Pepperpot E-Papaer 19-09-2021

Making the most of his skills at Loo Creek SIXTY-SEVEN-year-old Vibert Williams is a resident of Loo Creek, Soesdyke/Linden Highway, who is originally from Port Kaituma, Region One, but who settled at Loo Creek after meeting his wife. In his free time Williams would cut t-shores, matuk handles, make shovel handles, paddles and other woodwork to sell. In this photo, Williams shows off some of his handiwork (Carl Croker photo)

Sunday September 19, 2021

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

Promoting Guyana’s beauty internationally

Many of the photoof countries in Africa, and so the Pegasus Hotel and more the opposite page are images Fenton Sands grew up in Liberia, NigeINDIVIDUALS who were ria and Sudan. He born in Guyana are full has already travelled citizens by birth. There are to over 20 counmany individuals who were tries in Europe, the not born in Guyana, but Middle East, Latin their hearts are for Guyana.

America and the CaThey desire the genuine ribbean. With that development of our Land background and exof Many Waters and they perience, Dr. Fenton prove it by the sterling conSands was a special tributions which they make gift to Guyana when while here in Guyana, and he was posted here sometimes even after they in 2005. He came to leave the country. There are a country which he thousands of examples, and got to love dearly. in this article, we feature During his tour of one of them. duty here in Guyana, The spotlight is on an Dr. Fenton Sands individual who spent two photographed many years working in and contribscenes around the uting to Guyana’s continuing country, including growth. He has a background the interior. Many of which is very interesting and those photographs impressive. I was introduced have been compiled to him a few weeks before and published in a his arrival in the country book of photographs while I was at a function in titled “Reflections of Washington DC, in the UnitGuyana.”

Dr. Fenton Sands (left) making a point to then President Bharrat Jagdeo as American ed States. “I’d like you to The cover photo Ambassador Roland Bullen looks on meet Dr. Fenton Sands. He’ll of that book is that be going to Guyana soon,” of a dramatic sunset a mutual friend instructed taken from the seawall in to the centre of the bottom of of the hands of palm weavers. graphs captured hinterme. Dr. Fenton Sands and I Georgetown, looking to the the photograph is the silhou- It is obvious that Dr. Sands land areas of Guyana way went aside and spoke of his northwest. At the lower left is etted images of two persons, intended to highlight the tal- beyond the coastland. The which seem to imply, “Come ent in the hands of the palm beautiful Eddy Grant iswith us into this book of pho- weavers. On the following land on the Essequibo River tographs and enjoy a grand pages, there are those outdoor is one of them. A portion of photographic journey around photos such as a jogger and the un-paved road to Brathe Land of many waters.” a group of joggers on the zil, deep in the hinterland, records the development The first set of photographs is Georgetown seawall.

The “Reflections of Guy- which is yet to be done that of children from various backgrounds and in a range ana” by Fenton. B. Sands and probably awaiting the of settings, including class- further includes some of the announced financial rerooms in schools. The stu- trees of Guyana. The inten- turns from the country’s dents are all in a happy mood. tion most likely is to em- extraction of the massive The following immediate phasize that our homeland reserves of oil and gas. pages are filled with images is certainly “The green land There is a beautiful photo of smiling adults. One with of Guyana.” There are also of a section of the upper Esa special attraction is that those photographs of the na- sequibo River in the vicinity of a mother with her infant tional holidays: Diwali with of the Pakaraima Mountain son who Dr. Sands captured beautifully lit-up buildings range. Included in this book in such a way, as though the give extra brightness to that of photographs by Dr. Fenyoungster is asking, “Please page. Scenes of Easter with ton Sands, is an interesting get this right, Sir.” And for kite-flying are also included aerial shot of the Kaieteur the viewer, one would want in the book. So too are photos Falls, which includes a wide to predict that this little fel- of Guyana’s republic holiday, expanse of green forests low may grow up and go into “Mash,” which shows Guya- on both sides. All-in-all, the legal profession. Maybe nese of all backgrounds en- this book of photographs, his parents already have a joying themselves together as Reflections of Guyana by copy of this book. On the “One People.” Photographs Dr. Fenton B. Sands, could following page is a photo of a of first-class cricket games be a good Christmas gift, Dr. Fenton Sands at the Orinduik Falls on the Ireng River at the Guyana/ smiling steel pan man adjust- also adorn some pages of this especially for Guyanese in Brazil border. He has also been to the Kaieteur Falls the diaspora. ing two tenor pans, while on “Reflections of Guyana.”

By Francis Quamina Farrier

upcoming arrival in Guyana.

That was in June, 2005. He arrived in the country the next month, July 2005. The post he held was that of Mission Director, United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It could be said that Dr. Fenton Sands hit the ground running when he arrived as he got to work immediately on projects here in the Cooperative Republic. One such was The Guyana Trade and Investment Project (GTIP). That brought new opportunities to Guyana and made the country competitively offer higher value, differentiated goods and services in international markets, generating more wealth, especially for the working class. The key to that success was the use of a market-led approach.

Dr. Fenton Sands was born in Liberia, West Africa, of American parents. His father had gone to that African country which was established by the United States for freed African slaves in America to resettle after their emancipation. The elder Sands was an agricultural expert who worked in a number

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

From ‘feast’ to ‘festival’ SRCS project promotes preservation of turtle population

By Telesha Ramnarine VILLAGERS in the South Rupununi have been coming together for years to enjoy a ‘turtle feast’ around Christmas time, but earlier this month, for the first time in the history of the South Rupununi district, and in an effort to preserve the turtle population, villages came out to instead release 200 turtles into the river that they’ve nurtured from the egg stage.

In the early 1990s, residents of Sand Creek Village in South Central Rupununi, Region Nine, saw turtles in abundance every time they went to the river. In fact, as part of their cultural traditions, the village would have a turtle feast where they would catch as many turtles as possible and eat them together some time during the holidays.

The last known feast was in the early 2000s when 93 turtles were caught for consumption. In previous years, however, the numbers caught were significantly higher.

The residents of Sand Creek, though, especially the village elders, have noticed a serious decline in the turtle population.

“The obvious main threat for this was the overharvesting that occurred not only at Christmas time but through-

out the year. In addition to the village catching adults, villagers also frequently go to the beaches along the Rupununi River during the hatching season to collect eggs to eat as they are a local delicacy,” Programme Coordinator of South Rupununi Conservation Society (SRCS) Neal Millar told Pepperpot Magazine.

In response to the decline, the SRCS offered to collaborate with the village to start a turtle conservation project which involved training eight villagers from Sand Creek to become ‘turtle rangers’ who would monitor eight beaches along the Rupununi River during the hatching season this year (January 2021 to April 2021) to prevent persons from the village disturbing the eggs on the beaches.

However, an unseasonal early rainy season caused the water level of the Rupununi River to rapidly rise and caused all of the beaches to become flooded. The rangers out on the river did not know what to do as something like this had not happened before and therefore was not planned for.

“They acted on their own instinct and worked day and night to rescue all the eggs from the nests that they had identified on the eight beaches. In total, the rangers rescued over 400 eggs and

The turtles being released into the water (SRCS photos)

brought them back to the village where they shared them amongst themselves to look after. After about two weeks in the village, nearly all the eggs hatched. From April

Senior Ranger Dereck David showing others the turtles

to September, the rangers looked after the turtles in their personal homes. If they had not rescued them, all 400 eggs would have perished,” Millar shared.

It was when the turtles

became big enough that the rangers and SRCS decided to host the turtle festival last week to release 200 of the turtles, with the other 200 being kept by the rangers for release at a later time.

While there has been a turtle festival of this sort in Yupukari Village in the North Rupununi, nothing like this has ever been done in the SEE PAGE XXVII

Students giving a march pass at the festival

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

Education in a pandemic

By Dillon Goring THE novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in schools shut all across the world. Globally, it has been reported that over 1.2 billion children are out of the classroom.

As a result, education has changed dramatically, with the distinctive rise of e-learning, where teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms.

Research suggests that online learning has been shown to increase retention of information and take less time, meaning the changes coronavirus have caused might be here to stay.

With a sudden shift away from the classroom in many parts of the globe, some are wondering whether the adoption of online learning will continue to persist post-pandemic, and how such a shift would impact the worldwide education market.

This is according to statistics from a World Economic Forum study which was done in April 2020, to ascertain the

impact of COVID on the Education System worldwide.

Locally, the educational landscapr has changed with the addition of remote learning as well. The Pepperpot Magazine spoke with Omarion Bobb who recently wrote the National Grade Six Examination.

Bobb described briefly about how he coped with the changes in learning during the pandemic as he prepared to write his exams.

During his interview with Pepperpot Magazine, Bobb recalled that he enjoyed playing games with his friends and spend time with his family.

He noted that he attends Stewartville Seventh Day Adventist Church and enjoys reading as well.

“I had little to no challenges during the pandemic because my mom [Sherlyn Ally] and teachers, especially Miss Naomi, were very supportive. I also made use of the internet, study packages, textbooks and all past papers that were available to me from my school,”he said.

When it comes to career choice, young Bobb has not decided which career path he wants to take but for now, he just wants to focus on school and how well he can work to achieve good grades.

“Being in Grade Six with exams coming up and not being able to go to school made me feel nervous at times, but I wasn’t discouraged by it.

The support of my mom and teachers really helped me to stay positive as they helped me to prepare for my examination,” Bobb noted during his interview.

Bob noted that his motivators during his primary school days were “god, my mom, my teachers and some of my friends” who would come over to study with him.

Bobb told Pepperpot Magazine that he has advice for his fellow pupils.

“Success comes through determination and even though we are in a pandemic, we can still try to do our best with whatever is available to us,” he encouraged.

According to above-men-

accentuated your hairstyle or clothing. But unfortunately, many of these efforts ultimately fall short. Today, however, there is no need to suffer from social embarrassment or psychological trauma because of stained or discoloured teeth. Suitable cosmetic dental treatment can provide both predictable and positive long-term results.

What stains teeth?

Stained teeth can be caused by drinking cola, coffee, and tea; consuming other stain

producing foods such as betel nuts, blueberries, curry, greens coloured drinks or red wine. Smoking is bad in every way. The nicotine deposits on the enamel are a very common source of discoloured teeth. These stains are called surface stains.

Stained teeth

THERE are a number of reasons that teeth stain.

Foods, beverages, and medications may discolour teeth. Smoking or forgetting to brush and floss regularly may also lead to staining. In other cases, discolouration may be the result of genetics or disease.

Microcracks caused by chewing ice or other hard objects can trap stains and are difficult – or more often impossible – to clean. Cut back on coffee to reduce stains. Even with frequent cleanings, stains due to drinking large amounts of coffee may rapidly return.

If your teeth are stained or discoloured, chances are you have gone to some lengths to achieve a whiter, brighter smile. Perhaps you have experimented with the variety of toothpaste on the market today, purchased some of the home bleaching kits sold in drugstores and supermarkets, or, in an attempt to draw attention away from your teeth or

Stop staining your teeth by Limiting the amount of coffee and tea in your daily diet Avoid smoking

Omarion Bobb

tioned study, “In response to significant demand, many online learn-

ing platforms are offering free access to their services, including platforms like BY-

Make regular visits to your dentist for professional cleanings Brush and floss regularly and properly. Some toothpaste have compounds that can help remove minor stains for a whitening effect.

Plaque can build up on teeth can cause stains, referred to as soft deposits. This is usually the result of inadequate oral hygiene (brushing and flossing). Surface stains occur primarily between teeth and on surfaces of crooked teeth. They are typically dark brown and are caused strong discoloring agents such as coffee, tea, and tobacco. It can usually be managed with daily oral hygiene combined with regular visits to your dentist for professional cleanings. It may be trapped in micro cracks and require a more aggressive treatment than professional cleanings alone.

However, bleaching

can cause the micro-cracked teeth to become even whiter than or a different colour than the rest of the teeth.

Mouthwashes that contain chlorhexidine can contribute to staining.

Soft deposits are caused by plaque – a sticky film that builds up on teeth over time – or tartar (calculus) – a cement-like substance that forms when plaque is not removed. They are often bacterial in origin and may be the by-product of ineffective oral hygiene. It can appear as dark or whitish areas around the gum line, most often on the lower front teeth and typically disappear after thorough dental scaling and polishing.

