

1. Quid pro quo (“this for that”). This occurs when it is explicitly stated or implied that one will benefit from performing acts of a sexual nature, such as a promotion or better grades for sexual favours.

2. Hostile Environment. This occurs when the harassment is so severe that it creates an unsafe, intimidating or abusive environment.

A study done in the United States found that as many as 70% of women and 45% of men experience sexual harassment in the work place. I imagine Guyana’s statistics would be the same or even higher. Why not encourage your superiors to do surveys in your work place so we can know for sure?

Sexual Harassment and Mental Health Sexual Harassment can cause many ills in both women and men. It is known as a common stressor that increases anxiety, blood pressure, depressive symptoms, low self-esteem, helplessness, anger, and sleep problems. It can also increase frustration, difficulty concentrating, embarrassment, self- blame, withdrawal, isolation and increased absenteeism to avoid the harassment. Victims may also experience strained relationships between co-workers and classmates. This can cause long term depression and self- doubt in both youths and adults- all of which of course can lead to suicidal thoughts Studies have also shown that harassment can cause levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This means the victim keeps re-experiencing the trauma and avoids people or places that might remind them of it. The individual may also feel anxiety and stress when having to attend the place of harassment. For example, a specific study in the U.S showed that women in the military who are harassed are up to four times more likely to develop PTSD. WHAT CAN WE DO? We speak up. It is beneficial for you and others around you to report acts of sexual harassment. Perpetrators rarely ever stop on their own. It does not necessarily have to be in a rude tone; politely ask the individual to stop as it is important that we stop it right as it happens. Although, I do understand the fear that comes and forces one to just ignore the comments as I have been in the position myself.

As a woman who experiences it, I would like to discuss

how it honestly makes me feel.

Everyone has down and insecure days. This occurs when you are not feeling like your best self. Even on my lowest day, I’m not complimented by these comments. They ALWAYS make me feel uncomfortable, vulnerable, belittled and embarrassed. I cannot imagine any woman appreciating these crude gestures so I do not know why men continue to do it. This is specifically referring to cat calls on the street.

However, I do have to admit that I have seen some women do it to men, which is even worse because it is encouraging a type of behaviour that the majority of women have been fighting to stop for years. In preparation for this article, I asked over 20 women of all ages and ethnicities how they feel about cat calls. Every one of them said that at no point do they appreciate street attention/ harassment.

Like most other fields, prevention is the best way to eliminate it. Hold seminars in school and offices about the dangers of it. If there isn’t such a workshop in your environment now, suggest one. The most important thing to remember is that is it not your fault if you experience sexual harassment.

I would like to begin writing success stories of individuals who have overcome any mental illness such as drug addiction, depression or anxiety. If you would like to share your story, anonymously or not, please write in to caitlinvieira@gmail.com. Also, continuing letting me know what else you would like to talk about OR stop in and see me at Woodlands Hospital Outpatient Department. For issues with drugs/ alcohol – Monday’s at 4:30. General mental health issues- Wednesday’s at 4:30.

Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always!

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Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

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Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

XI

‘Woven of Love’ for Duke Lodge tonight

OVERSEAS-based Guyanese Lloyd Guilliams is teaming up with founder and Chief Executive Officer of Purple Arts Production, Simone Dowding, to put on a show this evening, the proceeds of which will go to differently-abled children.

For the past ten years, Guilliams has been coming to Guyana annually to donate money to children who are in need of help such as those at Joshua House, the Drop-In Center, and Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Center.

This time, though, he decided to organize a show in celebration of Guyana’s 50th Independence. The only thing he needed was someone here who would be willing to help him organize.

“What really brought me on board is the fact that part proceeds go to the children because from working with children myself, I really enjoy the satisfaction on their faces when they are helped,” Dowding, also a member of Theatre Guild, told the Chronicle during their visit to the Chronicle.

And so Dowding said she is happy to be helping out Gulliams.

“A beautiful evening is promised. It’s a really nice event that is not to be missed by anyone.

Guilliams, who left Guyana to live overseas some 35 years ago, said he got in touch with Dowding through a mutual friend of theirs. “I was telling that friend that I wanted to do a show in Guyana to celebrate the 50th anniversary. So she introduced me to Dowding. We are collaborating on this and hopefully we will continue.”

Guilliams grew up with his single-parent mom and five siblings and often observed that despite things were so bad with them financially, his mother, Clarina Guillliams, often gave her last to neighbours to help them out. “I grew up with my mom; my dad was not around. It was about six of us at the time and she took care of us alone. Neighbours came and asked and she Simone Dowding would give her last and about 20 years ago before she died in New York, I asked her why she Lloyd Guilliams did so. She said, ‘Son, at times people need it more than you and good works always come back to you.’ So that propels me to give back.”

The show that he is financing is called “Woven of Love” and after expenses, the proceeds will go to differently abled children. It will be held at Duke Lodge, in Kingston, this afternoon from 4:30 pm to 11:00 pm.

A fashion show will be presented by Designer Nelsion Andres Nurse, along with entertainment by DJ Deron. The dress code is Guyana’s national colours and advanced tickets cost $4000 or $5000 at the door.

Furthermore, Melissa Payne will be doing a 50th independence swim suit line and a showpiece will be also be done by Simone Bazil.

The event will also see some standup comedy from Henry Rodney and if all goes well, Bonny Alves and Charmaine Blackman are expected to grace the stage.

Designs by Nelsion Nurse will be on show

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Sunday

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

Nostalgia Handing over of the airport

The signing of the agreement handing over the Atkinson base to the Guyana government during Independence week, May 1966. In picture, from left to right, are Mr S.S. Ramphal, Attorney General and Minister of State, Prime Minister Forbes Burnham and Mr Delmar Carlson, US Ambassador to Guyana

The Kents arrive

A smiling welcome for the Duke of Kent from Governor Sir Richard Luyt while the Duchess descends from the Royal aircraft, Sunday, May 22, 1966. The Duke, cousin of Queen Elizabeth, arrived in the country to formally present the constitutional instruments to formally end 152 years of colonial rule

Independence greeting

Mrs R.B Gajraj, wife of the Mayor of Georgetown, greets Mrs Anthony Greenwood, wife of the British Minister of Overseas Development, as their husbands look on, when they met at the official handing over ceremony of the Independence arch, Sunday, May 22, 1966

Gajraj – Lord Mayor

In what was described as a first, Georgetown’s Mayor R.B. Gajraj, was bestowed with the title “Lord Mayor” on May 23, 1966. The announcement was made by the Duke of Kent. It was the first time such an honour was bestowed on a Mayor in the Caribbean littoral, by Queen Elizabeth. Photos shows the Mayor and the Duke and Duchess of Kent

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

XIII

At the Independence State Ball University of Guyana plan unveiled

Mr Frank Rutter, architect employed by the government to prepare the plan for the University of Guyana Turkeyen Campus, is seen displaying the plan to a member of the Commonwealth delegation to the Independence celebrations on May 24, 1966, when the title deed to the land on which the campus was built was handed over

Freedom Monument

Prime Minister Forbes Burnham escorts the fabulous Miriam Makeba to Guyana’s Independence State Ball at Queens College Hall shortly after she had sung his praises at a reception at his house, May 26, 1966. In the 1960s, Miriam Makeba was celebrated as the first African to popularise African music around the world

Prime Minister Forbes Burnham addresses the audience at the formal commissioning of the Independence Arch at the head of Brickdam, Sunday May 22, 1966

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Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

A life of uncertainty - Chineza Harte explains how she has lived through one misdiagnosis to another

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By Akola Thompson rom infancy, Chineza Harte, now 31, has been a frequent visitor to hospitals. Casts being fitted for her broken bones was an activity she despised but eventually began to come to terms with.

