See inside: A glorious ► Page II transformation
The value of Up-Cycling VI ► Page
Taking cancer awareness to a whole new level
The Guyana Cancer Foundation ► Page
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Editor’s note This week is a week of transition, where we close off with events surrounding Indigenous Heritage Month, and begin to shift our focus on October which brings us Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Agriculture Month. As such, you will find a rich mixture of stories
that reflect these three events in an aim to continue to bring expansive coverage of these issues from unique and thought provoking angles. We look at the plans of the Guyana Cancer Foundation for the Month of October and how persons can get involved in
Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
helping to spread awareness of Breast Cancer. We also look at the work of entrepreneurs who are taking up the mantle of adding value to their raw produce in an aim to earn sustainable incomes. And of course, we round off with a final lap of stories that take an in depth look at Indigenous Culture. As always, we hope that these stories help to enrich your Sunday reading.
The value of Up-Cycling
Everything Makes Craft to use Government grant for training By Gibron Rahim WHILE the idea of a green economy is currently at the forefront of the Guyanese consciousness, it may be difficult to visualise how the concept, undoubtedly necessary for the times in which we live, can be applied in a real way to the life of the average citizen. And this is where upcycling – reusing discarded material to create new products – steps in. Among those movements that strive to turn ‘trash’ into pieces of art is Everything Makes Craft. Founder and owner, Christine DeCambra, while keeping that goal in mind, now takes aim at sharing the knowledge she has gained in upcycling in hopes of inspiring entrepreneurship. Speaking to the Pepperpot Magazine, Christine noted that she could not have predicted at the beginning of her venture how much of a response the pieces she creates would have gotten. It all began with her two young children. She noted that children love to play and as a mom, she wanted to find an inexpensive but also creative and educational mode of play for her little ones. She decided to take some time out of her day to create things that would allow her to teach and play with them at the same time. She began to share her creations on social media and the reaction she received led to her making videos to teach others. Following a friend’s suggestion, Christine began to charge for her work. Eventually, her pieces filled her living room, then her house and she decided to make the move to a storefront on Brickdam. After her husband received a scholarship opportunity, she and her family packed up and moved to England. Sadly, that meant she had to close shop. She returned to Guyana this year to put the finishing touches on Everything Makes Craft’s annual Bunny Fun Day, a children’s arts and craft competition. “When I came back, the response was amazing,” she said. This prompted her decision to stay in Guyana. ONE STEP FURTHER Christine had long since realised the importance of upcycling when she saw the amount of garbage that her family of four was accumulating on a daily and weekly basis. She decided to see how much of the materials she could reuse. It occurred to her then that the idea could be applied on a larger scale. “I realised if I sought to show this to others and get others involved it would reduce the amount of garbage we throw out,” she said and added, “It’s on that basis that I was awarded a grant from the Ministry of Education to train others to do this.” Now, she is gearing up to administer this training programme through the Ministry of Education with the goal that
A repurposed glass bottle
she can encourage other women, particularly disenfranchised women and school dropouts, to start their own businesses and earn money for themselves. It is hoped that at least some of the participants in the training will become entrepreneurs. “The plan is to have a few of them who are spirited become business owners and we [Everything Makes Craft] will help them to sell their products,” Christine stated. It is also hoped that those who choose not to venture off into business can help to beautify their communities and help in places such as churches, centres, hospitals and play areas. “They can be a form of inspiration for others, especially the younger ones looking up to them.”
Upcycled glass jars (All photos courtesy of Everything Makes Craft Facebook )
Flowers made from upcycled paper
GETTING INVOLVED It should be mentioned that upcycling itself is not necessarily limited to those who are artistically inclined. At the same time, Christine does not hastily claim that anybody can upcycle. Rather, we all have the resources within reach. It is up to each of us then, she said, to make a conscious effort to start small. “You don’t have to be very crafty to upcycle,” she observed. “You can be just a regular mom who doesn’t know anything about crafting or art or painting but you get your child involved.” She
ardently believes that the creativity of children can bring out that of their parents. It is also especially important since parents may not realize that potential in their children until they work on an arts and crafts project with them. For those who truly are not artistically inclined though, they can still be a part of the movement. The materials Christine accumulates every day are the ones she uses most often in crafting – toilet paper rolls, tin cans (such as sausage cans) and plastic bottles. On a weekly or monthly basis, there are egg trays and other household materials that mothers accumulate. She has found that plastic bottles are the easiest to work with. From them she makes bracelets, toy cars and birdhouses, to name a few from an extensive list. The public is welcome to contribute their plastic bottles, aluminium cans, old clothes, wooden pallets or pieces of wood, old furniture, old newspapers or magazines, cardboard boxes (in good condition) and similar materials. All of these can be upcycled. This initiative of teaching and training will not be Christine’s first experience in the arena – Everything Makes Craft has an annual Kids Crafty Klass, held this past August at the Giftland Mall, to teach children to reuse materials that may otherwise be discarded. Further, she has confidence in the Guyanese enterprising spirit. “You’ll find that Guyanese are very talented and we have a lot of common sense,” she observed. “We know how to make money.” A craft business can be viable. Christine has run Everything Makes Craft for three years now. Reflecting on her very first interview three years ago she said, “One of my aims is to bring upcycling to the forefront of every Guyanese mind.” The new training programme will further this aim while also sharing knowledge that participants can use to better their lives and help their communities. The public may help the movement by collecting their waste materials, like those mentioned, and taking them to Everything Makes Craft at 112 Duke Street. Christine can also be contacted at 696-3036 for further information.
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The Guyana Cancer Foundation
Taking cancer awareness to a whole new level
By Ravena Gildharie
BIBI Saeedah Akhtar Hassan became a cancer advocate 12 years ago when she took a post as Treasurer of the Avon Community Help Fund. While she promoted awareness, screening and early detection, little did Saeedah know the scourge was raising its ugly head right in her home. Her mother, Bibi Ameena Hassan was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2008. “I used to hear my daughter talking about cancer all the time, but when I got diagnosed, it came as the shock of my life. When the doctor told me, all I could do was cry and the doctor even cried with me,” related Ameena, a cancer survivor of nine years since surgery and chemotherapy. She stressed that she benefitted from the support of her family, doctors, nurses and other well-wishers, who rallied around and affirmed her strength to overcome the dreaded disease. For Saeedah, the personal experience propelled an even stronger commitment to cancer awareness which led to the formation of the Guyana Cancer Foundation (GCF) in 2015. The GCF then became legally registered as a non-profit body in June 2016. “We believe we can make a difference in saving lives, and while our goal may seem enormous, we want to eradicate breast and cervical cancer in Guyana by 2025, if not the whole or even a half of the country, at least in one community or area, where we can say women are free from cancer,” the advocate related during an exclusive interview with the Pepperpot Magazine. The success of this task, she believes, depends on partnership with the government, A resident of Moraikobai international funding institu- being prepped for tions, non-governmental or- screening during an ganisations, the private sector outreach and all of society. To date, the Cancer Foundation has received the support of almost 20 corporate entities including King’s Jewellery World, Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry, ScotiaBank, N&S Mattai, Kissoon’s Furniture Store, Skahur Trading, Toolsie Persaud, Digicel, MediCare Pharmacy, Survival and Deluxe Trading among others. More recently, Exxon Mobil, Guyana Unity Movement, the Guyana Medical Relief and the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, have also gotten on board with the Foundation. The support of these organisations has made it possible for over 700 women countrywide to get free screening for breast and cervical cancer. The Foundation also provides counselling Tree-wrapping to patients and their families, and guide them to treatment exercise 2016 options and facilities. Outreaches with screening and support services were done in areas such as Georgetown, Berbice River, Charity, Bartica, Mahaicony, Moraikoba and Linden. The Foundation also operates out of a permanent location at the St Joseph’s Mercy Hospital. “Early detection is crucial and that is why we offer the mammogram, sonogram and papsmear and we encourage women to make use of these free screenings. We even get referrals for screening from the GPHC,” Saeedah indicated. AWARENESS CAN SAVE LIVES In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness 2017, the Foundation and its partners, among which include its main sponsor, GTT, have organised a month-long schedule
of activities under the umbrella of ‘Pinktober’. The packed calendar of activities, include a tree-wrapping exercise at Camp Street on Monday October 2, observance of No Bra Day on October 13, a National Mammography Day/Wear It Pink Friday, on October 20, and a Breast Cancer Awareness Crusade Walk on October 21. Events like these are aimed at promoting awareness and offering support for cancer patients and survivors like Ameena, who understands what each day of survival means after cancer. She recalled the day when she went to bed and accidentally discovered a lump in her left breast which a subsequent biopsy confirmed was cancer. On the day of surgery at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, Bibi Saeedah Akhtar Ameena turned up with her family and they prayed together Hassan (R) shares a before she was prepped for theatre. special moment with her “I already had on my gown and everything but I ran mom, Bibi Ameena Hassan, a cancer survivor out of the theatre. I was so scared because I knew cancer was a luck and chance, it was 50/50. My family and my children came and hugged me and the nurses too, and they all coached me to go back. Then, the doctor came and led me to the room,” Ameena related. After surgery and recovery, she did four sessions of chemotherapy through the Georgetown Public Hospital. It was a rough period, Ameena recalled. Her blood count was always low and she felt weak. “They told me the chemo was going to make my hair fall out, but I didn’t expect it so. It was shine, shine,” Ameena highlighted. For six years, she remained on the cancer tablets and a recent test has proven that she is free from the disease. “I cook, wash, clean and go about like normal. I’m not the best. Sometimes I still have to take a rest when I am cleaning up, but I am trying and I thank God each and every day,” the survivor emphasised. As the Cancer Foundation continues to grow with members and volunteers, it remains committed to “provide help and inspire hope to those affected by cancer through early detection, education, awareness and free medical screening with a focus on the medically underserved, low-income and underinsured population.” Noting the aspect of low-income earners, Saeedah explained that a large percentage of working females earn $60, 000 and below, which by the time they cover living expenses, are not left with anything to fund medical checkups such as cancer screening, though it is vital. The papsmear is offered to sexually-active women from about age 20 upwards. Aside from cancer cells, the procedure can detect the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which is sexually transmitted. The Cancer Foundation, led by a board and currently a group of 15 volunteers, is also aiming to reintegrate cancer survivors back into society and enlarge the community support system to make strides against cancer for fighters and survivors.