It is useful to use a plaque disclosing agent to know if you are brushing and flossing effectively.

Intrinsic stains are part of the tooth structure itself. This may be a result of genetics, disease, or the use of medications such as tetracycline. Intrinsic stains include white spots on the

JU’S, a Bangalore-based educational technology and online tutoring firm founded in 2011, which is now the world’s most highly valued edtech company. Since announcing free live classes on its Think and Learn app, BYJU’s has seen a 200% increase in the number of new students using its product, according to Mrinal Mohit, the company’s Chief Operating Officer.”

The International Study further revealed that online study are more effective in many ways.

These include: students retain 25-60% more material when learning online compared to only 8-10% in a classroom. This is mostly due to the students being able to learn faster online; e-learning requires 40-60% less time to learn than in a traditional classroom setting because students can learn at their own pace, going back and re-reading, skipping, or accelerating through concepts as they choose.

enamel surface and bands of brownish-grey across the teeth. It may be caused by faulty hardening of the tooth before birth or the interruption of normal enamel formation by medications or disease. It often appears in people who were treated with the antibiotic tetracycline before the age of eight years or whose mothers took the drug while pregnant. It can also result from the use of the antibiotic minocycline or may be caused by advanced decay or by old or defective silver fillings (brown or gray stains).

Treatment for intrinsic stains include laminates, veneers and bonding.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

Guyanese and Caribbean cultures being promoted through Timehri Film Festival

By Telesha Ramnarine THE annual Timehri Film Festival (TFF), now in its sixth year of existence, has been recruiting the finest and most brilliant in the Guyanese, Caribbean and Indigenous film industry, providing a practical platform for filmmakers to share their work.

Documentaries, narratives, animations, and short and feature-length films are usually called for, with the only requirements being that the film ought to be made in Guyana, or about Guyana, by a filmmaker of Guyanese heritage; or about Indigenous communities by Indigenous filmmakers.

At the time the festival was started here, Guyanese Romola Lucas, an attorney and avid Caribbean film enthusiast, was living in New York and exhibiting Caribbean films at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. “I wanted to bring that same vibe to Guyana - the joy that comes with watching Caribbean films as opposed to Holly-

wood films. So we organised ourselves and came back to Guyana to start exhibiting films here,” Lucas reflected in an interview with Pepperpot Magazine.

Lucas is a co-founder of Third Horizon, a Miami filmmaking company which exhibits, produces and distributes Caribbean films. She and several other members of the team produce the TFF. Through the festival, audiences have the opportunity to support local filmmakers and to experience the stories and cultures of other Caribbean countries - places they may not be able to travel to anytime soon. Filmmakers, on the other hand, have a platform on which to share their films at home and with audiences outside of their country.

“When Guyanese filmmakers do well at home, they can use that as motivation to share their work outside of Guyana and raise the production value coming out of Guyana. The festival is also a way Guyanese can learn about other Caribbean cul-

tures…as well as about envi-

the filmmakers hosted by

T h e o rg a n i s e r s w i l l

Jamaica, as well as a look at

The Timehri Film Festival is now in its sixth year

Through the festival, audiences have the opportunity to support local filmmakers

Caribbean film enthusiast Romola Lucas

ronmental issues,” Lucas pointed out.

This year’s festival will be held virtually from September 23-26.

For the opening night, the programme includes narratives and experimental short films by local and diaspora Guyanese filmmakers, which will be followed by a post-screening question and answer segment with

New York-based journalist Melissa Noel.

The second screening will be a programme of five videos by Indigenous-Guyanese videographers from Region Nine, which will be followed by a post-screening conversation with members of the Cobra Collective and Darwin Initiative, producers of the videos, along with community members from the region.

also be screening a film on Prakash Churaman, a Guyanese immigrant in New York who was incarcerated.

He will speak live about his ordeal in the US criminal justice system.

Two other highlights of the festival are the environmental and Haitian film programmes. “The environmental films take us through issues related to the extractive industries in Guyana and

the impact of climate change along Guyana’s coast,” Lucas explained. The Haitian film program takes a look at the migration issues Haitians face and the challenges they experience while in search of a better life.

“We think the examination of this issue is timely, as we ourselves in Guyana are dealing with the migration of SEE PAGE XXIV

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Loo Creek

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

-a scenic paradise

Loo Creek Village (Carl Croker photos)

By Michel Outridge This week the Pepperpot Magazine visited Loo Creek, which is located along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway. It is a sandy village which is nestled in the forest.

A SMALL trail leads to

this village where the residents are scattered on acres of land, which belong to the Seventh Day Adventist Church and over the years, plots were leased to settlers.

Loo Creek is between Long Creek and Kairuni villages.

The village itself is very

large and most of it is still covered with trees and it has a creek aback the village and a section is used for farming.

Loo Creek is where the Seventh Day Adventist Church has its camp site.

In one section of the vil-

Focus on the Village

l a g e there are four houses, small wooden cottage-styled ones where members of the Williams family reside and not far off a loam road leads to a large poultry farm owned by a re-migrant.

One the other side of the village, there are about 10 houses which are mostly far apart, and where several members of the Seventh Day

Adventist

Church live.

The community has a mixed population of Amerindians and Afro Guyanese and a total of 14 houses.

The village has about 30 residents and they all utilise their built-in skills to earn, mostly self-employed farmers, loggers, charcoal burners, carpenters and poultry farm workers reside there.

The people are friendly, welcoming and they lead very simple lives and they are trying to reach self-sufficiency level, but have many challenges while attaining that goal.

However, they are very resilient people who are there to stay and will find a way to become comfortable.

SEE PAGE XIV

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

Life in Loo Creek

By Michel Outridge

AT 67 years old, a lot of men would be reclining in their retirement age but not Brother James Forde, a staunch Seventh Day Adventist Church member.

he has his farm, in his backyard where he was putting down 300 passion fruit trees.

James is a resident of Loo Creek, Soesdyke/Linden Highway and is also tasked with all household chores including, baking his own

Coast Demerara.

Sometime after, he was allocated land at Loo Creek through his church and he moved there and started his poultry farm and began cultivating many crops to earn.

In his younger days, he

Clay McAlman’s home

Clay McAlman

He is a farmer and spends every day on his farm tending to his produce and layer chickens.

Even though it is an uphill task for this elderly man when the sun is out, he does

bread being a vegetarian he doesn’t eat out and makes his own meals daily.

His land space is quite large and he has some citrus, orchard and other vegetables which are organic and whole-

did other jobs, including being a bauxite operator and at Banks DIH as a salesman.

James has been residing at Loo Creek for the past seven years and he has a sibling who stays with him to assist

James Forde on his farm

Clay McAlman’s charcoal operation

all the work himself because he cannot afford to employ any workers just yet.

He would take a break and then go at it again to ensure his layer chickens are fed and eggs are collected daily and when that is done

some.

James is originally from Linden, Canvas City, Half Mile and Amelia’s Ward and after he separated from his first wife he left that region and relocated with his three children at Haslington, East

and he would transport the eggs to the city to sell it.

“Since I small, growing up I like to use my hands to plant and tend to chickens SEE PAGE XII

The chickens

Focus on the Village

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

The resilient people of Loo Creek

By Michel Outridge

JULIET Williams lives a simple life at Loo Creek, Soesdyke/linden Highway with her six children in a small wooden cottage.

The 32-year-old is a housewife and is supported by her husband, who works

at the nearby poultry farm in the village.

Although she was born in Berbice River, Loo Creek has been her home since she was a young girl.

She describes life there as very simple but entails hard work because there are no real jobs around there so they

try as much as possible to ensure they are comfortable.

Her house is within walking distance from her parents.

The skilled mother Meanwhile, her mother, Esmaralda Williams is skilled in making handicrafts and was making a living out of

Juliet Williams and her daughter (Carl Croker photos)

Enoch Persaud

it until her overseas buyer passed away.

It caused her small business to flop because the local market is not steady and she would only make things when she has an order.

The 64-year-old is a homemaker and would go

Esmaralda Williams and her craft pieces.

Focus on the Village

along with her husband to cut wood in the forest and make paddles, handles for gardening tools.

She can use a chain saw and she is very skilled in making wood products like

her husband can.

She is versed in both tibisri and ite palm craft and says it is a long process to make these crafts because of it she has to dedicate time to fulfil an order.

Williams reported that they prefer to work with themselves and even though things are slow and money is tight they still try to live within their means.

“Life is okay and we are accustomed to the simple way of life so with nothing fancy and the basic things needed we get by and this place is out home,” she said.

The mother of 10 stated that some of her children live in the same village while others would visit and she is happy she can see them all at times.

Williams related that she had 10 children but one died by accident and she is still grieving for that loss.

“Life here and that in the Berbice River where I am from is no different because you still have to work and make life good and the environment is almost the same except we have a lot more forested area here and there is no river nearby,” she said.

Enoch Persaud And in the same village there is Enoch Persaud, a young man with a disability, whose left leg was amputated when he was a boy.

The 23-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that when he was 11 years old a venomous snake bit him and he had some delays getting to the hospital as such it was

too late to save his leg so just below the knee it was amputated.

He would get around on a bicycle and doesn’t allow his disability to hamper him in any way and would go in the forested area to cut wood to make t-shores to sell and burn wood to make charcoal.

Persaud lives alone in a house owned by his father, who is a victim of an accident two months ago on the highway.

The house is located deep within Loo Creek and he is often by his neighbours, who would provide a meal for him almost every day.

“If I get a prosthetic leg I don’t mind but I try without it as is and if I get a power saw the cutting of trees will become easier for me because I am doing it manually as is,” he said.

Persaud hardly ever leaves the village and he is often at work or looking for odd jobs in the village to offset personal expenses.

He is unmarried with no children and says life is not easy living alone and is of the hope his family will join him soon.

“I suffered a terrible loss when my father died in that accident and nothing came out of that story and I feel it today because he used to help me,” he said.

Persaud told the Pepperpot Magazine that he feels lost and is suffering from depression since his father died and is not sure if he will ever be the same again.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

Investing in the local economy

By Michel Outridge

D O C TO R L e o n C a m bridge returned to Guyana, his country of birth, after spending most of his life overseas working as a medical doctor. He has invested in excess of $160M to establish a largescale poultry farm at Loo Creek, Soesdyke/Linden

Highway.

The physician, a mild-mannered man, who has in his employ some locals from the village, Loo Creek, related that after working his adult life in the United States (US) he decided he wanted to return to invest in the local economy.

“I was homesick, the place of my birth, my coun-

try, I wanted to come home and I did after some brainstorming and decided to start my own poultry farm because I missed my people, our unique culture, and way of life and here I am,” he said.

Dr Cambridge however, partnered with Bounty Farm Limited and is providing meat birds, locally hatched

and grown to that company on a large scale every six weeks.

He explained that Bounty Farm Ltd. would show up in large canter trucks to collect 50,000 meat birds every six weeks, which are plucked and packaged for their stores across the country.

The re-migrant has three large chicken pens outfitted

with fans, automatic water cans, and adequate feed cans housing the chickens and is constructing a fourth pen.

The plot of leased land is 40 acres which he had cleared when the project started last November, and the land can comfortably hold eight large chicken pens.

Dr Cambridge has six staffers and he commutes

daily from his home in the city to Loo Creek, where he is on site to get down and do work alongside his employees.

“As a boy, I left this country but remembered that the late President Cheddi Jagan used to be among the people, on the ground and our current president Dr. Irfaan Ali is an example of a people’s president since he is

ventist Church has leased 40 acres of land to him for his poultry farm and he says it is a work in progress, since much more needs to be done to make the place he wants it to be.

“I always liked farming and animals and wherever I went, I had a farm, so it is ingrained in me and this is what I wanted to do: have a

The poultry farm at Loo Creek (Carl Croker photos)

often on the ground on outreaches and his vision for farmers is ideal, because he understands what it’s like to be a farmer,” he reasoned.

The re-migrant stated that the Seventh Day Ad-

SEE PAGE XXVIII

Focus on the Village

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

Making the most of his skills at Loo Creek

By Michel Outridge

VIBERT Williams is a resident of Loo Creek, Soesdyke/Linden Highway and is one of the early settlers in the village, who left his hometown of Port Kaituma, North West District, Region One (Barima-Waini) in search of work at age 12 years old.