Childhood, she explained was “not exactly fun” as being born with a disease, which causes weak bones, making them susceptible to frequent fractures, meant she could never partake in normal activities such as running and playing. Childhood therefore was seen as “a sort of confinement.”

Adolescence was not easier, even though the fractures became fewer as she got older, with the last one being in 2006.

Chineza still suffers from excruciating pain in the bones and joints, which often leaves her confined to a bed. When the pain is less, she tries to be active, but it does not always work.

“I have become used to it; I have to find a way because they tell me there is nothing they can do for me any longer,” she said.

Chineza Harte

She also pointed out that her case might be a complex one as she may have more than one illness, doctors have told her.

While it did present itself until in her early teens, Chineza believes she also has Dupuytren’s contracture, which has caused three of her fingers on each hand to be drawn into the palm.

“Sometimes, my hands get so weak that I can’t even hold a cup,” she said. “My fingers don’t hurt but my palms are in constant pain.”

Aside from having brittle bones, Chineza began having a lot of other illnesses, with one she believed could have led to her death at the age of 15. The explanation then was heart problems.

Shortly after, Chineza was misdiagnosed with Lupus and given medication, which caused several other health related complications such as urinary tension.

At the time, she had been preparing for CSEC and also began getting frequent migraines that would often hinder her from studying. Eventually, the migraines became worse and medical treatment was sought which saw Chineza being misdiagnosed with a brain tumor. Afraid that her life was in jeopardy, she went to seek treatment in Trinidad and began receiving wrong medications, which caused further complications such as seizures. At this point, Chineza had to stop studying as she could no longer cope, ending her desire to write five subjects at the CSEX examinations.

“That ruined my life,” said Chineza. “I was dedicated and was trying my utmost best to achieve and gain something…it ruined me.”

Due to the fact that she would now have to do the subjects privately, Chineza had to save money in order to write three subjects the next year and would later do a course in caring for the elderly.

She would later begin working as a caretaker at a private residence but when the woman passed, Chineza found it hard to secure another job due to her health complications.

Currently, Chineza works as a cleaner at the David Rose School for the handicapped. She stated that while it is not much, she enjoys it as it is not very demanding and gives her the opportunity to provide for herself and her daughter.

At the same time she said, she often thinks of how much her illness has served to hinder her from pursuing a lot of things in life.

“You know when you’re young and you have an idealized view of the world, people tell you you’d grow up, study, get a career, have your own home and all these things and here I am at this age, not even academically accomplished and all the dreams I have are gone.”

Still not certain whether she had Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) as there are no OI specialists in the country to determine that, Chineza claims that all she really wants now is to be diagnosed properly. “I know it won’t change anything but the fact that no one really knows what is wrong is a constant struggle, especially since my daughter has inherited this disease from me.”

Afya Harte Chineza’s daughter, Afya Harte who is now seven years old was born with a more severe form of Chineza’s illness and has been having fractures from the time she was six months old. In all, Afya has suffered 11 fractures since her birth, with the last one being in February of last year.

She said while it was difficult explaining to Afya why she could not run and play as other children did when she was younger, it is now becoming easier as Afya herself is now conscious of her illness and refuses to partake in any strenuous activities.

“I don’t want my daughter to go through what I went through and still going through,” said Chineza. “ I don’t want her to live with the same uncertainty that I have lived with my entire life regarding my illness.”

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

XV

1981 brawl over the dumping of garbage…

Appellate Court ordered new trial in the interest of justice

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N 1981, the Guyana Court of Appeal presided over by Chancellor Victor Crane, and Justices Kenneth George and J. A. Luckhoo, nullified a High Court judgment in the interest of justice and ordered a new trial.

This happened in the case of the State verses Chandica Persaud Sanichar, where the Appellant and two other persons were charged with the offence of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and raised the two defences of self-defence and accident.

The trial judge failed to direct the jury that it was for the State to negative the defences.

The effect was that the appellant was sentenced to five years imprisonment and a flogging of ten strokes. He appealed the conviction.

The Court of Appeal Held: Such a defect in a case where the defence of self defence and accident arose was fatal.

Further, that it would be in the best interest of justice to order a new trial and the appeal was allowed.

R. H. McKay, S.C., R. Ramlall with him, represented the Appellant, and C. W. Weithers, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, represented the State.

Luckhoo, J. A. delivered the judgment of the Court.

The Appellant, with two other persons who were acquitted, was convicted on 19th June, 1979, at the Berbice Criminal Sessions of the offence of wounding Baliram Jaimangal on 14th, 1977 , with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm or to maim, disfigure or disable him, contrary to section 57 (a) of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Chapter 8:01. He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and flogging of (10) strokes.

From this conviction and sentence he has appealed.

The case for the State was simple and straightfor-

ward. Baliram Jaimangal gave evidence that on 14th of June, 1977, at 7.00 a.m. there was an exchange of words between him and Motilall Sanichar (the No. 2 accused) at Ankervillel, Port Mourant, Berbice, over the throwing of rubbish opposite Baliram Jaimangal’s mother’s yard.

This incident ended there.

Baliram Jaimangal then went about his work, grazing his cows. At about 11.00 a.m. to 12 noon, he was returning home for breakfast when the Appellant, who also lived nearby, questioned him about the earlier incident.

The Appellant threatened to kill him, cuffed him in his face and pushed him in a drain. He got up and went home. The Appellant then stood by his gate and cursed Baliram Jaimangal , who replied in like manner.

At this stage, the Appellant threatened him again and a minute or two later the Appellant and the two other accused came in front of the gate. The Appellant had a lance in his hand. The other two accused carried a cutlass and a stick respectively.

Baliram Jaimangal said that he went to his gate and spoke to the Appellant and the Appellant immediately rushed him with the lance and bored him in his belly. The lance stuck there.

Both men held on to the lance and the Appellant pulled Baliram Jaimangal two to three rods on the street.

Eventually the lance was pulled out by the Appellant.

The other accused at this stage struck him with the cutlass and the stick.

Under cross-examination, Baliram Jaimangal denied that he had armed himself with an axe and a lance,or that he had gone opposite the Appellant’s house.

A neighbour, Bissondai Karran, corroborated the injured person’s evidence.

She claimed to be on good terms with all the parties. Her vision was basically the same as Baliram Jaiman-

gal’s. Under cross-examination, she likewise denied that Baliram Jaimangal came out with a lance.

In the leading case of R. v. Abraham, 1973, Edmund Davies, L.J. suggested that after giving clear, positive and unmistakable general directions as to onus and standard of proof, a judge should, in dealing with the issue of self defence, tell the jury something on the following lines: “Members of the jury, the general direction which I have just given to you in relation to onus and standard of proof has a particularly important operation in the circumstances of the present case. Here the accused has raised the issue that he acted in self defence.

A person who acts reasonably in his self defence commits no unlawful act.