National Cancer March 2016
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Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
FILES E S A C COURT
Self-represented litigant learned a lesson from dismissed action
IN 2003 self-represented litigant, Mohamed Nazir, who mistakenly thought that it was enough to file a Notice of Appeal at the Court, had his case dismissed because it disclosed no cause of action. The Guyana Court of Appeal constituted by Chancellor Bernard with Justices Singh and Chang, dismissed the action and -Held: “failure to serve the Notice of Appeal within the required time was not a serious non-compliance with the rules. Service of the Notice of Appeal was therefore deemed to have been properly effected. Motion denied.” A.Chase, SC for Applicants/Respondents. K. Massiah, SC for Respondent/Appellant. Delivering the judgment, Chancellor Bernard said: On 22nd May, 2002 the Appellant Mohamed Nazir filed a notice of appeal against a decision of the trial judge in Action No. 3810/1994 which was dismissed on the ground that it disclosed no cause of action. This decision was delivered on 18th April, 2002. The Respondents filed a motion in the Court seeking an order that the appeal filed herein be struck out, and a declaration that the appellant has failed to comply with Order 2 Rule 4 (2). In the affidavit in support of the motion, Mr. Ganga Persaud , the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Legal Affairs swore that on 12th August , 2002 a document purporting to be a notice of appeal was served at the Chambers of Mr. Ashton Chase , Attorney-at-law for the first and third named Respondents, and he was also informed that a similar notice of appeal was served at the same time on Mr. S. Fraser, Attorney-at-law for the second-named Respondent. When the motion first came on for hearing, the Appellant
appearing in person, was granted leave to file an affidavit in answer which he did , and in which he admitted that copies of the notice of appeal were served by him on both Mr. Chase and Mr. Fraser, Attorneys-at-law on 12th August, 2002, but this was done out of an abundance of caution in the event that they had not received copies of the notice of appeal which he had left at the High Court Registry with a request that they be served on the two persons. He requested this Court to grant him an extension of time of three days to effect service of the notice of appeal or to deem the service on 12th August , 2002 as having been served in time. Counsel for the Applicants/Respondents in support of the motion contended at the hearing that under Order 2, rule 4 (2) of the Court of Appeal Rules “a true copy of the hearing shall be served upon the Respondent within seven days after the original notice has been filed”, and the word “shall” is mandatory . The Respondents had an address for service which the Appellant was aware of and at which he served the notice on 12th August, 2002. Further, the Appellant has offered no reasons for not serving the notice of appeal within the requisite time and on which the Court can exercise its discretion. He made reference to the cases of Toolsie Persaud Ltd. v. The Attorney General [2001- 2002], and others. He also contended that no address for service was given in the notice of Counsel for the Respondent/Appellant appeal and conceded that the notice of appeal was not served within the stipulated time, and that Order 2, rule 4 (2) had not been complied with. However, by Paragraph 8 of the Appellant’s affidavit he was seeking an extension of time to comply, and proffered a reason why he had failed to comply. The reason was that
he had left copies of the By George Barclay notice at the High Court Registry for service to be affected on the two attorneys-at-law, and only out of abundant caution had he served them himself on 12th August, 2002. He also submitted that all of the cases referred to by Counsel for the Respondents concerned failure to file notices of appeal in time and applications for an extension of time to comply. In those cases Order 2 Rule 3 (3) was relevant and such applications were granted only in exceptional circumstances for good and substantial reasons. The notice of appeal was not served on the Respondents within the time stipulated by Order 2 Rule 4(2) of the Court of Appeal Rules which is within seven days after the original notice has been filed. The notice of appeal against the Attorney General of Guyana ET AL. The judgment concluded: I would exercise the Court’s discretion in the interest of justice particularly because I do not view the failure to serve the notice of appeal within the required time to be a serious non-compliance with the Rules . I reiterate that this is by no means intended to encourage breaches of the Rules or to endorse such breaches. The Rules must at all times be complied with, and each application will be considered on its own terms. Accordingly, the orders sought in the motion are refused. The service of the notice of appeal effected on 12th August 2002, is hereby deemed to have not been properly filed. There will be no order as to costs. Motion denied.
… but a ‘Gold-Mine’ remains in his chest By Abdool A. Aziz HIS parents deserted him. His grandmother Nellie cared for him. She was very poor and many days he ‘drifted’ around foraging for food. He wanted to work but no one in his native village of Victoria wished to hire him. They labeled him a ‘Bum’, but inside, a kind heart was beating. One day he would be their pride and joy. He begged his grandma for a loan. With this meager sum, he travelled to Bartica, then to Mahdia and on to Kamarang in the Potaro. He went “Solo Pork-Knocking”. For months he subsisted on some yellow pebbles but he had a female friend who would provide for him in times of need. Her name was Isabella. One day, while ascending a steep hill, he slipped on a mossy rock and fell into a shallow stream. Though shaken and
bruised, he took off the batel from his head and began to jig. Nothing but sand and stone came his way. Then one final swoop and there it was – a nugget. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He began to sing and dance. THE ROBBERY Just then, two bushwhackers passed by. They heard the commotion and decided to investigate and the unsuspecting Rodwell happily showed his find. But this was a stupid mistake. As he walked to the trail to take him home, he was ambushed. He was beaten and relieved of the lump of gold. The bush thieves made good their escape. He related his fortune and then the bad luck to Isabella in tears. She tried to comfort him and promised to demarcate a portion of her farm to help him be a farmer. No more pork-knocking. He did well in farming, and Isabella planned to marry him. One day, far away in the bush, he
heard the growl of a tiger that was nearby, then a scream, and a yell that was Isabella’s voice. He grabbed his cutlass and in haste tumbled and hurried to the direction of the scream. A tiger was mauling his girlfriend. He dropped the cutlass and picked up a piece of wood. He poked and shouted at the angry beast, and it let loose of Isabella who ran for her life all bloodied. The animal retreated into the bush, but just as Rodwell
sat down to rest, the attack came and it was fatal. The wildcat went to his jugular with those long canines. Just then, a few men appeared. One tried to shoot the monster that had dragged his lifeless body to the tree root. No Shooting was allowed. The Tiger is a protected animal; a national treasure. They chased him away with sticks and were hollering. He sat on a high tree limb, yawning as Roddy’s body was taken away like a rag doll. He paid the ultimate price for saving a life and one dear to him. The entire settlement wept. Isabella broke down. Her wounds were painful but her heart was more agonising. Rodwell was deemed a hero and given a grand send off. The drifter/bum from Victoria was an icon of bravery. His nugget was gone but a golden heart lives on. At his interment, Isabella declared in tears “You are salvation, I marry you for life.” Grief diminished for life. She died soon after and was placed next to her hero. The tiger still roams the bushes, it is his domain. We encroach on it. So sorry Roddy – so sorry but thanks.
Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
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#SupportCreativity
By Subraj Singh
Darren Aronofsky’s “Mother!” P a r t DARREN Aronofsky, the acclaimed director of `Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream’, and `The Wrestler’is known for his psychological horror and surrealist films which present neurosis and paranoia, disturbing content, and a myriad of wild themes. With his new film, `Mother!’, there is no doubt that Aronofsky is on a wavelength of creative and artistic ambition that aims high above what was executed in his previous work, which is saying quite a lot considering the stellar body of films he has created in the past. However, it seems that not everyone agrees that `Mother!’ is a film that is worthy of recognition or praise, and this is okay because, after all, film is art, and as with all things artistic, no individual is expected to react in the same way to the same piece of art as every other individual. However, for those who do see most of what the film aims to offer, there is much to take away once the show is over and the sheer absurdity and horror that was witnessed have been processed. There are probably three main layers of interpretation that can be established, several of which have already been highlighted by the director and the lead actress, Jennifer Lawrence. These are: the interpretation which posits that the main character represents the Earth, and everything else that happens represents the destruction of the Earth; an interpretation which seeks to claim that the film is an allegory for the early portions of the Bible; and thirdly, as Dana Stevens writing for Slate says, the film also functions as “a merciless indictment of the artist-muse tradition in all its patriarchal violence.” This article looks at the theme of the destruction of the earth and natural environment, and it contains spoilers. Jennifer Lawrence says that her character “represent[s] Mother Earth” and that the film “depicts the rape and torment of Mother Earth.” The unnamed character Lawrence plays is a good place to
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“Mother (Theatrical Poster – Paramount Pictures, 2017)
start if one wants to do an environmentalist critique of the film. For most of the film, Lawrence plays her character as extremely meek, soft-spoken, loving, and gentle – all character traits that set her character apart from the other more dominant, strong-willed personas in the film. She is beautiful in every frame and exudes a delicate personality that only falls apart when she is pushed to her very limits. Aronofsky is not only trying to present an image of the beautiful, kindly Earth Mother figure who gives and gives without asking for anything in return through the character’s personality traits, but also uses particular imagery to do so: framing Lawrence in the doorway of the house so she is superimposed against the lushness of trees and other vegetation in the surroundings, making
reference to the character’s breasts at least three times during the film in order to impart a sense of what we see when we look at images of fertility and nature goddesses and generally making the character the centerpiece of creation and creativity. While her husband is the poet, Lawrence’s character is the one who is truly able to create and initiate the process of creation, as seen when she is able to singlehandedly recreate the house they live in, by being a source of inspiration for her husband (Javier Bardem) and the poetry he writes (in the same way that nature and the earth has inspired writers and artists for thousands of years) and, of course, in her ability to bring forth a child into the world. Lawrence, at the beginning of the film, represents the Earth at its best, in all its full glory.
The other characters, if we are to use the interpretation given by the actress, would represent the elements that destroy the earth. At one point, the character played by the fabulous Michelle Pfeiffer, after firmly establishing herself in the house created by Lawrence’s character, says, on a self-guided tour of the other woman’s house, something along the lines of: “Relax, we’re just exploring.” The concept of “exploration” to the post-colonial ear is a herald for death and destruction and this is exactly what happens soon after. Before long the house built by Lawrence’s character is overtaken/ invaded/overrun by strangers, who at first trickle in and then stream in and then take over the entire house, crowding and creating mayhem to the point where the central character herself is pushed against the walls of her own home, forced to watch as it is destroyed by people who party, pray, dance, and, eventually murder each other, oblivious to the plight of the woman at the centre of it all; the woman who created it all; who created their very reason for being there. Before long, the mob destroys the house and, soon after, they seek to destroy the lead character herself. The invasion of the house and subsequent brutality might symbolise many different things (overpopulation, pollution, moral collapse, capitalism, war) based on what is gleaned from the dizzying array of images (violence, cult-like worship, explosions, a showdown with the police, marvellous close-ups of Lawrence’s traumatised face, etc.) that Aronofsky presents to us in the film’s climax. It is a lot to take in and the director is definitely heavy-handed when it comes to ensuring that the audience understands exactly what he wants them to understand. However, it is this heavy-handedness that sometimes helps to emphasise the reality of our [real-life] situation [of our natural world] by presenting it symbolically in the film. Lawrence’s character being abused and beaten, and her newly-born child being killed by the crowd is one of the most gruesome scenes in the film, but it is the scene that
drives home one of the film’s main points: our abuse, neglect and destruction of nature itself, of Mother Earth and, subsequently, our annihilation of a future for ourselves, symbolised by the death of the child. Sure, it is a bit heavy-handed, but it ensures that the audience gets it. Surely, this is preferable to being so abstract for the entirety of the film that the audience does not understand any of it. Although, Aronofsky is guilty of this kind of abstraction as well, in parts, and it is important to note that this is one of the things that might have contributed to the film being a regarded as a flawed piece of art. There are questions that we never get answers to and while they may be important to the director, as audience members, we never get to share in this knowledge or learn from it because the meaning is never made explicitly clear. A good example of this is the meaning behind the golden concoction the central character drinks throughout the film. Does anyone really know what it represents? But then again, isn’t that part of the challenge of analysing art? Isn’t establishing meaning a part of what makes the process fun? Aronofsky and other creators do not owe it to us to tell us what they mean, though it does help, sometimes. The film is important to the Guyanese writer, especially because of the recent discovery of oil deposits and our increasing interest in keeping our rainforests pristine. To the writer whose main subject is the environment, the film can be regarded almost as a class in how to write about the environment without resorting to cliches. Aronofsky shows how one does not need to resort to writing explicitly about trees, about rivers, about flora and faua in presenting an environmentally-themed piece of work. He uses a poet and his muse, a crowd of strangers and a heavily symbolic house to persuade us to try and save the natural world. This is a lesson that can be applied to any kind of writing, whether environmentally-themed or not.