The 67-year-old is contented with life, since most of his children reside in the same village.

Williams stated that he left home because he wanted to work and earn and opportunities were not plentiful, so

he went to work in Berbice River at a logging concession.

There, he grew into the job as a young man and he met a lovely young woman; they dated until they got married and had 10 children.

She is from the Canje Creek, Berbice River and they started life from scratch.

Williams added that he went back to Port Kaituma in 1984 but by then most of his relatives had passed away.

His parents were alive, but they died a few years ago.

The resident stated that when he came to Loo Creek it was dense jungle and he

cleared a part of the land which took some time and the year was 1981.

He managed to build a small house and settled there with his wife and children, some of whom were born there.

“I tried to plant close to my house, but the acushi ants have destroyed all my crops; so I had to go further[sic] in the village to plant ground provisions, but the wild hogs would destroy my crops at times,” he said.

By foot, the farm is miles away and by bicycle it is easier and it is over by the creek, way down to the end

The home of Vincent Williams

Displaying his work

of the village.

Williams reported that he has 30 acres of land and it is leased by the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

He would sell his crops in the city or to whoever wants to buy them.

In his free time, Williams would cut t-shores, matuk handles, make shovel handles, paddles and other woodwork to sell.

He would also burn wood to make charcoal to sell and make furniture too.

“I don’t want to work with people because they take advantage of you and underpay you, so I use my skills to provide for my family,” he said.

Williams disclosed that he used to burn wood to make charcoal on a large scale of 250 bags per day, but when that small business got slow, he had to do other

Focus

jobs to bring in an income to the home.

“I started to farm, but it is four miles away by the creek and it is a long walk and when the crops are near harvest, the wild hogs would eat it all up and I am left with nothing,” he said.

He reported that he had some chickens and ducks rearing, but the tiger cats would come out at nights and kill the poultry in their pens.

Williams said from 15 ducks, he has none left and only three fowl cocks, the ones that fly, so when they see the wild cats they will fly off and return when it is safe.

He explained that at nights the wild animals are on the prowl and they would eat whatever they find, even the dogs are not spared.

An old freezer is used for storing meats, and he would

buy three buckets of ice for it and they would use lamps and other things in the night as their light source.

The village elder stated that he would also make handles for shovels, rakes, matuk and paddles and he has a buyer in the city, a store would take the lot.

Williams stated that he would make it in 200 and 300 pieces and make one trip to the city to sell whenever he has an order, because making these things takes time and a lot of effort, especially sourcing the wood form trees in the forest.

“Life here is fair, but you have to be independent and know to do more than one jobs, because there isn’t a lot of jobs around here and you have to find work to put food on the table,” he said.

on the Village

Paddles made by Vincent Williams (Carl Croker photos)

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

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XII

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021 James Forde displaying his eggs (Carl Croker photos)

Eggs from the chickens

Life in Loo ....

FROM PAGE VII

and I am making my living this way today,” he said.

The father of three related that he has more than 190 layer chickens and the eggs are collected and sold. In one day he would get five to six trays of eggs.

James has converted five acres of his land to plant and has some chicken pens and his main crops are citrus, and passion fruit.

Being without electricity and potable water supply is not easy so he has some small solar panels for lights at night and he would collect rainfall water in barrels to feed his layers and do chores.

When James came to Loo Creek, seven years ago, it was just thick bushes and forest and he managed to clear his plot over time and built a small wooden house and began living there.

He is however, that his house will soon be outfitted with large solar panels, an initiative which materialised through the last administration which is finally becoming a reality.

James told the Pepperpot Magazine that he has some dogs as pets but only one survived tigers attack at nights and the wild animals are plenty there and would roam at nights so it is safe to stay indoors after dark.

He and three other brothers in the church would meet up at a bottom house and worship since they have no church in that village yet.

James is of the hope that a church will be constructed there in the community and will serve as a place of worship and a meeting place for locals.

Clay McAlman Further down the small trail is the home of Clay McAlman and his extended family, all of whom lives in separate houses.

The 56-year-old of Buxton, East Coast Demerara relocated to Loo Creek, a year ago and has settled in that community.

The father of seven has tidied his yard and is planting and doing many things to earn including being a carpenter and mason.

McAlman would also burn wood to make charcoal to sell.

His relative lives next door and they have a small grocery shop and is now building a bigger house nearby.

It is the home of Denise McAlman, who moved from the city to Loo Creek, a year ago.

The 54-year-old is comfortable and has solar lights and is making a living selling groceries from her small cottage.

The mother of three stated that she likes the quietness and the nature-style living which is simple and basic.

She prefers the highway village as a retirement home and will remain in that village since it is peaceful and away from the confusion in the city.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

Not everyone knows what’s ‘climate change’ XXVII

PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, February 28, 2021

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, February 28, 2021

XX

Aye or no for A year of parliamentary decorum?

COVID-19

I NEVER really stopped to think that phrases such as “climate change” and “global warming” might not be familiar to many people. It was not until a few weeks ago when I was researching climate change journalism in Guyana, did I realise that reporting on climate change must involve explaining what these phrases are and how these conversations apply to the average person.

In October 2015, the Guyana Chronicle published an article with the headline “Guyana’s first climate change refugees… who don’t know what climate change is.” Reading this article made me realise that people are conscious of (some of) the effects of climate changesuch as extreme rainfall that leads to widespread flooding.

This flooding forced them to leave their homes and live elsewhere. Interestingly, however, they do not know that these “bad things’’ that have happened are directly linked to climate change.

The article was published about six years ago and since then, things such as the United Nations (UN) ‘s Paris

ests kept intact, instead of sector.

Yet, he did not know being cut down, Guyana what climate change is, was able to contribute to nor was he aware of global the global effort to mitigate warming. I did not ask him global warming and climate about his knowledge of “net change.

Of course, understandzero emissions.” It is not as DURING this past ing week’s edition of ‘In theworks National how thebecame LCDS simple as assuming that11 the ON March last year, COVID-19 a stark realAssembly,’ Parliamentarians debated the 2021 National means that you must man “lives under a which rock” ityBudget, in Guyana.

Though it had already begun spreading was presented earlier in the monthhave

by Seacross the globe fewsome months before, this novel basic understanding of and has not made an effort nior Minister inathe Office of the President with coronaresponsivirus became a great concern for Guyana and many of bility for finance, Dr. Ashni Singh.

The debate, however, climate change and global to educate himself.

There the Caribbean countries only during From the spotlighted a lack of decorum in the March.

Parliament. warming and those things. are complexities to consider, very It beginning, Guyana was and exposed to thefor stark is both understandable acceptable the reality different the local health authorities dis--Which naturally meanssides unincluding hisbecause exposure toperson sides ofthe thefirst house -- the government and opposition covered was infected, died. to have opposing views on the budget.a After all,science. the national derstanding bit of scientific research and access Guyana’s story ofthe thegovernment’s pandemic, at least in the beginning, illustrates vision, priority areas, Simply, the trees breathe to information.isbudget a truly unique one. direction, Certainly, the country wastowards not as preand general policy since it points what as it should have been to conduct testing, do contact in the carbon dioxide (a gas) Yes, therepared is an abunpolicies, programmes and plans the government intends to use Guyana’s moneythat to fund. humans breathe out; this dance of information from wouldthe be strange for each member agree on carbon dioxide is to released reputable sources.ItStill, every single thing, since various individuals have difinto the atmosphere when average personferent would not priorities and views and perhaps different sides trees areplans, cut projects, down oror when google a scientific of the journal house have different policies would guide Guyana’s fuels aredevelopments; burnt. Whenand, thisthat gasis and sit down to that try to undercompletely fine. (called a greenhouse gas) is stand the scientific discourse.

It is neither understandable nor remotely acceptable, released theinatmosphere, Cognisant of thathowever, and because for elected officials,into sworn as Members of (MPs), toitopenly hurl insults each otherthe and contributes toatmaking I read that article,Parliament I have been make racist, sexist, homophobic remarks. It is not acceptable earth hotter (through a proa bit more conscious of how for this level of disrespect to be entertained in the National I report on climate change, cess called global warming) Assembly. normalisationand of racist, sexist, and homophobic contributing to otherrekeenly focused onThe ensuring marks in our common, social spaces might be a conversation climatic situations such as that people easily understand for another day, but for crying out loud, this is our National natural what I write (as shouldOr, beour increasingly Assembly!

Parliament, as it worse is more commonly disasters a given in journalism) buttouting called. It is not at the bussuch park! as floods.

Imagine the onesimple would experience, years So, in terms, intact also to help contextualise theastonishment from now, if they were to revisit the hansards. Instead of forests mean that more trees global conversationslike only well-articulated, thorough analyses of the $383.1 bilwould for capture thosethere gases COP 26, whichlion a Guyanese budget that was presented the year 2021, would signallingthat homophobia or thinly veiled insults contribute to making theof delegation will be beremarks attending reproductiveearth capabilities. hotter.

And what was in November. an MP’s To be fair, however, there were a few salient presentaparticularly I am fortunate.

I have tions. On the first day of the debate,interesting it is a point of(and pride women -- most MPs Susan Rodriguesabout and Amanza welcome) the been exposed tothat thetwo converwho are also new Parliamentarians -- made LCDS was that it allowed sation on climateWalton-Desir change and

Agreement and movement towards a sustainable future have become much more topical. Cognisant of the article’s age and the progression of the climate change conversation, I decided to look into this.

Following the nationwide flooding earlier this year, I had a chat with a koker operator at La Bonne Intention (LBI) on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD). The man articulated how mangroves (he called these plants “bush”) have been protecting the shoreline and contributed to flood mitigation. He was adept at reading the tides and telling you that the hotter climate was affecting the fishing

environment and learning about climate change.

Around that time, too, Guyana crafted its Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and I gradually learnt about this. The LCDS was hailed as a much-needed, innovative strategy to protect Guyana’s forests, while receiving financial resources for doing so. With the for-

good presentations that one would expect at this forum.

Though this absence of decorum from many of the MPs,is perhaps, not a new occurrence in the local context, it begs us to ask ourselves: what valuable contributions are our elected officials making at this forum?

One would hope that the leaders elected by the people of Guyana, whether in government or opposition, would maintain a certain level of decorum in the house. In discharging their duties towards the people of the nation, at the very least, it is expected that they would engage in critical analyses of the budget. The budget debate should attempt to pinpoint deficiencies in allocations, or indicate what other areas of priority should be focused on.

This is how you operate in a democracy, where transparency and accountability are underpinning tenets. This is how you respect the sanctity of Parliament. And above all else, is this how you adequately represent the people of the nation you committed to serve? Parliamentary affairs -- every single aspect-- should be geared towards enhancing the development of the nation and its citizenry.

Admittedly, clever innuendos and witty remarks have long been part of parliamentary presentations, not only in Guyana, but around the world. The addition of clever satire has its usefulness in communication, no doubt. Much of we saw last week, however, to be afor common Guyana toappeared get money not global warmingwhat since I was or rumshop debacle, repleteits with “props” and cutting down trees and nine years old.bottom My house initial all, that left much to be desired. helping to keep the planet exposure was due Last to the esDecember, Clerk of the National Assembly, from warm.that the tablishment of EnvironmenSherlock Isaacs, told thegetting Guyanatoo Chronicle Office wouldAll arrange and conduct training this aside, I think that tal CommunityParliament Health Orsessions for MPs. Training, the clerk said, is essential at the very least, many of us ganisation (ECHO) clubs in because Parliamentarians need to learn how to draft are deal aware the effects of some schools when I was questions andinmotions, withof standing orders, and, most importantly, to learn aboutImportantly, the duties of a climate change.

Grade Five. These clubs were need Memberpeople of Parliament.

This is too particularly necessary I believe that there is created to get young for those “new faces” in the house. consensus in supporting andfor interested in caring for the The recent events have indeed spotlighted the need

leveraging the gigantic role Guyana plays in the global efforts to save the earth (and thankfully, there has been bipartisan work to this end).

Of course, there is much more to learn and explore about climate change, especially since it is an existential threat. But I am hoping that bit by bit, more Guyanese people can be cognisant of

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, March 7, 2021

tracing, patients toand getsoahead the pandemic.

But,would standing ofadequately theto need for the face so cluster spreading Ifofyou like feel freemasks, to email me at this and phenomenon help training of treat Parliamentarians that aof semblance decorum Are they representing us and our best interests that was not unusual; all countries across the globe had to was very possible. We owe our gratitude to all the frontline could be maintained in the National Assembly.