“By his plea of self defence, the accused is raising in a special form, the plea of not guilty . Since it is for the Crown to show that the general plea of not guilty is unacceptable, so the Crown must convince you beyond reasonable doubt that self-defence has no basis in the present case.”

The Privy Council in Dennis Reid v- R.[1979], set out the principles and guidelines to be considered in relation to a retrial.

“I would fully endorse those guidelines which were considered in Ashraf Haniff’s case, referred to above, with the full endorsement of the flexibility of approach to the enumeration of relevant factors.

On an application of the principles to the facts of this appeal, I am satisfied that the offence is serious and prevalent, the trial was and the retrial can be short, the issues are not complex, the case for the prosecution on the record was strong, and as no witnesses were called for the defence there can be no prejudice to the Appellant.

“Accordingly I would make the order which was made in Frank Sookram’s case, which was a similar

case of wounding, that the conviction and sentence be set aside and a new trial ordered.”

By George Barclay

XVI

The best approach to oral health education

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enerally, unless health professionals were unusually insensitive to patients’ reactions, health education often had a patronising ring to it. Therefore, when a dental health provider who believes he or she knows

what is best for the patient “ educates” a person who is tacitly assumed to know nothing, it is a safe bet that little of value eventuates.

This has been called the “empty vessel “approach to oral health education: the patient is empty and waiting for the health professional to “pour in” the

knowledge. But studies have shown that this is not the best approach.

This approach was enshrined in an early WHO report, which saw the need to teach educational theory and methods to student dentists so that they could successfully “motivate” their patients and the public to behave as

dentists would like them to.

It also shows itself unconsciously in terminology such as tooth brushing drills, a so-called educational method in which children were taught to brush their teeth in a semi-military manner. The empty vessel approach also dated from a time when the guild model of professionalism was accepted, a model that saw the all-knowing professional as dominant in dentist-patient relations.

In more recent years, greater acceptance has

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

been given to the idea that the recipients of all this attention might have some thoughts of their own. But we must remember that people have a right and duty to participate individually and collectively in the planning and implementation of their health care. It is recognised universally that participant involvement was essential for success in oral health ► Continued

on page XVII

Dr. BERTRAND R. STUART, DDS.

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016 â–ş From page XXIV education, and what is taught needed to be compatible with local customs and culture as well as with scientific knowledge.

It is a basic precept that everyone has a right to the best available knowledge about caring for his or her own health. However, knowledge alone does not lead to action. Many dental practitioners can labour under the assumption that when people have knowledge about oral hygiene they will act upon that knowledge. It is a rational assumption, but human behaviour is more complicated than that. Knowledge dissemination is a fundamental part of the mission of dental health professionals, but dental care workers have to steel themselves to accept that much of their effort will go unheeded.

School-based oral health education programmes, by definition, are aimed at more cohesive groups rather than at the public at large. Whatever approach is to be adopted, it will require a plan of action, with appropriate involvement of all parties concerned and clear delineation of responsibilities. In order for the public at large to be

aware of what is necessary here are the fundamental components of a school-based programme for the promotion of oral health: - Oral health services, meaning preventive procedures, health screening and treatment, referral, and follow-up.

- Health instruction, to include both personal and health topics.

- A healthy environment, with attention to all aspects of the school environment that could affect the health of students or school personnel.

Even though schoolchildren are more homogeneous than the public as a whole, any group of them still has a variety of beliefs and attitudes; in a multicultural society such we have here, the differences can be profound.

Methods used in school programmes should therefore be a mix of small groups and mass approaches, and some are clearly more successful than others. The more successful approaches, as shown by teachers and administrators, and by the oral health of the participants, use a fair degree of active involvement. This finding applies to all ages and so-

XVII cial groups, for active involvement increased the effectiveness of programmes conducted with employed adults and with mothers with young children. Nursing home residents who monitored their own progress toward oral hygiene goals showed improvements in psychological well-being and self-esteem as well as in oral hygiene.

On the other hand, programmes that involve less individual participation can increase knowledge of oral disease mechanisms and its prevention but have less impact on attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour. The mass media, which by definition do not develop personal involvement, are generally seen as effective in disseminating basic knowledge, but whether they do much to influence behavioural change is uncertain. I have learnt from public oral health campaigns, which I have played an integral part for many years, that personal involvement is needed to effect behavioural change. When the cultural competence needed to accommodate to the astonishing cultural variety in Guyana is added in, designing programmes for personal involvement becomes a challenge.

The most intensive form of oral health education is one-to-one instruction. Although oral health education is clearly an integral part of professional responsibility, simply passing across information does not by itself lead to desirable action; personal involvement (again) is necessary.

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Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

CONSUMER CONCERNS:

50th Anniversary is here: New Beginings for happier Guyana Anniversaries are always multi-faceted events but the 50th Anniversary is unique in any country's history as it is something which shall never again occur. Three of the most important of the many facets which is being seen is firstly, the Celebratory, where all who wish to participate could enjoy the performing arts, partying, eating and even street-dancing to steel bands. It is a time for children to participate in as many of the celebratory events as they could for they would be accumulating experiences which would bring them happy nostalgic memories in later life.

The second facet which suffuses this period is the Reflective. Most of us, both young and old, will reflect upon our personal as well as our country's history and one PAT DIAL does not necessarily have to be 50 years of age to do so.

We will reflect upon our achievements, our failings, our missed opportunities, our mistakes and how we corrected them.

In this process of reflection, the newspapers and TV will carry appropriate photos and writings and programes.

The Ministry of Education has organized some symposiums as part of this process of Reflection and students, both at University and at Secondary schools are encouraged to take advantage of them.

In this process of Reflection, we could take the opportunity of listening to the music which was enjoyed over this period. Such music will be both Western as well as Indian.

It will be a rewarding experience for younger people to listen to the music, especially the hits, which were enjoyed by their parents and grandparents. The various patriotic songs composed in this period could be revived. The Militia and Police Bands which used to give regular performances in Georgetown and New Amsterdam should resuscitate such concerts not only in the two old cities but in the newer ones as well.

A third facet which will inevitably occur during Anniversary week is our envisaging the kind of country we hope and expect Guyana will be within the next 50 years. Such dreams and pictures of Guyana in the years to come have â–ş Contiuned on page XIX

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016 â–ş From page XVIII generally been articulated by our writers, poets, journalists and leaders over the years.

These dreams and pictures are part of the folk memory of the nation from the time of Raleigh onwards and our intellectuals are quite conversant with them. The 50th Anniversary provides the opportunity and ambience for our intellectuals to assimilate these disparate dreams and pictures and create holistic plans and blueprints for Guyana over the next two generations.

Such plans and blueprints could provide programmes for social and economic development and be a source of optimism in the coming years.

The 50th Anniversary commemoration is therefore useful and valuable in helping to create a happier Guyana of the future. But the Commemoration also has a very practical side and we will highlight a few of the practical achievements.

In the first place, as a direct result of the Commemoration, Guyana has enjoyed a successful clean-up campaign. Drainage of the City of Georgetown has greatly improved, the mountains of garbage has been cleaned, and the massive proliferation of sellers on foot, in carts and motor vehicles and shanty stalls have been cleared making way for planned urban development. The

clearing of Stabroek Square and the contiguous parts of Water Street is one of the memorable achievements of the 50th Anniversary.