A glorious transformation VI
By Shirley Thomas
THE Guyana Division of the Salvation Army is offering a 50 percent or $25,000 discount on the cost of its Drug Rehabilitation Programme with immediate effect, to 10 persons – particularly young men - who are addicted to the use of drugs/ alcohol, and who would genuinely like to enter treatment/therapy and have their lives transformed and be reintegrated into society. Such clients must be able to satisfy the Salvation Army that they are serious about making this change, but are unable to raise the entire cost of $50,000 which caters for the six-month programme. Serious inquiries must be made to the Programme Manager, Salvation Army Men’s Social Services Centre, on telephone number 226-1235 or visit the premises at Lot 6, Water Street, Kingston. Major Ulrik Thibaud along with his wife, Major Claudette Thibaud have been managing the programme for more than six years, and have developed a passion for working towards changing lives. Together with counsellors and other social workers at the centre, they have been doing an incredible job and have been able to treat, offer therapy, and turn around the lives of several men whose future had been on the brink of disaster, thus affording them an opportunity to be reintegrated into society and now leading positive lives. It seems there’s no better engagement
for Major Ulrik Thibaud who has a deep passion for the job and would not exchange it for anything, if he had any control over that situation. Major Thibaud reflected on the years he has offered service in this particular field; the outcomes, and the joy experienced each time someone completes the programme, and a life is turned around. “I’ve been working hard throughout my ministry, but these six years plus that I’ve spent here in the Drug Rehabilitation Programme are my best years. I’ve worked with social institutions – the School for the Blind, Jamaica for example, but with the Drug Rehabilitation Programme – it was my first exposure when I came here to Guyana,” he reflected. Such works of the Salvation Army have been acknowledged by the Government of Guyana, by way of an annual subvention of $10 million toward the cost of executing the programme. Additionally, the Salvation Army was awarded the prestigious Medal of Service (M.S) for its work in society. Expressing deep emotions as he spoke, the Programme Manager declared: “It’s a great job. I like it, I love it. The fact that you see somebody who came to you with no
Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
hope; somebody who looked like nobody. The way they look … their condition and after a few times you see change.” He continued: Through the teaching, we impart to them, we make that person become transformed ... We make that person become a new individual – both outwardly and inwardly, and eventually, when you talk to them, the way they answer you, you can see that the response comes from the heart. That’s my best work…. changing people’s lives, particularly the drug addicts. That’s the best work I’ve ever done in my life. It is challenging, but my wife and I, we really love it.” He said that it is a good feeling to see so many men pass through the Rehab Centre - some of whom have struggled- who later became fully reintegrated into society. He referred to it as “a glorious transformation.” “I am thrilled to see the kinds of persons they eventually become. Some become businessmen; some become contractors; some become teachers; some become counsellors. You get them in all walks of life. And what’s more – they are coming not only from within our society, but from all over the world. They’re coming from the UK, they’re coming from America; they’re coming from Canada; they’re coming from all over the Caribbean – Guyanese who have become hooked on drugs. Then, after they would have successfully completed the programme, they return to their respective countries clean and spread the good tidings,” he said. Major Thibaud reported that there are three clients from Canada currently enrolled in the programme. REVIEWS He noted that people who would have benefitted from the programme would pass on the word to relatives and friends residing overseas who may also be struggling with addiction, leading persons from various countries who genuinely see the need to have their lives transformed, to enroll right here in Guyana. Six months later, it’s amazing what an incredible job the programme would have done for them. What a joy it is when they can become reunited with their families; what better hope than to know that their lives would have been completely changed, so they can become gainfully employed and reposition themselves to become re-integrated into society. Expressing profound satisfaction with the
way in which the programme has been going and continues to unfold, Major Thibaud said: “So we thank God for the programme, and we also thank the Government of Guyana for supporting us by way of a grant of $10 million to subsidise the expenses of the centre.” He said that without that $10 million it would have been very difficult for him to run the programme, since the overall budget is about $24M. While at the Rehab Centre, the clients are taken through training programmes and are afforded quality living conditions, including highly nutritious meals and nothing that would compromise their health. They are also exposed to Christian teachings. “We feed them so that we can rebuild their bodies. Not only do we rebuild their minds, but their bodies. This programme takes into account their physical and emotional well-being,” the Major added. Mjr. Thibaud stressed that the programme is a holistic approach to the well-being of the individual. “We cater for them physically, spiritually, mentally, morally and emotionally,” he assured. Coming out of this, their outlook to live would be completely different from when they first came to the centre. “The way they walk; the way they talk; the way they handle situations; the way they go about doing things, make it evident that the whole individual has been changed,” Major Thibaud declared. “It is a process … and we tell their parents or spouses after they leave treatment, to continue to help us/them to continue to monitor them. We also beg society to continue to encourage them; to give them that push so that they can really become the person God intended them to be and the kind of Guyanese men who will play their part in the ongoing development of the beautiful Guyana – Land of Many Waters.” Aside from managing the centre, he has been an organiser of annual fund-raising dinners to augment the expenses of the institution, and has been able to attract the support from President David Granger, as well as, former Presidents Donald Ramotar and Bharrat Jagdeo under whose administration the yearly subventions for the Rehabilitation Programme were instituted. The fundraisers began in 2012, one year after the Majors arrived at the centre and were initially kept at the Georgetown Club, and subsequently at the Pegasus Hotel which accommodates more persons. The response has been incredible, with overwhelming support from government officials, the Salvation Army Advisory Board, the private sector, supportive relatives and friends of the clients and a wide cross-section of the community. Expressing gratitude for the support of the Salvation Army Rehabilitation Programme, Major Thibaud stated emphatically: “I want to say thanks to the Government of Guyana for their continued support; also to corporate Guyana. Not only do they buy the tickets, but they personally attend and that is encouraging. It is their presence that makes the difference.” He also thanked the media for their professional coverage of the events which gives the public a better understanding of the works of the Salvation Army.
Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
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Baby teeth WITH proper eating habits, most children will not experience any problems with their baby teeth also called temporary teeth or deciduous teeth. Even though baby teeth eventually come out, they do perform vital functions. These teeth are space holders for the second set of teeth (permanent) and help ensure the development of a healthy bite. Baby teeth are also critically important for proper speech development. Some baby teeth are actually still in place up to the ages of 11-15 years old. Some parents ignore decay in baby teeth because they eventually fall out. It is important, however, to have the decay removed and the tooth filled with a non-amalgam material. Those baby teeth play an important role and should be kept in good health. When the baby teeth come in, there are often gaps or spaces between them. Parents get very upset and think that there is a problem or that dental work may be necessary. Do not worry. This is a normal phenomenon and actually, serves to decrease the odds of the permanent teeth crowding. It is good practice to have your dentist evaluate your child’s bite as the permanent teeth come in. If permanent teeth are going to need orthodontics, it is better to address the problem at an early age. A good orthodontist can fit a seven or eight-year-old with a functional device that can stimulate bone growth and correct the bite with minimum trauma. The longer you wait, the more difficult the correction becomes. An increasingly common dental practice for children is to apply a sealant to fill in grooves in the teeth to prevent tooth decay. This is done at an early age on the premise that bacteria can get trapped in these grooves and cause tooth
decay. There is nothing wrong with sealants if they are used to fill unusually deep grooves only. But to indiscriminately seal off all the teeth as a preventative measure may amount to unnecessary dentistry. One of the biggest problems I see with children has little to do with their teeth. They simply do not like to go to the dentist or are afraid of dentistry. This often contributes to delayed visits and poor dental care later in life. So, at my office, we decided to combat this problem by instituting a ‘getting to know you’ programme for kids. Parents are encouraged to start bringing their toddlers with them during their regular dental visits and have them see their parents’ teeth being treated. This makes them realise that its nothing to be afraid of. They often ask that I take a look at their teeth. Having a toddler ask the dentist or their parent to let the dentist examine their teeth is an excellent start. It helps to get used to someone looking into their mouth and they become comfortable in the dental office, in a non-threatening manner. On subsequent visits, we may brush or clean their teeth for them, or just let them get used to the idea of dentistry. If your dentist does not already have a programme like this, ask him to provide this service for your child. These early visits can go a long way towards fostering a lifetime of good dental habits. It is not uncommon for a child to have a tooth knocked out. If you are around when it happens, immediately put the tooth in a glass of milk. The milk replicates a nourishing environment for the cells of the tooth. Traditional dental practice would call for a root canal and re-implantation of the tooth. However, because of all the
problems associated with root canal, it may be wise to consider some other option first. Children’s systems are amazingly resilient and if the tooth is re-implanted as absolutely rapidly as possible, the blood and root system often simply reconnect themselves. The homeopathic remedies Anica and Hypericum will encourage time and nature to take care of the problem. The worst that might happen is the tooth could get an abscess and cause pain in which case you would have to go back and have a root canal. I like to always give the body an opportunity to heal itself. This is the method I would use if it were my child and this is what I would recommend to a patient. However, I do not have any clinical experience with this procedure. Fortunately, my children never knocked their teeth out and I have not had any of my young patients lose one either. Although I have inquired, I have not been able to find a single dentist who has tried this procedure. Kids are so amazingly resilient that I recommend that you give my option a try. Why limit nature’s options? Thanks to modern bonding materials and techniques, a chipped tooth can easily be repaired. The missing part is simply restored with bonding. If it is a severe chip and the nerve is exposed, try not to resort to a root canal. For my patients, I would apply homeopathic calendula on the exposed nerve. I might also remove some of the nerve tissue and then cover it with a dental base material and seal it with a bonded composite. I would continue to treat it homeopathically and give it a chance to heal.
From hustler to scholar
By Vanessa Braithwaite “THE race is not for the swift but for those who endure to the end” may be a fitting proverb to summarise the life of Linden-born youth, Aaron Leitch, who overcame several challenges including financial family constraints and academic disappointments to become one of the youngest Guyanese scholars in his field. Aaron is the epiphany of determination for success and, to many youths who would now get a chance to hear his story, his story is a testimony that has evolved out of the many tests that fought against his pursuit of his life’s goal of excelling in the academic field. The window was always dusty, hiding the many opportunities that have now materialised, but it is with that determined spirit, a humble soul and a contented heart that wiped that dusty window clean. Aaron grew up in Blue Berry Hill, Linden before moving to Amelia’s Ward in the mining town of Linden. Despite not having the fancy things
in life, Aaron enjoyed an active childhood and enjoyed playing many street games with friends. He never got distracted, however, for he always wanted to be more than just the boy on the corner and he knew that the only gateway to this is education. His first academic disappointment, however, was just a stumble, not a permanent fall. “My biggest childhood academic disappointment is that of failing to secure the top secondary school in the Region at the time I wrote the then Common Entrance Examination,” Aaron told the Pepperpot Magazine. “I was really disappointed even though there were a number of constraints that would have acted against me, and prevented me from attaining that school. I will always remember those four (4) marks [I missed] but I have no regrets going to Linden Foundation Secondary School.” As a result of financial constraints, he could not have been the average child who went to school, went home and played ball on the street corner. He had to ‘hustle’ to make it through. “I had decided to take it on my own to create avenues to generate income for me and my family, which would have offset the issues at the time. [So] I focused my attention in the area of small business and to ‘hustle’ legally until I completed my secondary education,” Aaron said. He surely balanced the two perfectly, as he was awarded the Best Agriculture Student award for his school in the year 2006. This motivated the `scholar in the making’ to continue pursuing academia rather than to hustle ful time since the hustling was for immediate gratification, but knew he needed to focus on the future. “After GSA, I was awarded a scholarship by the Government of Guyana to attend UG in 2008 and I spent three years there reading for a BSc in General Agriculture, after being given a year’s exemption. I met some people there who actually impacted me a great lot, both negatively and positively. Like any college student, I had all the challenges
which I overcame through prayers and support from various persons,” Aaron said. His next academic disappointment came when he missed the Grade Point Average for a distinction by 0.01 because of an administration error in one of his courses. Despite this, the walk across that stage proved to be another testimony. More importantly, he made his family, especially, his mother proud.