It is enviat all times? connect to discuss vish14ragobeer@gmail. in the efforts to hold adapt quickly and contend withlocal, the pandemic.

What with was me workers who were trying to keep the nation safe then, and sioned that such training sessions would also help to guide COVID-19, column, com unique about Guyana was its unfolding elections quagmire. thiswho continueor to do so even now. regional and international the officials on proper parliamentary procedures.

I hope we can do better.

It is not accountable. unreasonable to assume--because there is no Aside from the political occurrences, however, it is wellany of my previous works, leaders But also, these events should force us to reconsider what real empirical evidence--that the protracted elections’ peknown that the pandemic also impacted every other sector. we expect accept from our encompassed--distracted elected officials -- all of Business If you would like discussschools this column or anyand of riod-and alland of the shenanigans productivity wastostymied, were closed mytourism previous writings, please feelhit free to contact me via them-while they discharge their responsibilities towards us.

Guyanese from this pandemic. While the pandemic raged the sector took the hardest with the closure of they the articulating collective values they make vish14ragobeer@gmail.com onAre during first few our months, and we werewhen embroiled in borders and email: the constraints to leisure activities. The closure racist, sexist, homophobic, and other derogatory statements? our post-elections drama, it was not uncommon for there to of schools eventually prompted a shift to virtual learning— be large gatherings and we had not yet developed an under‘Zoom school’—which has been fraught with challenges due to inherent inequalities and disparities.

Social services, too, have been constrained, which has been particularly worrisome since the pandemic has disproportionately impacted the vulnerable groups in our society. With the slowdown in business directly contributing to a reduction or loss of income, social safety nets were necessary to support persons. Moreover, it has been found that the pandemic— perhaps due to the ‘stay-at-home’ focus— has contributed to a rise in abuse and domestic violence. These present even greater concerns over the construction of social services. As time and the pandemic progressed, however, efforts would be made to ensure that these disproportionate effects were mitigated, on all fronts.

To a large extent, nevertheless, we’re still navigating the complexities of this pandemic and trying to manage ourselves better. Now, however, we’re also contending with the emergence of newer, modified forms of the virus -- the variants, or strains as they are commonly called. The scientific and medical communities expected these variants would arrive at some point or the other, since viruses do mutate.

The variants that have emerged so far — the United Kingdom(UK), Brazil, and South African variants — all have the ability to infect more persons. If we’re not careful, their increased transmissibility could lead to a sharp rise in our cases, additional deaths, and an overwhelmed healthcare system. Guyana has not been able to identify whether we do any of these variants without our borders. We have been sending a few COVID-19 samples to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for testing, but those few samples were not variants. That is not enough to rule out the possibility that we have variants.

On the other hand, we’ve been able to secure a number of the COVID-19 vaccines and we have been vaccinating our frontline healthcare workers. Soon, other frontline workers, the elderly, and persons with comorbidities (underlying and undetected health conditions, such as diabetes) will be vaccinated too. The importance of vaccines is that they allow the body to create an immune response to the virus, thereby fighting off infection. And Guyana, incredibly, has been able to secure several vaccines in a short period amid global concerns of vaccine nationalism, where larger, wealthier countries are hoarding these vaccines for themselves.

But, even so, vaccines are not necessarily the ‘magic bullet’ for the population and there are, understandably, many concerns. Due to the perceived short period during which the vaccines were developed and granted emergency-use authorisation, concerns about the long-term benefits and impact of the vaccines linger. Additionally, the efficacy of the vaccines on the variants is still evolving. In Guyana, these concerns may contribute to the vaccine-acceptance rates unless greater efforts are made (or continued) to promote greater education, communication, and trust.

Despite this, we are still unsure when this pandemic may be over. Reasonable estimates project that we should return to a greater sense of normalcy by 2023 when all countries are finally expected to receive their vaccines and immunise their populations. We don’t yet know for certain, so this means that as we approach our ‘COVID anniversary’ we should be mindful that we still have to take all necessary precautions.

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

XIV

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

Loo ...

Creek FROM PAGE VI

Village signage

This village has a handful of school-age children and there is no electricity or potable water supply.

The locals use a small solar panel system, generators and lamps at night to illuminate the place and they use rainwater or source water from the creek, a few miles away.

Loo Creek is one of those picture-perfect villages nestled in the forest with the clearing of the land in some sections, a sandy, hilly village where the people use what is around them.

The locals reported that they do not get many visitors, but all visitors are welcome.

They are hardworking people who are making an honest living doing many things for work and they do not wish to work for people, but for themselves.

It was observed that a private company was contracted to erect concrete stations where solar panels will be mounted at several homes within this village.

Loo Creek is a village nestled in the forest and it is living in nature at its best where people and wild animals co-exist with little or no contact at all.

Some early settlers have been there for more than 65 years, while they have some newcomers and it is a quiet village where you can hear the birds chirp and enjoy the cool breeze when there are favourable weather conditions.

The children go to the nearby schools at Silver Hill and Long Creek and they also utilise the services at the health centres in those neighbouring villages.

Shopping is done in Linden or in the city and there is a shop in the village, where groceries and other essentials can be sourced without having to leave the village.

Loo Creek is a lovely, scenic place where the sun-kissed trees, hot sand and sunshine make it all worth the while.

The people have erected wooden tables and benches which serve as a meeting place and with a recent death of a villager, a wake was held there for the elder, who was killed in an accident on the highway.

The trees were cut and used to make furniture and used as posts for a makeshift tent and tables were carved from the trees that are around the village.

Loo Creek is an oasis, a quiet paradise where an adventure awaits, and this village has many small trails, all leading to somewhere.

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021 CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, February 28, 2021

XV XIII

ON THE AWARENESS OF THE AESTHETIC AND THE ‘BEING’ OF OUR YOUNG NATION Part II

IN concluding this discussion, which is intended to raise questions within the reader and inspire responsible actions among those that acquire decision making positions or are already there, we cannot arrive at a sensible without considerations in retrospect. So in a brief flashback, we must recognise, what we have lost to our physical memory reference archive, and use this as inspiration, to be able to raise a natural alarm, a connection to the aesthetic sensitivity alerting us to the fact that we need to have a historical memory in respect to our surroundings, as buildings, landscapes and architecture are inherent of memories in both the conscious and subconscious awareness. We have to become other than people who occupy a geographic space on this planet, and relate to what is the necessary thinking that will enable us to address from the now onward what is significant to telling our stories, especially stories important to our timelines. When we became independent, the euphoria of self-governed nationhood intoxicated us, it had its grounds for intoxication alongside sober examination. We did not make the observation that all around us within the borders of countries we still held controlled admiration for, had retained the edifices of past times.

Our own coloniser England never dismantled Hadrian’s Wall. In more ways than one, from previous colonisers and also from despised local leaders, they kept the memory for reflection, in our Caribbean, Christophe’s spectacular fortress of defence in Haiti will remain, regardless of his history. Europe with the obvious white supremacy that emerged with colonisation did not destroy the sculptures of Afro-European Knights, artworks and literature that spoke of, or alluded to the African presence in a much older Europe, of course, they didn’t in-depth celebrate them either, and also hid their identities with new portraits and in movies.

Where we erred in Guyana was not to use the structures that became available with the decline of trademark services like the Trains, to build museums dedicated to that part of our historical memory. Why preserve the physical imagery of the past? Simple, our ancestors lived it, for the historian, the creative mind, the investigative journalist, the physical location is important. The development of museums was a continuous peeve of the late Dr. Dennis Williams, who had identified Five Museums to be built, he insisted that a marine museum would have been a must. I can now imagine a display of the ship’s kitchen on Lady Northcourt with its cook, the portrait of indifference ‘John’, ‘keep away from John’s kitchen, and why?’ A caption should read before this rude faced ship’s cook made of papier máché –“whose kitchen lay beneath a toilet, from which water dripped continuously, or so we were made See Page XIX

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

XVII

XII XVIII

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, August 8, CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19,2021 2021

A HAND TO HOLD WITHERING BLOOM

For tiredness lies On my lids My body like a Broken goblet The Earth can feel No more my feet I mustwas come home,ondear was the the hoarse A“So woman sitting theLord,” floor behind lastplea pew, from the lips of the old woman, lying in a recliner on the patio. hugging her knees, her head bent and rocking slightly nurse aid sitting by reading the toThe andmiddle-aged fro. As Chris looked at her,close she raised her head, newspaper inquired of the olddarker woman, but she was young with tones.

“What is it, Sharda?”

He exhaled slowly and moved away, looking around.

She“Who did not answer, hummed thatlooking song?” up at the clear blue sky, her eyes not so dim, her hearing still fine. people She could see thein There were a few more homeless crouched lovely flowers bloom and hear the sweet songs of the birds corners and sleeping on the benches, so Chris had toinbe hercautious garden, but passion for nature Then were slowly on her howlove he and approached anyone. an idea fading away. flashed in his mind and he began humming the song. There Hownodoes one continue to embrace when the was response until he was halfwaylife through, thenbody a soft hasvoice become aged and feeble, memory sometimes floating into joined in. nothingness, when you need a young, strong hand to hold and He followed the sound and saw her sitting behind the there was none? old organ, clothed in rags, her hair unkempt and her face “How did this happen?” she asked herself, tears misting streaked with dirt. Her eyes were closed as she sat there in in her eyes, “Why did this happen?”

The loneliness was a deep ache in her heart, craving for the children she loved and missed so much just to hear their voices. But they were gone, now matured adults pursuing careers and sharing their lives with new loves and interests.

The mother now lived alone in the home where they had shared a beautiful family life. She had moulded and guided

PART III

a helpless posture, hugging a small bag.

A lump formed in Christopher’s throat as he them, her hard work and sacrifices laying a foundation for the successes they had achieved in their lives. But after reaching great heights in the business world, their

rich lifestyles made them forget where they came from, and for the aged mother, there was no time.

A lone tear trickled down her wrinkled face, a face still beautiful never mind her age

she had walked away from her matrimonial home with her four children into the throes of an unknown world.

She had worked long hours every day to build a nice little home with comfort

children to provide care and companionship for they hardly found any time in their daily schedules to spend with their mother.

That night as she laid in bed, she looked at the paint-

looked at her, not quite like and lifted a trembling theshe photograph he had nor hand to wipe it. A of hand the vague image herthat from was once strong, that held her his memory. children’s small ones every But he knew in his heart step of the way. it was her and he called softA wry smile crossed ly, “Mom.” her face and a faraway look her as eyesher and shoneShe in opened her eyes looked at him, but there was thoughts took her back to a no when recognition dull time she wasina the young eyes and no smile on her woman. She was so full of chapped life, like alips. butterfly with It distressed heart amazing colours andhis a simseeing her like that and ple, little home filled withhe saidthen to her, voice gave breaklove, herhisfather a little, “I’m Christoheringhand in marriage to a pher, your little rice farmer’s son; ason.” new life She and looked as a bride later,ata him youngfor a long moment, she mother.

Paths she had then walked laughed crazily, the sound paved with love, compassion, of someone had of lost tears and pain, who episodes and as sudherher lifemind, written on just the leaves of denly, time. she stopped and said, “Gone.”

Then one day, fourteen outshe a doll and years She later,took when could twoborne small no carsmore fromof theher bag have she had arrogance been hugging, “My husband’s and abuchildren gone.” sive behaviour towards her,

Her lips quivered and a forsad, them and today, instead hopeless look filled her ofeyes holding her hand, like as she cried quietly. she had held theirs, they A mother’s life shattered, turned their backs, leaving wandering with empty arms her alone. for what was precious to her A choked sob escaped had been torn from her. her lips and once again she Christopher sat there whispered, “It’s time for meon the floor crying with and to come home, dear her Lord, after a long while, he wiped there’s nothing left here.” his tears, gotaid upgot and,uptaking The nurse and her her hand said,urging “Comeheron took hand, mother, it’s time you to gently, “Come on,for Sharda, reunite with your children it’s time for your meal and and the world.” medication.”

Since five and years old he She sighed looking had cried for her, searched up at the nurse. She inquired, for her,“Who his little puzzled, areheart you?”grieving.