Then there has been the orderly and high standard of bed-and-breakfast accommodation and culture introduced. This is not only useful for visitors from abroad but for Guyanese moving from one part of the country to another.

There are also serious and successful efforts being made to introduce a regime of hygienic and cleanly preparation and selling of food publicly. Places of cooking will be inspected and all sellers will eventually be given a badge as evidence that their preparation has

been inspected and that they are healthy persons without any infectious diseases.

Dr Gobind Ganga, Governor of the Central Bank, has put into circulation a $50 note which is not only a fitting commemorative event, but would assist in the counting and keeping of cash.

One of the most impacting and imaginative commemorative events was the launching of a 50-year old rum by Demerara Distillers going with an 18 carat gold medal. DDL produces the best rums in the world and their flagship rums are sold

XIX in all the major airports world-wide.

Over the years, they have quietly given Guyana a very positive image everywhere.

The launching of their 50year old with a gold medal thrown in is a unique event in the history of the rum and distillery business and all Guyanese at home and abroad feel proud and express their appreciation to Dr Yesu Persaud and Mr Komal Samaroo, the CEO of the Company, for this fine achievement.

And lastly, President Granger has emphatically

remarked that the 50th Anniversary commemoration has presented an extraordinary opportunity for us as a nation and as a country to work for greater unity and the PPP party has unequivocally declared that they are supportive of the 50th Anniversary commemoration.

At this moment, both Government and Opposition need to extend the hand of fraternity to each other with a new beginning of understanding, tolerance and accommodation but the initiative rests with Government primarily.

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Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

Gym Makeup: Motivation never looked so good!

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n an effort to be fit and combat weight gain, like many, I joined the gym and sometimes show up fully made up. Why? Because during a hectic day, who has time to remove their makeup before a sweat session? #AintNobodyGotTimeForThat

It makes sense to remove the makeup after gym.

Women who wear makeup especially to the gym are often judged, as if there's an unwritten law that one cannot sweat in makeup, or that makeup is reserved only for special occasions.

There are no rules of when and where to wear makeup, as long as it's done correctly. Makeup should be worn any and everywhere, as often as possible, and to the liking of the wearer.

However, women (and men) are held to unrealistic standards of beauty and manners at times, sometimes your health needs to take priority over etiquette. As Joe said in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations: “Manners is manners, but still your elth’s your elth.”

It's not the Makeup Lover's responsibility to adjust to the seemingly ridiculous social prejudices.

However, cosmetic companies are on board, adjusting to the reformed trend and are

producing triathlon-tested, hypoallergenic mascaras and after-gym makeup removers infused with citrus fruit and anti-oxidant pomegranate to boost energy and revitalize the tone and texture of skin.

Liquid Matte Foundations made for oily skin, are water based and last through sweat.

There's an entire market for the beauty-obsessed gymrats. Fitness is beautiful, and should be accessorized with lipstick!

There's no crime in sprucing up your fitness style. However, I believe there should be a law against fitness fashion faux pas, and that's an issue worth discussing.

Live and let be embrace your creativity and express your style - even if you're sweating in it.

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

Jubilee Fashion

XXI

Extravaganza

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By Tamica Garnett

he much anticipated Jubilee Festival kicked off last Thursday in beautiful style and fashion, literally, with the hosting of the Jubilee Fashion Extravaganza at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal.

Minister of Tourism, Cathy Hughes, described it as an “important section of our Jubilee Celebrations” as she opened the chic event, which showcased the designs of eight of Guyana’s leading designers including Jason Shurland, Amrita Daniels, Reshma Persaud and Marcia De Santos.

“Fashion is making a mark,” Hughes commented. “And over the next three days we want to celebrate the talent, the initiative and the creativity of our designers.”

Talent and creativity were just the words to describe Thursday’s designs as patrons were treated to innovative pieces which displayed an infusion of culture, tradition and modern style.

Celeste David’s riveting rendition of the National Anthem gave a fitting start to the show, was followed by a display of the delegates of the upcoming Ms. Guyana World Pageant which is set for May 27.

Things then got down to business with the designs of Sidney Francois, which include pieces with colorful prints.

The prints continued in the designs of Sharon Gittens, while Natasha Calderia’s “Woman Overboard” line was a colorful blend.

Jason Shurland’s “Brining Back Our Culture” collection featured tie dye with a modern twist, and Amrita Daniels in her usual flair showed that African print could be incorporated into outfits for just about any occasion.

On the bolder sides were the designs by Keisha Edwards, who described her pieces as “culture with a modern perspective” and Reshma Persaud’s line which boasted a mixture of “tradition and style”.

Thursday’s Fashion show was just the beginning of the Fashion Extravaganza, which continued on Friday evening with the launch of Guyana Fashion Week 2016 at the same location.

The Fashion Week launch was orchestrated by Guyana’s fashion queen herself, Sonia Noel.

Current Miss World Guyana contestant Marva Langevine models Sharon Gittens

Former Miss Universe Guyana Tamika Henry models a Sidney Francois design

Former Miss Universe Guyana contestant Madonna Ghanie in Sidney Francois design

Model Melesa Payne wears Sidney Francois

A Sidney Francois design

XXII

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

Miss World L 2016

ast Thurs in this ye World Gu competition to catwalk at the Convention Ce Top Model com the pageant. W Samuel Maugh

the event

Top Model competi

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

sday, delegates ear’s Miss uyana ook to the Arthur Chung entre for the mpetition of We share these hn photos of

ition

XXIII

XXIV

The man who first raised the Golden Arrowhead D

esmond Roberts bore the enviable privilege of being asked to raise the flag, later to be named the Golden Arrowhead, at midnight on May 25, 1966 to mark the birth of the new nation Guyana. Fifty years later, he shares stories of his early life, the eventful night, and his hope for Guyana's future

I

was born in Second Street, Albertown in Georgetown just after World War II ended. Our house was a two storied structure: Our family lived on the top floor and the bottom was converted into a furniture factory. I can still smell the varnish and French polish and the sounds of saws and shaving planes of all types.

My father also owned a popular and successful furniture mart at the corner of Camp and D’Urban Streets, opposite the Georgetown jail. My father had studied and passed the Royal Health Inspector’s exam. Once qualified to work, he had to make the choice between His Majesty’s Service and private enterprise. Unlike some of his cohorts, including Claude Merriman, who operated a successful funeral home business (and later became the Mayor of Georgetown), my father opted for public service, leaving the business to be managed by his brother.

My brother Walter (Junior), older by two years, and I were war babies. My sister was born five years after, in 1950, the same year that my parents, Walter and Isabel, were sent to the West Bank of Demerara. My father was the Public health Inspector (Sanitary Inspector) and my mother, a Nurse-Midwife-Health Visitor. We lived at La Retraite village, obliquely opposite the Church of Scotland School, where my brother (who, incidentally, was born on May 26) and I attended school.

We were Catholics and attended church at Malgre Tout, a seemingly long seven miles away. There were so few cars on the road in those days that I mesmerized my father by lying in bed and identifying each passing car by its sound.

My father had two old Morris Oxford cars, making him a “big thing” in the village and encouraged his eternal love for fiddling inside engines. We spent a lovely five years on the West Bank living in a yard that was like the Garden of Eden.