SILVER LINING In 2011, Aaron was contracted to the Ministry of Agriculture, where he served as an Agricultural Officer and subsequently he was seconded to NAREI where he served in the capacity of a District Crop Extension Officer and a Research Assistant until 2017. “I worked in mostly the outlying areas of Region 10, disseminating technical information to farmers in the Berbice River from Kimbia to Kwakwani, for most of that period,” he said. In August of 2017, Aaron was awarded a scholarship by the Government of Guyana and the Government of Thailand (Thailand International Corporation Agency -TICA) to pursue studies in Asia. He is currently attending the Kasetsart University at the Bangkhen Campus in Bangkok, Thailand, where he is pursuing an MSc in Tropical Agriculture with major studies in Soil Science. This, he deemed, an opportunity of a lifetime. Looking back at all the challenges he faced, all the hurdles he overcame, he is now a proud scholar. Despite experiencing difficulty adapting to the food, culture and language, this is minimal to the positives of being graced with this opportunity. Aaron could have been another ‘hustler’ on the street, but as he rightfully said, “it takes the boat of knowledge to cross the river of ignorance.” In that boat, Aaron is paddling proudly. His advice to the many youths who may be looking through a dusty window is “if you have a dream or vision, go all out until you attain it, for only you can fail yourself and in the world, we live in today; you either adapt or perish!”
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Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
Wider consciousness of child abuse and child neglect needed
EVERY year since 2004, Child Protection Week has been commemorated where parents and communities countrywide are reminded to be aware of, and avoid abuse and neglect of children. Child Protection Week is commemorated worldwide and each country has its own individual theme for the Week. Guyana’s Week was from September 24 – 30, and this year’s theme was “Partnering with families and communities
for the positive outcomes for children”. These two groups - the family and the community - are the main protectors of children and are the ones who must be at the forefront dealing with abuse and neglect. Children are generally innocent of the evils and wickedness of the adult world and they approach everyone with trusting honesty. It is a great delight to speak with children whom one does not know. One
may encounter such children and their parents in the shops or in the public transport and their innocence, simple conversations and smiles uplift one’s day. When Jesus called for little children to be brought unto him, it was probably the same kind of love and response he had for them. It is because of their trusting innocence and defencelessness that children are open to dangers and abuse. One of the most common forms of child abuse is that of sexual molestation and exploitation. Most of this form of abuse occurs within the family where an adult member who is a pervert, indulges in incestuous and underage sexual activity with children. There is no one to whom the child could complain or find relief in telling of its abuse and is often constrained by affection for the abuser, an older relative. Or the child may be constrained by fear that the abuser could harm him or her in many ways. Or pedophiles could entice children into their company and then harm them. Or some child molesters may violently attack children as happened recently when 13-year old Leonard Archibald of Brothers village in East Bank Berbice was violently attacked, sexually assaulted and murdered and his body dumped into the river. Or there is another well-known form of child abuse when children are subject to beatings in the family or in the schools. Some parents beat their children for the slightest infractions causing the child untold humiliation and mental and physical pain. The child, socialised with parental respect and reverence, cannot even daydream of leaving home and suffers even deeper mental anguish. Corporal punishment, though against the law, is still perpetrated by many teach-
ers. Such beatings in the schools not only inflict great pain on the child but may often destroy the child’s ability to learn. In these forms of child abuse, a member of the family or the community could either confront the abuser or call the Police or involve the Child Protection Agency of the Ministry of Social Protection. The Child Protection Agency has a 24-hour hotline at 227- 0979. Children are more aware than adults suspect and sensitive and deeply emotionally hurt when they are treated without any show of concern from parents and guardians. For example, a school child may be in need of proper clothes, shoes or books, but the child’s elders are completely insensitive to the child’s needs and embarrassment and may even be oblivious that the child needs a meal. There is no one to whom the child could turn and the child may drop out of school and join the ranks of the child labour market. And when the child drops out, he or she is abused of being stupid and without ambition. In the abuse and neglect which children suffer, the only help and protection they could have are from the sensitive neighbours or members of the community who may sometimes invoke the notice of the Childcare and Protection Agency or a relevant NGO (non-governmental organisation). One of the most effective ways of dealing with child abuse and neglect is to make the public more aware of the sufferings which children must endure and also for parents to learn more about parenting. The Childcare and Protection Agency offers education in this regard and it is hoped that they would be able to expand their service.
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Boosting economic off for Wakapoa youth with traditional Handcraft
By Ravena Gildharie RECOGNISING the need for economic opportunities to keep the youth in their community, the Indigenous village of Wakapoa in the Pomeroon, is currently pursuing a bold initiative to teach handicraft to the younger generation, initially targeting early school leavers’ and dropouts. Wakapoa reportedly has a current population of 3,000 of which an estimated 40 percent is young people. After school, many are forced to seek employment opportunities outside the village with most of the males heading to the mining districts, and the females relocating to the coastal areas for jobs at private businesses and others places. Now, through a partnership with the Ministry of Education - Department of Youth and Culture, 20 Indigenous men and women from the community, between the ages of 16 to 25, started a six-week handicraft training on August 28, 2017. The training is being held at the Wakapoa Community Centre and scheduled to last until early October. Participants are being taught handicraft using `Mukru’, a raw material from the forest. Former Toshao, Lloyd Raphael, is the craft teacher and participants are focused on producing traditional items, including egg baskets, matapee, shak-shak, fans and sifters. The initiative is spearheaded by group leader, Ivan Cornelius, who approached the Region Two, Youth and Culture Officer, Herald Alves, during an outreach to Wakapoa last July. Alves said Cornelius explained the need for a project to teach handicraft to the youth as a form of economic livelihood while helping to preserve Arawak language and culture. “The idea was to have an initiative beyond just a simple art and craft training. It was intended to teach the youth a traditional skill using mostly traditional raw materials from the community, so that the local customs and practices are passed on, and used to create jobs where the partici-
pants could earn an income and remain in their community, instead of going outside to seek jobs as most of them do now,” Alves said. It is the first community-partnership venture of its kind that the department is
Handicraft products made by Wakapoa art and craft students
engaged with, and already, the focus is on taking the exercise to the next level, seeking to connect interested participants with tertiary skills training at the Essequibo Technical Institute (ETI) and similar foundation, Alves said, At the end of the training, students would be issued certificates of participation and would showcase their products at a mini-exhibition. There are plans to follow up on marketing opportunities and support. In the meantime, while participants are performing well it is a challenging task, especially for the trainer, since the youths had no previous knowledge about handicraft making. They’ve had to start from basic steps including stripping the Mukru, which is described as “a very technical process that requires specific skills,” ,
Wakapoa youth involved in traditional art and craft training
Cornelius disclosed. With this in mind, he said, six weeks might not be adequate to equip participants and build the level of handicraft skills required to deliver successful economic opportunities. Cornelius observed, too, that if the training should include an incentive, it would attract a greater level of interest and participation. Currently, he noted, only the elders in the community are skilled in handicraft products, which they market in the Wakapoa community, nearby villages and at the
Charity market. However, it is expected that from the ongoing training, a craft group would be established and lucrative market options pursued. One such intention is to market the craft at the neighbouring Adel’s Resort, which accommodates tourists on a year-round basis Cornelius founded the Arawak Language Craft and Culture Revitalisation Programme in Wakapoa over 12 years ago, to preserve the Indigenous culture and heritage. He believes it is very important to ensure that the young and upcoming generations not only learn the traditions and practices, but also that they appreciate and recognise the significance of their rich native heritage. In 2009, he formed the Warakuma Dance Group, explaining that the Arawak meaning of the name as “Morning Star.” Comprising of 21 members, the group usually performs at heritage events and other cultural activities during the years. But he lamented, that of the older female members have since moved away from the village in search for better employment opportunities. He indicated that 17 of the community’s youth were involved in the government’s Hinterland Employment Youth Service (HEYS) programme, but only five emerged successful and are still building on business ventures they started under the initiative. Most of the ventures were shops and poultry rearing, while one of the students who graduated invested in hollow-block making. The latter, Cornelius outlined, was the most lucrative as people from nearby communities would normally go come Wakapoa to buy the building material. He stressed that more initiatives are needed to keep youth in their Indigenous communities, while adding that that was the main reason why Wakapoa has embarked on the craft training initiative, having that the community has to take the lead to make the change it wants to see.