Today, after the seventeen “I’m Jeanette,” womhe patiently, had found her, anyears, answered as she could hold her hand and say assisted her to her feet, “Your that aid.” precious word ‘Mothnurse er“Oh,” ’. The difference sheonly exclaimed softthere was lapse no light nor ly,was a momentary in her laughter in her eyes for a memory. cruel engineered The hand kindhad woman had darkness been with in herherforlife. the past called on Mr. three Chris years, financed by the

King for help and the true ing on thehewall friend hadfacing beenher to and her, a he smile touched her lips, stepped up. Therelesswas ening the pain in her heart. a lot to be done and afIt was the picture of three ter a thorough clean down children, her father working and haircut by three of Mr. in the garden and her mother King’s beautician friends, standing not far off with a and new from anothbucket of clothes fresh vegetables er friend’s store, got on her arm, smilingChris warmly his mother admitted to the as she watched her children. psychiatric wing of a new A portrait that captured hospital. then a private simple life and a Only beautiful did he call Jason and Alana family. to “You tell them have he lefthad so found long theirmother,” mother she and said explained ago, in a whatvoice, had happened to her. weak “I can’t rememThey wereforboth ber much nowsoI deeply have relieved they grown too old.” broke down in The tears.brother and sister “Thank playing withGod her you had never also forgot her,” Alana tearleft, their names nowsaid written “Dad imprisoned our onfully, tombstones whilst she, the minds with negative things youngest, waited still alone. so“we W hwouldn’t i s p e r mwant y n ato m ere, member she her.”said, “And I mother,” shall come, so we XIX can be SEE PAGE SEE PAGE XXIX

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

WITHERING ...

XIX

FROM PAGE XVIII

Jason was so angry he wanted to confront their father but Chris implored him not to.

“Let it be for now, we have to focus on saving our mother.”

Jason and Alana few in on an emergency flight to see her and spend some time with her but the mother’s mind was still blank. After they left Chris spent many hours of the day at the hospital with her. He wanted to be there, to hold her hand, to talk with her for it would be a long road for her to come back.

As he looked at her, his mind deeply disturbed, Chris asked silently, “What kind of man would do this to his own wife, who had done him no wrong? What kind of man would destroy a mother to deny her of her own children?”

Those questions and more bothered his mind so much that at night he had difficulty sleeping.

“I have to stay strong,” he cautioned himself, “I have to help her get through this.”

A renowned psychiatrist from Manhattan was sent in

by Jason and Alana, adding to the team that was attending to her and the mother’s progress continued to improve, day by day.

Five months later, Chris was lying back in the reclining chair in the hospital ward when a soft voice calling his name awoke him.

“Chris.”

He sat up, a bit disoriented, not sure who was calling his name, then she spoke again, “Where is my little boy? He

has been crying.”

Chris was so overwhelmed with relief and joy he was not sure whether to laugh or cry. His mother had made it back into the light from the dark tunnel where her mind had been lost.

“Mother,” he said.

She looked at him puzzled and asked quietly, “Who are you?”

“I’m your little son, Chris.”

She looked at him and shook her head, tears in her eyes, “He is five.”

“I know,” Chris said to her, tears now welling in his

eyes, for he realised she had lost all those years from since he was five to now.

“He cried for you and searched for you since that night they took you away.”

“How long ago was that?” she asked, a little tremor in her voice.

“Seventeen years.”

She looked at him shocked, “That’s a long time…what happened to me?”

“It’s a long story,” Chris said to her to keep her mind calm, “Your children are now with you and we will make up for all that lost time.”

There was relief and sadness in her eyes when she asked, tears streaming down her face, “I missed seventeen years of my children’s lives?”

He nodded, unable to hold back the tears, as she held his face, “My little boy has grown up?”

Such a long time it was since he was in his mother’s embrace.

The bloom though withered over the years had not died, for love and hope had kept it alive.

Slowly now, it could become fresh and fragrant.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, February 28, 2021

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

Have a Healthy Relationship!

o not always know what I’m looking losing your phone would be on a scale of 1-10. 98 percent y phone is such a normal part of my said 10 and 2 percent said 9. They all claimed that it would my hand that I cannot count the numbe the worst material possession that they could ever lose. hed for it, while it was actually in my They continued to say that feelings of anxiety, irritation and o when get ofup in the and and theyoverwhelming sadness would be if they were to lose their A LOYALIreader my column, whomorning claims that her marneed felt to be loved, not the way you do. do not automatically know what needs respecting. riage is strained, asked me to speak about how to better get Boundaries make both partners feel heard, safe and cared for.

I read a book called “The 5 Love Languages” by Gary going to sleep is check my phone. I phone today. along with your partner. I think this is vital information Chapman and it was the best education on love that I’ve ever now as COVID-19 has ensured that we spend time had. I recommend that everyone in a relationship buy this do we show respect? healthy and something must bemoredone.

IttoHow seems right?

Caring so much about a with our partners than ever before. book and read it together.

It is not easy show respect harmless, as it’s required at all timesFirst, if you are worried about the future of your reIt basically explains that everyone loves differently and especially during fights/anger. and found that women were more It hasphone?

Well, this week I’ve therefore beenrequire really attention lationship, you have plenty of company. People always get differentpaying types of love-much like a completedifferent forms, it’s not just the absence of physical thinking it will last forever (obviously) but sadly, in or verbal abuse. Not speaking at all is a sign of disrespect. Not ly different language. There were five which were Words of d tomarried their phones simply because men to the importance that I and others around me give to a our generation, the general statistic is that one in two marriag- valuing your partner’s opinions, beliefs, religion, family etc. Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service end in divorce.

Let’sAlso, try to change that :). people Love and are signs and Physicalgoing Touch. of disrespect.rather Being unfaithful is a sign of disrespect.actually ociales will media apps. older phone, than what’s on around them. relationships are rarely ever easy. People say that if it was Arguing in public is a sign of disrespect. Not apologizing For example, you might base your love on words of affire addicted.

I bebelieve this because meant to be, it will easy. That’s just silly. Itis is often hard for when you mationsuch as I love you, you andpeople, all sorts of comare wrong is disrespect.-Thewhether world would be a we much are Our phones speaking toI need other anyone to put someone else’s needs, wants and desires above better place if people stopped trying to justify their mistakes pliments. You might need this and therefore you assume your usetheirsmartphones (My father actually own. It is often hard to compromise on things that you and justusing needs this type love to be be happy as well. That’s not apologize. social Not showingmedia gratitude when to partner orit needs playing games -- ofcan addictive really do not want to compromise on. It is hard to be account- be shown is disrespect. Respect your partner both in front of the case. More often than not, your partner has a different love able for someone other than yourself. It is hard to change some their face language than you do.trigger For example, they might like Physical behind their back. People speak badly ofbeliefs asandthey alter ourwhomoods, and enjoyable things about yourself to suit someone else. Whoever says you their partners when they are not around do not show respect. touch and therefore, will be expressing physical touch to y colleagues how bad Simplyand should never changeand yourselffriends to suit someone else, doesn’t you. Allfrom the while,obviously all you want is words of affirmation. put, treatunenjoyable your partner the way you would want to be feelings.

Apart being myIt’s understand what it means to be in a relationship. There are treated. Seriously, it’s called ‘the golden rule’ for a reason. genius and may very well be the reason so many marriages main source of communication, my ispartner’s my love newspamutual expectations in a functioning and loving relationship. fail. Decide whatphone your and your language is and There will be many instances of self-sacrifice to love and live express theirs to them, not yours.

Kindness watch, alarm, recorder, day planner, calendar, harmoniously with another human being. No two people get I’d per, have hoped that this one was obviousmap, by now but it along constantly without effort.

Trust isn’t. Mutual kindness is vital in making a relationship work. camera, music player, calculator, a weapon (sometimes) Some say that if it’s real love, there wouldn’t be any fights. It’s easy to be mean; being kind is the difficult approach, Again, this is absurd as fighting is inevitable, but luckily can especially if you feel that one may not deserve it at the time.

Trust is a must. This is a little rhyme to remember. and my especially friend orsomeone lonelyevactually bring benefits to the relationship. It brings to light Trusting with yourbasically heart and happiness is very It does take effort, whenwhen angered, butI’m there isbored what your partner likes and doesn’t like, what their personal a simple but very effective way of being kind- think before difficult but a proper foundation cannot be built without trust. erything.

However, it isif people also Without my constant interrupter boundaries are; what they are willing to take and what they you speak! trust, there is insecurity, doubt and fear- alland things that The world would also be a better place are willing to give. The important part is HOW you fight and thought about what they are going to say, as well as its effects, limit the potential intimacy of a healthy relationship. . It is distractor. I (I imagine muchthelike most of you out there) what you say during fights. In my opinion, not fighting is hardest thing to gain and sadly the easiest thing to lose. easy, actually being able to respectfully handle differences is It takes two to trust and building and upholding have a deep desire to know everything that is going on.trust the hard part. requires one simple thing- honesty. Well, I shouldn’t exactly Something I learned later than I wanted to is that we call itBut simple because if it was easy, everyone would do it. It I believe that is human nature. when does it become get back the love we give. There are of course exceptions and does cause discomfort and hurt but through that, one finds extreme cases – but for the average couple and the average trust. That being said, you need to be someone your partner too much? love, we get exactly the love that we give. If we want kindfeels he/she can be honest with. Your level of understanding ness, we must give kindness, if we want respect, we must give and compassion be high;ayour reactions not too over Well, I believe it’s too much when must it has name.

‘Norespect and if we want heavy displays of love, we must give it. the top. mophobia’ is the term coined toThere describe theandfear being There are a few essentials to make love and a relationship are different types levels of of trust.

One needs work. I will say with absolute certainty that a relationship to trust that the other will be sexually faithful, yes but one without a mobile phone. Seriously, (not just marriage) cannot work without mutual respect, trust also needs what to trust thathave the other we will be come emotionallyto? faithful. and kindness. It seems obvious to say this, but if it was that One needs to trust that the other has their best interest at It becomes an addiction whenheartthethatobject tothe control obvious so many marriages wouldn’t fail. Maybe people want they will not begins control or reject other. One needs to show these to their partners but they cannot. Maybe, you to trust that the other will love them- even when they hate your life and interferes with your activities, work, know that these factors are important but you’re not exactly them- daily without any selfish reasons. One needs to and be able to sure why. This is what I would like to focus on today. Respect, before speaking. trust that the other will not abandon them during hard times relationships.

I read that biggest obstacle trust and Kindness. How important these are! make “The them a priority.

Trusting someone completely Kindness comprises of many things as well.somewhere I’d say the but rather Let’s start with respect. People underestimate the power most important is the willingness to comprise as this is ba- is a terrifying thought but looking at the potential benefits, it to productivity is connectivity,” but overuse can affect a of this. sically putting your partner’s feelings and wants before your is a risk worth taking.

Steve Hall said, “the truest form of love is how you behave own. Itlot If these are not is, currently prominent factors or situarequires consideration. more than our productivity. The truth overuse of our toward someone, not how you feel about them.”

Kindness also requires attention. We all have a lot going tions in your relationship, not to worry. Love, respect, trust However, the most important thing to remember is that on- all phones at these as and feelingsphysically. but rather activities or the time. Kindness aside own feelings/ etc. – do not look canis putting harm usyourpsychologically, socially you need to respect yourself first. I believe that respect for situations and focusing on your partner’s. I also think most of skills. Upholding a healthy relationship is a skill and like any ourselves is what allows us to have ethics, while respect for the problems in other skill, there needs to be constant practice of to improve. a relationship are caused by how somethingour With regard to affecting social skills, how many us others is what allows us to have etiquette- both of which are is said rather than what is actually said. People need to feel All you need to do is decide where you are most lacking and needed for a functioning relationship. start from there. comfortable without ventingon theiraconcerns; like andconversation miss jokewhat orthey good as we were on our It is no secret that verbal abuse is widespread in our com- do not like. However, keep in mind that there is a difference munity, especially in relationships. We have all been guilty between Thanking you for reading.

Please keep sending any topcomplaining and criticising.

It’s fine times to complainhave – phones?