Every fruit tree was in that yard - from star-apples to sapodillas to “fat pork”, all kinds of guavas, psidium, awarra, coconuts etc. My father also raised fowls and planted a garden which created chores for us but supplied fresh food for daily and holiday consumption.

My father also loved to entertain and the house was always full of fellow public servants from as far as the West Coast, playing cards and dominoes; and my father playing all-comers and boasting that he was the champion in draughts for the entire West Demerara. He sometimes gave me the honor of partnering him in troopchaal (poor man’s bridge).

LIFE LESSONS Despite my father’s warnings - and severe applications of his belt - my brother and I could not resist racing the boys in the villages on the red, burnt brick roads (we lived briefly too in Stanleytown on the No.2 Canal Road). Invariably,

there was that piece of burnt earth that was not sufficiently crushed which would make contact with skimming feet; and there would go our big toe caps, spilt open like a genip (also in the yard).

Two reasons had been established for a flogging – running barefoot and racing on the road. These races, though, may have toughened my feet for long marches later in the Army. We were lucky also to have most of the cap guns (things no longer seen) in the village for playing “Cowboys and Indians” or “Police and thief”.

We also owned the bat, ball and stumps, with my father as coach. So, our yard was the place where all the boys in the village played and all the activity took place. I learned a valuable lesson in that yard playing cricket.

With the number of boys from the neighborhood participating, if you were out early, you had to wait a long time to bat again. I remember one day that I was dismissed quickly but refused to give up the bat. My father interceded, saying “let him bat again, he is small.” It had been my older brother’s turn to bat and he cried bitterly in frustration. I felt badly for him and forever more in my life, I never tried to claim or gain unfair advantage because of privilege, position or in a game.

When I was either six or seven, my parents sent us boys off to the British Guiana Educational Trust College (popularly called “Trust”, a prep school, where I have heard it said that Walter Rodney and Rupert Roopnarine also attended) headed by a quartet of educators and famous Guyanese: R E Cheeks, who became the Chairman of the United Force led by businessman Peter D’Aguiar; A P Alleyne, who was appointed Speaker of the Guyana Parliament under the People’s National Congress; R R Baird, the gravel voiced elder with higher educated children (doctors, architect) and ‘Pirate’ Alexander, an organizer of track and cycling.

R R Baird’s wife also held lessons in English, which my brother and I attended a couple times per week. Missing one of those lessons to watch my eldest brother (fathered by Walter before marrying my mother) paly soft shoe football, led to a flogging from all four senior masters - for missing private lessons! The beating was so traumatic that I never skipped a class again in high school or college. Strange bedfellows indeed but a powerful conglomerate of educators, in a period when several private high schools were established and run by highly regarded, experienced local teachers.

QUEEN’S COLLEGE The main public high schools were Queen’s College for boys and Bishop’s High School for girls, established originally as places of excellence for the children of expatriates in public service or on the sugar estates. ►Continued on page XXV

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

Desmond Roberts

The Guyana flag goes up for the first time

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016 ► From page XXIV The equivalent private high schools of excellence were under the Catholic Church – St. Stanislaus for boys and St. Rose’s for girls.

I was doing pretty well at Trust but competition for the few scholarship places was fierce in 1950s. My brother and I also attended Math lessons at Claude Vieira and we suffered the Saturday religious classes given by strict nuns at the Ursuline Convent on Church Street. Although the quartet felt that I could have won a scholarship, my parents were taking no chances. So, I took and passed the entrance exams to both Queen’s College and St. Stanislaus College. My father insisted that I attend QC and I enjoyed the Prep Form. Hamley Case, our ambassador to the Court of St. James and the Rev John Smith came in through Prep Form in 1954 too.

I had a wonderful experience at Queens’ College, academically, with great teachers. I represented the school in football, rugby, track and field and volleyball and Nobbs House in those, as well as cricket and table tennis. In the clubs, I was Assistant editor of the school newspaper, the Lictor, and a debater for Nobbs. In my time, the great debater was Walter Rodney, a senior and also a record-breaking high jumper.

THE ARMY After being in Queens for 10 years, I left in 1964. I did not accept the scholarships to India and the USSR offered by the PPP government to my aggressive mother; and I did not want to go to the fledgling Inter American University that dozens of my friends and the better athletes had been recruited to support. The late Rawle Farley and Sir Arthur Lewis, Noble prize winner for economics, were spearheading the drive to bring new students to IAU in Puerto Rico. I wanted to go to the London School of Economics, though my grades did not support my ambition.

I knocked around for a while, being part of the winning Patrick Dargan Debating Team and working in the Public Service for a short period, before drifting into the Special Service Unit (SSU). I had been a finalist for the Booker’s scholarship before blowing the opportunity with casual over-confidence (called nervousness in other circles). Destiny led me to the military in 1965, where I thought I would go and have some fun for three years or so.

With the violent disturbances in the cities, one of the solutions was to have a new uniformed unit with 50-50 division between the two main ethnic groups (with allowance for the At the time I was selected to raise the flag

XXV

minor ethnicities). The first six officers recruited were evenly divided ethnically. The first three officers went off to Mons Officer Cadet School (MOCS) early in 1965 and my batch of three – Asad Ishoof, Vibart Boodhoo and I – left for MOCS in May 1965, joining them in England.

INDEPENDENCE NIGHT I was doing well at my military studies as well as representing MOCS at track and field. I was also good at drill and was selected to be the stick Orderly for the Inspecting Officer at my three Guyanese comrades’ passing out parade.

That might have contributed to my being selected for the flag raising duties. I was a 2nd Lieutenant then.

I didn’t think of it as something special; it was just something to do. The rehearsals were tough. There was a British Army Colonel called me a novice and I was pulled off the parade.

They said it was the Prime Minister Forbes Burnham who gave the instruction, but I doubt that. It was the same British officer. Then then Chief of Staff called me and asked me if I was nervous and I told him I wasn’t.

I don’t know what happened, but a day or two before the event, I was back in the parade.

But it wasn’t the same flag that we were rehearsing. This was a new flag which entailed a completely different system of getting it up.

I suppose that is why Lieutenant Ulric Pilgrim was assigned with me. The flag was much larger than the original one.

On the night, the park (National Park) was packed to capacity.

I was nervous about getting it right. The flag started to go up rather slowly, but then when it was almost at the top, the wind did the trick and it flew beautifully.

It was really a beautiful flag. Nobody had ever seen it. People were gasping and some even started crying.

Then, Prime Minister Burnham called up Dr Cheddi Jagan and the two embraced. It was really a remarkable moment. It set in motion all kinds of ideas that the whole nation will come together. At the time it looked hopeful.

We have to change this nonsense about race and ethnicity for this country to develop.

We have no reason to be poor. I hope that one day everyone would be wealthy in Guyana – and by that I mean, able to live a comfortable life. We have everything to make it possible.

XXVI

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

James Richmond’s ‘The Golden Jubilee’

James Richmond standing next to an enlarged copy of his poem the Golden Jubilee

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By Svetlana Marshall RANSITIONING into a slow but deliberate low, gut-wrenching tone with slavery being the most profound in sound, he cried “From Slavery, Indentureship, Colonialism and struggles of pain – confined and chained – Dark were the days, unholy and vain – Inhumane and black were the belly of ships, and swift were the whips.”