Youth stripping Mukru at Wakapoa
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Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
S Dr Gillian Joseph
By Alva Solomon SHE had her eyes set on two professions as a child and today she has managed to overcome a range of challenges in order to qualify herself in one of those fields. Dr. Gillian Joseph is a product of the North Rupununi village of Surama and a descendant of a family that is rich in upkeeping its indigenous way of life. Dr. Joseph is currently undergoing an 18-month rotation exercise through the main subspecialties of the medical field. The rotation includes practice in internal medicine, pediatrics, general surgery and obstetrics and gynecology, as well as, six months of community service. The mother of two is currently attached to the Kitty Health Centre having spent three months prior at the Campbellville Health Centre. Her stay in Kitty will be followed by a one-year hinterland stint or she can remain in Georgetown and specialise in general surgery. She said that she prefers the latter since it would ensure she is better equipped on her return to the Rupununi. Dr. Joseph explained that it would give her an upper hand in practicing medicine in the specific area and would see a decrease in patients being transferred to the city since she would be able to perform minor surgeries on patients. She said hypertension and diabetes are two of the predominant ailments at Surama. “There hasn’t been a study to determine why this is so,” she noted, adding that there are also sicknesses which are related to the change in weather conditions. “As a doctor, primary health care is necessary, first of all, you have to consider the primary risk factors in the area and what are the modes of prevention and the consequences if those preventative measures are not followed,” Dr. Joseph added. She returned to Guyana in 2015 from Cuba and spent a year as an intern doctor. With a smile, she said that she keeps an eye out for persons who tend to exaggerate a simple condition. The young doctor noted that at Surama, the elders are well versed in the use of herbal medicines and one of her aims is to undertake a comparison of the medicine used by the villagers- which were handed down from several generations- to those of today. Looking ahead, she said she plans to specialise in the treatment of heart patients. “My dream is to become a Cardiothoracic {heart} surgeon,” she said, noting she would have to do such training overseas. RETURNING TO THE RUPUNUNI As regards returning to Rupununi, Dr. Joseph noted that she would most likely be placed at the Annai Hospital since it is located within the sub-district of her home. She told the Guyana Chronicle that her upbringing was one which was fun-filled and memorable. In 2003 she was crowned Miss Region Nine at the Indigenous Heritage Pageant and managed to secure the first runner-up position at the National Pageant. Dr. Joseph attended primary school in Surama and later went on to study at the St Ignatius Secondary School, near Lethem. She would later return to her hometown where she spent two years working as a tourism official in the village. In 2008, she left Guyana for Cuba on a government scholarship, and according to her, the experience was challenging from the inception. As her emotions ran high, Dr. Joseph noted that she faced several firewalls, some of which almost broke her spirit, before and during her period of study in Cuba. She credits her efforts to the Almighty for seeing her through her struggles. She said adapting to the lifestyle, language and culture, as well as food, came as “a whole life-changing experience; one that at first I thought I would have never overcome.” However, she said she did a lot of thinking and that process provided her with motivation to complete the programme.
“When I finished secondary school and seeing that there are the difficulties in the health sector, seeing family members and children suffer and some dying of ailments, I decided that I can make a change,” she said. NOT YOUR AVERAGE DOCTOR Dr. Joseph is not your average doctor. When the annual Indigenous Heritage Games were held last weekend at the Everest Ground in the city, she pulled on her football uniform and represented the Georgetown Kanaimas Female Football Team at the games. The Barcelona Football fan also participates in other sport activities but football lies close to her heart. In addition, she noted that she was recruited during her teenage years to represent Guyana in a National Under-18 Football squad which was vying for a place at a Female World Cup Tournament. She said she played in match-ups on the island of Antigua at the time. “That was in 2002,” she said, adding that besides medicine, she allocates her time to sporting activities and the outdoors. Dr. Joseph comes from a family which is known nationally, and even overseas, in the performing arts. She is the daughter of Glendon and Jean Allicock of the famous Surama Cultural Group. She is also a niece of the Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock, who is her father’s eldest brother. She expressed appreciation to her relatives who assisted her thus far. Being granddaughter of the founders of the village of Surama, Dr. Joseph said that she is well versed in the family traditions. She even speaks the Makushi language well. “I can also grate cassava, I can make farine and bake cassava bread,” she said, noting that she has a passion for maintaining her family’s rich traditions. She said that she also knows how to prepare the indigenous beverage “parakari” as well as “tuma”. She can spin cotton and weave crafts. “It’s what makes me who I am; my true identity,” she added. According to Dr. Joseph, while growing up in Surama, one has to be involved in communal activities. “It entails teaching and passing on the cultural knowledge from the elders to the youth,” she added. In addition, leadership skills are taught to children. To this end, she said that she also took on a leadership role in the community since her childhood days. Dr. Joseph plans to hold on to such skills as well as hone those which she will encounter by way of her career, in order to play a vital role in the medical field in the Rupununi and the rest of the country.
Shavon George takes advantage of government scholarship By Jamall Adams THE Government of Guyana has been upholding its promise to the Guyanese citizens as regards making education its number one priority. We’ve seen this over the last two years, through initiatives such as sport activities, charity, infrastructure, and academic development through the implementation of newer technologies in schools, texts books made available, and their scholarship programmes. These programmes are being offered throughout Guyana, even to remote areas that may not have had access to such aid and take the form of scholarships offered by both Government and the private sector; thus enabling a more equipped generation of Guyanese scholars. Shavon George of Fair View Village, Kurupukari , Region Nine, is currently pursuing her dreams while making the most out of her
scholarship, made possible through the Government of Guyana. Shavon grew up with her mom and five other siblings. As a child, she was faced with many adversities, coming from a single-parent home where her mother worked full-time as a health officer. Even though the odds were sometimes against Shavon, she never lost focus from her school work and she would always try to make the best of whatever resources she had, with the aim of taking home good grades to her mom. This dedication and discipline allowed Shavon to acquire St Ignatius Secondary School after she wrote the Grade Six Assessment. “As a child growing up, I always wanted to work in the public sector; to give back to my community. But because of the limited amount of resources I had after completing secondary school, that dream was placed on hold,” Shavon said. She added that her mother would still encourage her to put the Lord in
front of everything, even when the road gets rough, and that’s exactly what she did, while she continued to dream. Even though Shavon’s dreams were at a standstill, she didn’t allow that to discourage her aspirations of becoming a positive contributor to her community. She spent the next few weeks looking for alternatives to live out her dreams and was advised to apply to become a voluntary teacher. A few weeks went by and Shavon got the acceptance notice from Fairview Primary School, to become a voluntary teacher and she immediately took advantage of the opportunity. “I was so excited when I was accepted to become a voluntary teacher at Fairview Primary School because I would now be able to give back to my community,” Shavon explained. She added that even though she wasn’t making any money, she was satisfied with the opportunity, since she was giving
back to her community. Shavon would spend the next few months teaching and encouraging students to become a positive reflection of their community. While on this journey, Shavon was provided with information on how to apply for a scholarship by Iwokrama’s Director of Resource Management and Training, Dr. Raquel Thomas. After submitting the request, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, made a recommendation for her to be the recipient of a full scholarship, to the University of Guyana. This opportunity would make Shavon the first person from her community to ever receive a scholarship of any kind. “After finding out about the scholarship, I was very proud of myself. I was proud because I knew that it would be a great opportunity for me to make my mother proud, and also for me to be able to give back to my community,” Shavon
said. She noted that this is a big relief for her mother because they are also sponsoring her accommodation and other personal fees. Shavon went on to say that she is the first person in her family to complete a secondary level education and is the first to ever attend University, so this is a major accomplishment for her entire family. Shavon started her full scholarship at the University of Guyana on August 28, and is currently living at the Liliendall UG dorms. She is pursuing a Diploma in Public Management, with hopes of one day starting a `Help and Shelter’ organisation for the needy and rape victims within her community. This organisation will also be a major contributor to the development of young people from other neighbouring communities. Shavon expressed how grateful she is to the Government of Guyana for the opportunity.