How many we annoyed our good friend of this. We tend to speak to our partners worse than anyone for example, saying “the garbage needs to be taken out” or ics you’d like to talk about to caitlinvieira@gmail.com Or orneed family because weWhatsApp were meposting social media else – this definitely should not be the case. for personalon counselling sessions +592 623 “the dogs to be fed”member multiple times can be considered People believe that love includes respect. It does not. complaining, yes. However, when it turns into “you never take 0433 how funyouwe having them? truly affects our They believe that love trumps respect. It does not. From the the garbage Georgetown PublicIt Hospital: Psychiatric Department: out”much or “why can’t just beare helpful for once with other side, we have to display behaviours worth respecting as respect is earned over time, not expected. To do this, we (again), first respect ourselves and then we set and uphold clear and fair boundaries. Our partners are not mind readers

and feed the dogs?” becomes criticism. It’s when one begins to attack the personal character rather than the behaviour. That becomes the problem.

Kindness also means to love your partner the way they

Suicide Prevention Helpline numbers: 223-0001, 2230009, 623-4444, 600-7896 Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

sharing their journeys CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

g seven amazing women from the Women Anthologies. st of Watch Radio NY requested an interasked him if it was okay for me to invite oin me. I am sharing some excerpts from

XXIII

van Phillips -- born in St Lucia, living in

owards being a Midwife of Purpose came being broken, displaced, and ough this journey, I experienced a divorce, e and got displaced education administrator’s position. Coupled were two major eclipses my life. An eclipse happens when you can calling becomes greater than your current hrough this process, you can transcend to a hinking where you can connect with your ourself as one with nature. lett – born in Guyana and living in NY egan to have the real experience of dreammy dream world alive. I was immediately nterview with the agency where they tested n using Microsoft Office and typing speed.

Mentorship can make a difference One week later I completed my assignment with CTO and was now ready to move on to my next career move.

I called Monique to let her know I was available as we agreed and she was so happy to have me start my first temporary assignment with Deutsche Bank. My first

WE hosted a fireside chat for emerging and aspiring entrepreneurs as one of the new awesome celebrations.

Eight persons were selected for mentorship and four of the eight received 50,000 each towards their respective projects. This event was super important to me because I know how challenging the entrepreneurial journey can be. I have always made an effort to assist in this area, which is one of the reasons ‘Women in Business’ started over five years ago. I have noticed that lots of young men are venturing out and need exposure and I decided that the just-concluded Expo 50 would feature males and females. The eight persons selected for mentorship were Meleesa Payne, Clemencia Goddette , Alicia Daniels, Veena Sahadeo, Martin Gittens, Andy Gittens from Linden and Estiva Lake and Manuela Bell from Bartica.

The people were so grateful the assistance and these are messages I received from the persons who received the small cash grant.

Make it a habit to tell people thank you.” I have embarked on my fashion business journey unprepared, but I knew I had to make a start to make my goals and dreams a reality. So I braved the step like an entrepreneur would and took the risk of investing in a business I see great potential in. Furthermore, a few months down the line, I was informed of Dr.Noel’s 50 is the new awesome birthday celebration - events which included the Expo 50 of which I am a fan of[sic]. As a result of the fireside chat and the Expo 50 event, I was chosen to be one of the recipients of the $50,000 grant.

I was thrilled speechless on hearing I was going [to] receive same. It made me realise that once you work towards your goals, paths will be created to take you to your goals. Never have I even thought for a second that I would be able to share a conversation about my business with Guyana’s fashion super star, much less to recieve a grant of $50,000. I am indeed thankful. I will use the funds of the grant to contribute to the expansion of my business. In conclusion, I do wish Dr.Noel great success in all her future endeavours and plans may they all become a reality. She is such a humble and great woman, a reputable woman of dignity of whom I’m pleased to be

management on the entrepreneurial path, such as; business planning, sales and marketing.

I knew that I wouldBetter be in business outcomes can When I was six years assignment lasted two weeks, dadbe solved by one percovering someone’s vacation. old I started school in Mesa, big trouble if I told my never wasAnd a having a mentor can Due to my work ethic and Arizona, so I began staying what had happened. Itson. secret: the desire to go the extra mile, with my mom help you find new methods to kind that could get mea problem and come up and her husband routineI landed another assignment solve didn’tstrategies to give you a in the same department for ly. It was like going from into big trouble. I with butbusiness outcome. This six months, then another for heaven to hell. It was a horror know how much trouble, better three months, which finally story that’s yet to be writ- I wasn’t willing to mentoring teach me the skills take a chance. “Shhhh... led to my permanent posi- ten. While at grandma’s I I actually need to acquire. tion, allowing me to live a was filled with the love of Don’t tell anyone.” This I learnt will help me to Maybe it’s the trauma a grandma and Jesus daily. dream. saveoftime and money in the somerun. From weakness to Dr. Safeeya Mohamed – On the other hand, at my my experience, but forlong mother’s house, I was filled reason I still cannot rememTrinidad strength, from grass to grace We received the updates with Rock ‘N Roll, drugs ber how and from nothing to something often it happened,iswhen that the accident was horrific and inappropriate, wild sex what inspired me from this it and that the victim was stuck parties. Ultimately, from it started, or even when programme project. Also, such an environment you can ended in the car. many thanks to The Sonia The vehicle had to be cut imagine the kinds of abuse Noel Foundation for choosing Penny Phakahi –South open to get to the victim. It that mom’s house provided. me for the $50,000 grant. This never occurred to me that When I was 11 years old, Africa will help to add growth to my I have had my share of grandma Shirley died and my my brother aim business endeavours. I am could be remotely in- stepdad left. My mom had turmoil and I strongly believe blessed and thankful to you of turvolved. The next thing I an emotional breakdown, so that it is these stints Ms. Sonia. Muchly appreciremember, I was looking at I ran away! I couldn’t take moil that brought me ated your kindness.”- Veena this far in my life.Sahadeo I was any more. the body of my brother Andrea Edwards – born and perhaps is still in my covered in blood in a “I’m Blessed and highly hearse. The strident, agonis- in Guyana, living in Florida refinery process. favoured, God said in his As a young girl, Iword. grew Being a part of the As I sat in the back of ing scream of my mother in my dad’s Nissan Bluebird, I up with one main ambition, the A&E that fireside chat, i was amazed by early morning has not peered through the windows wanting to get away, the far journey of the mentors. I away from the systemhave of taken in so much then, escaped my mind almost 17 at the images on thinking or the box the fence of the Guyyears later as she howled andthat to be one of the people in. for mentorship and ana Botanical Gardens and we often find ourselves “my son died, my selected Apart from understanding radio $50,000 sonThank died, you nobody’s help- Zoological influenced by.

Dr.Noel.”-Estiva Lake Park. The receive towards my business is truly a blessing. It I always dared to blastedthat theIpopular us!”I feel Butgratitude nobody and could, “Firsting of all, excitement was one was alsomyself an honour to meet Mr. Stanley Ming and my mentor be different, which was a calypso song the “1985” by as hispersons spirit departed at the of the selected gaining the opportunity to receive Mrs. Nisa Walker, a very humble, kind-hearted individual.”a then-popular calypsonian. constant struggle when surpoint mentorship andof$50,000 to start my business and improve Manuela Bell would have just celebrated rounded by my situations. I Up to Ithis day, Ithe my skill as animpact. entrepreneur. appreciate motivation from They have already decided the area in their businesses grew up under a strict my sixth I ponderand where the strength you, the mentor the other participants.”-Manuela Bell where the money will be invested. I would like to thank my Christian family with my birthday, quite fromtotoyou navigate thatfor having “I amcame grateful Ms Sonia me on youroblivious friends Stanley Ming, Floyd Haynes (Maryland) and James to the of time, but grandfather and step granny, night. mentorship programme. The knowledge theconcept mentorship Ogle (Georgia)for their contribution of $50,000. The remainsong would not allow as my mother lost her mom imparted upon me has been a great assetthat to my career path. ing $50,000 was given by the Sonia Noel Foundation when to forget Shanon Paar Arizona The entrepreneurial skill –has endearedmeinto many hearts someone who promised SEE PAGE XXV to contribute to our future leaders that it was who had been in the programme. I feel blessed and 1985. value decided not to. I thank you for at least thinking about it. I the benefits I gained from the mentorship programme. Skill will dedicate a column one week to the power of giving. growth is priceless when it comes to building my entrepreLet’s continue to make a positive difference, big and neurial skills and the important notes I penned are: - Have small, as we continue to celebrate this beautiful journey faith in your ideas, trust and believe in yourself and aim called life BEYOND THE RUNWAY. goals. - Networking opportunities are essential. - Encouragement is so important. They can relate to our struggles and push a person to do more than you might let yourself do. - Take training classes to educate yourself for better

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

Have Guyanese become desensitised to the suicide epidemic in our country?

IN 2015, I commenced my first set of volunteering and social initiatives. At the time, I was just 15 years old. I was just joining the round table discussions, trying to better understand what’s happening in our society. As young as I was, I was determined to be a change agent, no matter how small my efforts were at the time. During those very conversations, I vividly remembered that there

was always one issue that was always a priority to speak on--suicide. At the time, Guyana was labelled as the “Suicide Capital” of the world. Most of the reports came from the year 2012, but this social issue continued throughout the years. I also remember the intense media campaigns, outreaches, workshop sessions and fundraisers that were held throughout the country used it as their plat-

forms for pageants, NGOs budgeted their year’s work with anti-suicide agendas and the Ministries of Health and Social Protection even launched their own campaigns. There was a collective social cry amongst Guyanese for those who were affected directly and indirectly by suicide.

Whatever happened to that collectiveness amongst our people to combat suicide? Did Guyanese become

desensitised to suicide? Yes, there are still campaigns and agendas that are set to target suicide and its underlying issues in communities. However, we’ve only stepped down from being number one in the world to being number two on the list of the countries with the highest suicidal rates.

Lesotho is now number one on that list. Let me be the first to say that our efforts as a country to combat this issue is not enough.

It’s unacceptable. Approximately 40 out of 100,000 commit suicide. To some, the number 40 may be small and our overall counts are low. The numbers do matter because the size of our population is only about 780,000. You can do the math and then understand how devastating this is for the country.

Every programme that is implemented needs a moni-

Warning signs of suicide

toring and evaluation period.

Similarly, all programmes that were implemented to help with suicide prevention or to help with the aftermath ought to be evaluated. Only then we will be able to understand how or why these programmes are effective or not.

Media personnel and agencies also play an integral role with how we combat social issues. As such, they ought to be trained in suicide sensitisation, appropriate language and all other necessary headings related to how journalists cover suicide-related media stories. In these modern times, many Guyanese now have access to mobile phones or telephones.

As such, I believe that the national suicide hotline should be re-evaluated and implemented. If not, a similar body can be implemented that uses accessible communica-

tion methods that Guyanese can contact or access for counselling and important information on mental health.

As someone who has seen the direct effects that suicide or an attempted suicide can do to Guyanese—those are my recommendations to those in authority who may have the ability to make these changes possible. Those numbers I mentioned previously are not just numbers. They represent real people from our very own country. This is not an issue that should be swept under the rug. There is no place to be desensitised to the causes, effects and underlying issues of suicide. I still have the very changeagent mindset I had when I was 15 years old and I hope that we treat every year as if it’s 2015 again until these statistics are down.

Guyanese and Caribbean cultures being promoted...

FROM PAGE V

Haitians here, and the hope is that we will treat them with kindness and dignity as they attempt to resettle and build their lives in a foreign country,” Lucas expressed.

Meanwhile, Third Horizon has showcased many Guyanese films and filmmakers over the years, from Kojo McPherson and Stephon Bristol to Chelsi Odufu and Gavin Ramoutar.

Popular artiste Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts has been a part of the festival from the beginning, first as a volunteer and now as a member of the team. “I jumped at the opportunity to bring Guyanese and Caribbean films to Guyanese audience,” she said, “because as a person who is involved in film creation, I know how badly film-makers want their creation to be seen and how badly I wanted our Guyanese and Caribbean people to see our stories, our people, our dialect and our culture.”

Vanilla has been able to experience the “ins and outs” of how a film festival is created and see how it is that creatives can improve and grow. “The best part for me is working with my team members Romola Lucas, Alysia Christiani, Yaphet Jackman to bring the festival to life. We hope to inspire creators in Guyana to continue on their journey of filmmaking and know that there is a team of people who are willing to help get your films to the wider masses,” she expressed.