But with a sense of pride, his tempo rose as he shouted: “Gone are the slave masters, be gone imperialists, be gone colonialists.”

James Richmond – a true son of the soil – could not help but chronicle his understanding of the land now free, so he wrote, “Leaping into a new day destined to be – crucified, resurrected and set free –” the first two lines of his “The Golden Jubilee.”

“Independence is an unstoppable march,” the prolific spoken-word poet said as he explained his master piece. He said when Guyana gained Independence, the country wallowed in untested waters – a journey which has been ► Contiuned on page XXVII

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016 ► From page XXVI long and hard.

“This poem is calling on us to recognise both of our founding fathers and all those who played meaningful roles in our independence journey, so that we can stand as one – as Guyanese,” he further explained.

“The Golden Jubilee” is one of many poems for Richmond. In fact, he has written more than 300 poems – the majority influenced primarily by his love for Guyana and the Caribbean Region, where he has lived and worked.

Born in Hopetown, a village situated on the West Coast of Berbice some 54 miles from the city of Georgetown, Richmond had developed a love for poetry from the tender age of seven.

“I started writing poetry as early as seven years

The Poem: The Golden Jubilee old, and reading a lot of it…Today my favorite poets of all time are Martin Carter, A. J Seymour, John Agard, Jan Carew, Claude Mckay, Mutabaruka and Maya Angelou,” he said.

While writing poems on the side, Richmond, at the age of 18, opted to the join the Guyana Police Force where he served as a court orderly and a member of the Tactical Service Unit (TSU) before being elevated to a Presidential Guard during the latter stages of the presidency of Forbes Burnham.

But he yearned for more. Subsequent to his career as a presidential guard, Richmond pursued training in Medical Technology, Radiology and Pharmacology in the Multi-purpose Technician Course offered by the University of Guyana under the auspices of the USAID Programme.

“I worked at the Georgetown Hospital Pharmacy and Laboratory then was transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital Laboratory and later to the Fort Wellington Hospital Laboratory.”

In 1989, he migrated to Antigua where he worked at the Holberton Hospital Laboratory and Caribbean Pharmaceutical Supplies. “While work-

ing at the labs in Antigua, I wrote for the Antigua Today Newspaper and had the privilege of my poetry being featured in all of the newspaper on the island,” he posited.

But it was not until October 1993 that Richmond published his first book of poetry – “Reflections of Today” just before migrating to the US in 1994. That book comprises 16 poems.

While in the U.S, he pursued a Degree in Government. It was there too that the proficient poet published his second book of poetry in May 1997 called “Where the Pomeroom Meets” with a total of 52 poems.

By 2004 he had compiled a CD with 49 of his favorite pomes called “Emerging Sound.”

In honour of his home town, Richmond published his third book: “On the Window of my Skin” in 2006 in which the poem “My Hopetown City” is featured. That book has 78 poems. Cur-

XXVII rently he is working on his next collection “In Amazonia.”

In the U.S, Richmond is ever so often recognised for his contributions to the world of poetry.

Outside of poetry, the married father of four said is a Real Estate Broker, Community Liaison, a Lay Pastor with the SDA Church Organisation and a Political Consultant. “Coming to America entails paying your bills so whilst going to school.

I qualified myself in real estate and became a Real Estate Broker, owning a brokerage and also in early childhood education and co-owned a childcare business with my wife. I later felt a calling into ministry and that is where my focus is.”

Richmond says he is grateful to be in the land of the living, in good health and strength – having the full support of his family who continues to make him proud.

XXVIII

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

A ‘sixth sense’ may protect drivers, except while texting (REUTERS HEALTH) - A coping mechanism that keeps part of the brain’s attention on the road and the steering wheel lets experienced drivers tolerate many mental stresses and distractions, researchers say, but texting breaks that built-in auto-pilot.

In experiments using a driving simulator, drivers distracted by complex or emotional questions constantly compensated for erroneous steering reactions. But the same adaptability did not kick in for drivers distracted by texting, the study found.

“Our working hypothesis was that pure emotional and cognitive distractions were about the same with pure physical (i.e., sensorimotor) distractions,” but according to these results, they are not, said lead author Ioannis Pavlidis of the Computational Physiology Laboratory at the University of Houston in Texas.

The researchers studied 59 subjects who completed several test drives in the simulator. For the first few, participants focused on relaxing and getting familiar with the machine while sensors recorded perspiration levels on their faces as a measure of the state of their sympathetic nervous system, which governs the unconscious “fight or flight” response.

The simulator measured steering angle and lane departures to the left or right while the subjects were driving the course.

The subjects drove the course four times under stress: once with cognitive stress coming from a researcher posing the driver challenging questions, and another under emotional stress, where the questions were emotionally charged. One simulated drive had the driver sending text messages, representing “sensorimotor stress,” and a fourth time there were mixed stressors.

Steering became more jittery than normal in all four conditions, but lane deviations only became “unsafe” while drivers were texting.

In the mentally and emotionally challenging conditions where drivers still had their eyes forward, their driving trajectories were actually straighter than under normal conditions, hinting at a kind of coping mechanism that pays extra attention to the task of driving when the brain is busy, the study team speculates in Scientific Reports.

“The driver’s sympathetic system is already loaded, as driving itself is a task that needs psychophysiological resources,” Pavlidis told Reuters Health by email. “Atop of that, if you add another stressor (cognitive, emotional, or physical), it arouses the sympathetic system even further, as it antagonizes for some of the same resources needed for the driving task.”

“Jittery” steering may come from latent fight-or-flight energy, he said.

These distractions are “potentially dangerous, if they are instantly corrected, which is the case with the pure emotional and cognitive stressors,” Pavlidis said. “They are immediately dangerous if they are left occasionally uncorrected (as is the case with texting), because they lead to significant left or right lane deviations.”

Texting undoes the “auto-pilot” mechanism we have to deal with driving and other routine tasks, he said, because to text you must look away from the road and disrupt the eyehand feedback loop.

“Vehicle control requires hands on the wheel so a distraction such as holding a phone could impact stabilization and make it a bit more 'jittery'," said Despina Stavrinos of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who was not part of the new study. “When driver’s eyes are off the road they may also overcorrect in steering when they shift attention to driving.”

Drivers can drift into emotional or mental distraction without realizing it, Pavlidis said.

“The best thing to do is to not drive at all when angry or upset – take a few moments to settle down before returning to the road,” Stavrinos told Reuters Health by email.

“In the case of texting it is hard because smartphones are addictive and this is the case not only in driving but in all aspects of life, as we sadly see all around us everyday,” Pavlidis said.

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

Guidelines may help prevent re-injury after knee surgery (Reuters Health) – After knee surgery to repair an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), people are at high risk of repeat injury to the same structure, but simple screening tests before going back to sports can reduce this risk, according to a Norwegian study.

ACL reconstruction surgery replaces a vital ligament in the center of the knee after a significant injury.

Nearly one third of young, active people who get the surgery will tear the ligament again within the first few years after surgery, researchers write in the British Journal of Sports Medicine “Being a teenager and participating in sports are well known risk factors for reinjury,” said lead author Dr. Hege Grindem, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Research Center for Active Rehabilitation in Norway.

“Our study also shows that returning to sport with poor muscle strength and returning to sport too early are important factors,” Grindem told Reuters Health by email.