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Testimonials of persons who considered suicide ONCE again, we bring you more stories in light of World Suicide Prevention Day 2017. RISK FACTORS FOR SUICIDE Suicide can result from a wide range of individual, social, cultural and environmental factors- there is no single cause for suicide. Risk factors are characteristics that make individuals more likely to consider, attempt or commit suicide. Guyana’s high rate stems from its risk factors. Guyana’s prominent social ills match closely with known risk factors for suicide. This correlation alone makes Guyana a likely candidate for highest world suicide rates. The highest risk factor for a suicide attempt is a previous attempt. The second is having a mental disorder. Over 200,000 Guyanese suffer from a mental illness – a number that is no doubt rising. An individual who uses drugs (especially alcohol) is approximately six times more likely to attempt suicide than someone who does not. Those who are unemployed, feel discriminated against, hopeless, helpless or isolated are also more likely to feel suicidal. Those who experience abuse of any kind, the loss of a loved one, legal or financial difficulties are also at risk. Other major risk factors include personal or family history of suicides, cultural/ religious beliefs that promote suicide, impulsive or aggressive tendencies, physical injury/illness, easy access to means of suicide and limited access to health care. TESTIMONIALS The testimonials below are from those who have thought about or attempted suicide but have thankfully survived and are hopeful for the future. They are the epitome of courage, strength and resilience. The first individual has requested to remain anonymous: “Domestic abuse is an invisible prison. I am a survivor, not a victim, after living with my abuser for over 17 years with its negative impact on my life, as well as my child. I decided that I needed to end the relationship. It was one of the best decisions I ever made as I knew it was unhealthy on every level for me and my kid. I can’t recall the first verbal abuse but I vividly recall the first physical abuse. It was a Thursday night when my abuser came home from work (we had no child at that time) and he was angry for reasons still unknown to me. He threw hot food on me and began hitting me on my head with the plate. I screamed and yelled. I attempted to leave the home but he begged for forgiveness and I accepted. This pattern continued even during pregnancy I was beaten with (mostly) brooms and my abuser had no remorse. I remember clearly he told one of his friends that “I just give her a good buss ass.” I had a very complicated pregnancy so I became very fearful, with the only thought and prayer being for a safe delivery. I was very
depressed after birth and my abuse continued daily - constant verbal, sexual, financial and periodically physical. My abuser had extra -marital affairs and consumed alcohol regularly. After one Christmas Holiday, when my child was six years old, I became very suicidal and wrote a note that I was going to end my life. I packed up all my personal belongings and labelled everything - where and who should get what, etc. When my abuser came home that day, I give him the note and left both him and my daughter, who was in tears. I didn’t know how I was going to kill myself but I knew I was going to. While walking on the road a friend who worked taxi saw me and questioned where I was going (I was wearing more or less rags). Somehow he persuaded me to get into his car and he took me by my cousin. All I remember about being there is that I drank some coffee and I wanted to know about my child. That same night I went home and my child was so happy to see me. I showered, played with her and went to bed. My abuser said nothing to me. The next day I decided that I must get some help (counselling from a Pastor). I did counselling and after I became an advocate for suicide prevention and started reaching out to persons (mostly women and youth) to help them. However, my own abuse continued. One Sunday morning, in May 2011, the physical abuse was so intenseI was beaten so badly and had a cutlass placed to my throat - that I pleaded for my life while my child was crying for help. My abuser had us locked in the house. Eventually, he calmed down, called a friend and he left the house. I quickly changed the locks on the gate, reported the matter to the police and he was locked up for a short period of time. The matter was before the courts and he begged and cried for us not to send him to jail. He was placed on bond for a year as I didn’t give testimony in court. I didn’t want the stigma that my child would suffer- a father in prison. I put him out of the house and did family counselling with my daughter. A few months after, he moved back into the home on the pretext that our daughter needs him (I was a fool). Eventually, the abuse resurfaced. This time more verbal, financial, damaging personal property and the sexual abuse became intense. I cautioned that I will report the abuse to the police which allowed it to stop for a while and continue only periodically. Very early in this New Year (2017), he threatened to kill me and I knew then that I had to end this. I reported the matter to the police and the matter went to court yet again. He is no longer in my or my child’s life. The physical scars
have ameliorated but the emotional scars are still with me. I have to live with them but I am trying to put them behind me and make a better life for us. To all, you don’t have to live in fear of abuse. I know that abuse (in any form) is complicated and it can lead to hopelessness, self-harm or depression. Be thankful for everything that happens in your life; it’s all an experience. I had suicidal thoughts and I am thankful that I did not attempt. As I reflect on my life I am 110% certain that suicide is not and never is the answer to any problem/issue. Life has so many challenges but suicide is not the answer. I have so much to be thankful for. If I had committed suicide I wouldn’t have been able to be an integral part of my child’s life, like I am now. I wouldn’t have been able to overcome my abuse. It takes courage to live each day, fully trusting that tomorrow is a fresh new one, filled with endless possibilities for happiness and success. I may not be where I want to be but I’m thankful for not being where I used to be. The gift in life is life itself. I sincerely hope that my story can make a difference in at least one life. Don’t live in fear ... seek help!! This is coming from an advocate for suicide prevention and abuse.” - Anonymous IN THE FOLL O W I N G STORY, LESLYN HOLDER BRAVELY SHARES HER EXPERIENCES: “I was raped when I was just 14 years old. I then became pregnant and had to drop out of school. I thought my entire life was ruined. Then I had the baby; I would stare at the baby and felt nothing but anger and hopelessness. Just when I thought that was the worst – my baby boy died when he was only six months old. It was at this point my world turned upside down. That was when my fight began. I made one disastrous mistake after another in trying to right the wrongs in my life. I was drinking heavily and living recklessly – I spent my days just wandering around aimlessly. Feeling worthless, ashamed and disappointed in myself, I started having suicidal thoughts. The drinking got worse and decision-making became poorer. I ended up in a very abusive relationship at the age of 17. At the time, I thought it was what was best for me. But I didn’t respect myself, so I allowed my boyfriend to be disrespectful to me. What I now know is that in my mental state at the time, I was not in any way capable of having any form of relationship. I had masked my behaviour by pretending. I pretended all was well. I hit rock bottom after my boyfriend beat me to the point of unconsciousness then left
me in a showroom with the shower running. I woke up hours later and felt sick and hopeless. I made the decision that I don’t want to live anymore. The plan was to burn myself in the house but after considering others living in the apartment next door, I decided that I would ingest something. I searched for the rat poison we had bought but couldn’t find it. We had about two gallons of kerosene oil and I decided that this was it. So I attempted to harm myself by ingesting more than half of the amount. Once again I passed out. My younger brother who was with me found me on the bedroom floor and dragged me to the toilet after I started to vomit. He went to tell the neighbours but no one came. My boyfriend had disappeared and after about three days I felt better. I did some serious thinking and decided to go home. Within weeks I was drinking again – I couldn’t find peace with myself. I knew I was really heading for disaster. No matter how many friends I had, how many parties I attended and how many days I got drunk – something was missing. I woke up one day and realised that my childhood dream of becoming a nurse was slipping away – that was like a knife in my gut! The next day, with stale alcohol on my breath I enrolled for evening classes. Not knowing how I was going to pay for it without a job, my suicidal thoughts were still lingering but I was determined to get my life back. I must do this for me, I told myself. With all the determination and will left in me, I found a job and started my evening classes to pay for my exams. I’m now a Registered General Nurse with over 25 years of nursing experience and I currently work as a manager for a long-term care facility. I’ve lived overseas for a while where I worked and studied. My qualifications are aimed at Public Health in the capacity of Leadership and Management for Health and Social Care Services – Adult and Children. I returned to Guyana to give service to the people of Guyana in whatever way I can. I have strong views about domestic violence, rape, teenage pregnancy, alcohol and other substance misuse. I am disturbed by the many social ills in underserved communities where children are deprived of their basic human rights and needs. I was once that child. However, today my entire life has changed. I enjoy working as a Social Activist for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness. I am also the Founder of the “By Faith” Foundation for Hinterland Children; a non-profit charity organisation set up to assist children in rural Guyana to access formal education. I published my first book in America in 2013. My book “Where the Rivers Run Deep” equips readers with the necessary arsenal in the form of values and virtues to overcome life’s seemingly, hopeless, ordeals. I wrote this book to try to inspire young people, especially young women. This book contains a cloud-burst of emotions ranging from love of family to the harrowing struggles braved in a desire to secure a haven and future for my children.