Audiences have the opportunity to experience the stories and cultures of other Caribbean countries through the festival

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

XXV

‘NATION BUILDING IS A WORK OF ART’ is a profound term that means what it says MOST of our tribal and old-world hymns and cultural songs have become disconnected between who were brought here and who remained behind in the ‘Mother Lands’ through the sordid aims of colonisation. Still, familiar currents have remained in our rhythmic memory.

One such is the melody that the captain of a slave ship retained and though he could not understand the language of the suffering Africans, he added words to it. Today we sing that hymn as ‘Amazing Grace’ and it bears its same mournful melody. The lyrics of the ship’s captain has done it justice. The creation of the Americas we now know carries with it the spirit of past times that allow us to identify with each other beyond our ‘social ethnic borders.’ There is a narrative of significant importance that every cultural practitioner or activist should have in his/her library. It’s a small book titled ‘MUSIC IN THE CARIBBEAN’ by John Sealey and Krister Malm, with an introduction by Hollis Urban Liverpool BA, MA, DIP. ED, also known as ‘The Mighty Chalkdust’ Chapter 2. I will share ‘abridged’ with the reader.

“Some 200 years ago, two slave ships sank in a hurricane off Saint Vincent, numbers of male Africans aboard, reached the shores of Saint Vincent.

Upon arriving they were attacked by Carib warriors whom they defeated, as is the culture of the ancient world. They took over the remainder of the Carib tribe, women, children and elders, and a new people were born.

Musically, the women kept their Amerindian tunes. The Africans introduced their West African music. A remarkable musical fusion occurred that was passed on to the children, that today is identified as a branch of Creole music, of African and Amerindian styles to the students of our culture.”

The biographical records of this nation reflect on the Arts and the usage of local talents as far back as the 1790s.

Bolingbroke was amazed how semi-literate and illiterate African talents were able to perform. In his words: “ In the French Islands, negro performers have been enlisted to take parts in the maritime companies; but there are few Moorish characters on our stage, except Otello, Juba, and Oroonoka, which they could personate with propriety. In an illiterate

community, which could only learn from the ear, the drama is an important instruction.”

That the latter was understood then, what we seem not to comprehend today in the same Guyana is not complimentary.

Bolingbroke also stated that the travelling drama groups came twice to Stabroek during his stay here-1799-1806. He indicated that their stay would sometimes last three to four months at a time. The next report of local art was tarnished by the obvious, deep bigotry of the writer ‘James Rodway’ in his book ‘The story of Georgetown’ -1903. PANORAMA: is the title of the paragraph, as follows: “In 1811, a Panorama of Stabroek was opened on the site of the present Water Works.

Mr. Bryant, portrait and scene painter, as the parent of the work, “Alone he did it,” the only instance of the kind ever known where an individual has undertaken a task of such a nature without any assistance, except the mere automation help of a slave. The same gentleman published a history of the East Coast Insurrection in 1824, illustrated by lithographs-the

be executed in sign painting, where filling in block colours requires no management of perspectives and tones for light and shade effects.

Thus we must explore the currents of the times and correct direct intentional inaccuracies, and please be aware that those times are not all gone. To the post-emancipation eras, Basil Hinds offers an incredible article that features the emergence of the ‘BG Arts and Craft Society’ in the 1930s, several groups emerged. “The ‘Ruskin Art Group’ and the ‘Working Peoples Art Class’ the first group formed in 1933 for youngsters still in primary school, and the latter operating in the field of workers of all categories.

Denis and Aubrey Williams, Donald Locke, Stanley Greaves, Michael Leila, Claud Hoyte, Emerson Samuels, all at one time or another worked in association with Rupert Burrowes, founder-leader and prime mover of these art groups.”

The recognition of what was accomplished reminds us that there were beginnings and hard work done to craft

only illustrated book ever done entirely in the colony, the accompanying sketch plan of Geotgetown is taken from that work” thus concludes James Rodway. I have seen the 1823 work of Joshua Bryant.

As an artist, nothing that this man did would have required mere automaton application. The helper Bryant had with him whether he was a slave, had to have been a talented artist. Bryant’s work left no room for automation, as would

methods and purpose. This excerpt does not complete the contributions of this true scribe of the arts ‘Basil Hinds’; there is much more. The intention now is to create a mental timeline of the local aesthetics; and the enhancing awareness to our creative souls that we are still on the journey of that profound work of art, ‘building a nation’, and we do have big shoes to fill.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ―― Sunday, CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT Sunday,February January 28, 10, 2021 2021

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

REVISITING THE GUYANA/ CORRUPTION COULD THE SEAWALLS VENEZUELA CONTROVERSY SOON BE TOELIMINATED COME BEFORE THEWITH ICJ FOREVER! COMMITTED WILL

HE Guyana/Venezuela controversy will again shortly and discussions where factual bases invariably become me up before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). blurred.

Guyana, most oflie thedeep writings the controversy have In thisisoffering, we will depart this with normseashells and try to THE Seawalls in theon consciousness of Guyanese today rather muddy was oncefrom covered and enpeople, of a historical and factual nature and this a good questions have been asking theup but especially Georgetowners.

Yet itis has rarelyanswer theretwo would alwaysthat be many children exploring and since picking ONE of the major ailments in today’s world is corrup- of public power and assets for private gain.” This defiing, since the Guyanese of theoftwo Guyanese fishing boats inthey Guyana’s terribeen noticed by the newspublic mediaare andnot the encouraged last time it wasseizure seashells different colours; sometimes may find large tion, and one encounters daily reports of it from all nition, though it captures the major and most important mentioned as an item of national concern was five or six conch shells. move their attention into the realms of arguments torial waters by a Venezuelan navy ship.

The first question parts of the world. There are many dimensions of it and area of corruption, does not encompass the day-to-day years ago whenboth the Ocean overtopped the wall and flooded The foreshore continental shelf gradually rises falls it operates nationally and internationally.

Nation- corruption whichorordinary folk must face, such asand havthe ally, yards parallel to the Public Road.

This was the first every 20 years and today, the foreshore land between Camp it is well known and internationally, it is associated ing to pay bribes to access public services, or paying timewith in living memory that there was such antrafficking in occurrence Street the Pegasus Hotel hasoralmost risen toor thehaving height of such crimes as money laundering and bribesand to obtain employment promotions andpersons. it led to Corruption great panic.has The authorities hurriedly conthe wall and coconut trees and other vegetation grow often been defined as “Misuse to suffer exploitation from the state machinery itself.on it. structed a barrier of standing concrete slabs on the Walls to counter such overtopping. In the last few weeks, the Seawalls have again featured in the news, but in a happier vein.

From Camp Street to the Demerara River, the wall had become disfigured by an accumulation of unsightly garbage and no one assumed the responsibility of cleaning it. A homeless man, Carl Melville, who sometimes slept there was noticed by Dwayne Hackett trying to clean the garbage and immediately volunteered to help him. Hackett placed the incident on social media and immediately numbers of persons volunteered their services.

First Lady Arya Ali was one of the first to volunteer and the Ministry of Public Works, the Director of Solid Waste Department of the Georgetown City Council and the Fire Service became involved with her. The Fire Service cleaned the bandstand and in a few days all the garbage was removed and Seawalls appeared as if they had always been maintained! Many have been high in their praises of this example of civic responsibility.

Likewise, the sea has reclaimed the land along the Kitty SeaThe Seawalls had always been the promenade and park for wall where houses once stood. Indeed, a substantial building the people of Georgetown and the surrounding villages from is still standing close to the wall near the Kitty Pump Station, the last quarter of the 19th century and continued to be so until but the sea is under it. Old fishermen who set their nets on the 1960s when the country became plagued with political ten- the foreshore sea could vividly describe the cyclical rise and sion and there were robberies on the Seawalls. For most of the fall of the beach.

1960s, therefore, fewer and fewer people visited the Seawalls.

The Seawalls provided a favourite place for health enIn its heyday, the Seawalls were the most delightful place thusiasts. Many would go there to practise deep breathing of in Georgetown. The vast openness of the seascape and the the clean and fresh sea breezes. Others would be cycling or surrounding landscape, the blue skies and silver clouds, the even training for cycle races. Probably the most notable were ever-present seagulls and the steady flow of the health-giving the ones who went for physical culture. Many of this group trade winds and the enveloping peace and quietude attracted would go to the Seawalls by either jogging to get there or by hundreds of people at all times of the day. The beach which cycle and they would arrive there at 5 o’clock, long before

Research work helping curb...

From Page III

timate for that area and in the space of 18 months, some 33 Giant Anteaters were identified.

According to Millar, researching the animals included going out on horseback and following them from a distance to be able to stock up on more scientific information. One of the things they discovered is that the animals love to climb trees.

“Everyone across the Rupununi assumed it was jaguars when they saw huge scratch marks on trees, but

zone in the village. “So we will work with the villagers to create certain rules and help them to know what they should and should not do. For example, no one is allowed to kill them, keep them as a pet, destroy their habitat, and light a fire in certain places, so that we can further protect the population.”

The SRCS has been granted two years of additional funding from the Small Grants Programme Guyana to expand the project to three more communities, namely

several short documentaries called the “Secret Life of Giant Anteaters” and each episode focuses on different aspects of the work being done. Two more episodes are expected to be released this month.

The team also does a lot of awareness work, including environmental education.

They have another project for which they have designed an environmental education curriculum that has so far been implemented in four schools in the Rupununi and come

the sun had risen. of the ailment is soso all-pervasive that the is,The why is the Venezuelan public convinced they Onenormity moonlit nights the Seawalls were always athat crowded efforts of private persons and Non-Governmental Organisahave a valid claim to two-thirds of Guyana’s territory and promenade. Many went to socialise with friends, but all went tions (NGOs) to deal with it, bellicose though useful and necessary, why their politicians are so and aggressive about toeventually enjoy the overwhelmed. beauty of the moon rising from the sea and the are Itquestion is only the state did that President has the this claim? moonlight And the second is, why blue-green which was brighter, since there were necessary resources and staying power that can successfully Maduro of Venezuela choose this time to seize the boats no road lights to dilute it.

Others would enjoy the various confront it and eliminate it. when he would alienate theone Guyanese population phases ofknew the New Moon with the background purple skies The he main reason why it has become of the of imperatives and the international to condemn or embellished with thousands of stars which appear for thecause state to fight corruption iscommunity that it undermines Democdisapprove of his action, leaving Venezuela isolated interbrighter since there inwere lights.RevOthers racy and the Meritocracy ushered withno thecity Industrial nationally on the against issue. olution.

It militates economic and development would go to the Seawalls insocial the late afternoons to and ultimately oppresses the citizenry.

The answer to the sunsets first question began during theinto Cold admire gradually transforming the TheAtGovernment overBritain the years, been to lightofofGuyana, dusk.

War: theblue beginning of the 1960s had has decided making efforts to grapple with corruption and a were mostthe of joys of colony the Seawalls withdraw fromAnother Guyana andthe grant the independence, recent effort was at the beginning of September when an earlylikely evening concerts givenof bythe the newly Militia but it was very thatSunday the Prime Minister anti-corruption workshop spearheaded by the Hon Gail the Police at the Bandstand which independentBand stateand would be DrBand Cheddi Jagan, an avowed attracted of people.

Their repertoire conMarxist. U.S. Cold hundreds War interests tried to persuade Britain sisted ofindependence, light classical music Strauss’ and to delay Guyana’s but allsuch that as Britain could ballet Delibes’ pizzicato promise wasother that waltzes, she would handmusic over such power to a non-ComandMinister.

Sylvia, atAmerican least one English patriotic such munist Prime Intelligence feltsong that this “This royal throne of Kings” and British offerasneeded further insurance andand so Guyanese they devised Caribbean songs.

The concerts arranged a plan whereby theirfolk client Venezuela wouldwere threaten to for early evening so that children could attend; many Guyanese in later life have admitted that their first exposure to classical music was from these Bandstand concerts.

On Easter Monday thousands of kite-flyers turned out from five o’clock in the morning. Kites were all hand-made and were in a variety of shapes such as boxes, birds and snakes, but the predominant shape was the Guyanese octagon and in a variety of Singing Affairs engines,and a kite which Teixeira, Minister of colours.

Parliamentary Govmade a loud droning sound, was one of the most popular. ernance, took place. This workshop was supported by with picnicking.Minister The Easter theKite-flying UN Officewas on always Drugs combined and Crime (UNODC).