Knee injuries put people at greater risk for osteoarthritis, a serious condition in which the cartilage between bones wears down and causes joint pain.

The study team collected data on 100 patients, with an average age of 24 years, who had undergone ACL reconstruction surgery.

Over the course of two years, patients took an online survey, reporting each month whether they had returned to playing sports and whether they had suffered another knee injury.

Four out of five had previously participated in jumping and pivoting sports and three out of four returned to playing sports within two years of the surgery.

The study team also used a series of tests to evaluate patients’ knee function and the strength of the quadriceps muscle on the front of the thigh, noting particularly whether patients had equal strength in both quadriceps.

The researchers established “return to sport” criteria based on getting a passing score on all of these tests.

Overall, 24 patients experienced another knee injury following surgery, though not all were injuries to the ACL. Patients who started doing pivoting and jumping sports again after their injury were 4.32 times more likely to experience knee injuries than those who did not.

Only one in four patients passed the return to sport criteria before beginning playing sports again.

Among those who failed the return to sport criteria, 38 percent suffered another knee injury, compared with 5.6 percent of people who passed the tests.

Having more symmetrical strength in both quadriceps before starting to play sports again significantly reduced the risk of getting another knee injury.

The likelihood of being reinjured decreased by half for each month that patients waited before going back to playing sports, up to the nine-month point, when it leveled off.

“ACL injury is a significant event that has both short and long term consequences for an athlete,” said Kate Webster, an associate professor at LaTrobe University in Australia who studies ACL injuries, by email.

Webster, who was not involved in the study, noted that in the short term, patients may not be able to participate in sports. In the longer term, young athletes with multiple injuries may be much more likely to develop osteoarthritis, which can affect their ability to stay active throughout their lives.

“People need to know that rushing back to sport after ACL reconstruction entails significant risks,” Grindem warned.

“If they aim to return to sports with frequent pivoting, participation should be delayed until at least nine months have passed from surgery and they have regained thigh muscle strength comparable to the uninjured leg,” Grindem said.

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Eudoxie - Pioneering Koren Martial Arts in Guyana

Roland Eudoxie

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uyana’s only Tang Soodo instructor, Roland Eudoxie, brought the Korean form of martial arts to the country some seven years ago. As he was being trained in the United States, but when in Guyana, he taught others to practice.

Roland began teaching proper two years ago and subsequently opened his own school, located at the National Gymnasium. He is the Director and Chief Instructor of Tang Soodo International Guyana, an official school of Team Torres Martial Arts.

Eudoxie, 32, who was born at Busby Dam, Craig Village, East Bank Demerara, but grew up at Port Kaituma, North West District, was taught Tang Soodo by Grandmaster and Head of the North American Federation of Martial Arts Jose Torres.

“Tang Soodo is a Korean form of martial arts ► Contiuned on page XXXII

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Roland Eudoxie ► From page XXXI

and we all in Guyana are aware of Shoto Kan Karate so we are trying to bring something new to Guyana. Tang Soodo is 200 years old or more and is widely known in the US, Europe, and other places,” he explained.

In an interview at the Chronicle, Eudoxie, an ex-soldier who spent time in the Guyana National Service and Guyana Defence Force, said he teaches Tang Soodo to kids on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm, and adults from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.

“I am the first person who brought it to Guyana and I was trained both in theory and practical for a couple of years. I was teaching and training so that I could get practice. I have been doing Tang Soodo for seven years but started teaching it two years ago. There was a number of exams that I had to pass and I did with flying colours because this is something that I really wanted and I dedicated myself to it.”

JACKIE CHAN AND BRUCE LEE Eudoxie, father of Xavier and De’Andre, said growing up, his movie icons were Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. “During my small days, you’re rolling down the hills, flipping… and I actually starting boxing, but my desire was to be a martial artist.”

Although Eudoxie has his own school, it still falls under the Tang Soodo head organization in Korea. Kids are the main focus for Eudoxie. “We noticed that here in Guyana, there is a great need for placing interest in kids because some of them are out of school. We are trying to curb crime and prevent too. When kids are idle, as the saying goes, the devil finds time things for them to do. And we don’t leave out the adults because they are the ones influence the kids.”

Eudoxie, also the Tang Soodo Caribbean Director, said this form of martial arts is different, widespread and recognized. “Tang Soodo is fun and it allows you to keep focused. You learn self-discipline, control, to relax, to keep focused, and to approach life in a different manner.

What we teach is discipline. That’s the main thing; not only to kick, punch, and beat on each other. And when children start young, they grow up with discipline.”

Financing is always a problem at the school and its greatest challenge is sponsorship.

However, although much more can be done for Tang Soodo on the part of the government, Eudoxie said he is grateful for whatever help they already provide.

Eudoxie officially started teaching two years ago

Chronicle Pepperpot May 22, 2016

International Day for Biological Diversity 2016

Theme: Mainstreaming Biodiversity; Sustaining People and their Livelihoods

B

iological diversity or biodiversity refers to all living things that can be found on earth, from the very small, bacteria, viruses, microbes , insects, to the very big; plants, fishes or mammals. Biodiversity is considered the foundation of life because of the essential ecosystem services it provides. These services provided are irreplaceable and are vital for human well-being, sustainable livelihoods and development. Therefore, by reducing biodiversity loss, we are investing in the country, its people and their well-being.

The theme for International Day for Biodiversity (IDB) 2016 is ‘Mainstreaming Biodiversity; Sustaining People and their Livelihoods’. Guyana sees the importance of mainstreaming its biodiversity into the various productive sectors. The Ministry of Natural Resources through the EPA, is currently implementing a UNDP/GEF project entitled “Enhancing Biodiversity Protection through Strengthened Monitoring, Enforcement and Uptake of Environmental Regulations in Guyana’s Gold Mining Sector’ which will see the implementation of biodiversity-friendly practices in Guyana’s gold mining sector. The objective of this project is to strengthen monitoring in Guyana’s gold mining sector to reduce biodiversity loss and maintain ecosystem functionality for the benefit of all Guyanese. This is to be achieved through increased enforcement of existing regulations and Codes of Practice, enhancement of EPA’s oversight role in relation to mining activities, greater institutional collaboration, and building institutional and individual capacity on environmental and specifically biodiversity issues as they relate to mining.

The agriculture sector has also taken steps to promote biodiversity mainstreaming. This is evident with the organic cocoa production project, Region #1 that was initiated in June 2000. The general objective of the project was to increase agricultural income and job opportunities for farmers in hinterland areas of Guyana, as well as develop an export market in cocoa for which Guyana has a comparative advantage. One of the specific objectives of the project was to encourage and assist the Government of Guyana in the formulation and implementation of a public ► Contiuned on page XXXIV

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International Day for Biological ... policy, which will encourage the development of organic agriculture, cocoa in particular.

The cocoa plantation has neither been enriched with fertilizer nor have any chemicals used for pest or weed control been applied. An organic cocoa nursery was established. The first consignment of approximately two (2) tons of organic cocoa was sent to Europe in June 2001.

OVERCOMING WILDLIFE NUISANCE AND CRUELTY The conservation of biodiversity have several aspects to it.

There is the matter of ensuring that animals, plants and other key organisms, important for human development are sustainably utilized. To a large extent, it involves working with those

â–ş From page XXXIII

who depend on biodiversity for their livelihoods to promote best practices, as well as, ensuring that they are incorporated in the extraction of these benefits. On the other hand, conservation approaches taken, need to be regularly evaluated for the best outcomes. This means that institutions and policies remain mutual, in that conservation measures do not override the livelihoods or well-being of persons outside of itself. For example, Jaguars (Panthera onca) and five other wild cats are protected in Guyana. Legally, this translated to no hunting, killing or collecting of these elusive South American giants and their counterparts. With this in mind, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been steadily engaging with communities, especially those located within or close to the hinterland areas, where these cats may be posing a nuisance.

The Unit receives and responds to complaints regarding the loss of livestock and other perceived or potential threats by wild animals, especially wild cats.

The EPA’s Wildlife Unit from time to time assists community members with appropriate guidance for the cordoning off of access sites and only in instances of dire need, may implement a suitable measure or relocate the animal to a facility of fitting accommodation for subsequent re-entry into the wild.

Another important practice is promoting safe handling and care of animals that are traded or sold. This approach in awareness is also seen as a booster towards generating public empathy for all animals. The EPA through its wildlife Unit has developed guidelines for housing Iguanas (Iguana iguana) while they are on display for sale waiting to be sold. The guidelines outline how the animals should be kept, the significance of reducing stress to the animals and likely legal penalty for engaging in cruel practices.

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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan talks about her purple lipstick flak at Cannes

(Indian Express) Social media might have panned and poked fun at Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s lavender-blue lipstick at Cannes but the actress says she had no qualms in sporting the colour and is cool about it.

The 42-year-old actress attended the international film festival, where her latest movie “Sarbjit” was screened, as L’Oreal’s brand ambassador.

“I work with L’oreal it’s their prerogative and I am cool about it. It is my professional commitment to deliver what they expect from me as their basic ambassador. I get to work with great professionals and they have been magically creative with me,” she told reporters.

From sporting an unconventional lip colour to combining a cape with her gown, this year at Cannes Aishwarya chose to experiment with her look.

The actress, who is known for playing safe with her fashion choices, said back home events don’t demand glamour.

“The media says there you do this (different look) and here you are basic. It (L’Oreal) is a blatantly hair and makeup product company and that is what it is projecting. It works in tandem with fashion. Here it is not fashion always. When you are here for film events, social causes so you work it out that day.”

Aishwarya says she does not follow fashion trends blindly as she has been in showbiz for a very long time.

“With ‘Sarbjit’ promotions I have sometimes dressed with the occasion and sometimes opposite…

It is not a frivolous thing on my part. I have made choices of hair and make up. I have been here long enough to get stardust in my eyes.”

Maroon 5 (Reuters) The band Maroon 5 is cancelling concerts planned in North Carolina, the latest musical act to take a stand against a state law on bathroom use that has been criticized as discriminatory against transgender people.

"This was a difficult decision for us to make as a band," the American pop rock group said on its website on Friday.

"We don’t want to penalize our fans in North Carolina by not performing for them, but in the end it comes down to what we feel is morally right AS WE FEEL EVERYONE SHOULD BE TREATED EQUALLY." With a law passed in March, North Carolina became the first state in the country to require transgender people to use multiple-occupancy public restrooms and changing facilities that correspond with the gender on their birth certificate rather than their gender identity.

The law, approved by the Republican-led legislature in a oneday special session, also blocks local governments from passing anti-discrimination ordinances that include protections based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

It has sparked lawsuits by both supporters and opponents of the law, and a mounting backlash from corporations, conventions, tourists and entertainers. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department asked a federal district court to declare that the state is violating the 1964 Civil Rights Act. On Tuesday, renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman also backed out of a scheduled performance in North Carolina in protest of the law. Other performers who have canceled shows in the state include Bruce Springsteen, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Boston, Pearl Jam, Ringo Starr and the group Cirque du Soleil.

The upcoming shows by Maroon 5, known for hits such as “Moves Like Jagger,” were to be held in Raleigh and Charlotte.

The band's decision drew praise and criticism from fans posting comments on its website.

"You shouldn't punish your fans who have no control over the politics!" one post said.

Republican Governor Pat McCrory's campaign spokesman

cancels shows in North Carolina in protest at transgender bathroom law

Ricky Diaz questioned the timing of the band's "political statement." McCrory is up for re-election in November.

"At this point, the only people they are hurting by hypocritically targeting North Carolina for selective outrage are their fans and the hardworking men and women servicing these shows while they keep tour dates overseas – even in Russia," Diaz said in a statement.

Beyonce's Ivy Park apparel has 'rigorous ethical' program, retailer says MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Ivy Park, the sportswear brand that is a joint venture between singer Beyonce and Topshop tycoon Philip Green, has defended itself against a Sun newspaper report that says its supplier in Sri Lanka uses "sweatshop slaves" to produce the clothing.

Workers making some of the clothes at MAS Holdings in Sri Lanka earn just 4.30 pounds ($6.30) a day, the tabloid reported on Sunday. Most of the "poverty-stricken seamstresses" are afraid to speak out for fear of losing their jobs, it said.

"Ivy Park has a rigorous ethical trading program. We are proud of our sustained efforts in terms of factory inspections and audits, and our teams worldwide work very closely with our suppliers and their factories to ensure compliance," Ivy Park said in a statement emailed to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"We expect our suppliers to meet our code of conduct and we support them in achieving these requirements," it said.

South Asian garment manufacturers have come under increasing scrutiny since the Rana Plaza factory disaster in Bangladesh in 2013, in which more than 1,100 factory workers died.

The wages that the Sun reports are paid to Topshop's Sri Lankan factory workers are well above the minimum wage in South Asia, where minimum salaries in the garment industry range from $68 a month in Bangladesh to $71 in Sri Lanka and $120 in Pakistan, according to the World Bank.

Working conditions in Sri Lanka's garment industry, which is largely organized, are "generally better" than in the rest of South Asia, the World Bank said in a report last month.

Sri Lanka's garment exports, which are worth about $4.4 billion a year, are largely "higher-value, niche products", made by workers who are better educated and more skilled than their peers in the region, the report said.

However, while companies generally comply with the minimum-wage levels set by governments in Asia, these wages "fall far below a wage a person could live on", according to lobby group Clean Clothes Campaign.

It estimates that in Sri Lanka the minimum monthly wage is about a fifth of the country's living wage.

Annanya Bhattacharjee of the Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA)said the garment workers in Sri Lanka were probably working longer than eight-hour days and not being paid overtime.

"They often don’t have the option of saying 'no' as they may lose their jobs if they do, and also because of economic coercion. So this is a form of forced labor; they're bound to the employer," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The AFWA will call on the International Labour Organization at its conference next month to adopt its recommendations for global standards for supply chains that include the recognition of a living wage as a human right.

Demand for Beyonce's Ivy Park range crashed the Topshop website on its launch in April. The collection includes socks costing $6, a sports bra at $36 and body suit priced at $65.

The Sun's report said that workers at the Sri Lanka factory, "mostly young women from poor rural villages", could only afford to live in boarding houses and had to work more than 60 hours a week to make ends meet.

Several calls to MAS Holdings for comment were not returned.

MAS Holdings has 48 manufacturing facilities in 15 countries, according to its website.