Teixeira emphasised for Guyana build its kite-flying today is a the paleneed reminiscence of thetoheyday. institutional capacity to eliminate of bribery, As mentioned above, the politicalinstances tensions and criminality underhand deals, fraud the1960s. public seckept people away fromand theexploitation Seawalls ininthe By the invade Guyana if there wasof any possibility of that a Marxist tor, whilelife Mr Jason Reicheit UNODC stressed the to 1990s had become more stable and people again began government being installed in Guyana.

COVID-19 Pandemic has opened new areas of corruption frequent the Seawalls, but the ambience had changed. There in the procurement medicalhad and equipment, of The Award the boundaries grew up1899 stallsArbitral liningofthe parapetsupplies ofsettled the Public Road from the distribution, treatment and manufacture of vaccines.

Guyana and Venezuela and these boundaries were fully Kitty Pump Station to the Pegasus, selling refreshments Ministerby Teixeira is well and awarethe of International the pervasive and mul-and accepted both parties communiall of these stalls were well-lit.

The character of the Seawalls tifaceted nature corruption and realises that it could touch ty. of theof junior lawyers representing Venezuela hadOne changed a peaceful promenade to invited a lively fair.the at every aspect offrom government activity, and so all the arbitration, MalletPrevost, left ais letter was not Now that the tourism industry beingthat revived, the main government agencies to participate. toSeawalls have been opened until after his death.

In that letter, stillofoffer an superfluous, attractive attraction.

At the risk being we name those agenhe claimed the Arbitral AwardPolice was the resultComof an cies:the Publicthat Service Commission; Service arrangement between Britain andCommission; the Russian arbitrator mission; Ombudsman; Integrity Special to depriveCrime Venezuela its rights.

After more than half a Organized Unit; ofPublic Procurement Commission; departments under the based Police on Force; Auditor General; Financentury, Venezuela, Mallet-Prevost’s posthumous cial Intelligence Unit; Judicial Service Commission; Office letter, now rejected the Arbitral Award and claimed twoofthirds the Director of Public Prosecutions; the Ministry of Legal of Guyana’s territory. Mallet-Prevost’s posthumous Affairs; the National Procurement Tender Administration letter was the causus Venezuelaand used to threaten Guyana Board and Bankers Association of Guyana. and this continued after the Cold War, the raison d’etre Various formulas have been put forward worldwide tofor the had ended. fight claim, corruption, such as keeping the law abreast with the kaMost lawyers historians who took any notice leidoscopic changes inand corruption; protecting whistleblowers; of Mallet-Prevost’s letter as a servants, historical steeply increasing salaries of thedismissed police anditpublic curiosity or very flimsy evidence on which to attempt to etc.

Whatever methods have beenAward. tried worldwide, none of upset a long-accepted Arbitral But the Venezuelan them has been able eliminate corruption.

It would seem politicians and thetoVenezuelan public gave credence and toimportance us that corruption could only be posthumous reduced to itsletter, pre-World to Mallet-Prevost’s which War II modest by cultural change brought about makwould have levels been dismissed in the modern world.

But ing anti-corruption an item of the education system from the the Venezuelan politicians and public still live in the 19th nursery level upwards. In this effort, print and electronic century world where territorial conquests were media willNapoleonic have to be enlisted. regarded as acceptable and even heroic. Inistoday’s world, The Guyana Consumers Association convinced this many 19th-century ethic has of been completely rejected. that of the instances corruption which occur at The Guyana/Venezuela controversy has the been an albathe ministerial and Public Service levels are result of ignorance of the Financial Regulations and General tross around the necks of Venezuelan politicians, sinceOrthey ders Public Service and has havethem sent imprisoned on to the use governing it on each the other and their public relevant Authorities some ideas of how training could be by it. delivered to these groups.

The Venezuelan seizure of the two Guyanese fishing boats and President Maduro’s threatening words to Guyana

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, September 19, 2021

The SRCS turtle rangers and Chairman Allicock releasing the turtles

From ‘feast’ to ...

FROM PAGE III south. “It is equally important to do this in the south as the turtles can be found all throughout the Rupununi River and if only one side protects them, they will still be overharvested,” Millar believes.

Following COVID-19 guidelines, only the residents of Sand Creek village were invited for the festival even as plans are on stream to invite everyone from the Rupununi in the years to come once the pandemic has eased.

The festival included a march pass, opening songs and dances, activities and games, quizzes, cultural displays and then the grand event of releasing the turtles. The games were all designed to teach both the students and the adults why it is important to not overharvest the turtles as the village needs them for a sustainable food source and also to maintain wildlife diversity.

Regional Chairman of Region Nine Brian Allicock was in attendance and he stated his pride at seeing the village moving from consuming the turtles to releasing them. Moving forward, Millar said SRCS will continue to collaborate with Sand Creek Village to protect the beaches for next year’s turtle nesting season (January 2022 to April 2022).

The project was made possible with the support of the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme Guyana, the Turtle Conservation Fund, ReWild and the Protected Areas Commission.

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The last leg of the turtle obstacle course race at the festival

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Investing in the...

FROM PAGE IX poultry farm where I employ people and give back to the economy through my investment,” he said.

He reported that the generator system alone costs $16M and spent six and a

half million to clear and prepare the land and built a loam road.

Dr Cambridge added that he has to import some trucks, farm equipment and he was told he has to pay in excess of $10M alone per truck.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine that he wants to import three trucks which would be vital for his operation, but the taxes are really out of his pocket kind of money to spend presently.

“When I came back here

in November last year, this place was thick forest and within months I was able to get this project started and I investment what I had and here I am still spending and building,” he said.

Dr Cambridge disclosed that he is here to stay and is

willing to go all out to ensure his poultry farm stays in operation and he is open to partnership.

As things progress, he is thinking of employing more people and will give back to the community in time, once his business takes flight and

he can afford to.

The re-migrant is friendly with the locals and his door is open to them at any time and he is willing to provide employment for the young men in the village.

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September 19, 2021 THOUGHT FOR TODAY In the midst of lif

e we are in deat h.

PRAYER BOOK (1662)

STUDY SUCCESS Dear Student, Welcome, dear friend.

There are revision techniques that successfully prepare students for essay examinations. These include flash cards, past examination papers, mind maps, group work, and recording yourself and playing it back. Any such list has a trial-and-error element.

Try finding out which tech-

niques will work well for you, and bear in mind that whatever works well for one examination may not be the best techniques for another.

Be focused. Work assiduously at your success goals.

Love you.

GRAMMAR Using quotation marks for direct quotation Quotation marks are punctuation marks used to tell the reader, “These are the exact words spoken or written by a person.” There are other purposes for quotation marks, but they will be dealt with at another time.

Read on to see what the section is all about.

1. Use quotation marks to record the precise words of a speaker or writer. In this a comma helps to separate the exact words from the rest of the sentence, except when the sense of the sentence requires some other mark.

“Wait for me!” the irritated mother shouted. (Sentence sense calls for an exclamation mark.)

Mr. Broomsfield said, “The new Christmas Shopping brochure will be sent to all valued customers to explain to them the terms of our credit policy and their legal remedies as consumers.”

“This new Christmas Shopping brochure will be sent to all valued customers to explain to them the terms of our credit policy and their legal remedies as consumers,” said Mr. Broomsfield.

2. For long or formal quotations use a colon instead of a comma to introduce the quotation.

A t t h e m e e t i n g M r.

Broomsfield said: “Develop a brochure for all our valued customers. We will send it to them with their charge cards or monthly bills. This new brochure will....”

I am reminded of the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “If the red slayer think he slays, or if the slain think he is slain, they know not well the subtle ways I keep, and pass, and turn again.”

3. Quotation marks identify the exact words someone said or wrote, so they must be placed around the quoted words only, even

when the quotation is interrupted.

“This new brochure,” said Mr. Broomsfield, “will be sent to all valued customers to explain to them the terms of our credit policy and their legal remedies as consumers.”

4. If a direct quotation consists of more than one paragraph, place quotation marks before each paragraph but at the end of the last only.

“Sometimes students talk as if they know the answers to questions, and may even debate heatedly with others who are just as lacking in precise information as they are. Students, it is wise to say that you do not know, but you can find out, and you will.

“The thoughtful student is one who insists upon accurate facts before he draws conclusions. He knows how to find the facts that are available. He knows also how to report to others the facts that he has found.”

(From Read and Discuss) Some Points to Take Away 1. The comma is used to introduce the quotation or to follow it. It separates the quotation from the rest of the sentence.

2. In the quoted words, the comma always goes inside the quotation marks.

3. The colon cannot be used interchangeably with the comma after the quote.

4. According to the sense of the sentence another mark could be used instead of a comma to separate the exact words of a speaker from the rest of the sentence.

5. Writers, in their attempt to quote exactly, even repeat any errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation that appear in the original quotation.

6. A direct quotation that consists of more than one paragraph, requires quotation marks to be placed at the beginning of each paragraph but at the end of the last only.

Something to Do Correct the following sentences by adding quotation and other required marks.

1. Mrs. Dolby asked does

anyone have a recent copy of the statistics on COVID-19 deaths in Guyana?

2. On Tuesday January 8 said Mrs. Simone and family moved into her son’s newly built classy home.

3. Before he left for vacation said Milly Henry signed all the contracts.

4. She called after him don’t forget the whole wheat bread!

GRAMMAR (keys from last week) Rewriting sentences wherever it is necessary with the principle of balance in mind. Say O.K. if there is no error.

1. I never have, and never will, see a successful disorganised physician BECOMES: I never have seen, and never will see, a successful disorganised physician.

2. A congregation has little faith and respect for a pastor who is always late BECOMES: A congregation has little faith in and respect for a pastor who is always late.

3. Ms. Jackson called the supermarket in Georgetown, made an order, and she has driven to the collecting outpost in her village BECOMES: Ms. Jackson called the supermarket in Georgetown, made an order, and drove to the collecting outpost in her village.

4. We will go to the city park and take a taxi to Barrington Village. (O.K.) The sentence really is THIS: We will go to the city park and (will) take a taxi to Barrington Village. But we do not write this way. NOTE: The will in the first verb phrase serves correctly for the second part of the compound verb phrase.

5. The successful regional students were enrolled last week, and their complete package of school regulations issued today BECOMES: The successful regional students were enrolled last week, and their complete package of school regulations was issued today.

6. The teenaged children have no respect and belief in the village system anymore BECOMES: The teenaged children have no respect for and belief in the village system anymore.

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INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP MARINE litter remains an environmental issue of global and local concern. Among the efforts to fight pollution of our oceans and waterways, is the International Coastal Clean-up. In partnership with volunteer organisations and individuals around the globe, the International Coastal Cleanup™(ICC) engages people to remove trash from the world’s beaches and waterways. Thanks to volunteers around the world, the ICC has become a beacon of hope, leading and inspiring action in support of our ocean. Since its beginning, over 16 million volunteers have collected more than 340 million pounds of trash. For more than 35 years, the ICC has galvanised communities worldwide to collect trash that pollutes our waterways, making our coasts cleaner and our ocean healthier.

In Guyana, Coastal Cleanup organised by the EPA and the Caribbean Youth Environment Network, has over the years, given volunteers from various NGOs an opportunity to network and take an active role in helping to care for the environment. ICC is more than just a cleanup – it is an opportunity to shape decision-making by collecting data on the environment. During clean-ups, every piece of waste collected and ob-

4. Compost your organic kitchen and yard waste; 5. Educate yourself and others on waste-management tips.

For copies of previous country reports, visit https://www.epaguyana. org/epa/epa-reports1/category/18-epa-reports Remember to stay safe and follow the guidelines for protecting yourself and others from COVID-19!

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

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

Pic saed as EPA 1-3 served by volunteers is recorded. The raw data is then sent to Ocean Conservancy for analysis and feeds into a global report on marine litter. The raw data is also used in Guyana to inform us of what types and volumes of waste is more prevalent on our shorelines. This type of data allows us to be specific with our outreach and enforcement actions.

If you are unable to join a cleanup, there are simple, everyday actions that you can take to help tackle marine pollution: 1. Rethink those purchases – do you really need a new item?

2. Reduce the amount of waste you produce; 3. Ensure that you use a bin to dispose of your waste, whether at home, on the seawall or by the riverside;

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