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Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
#SupportCreativity
‘We Have Met Before’ opens at the National Gallery of Jamaica FOLLOWING an ongoing dialogue between Scottish artist Graham Fagen and Lucy Byatt (of the Hospitalfield artist residency programme in Arbroath, Scotland) about possibly showing Fagen’s project `The Slave’s Lament ‘ in Jamaica, the idea for a collaborative initiative between the National Gallery of Jamaica and the British Council began to take root. That dialogue, which began at last year’s Tilting Axis II conference in Miami, became the catalyst that prompted `We Have Met Before’, an exhibition of works featuring Fagen and three other artists: Joscelyn Gardner (Barbados and Canada), Ingrid Pollard (Guyana and England) and Leasho Johnson (Jamaica). Since one of the more profound connections in each artist’s work is their use of historical material to work through the implications of the many traumas linked to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, it was recognised almost immediately that the statement of Fagen’s work would be amplified with the inclusion of the local perspectives these artists could provide. This exhibition, therefore, positions the works of these four artists in a way that engages with the difficult subject of Trans-Atlantic slavery, as part of an ongoing conversation that allows for multiple perspectives on the shared histories of slavery between the Caribbean and Europe. While modern and contemporary engagement with this subject is hardly new, this exhibition presents an opportunity to redress the dismissal of slavery’s role in the shaping of both regions. Fagen’s video and sound installation `The Slave’s Lament’ is based on a 1792 song written by Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns, in which an enslaved man in Virginia longs for his distant homeland of Senegal. In Fagen’s interpretation, the song is performed by the Rastafarian reggae singer, Ghetto Priest, and acknowledges Scottish involvement in slavery in the Americas. While their involvement may be well known in the Caribbean it still remains part of the unacknowledged
Visitors take in Joscelyn Gardner’s work at the opening of `We Have Met Before’ on September 22. Photo courtesy the British Council
history of Scotland. Johnson presents a visually and conceptually explosive mix of history and contemporary popular culture, with strong references to dancehall music and graffiti art. His use of
Detail shot from Leasho Johnson’s Cocktales & Pum-Pum 2017 installation (acrylic paint, fake hair, polymer resin, rum bottles, speakers, white earthenware, vinyl, wood, variable dimensions). Photo courtesy the British
As part of the accompanying programmes for `We Have Met Before’, the National Gallery of Jamaica and the British Council presented a panel discussion on the issues raised by the exhibition on Saturday, September 23. The panel consisted of three of the artists in the exhibition, Graham Fagen, Joscelyn Gardner and Ingrid Pollard, while Deborah M. Carroll Anzinger spoke about Leasho Johnson’s work. The panel was moderated by Shani Roper, Acting Director/Curator of Liberty Hall, the Legacy of Marcus Garvey. Photo courtesy of the British Council
cartoon-like female and gender-ambivalent figures in various provocative poses reference the politics of sexual objectification, the contradictions of gender and sexuality in contemporary Jamaican culture and the violent histories of the Caribbean archipelago. In addition to highlighting the histories of colonisation and multiple systems of oppression as root causes of these issues, Johnson’s work also acknowledges their revolutionary, counter-hegemonic potential in the present. Pollard’s `The Boy Who Watches Ships Go By (2002)’ Turn to page XIII ►►►
Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
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Spice up your health with ginger juice BY using ginger regularly, two of the biggest killers in Guyana—diabetes and heart disease- may be kept at bay. This is according to health-conscious businessman, Michael Jupiter, who explained that the herb has anti-blood clotting ability. Jupiter is the founder of ‘Juice Power’, a small business that promotes healthy consumption at Lot 343 Middle Street, South Cummingsburg, Georgetown and ginger juice has been one of his top selling products from the time he introduced it to the market some 25 years ago. It was during the Christmas season when the businessman added the new product to his existing line of juices to target customers who enjoyed the traditional ginger beer and black cake, and from that day to now, ginger juice has been one of the products available at his business daily. He has been into the juice business for 33 years. “I lived in Venezuela for some years and they had these juice bars where they had fruits already cut up, so you just pick what you want and they blend it up right in front of you, and back in the days, Guyana didn’t have that,” the businessman said. Jupiter said that he thought about the idea and after some time, he made a strategic decision to invest in a similar business. He first purchased a blender and juice mixer and came home and opened his business. “We had a humble start with no advertisements and then we expanded,” he said. Today, the businessman sells almost 60 varieties of fruit and vegetable juices. The businessman employs eight permanent staff and other part-time workers. With a large client base, Jupiter says while it would be more financially rewarding for him to plant his own spices, vegetables and fruits, he prefers to remain in juice production. This allows small-scale farmers to benefit financially. Ginger is produced on a small-scale in Guyana and
Health conscious businessman, Michael Jupiter
is part of the government’s Agricultural Diversification Programme. For the year 2016, a total of 24,013 tons of ginger were produced. The majority of ginger found on the local market is produced in Region One—the spices capital of Guyana. Some ginger producing communities include: Hosororo, Arukamai, Kamwatta,Wauna, and St. Anslem. The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) has been providing technical support to farmers and conducting trials to expand ginger production. For instance: routine cultural and agronomic practices are
being carried out on experimental plots at NAREI. While increasing ginger production for the purpose of value addition would have financial benefits, there are many health benefits as well. Ginger is considered a virtual medicine chest. Various studies done internationally have proven that ginger is highly effective for treating a number of health problems. The herb has antinausea, antispasmodic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antibacterial, antitussive (cough suppressant) and antiviral properties that can do wonders for your health. Ginger is also a good source of Vitamins A, C, E, and B-complex, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, silicon, sodium, iron, zinc, calcium and beta-carotene. The carminative properties present in ginger can be used to calm an upset A bottle of fresh stomach; it boosts the im- ginger juice mune system so it is used as a natural treatment for colds and flu, reduces menstrual pain, reduces arthritis pain and treats morning sickness.
◄◄◄ From page XII
includes photographic images of land, sea, boats and historical documents that subtly evoke the histories, visible and invisible, of Sunderland Point in northern England. The once thriving seaport in the Triangular Trade is the setting for the story of Sambo, a young boy presumed to be an enslaved servant who travelled with the captain of the Globe from Kingston, Jamaica, to England. He fell ill and died shortly after his arrival, sparking the belief that his death was the result of a disease he contracted in England to which he had no immunity. Pollard presents Sambo’s story and the physical site of his burial as a metaphor for the fate of those who lost their lives and freedom, as a result of their contact with European slave traders. Gardner’s exhibits include two series of lithographs – Plantation Poker (2004), Creole Portraits II (2007) and a selection of lithographs from the Creole Portraits III (20092011) series. Although these prints subscribe to similar conventions of natural history illustrations, the intricate African braided hairstyles morph into much darker torture instruments that were used during slavery. A more specific reference to sexual abuse is added in the imagery in Plantation Poker, where the triangular shape of the hair references female pubic hair, while the flowers in Creole Portraits III reference plants used by enslaved women to secretly induce miscarriage. There is a duality present in the way Gardner’s works are deceptively delicate but also invoke the brutality of plantation slavery.
One photograph from a suite of 12 from Ingrid Pollard’s `The Boy Who Watches Ships Go By,’ 2002 (photographic emulsion on stretched unbleached canvas, three 12” x 32” and nine 12” x 12”). Photo courtesy of the British Council
The We Have Met Before exhibition was conceptualised to mark a new way of collaborating between cultural institutions in the region, where those involved become partners working together on the ground to develop projects that make room for conversations about these issues to thrive. According to the organisers, this exhibition will be reconfigured to include Bahamian artists whose works will engage with Fagen’s project, when it eventually moves to the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas. 'We Have Met Before' continues until November 4 at the National Gallery of Jamaica.
Graham Fagen, The Slave’s Lament, 2015, 4-panel video installation, 14 minutes 27 seconds. Photo courtesy of the British Council
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Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
‘Vanishing voices’ … renewed focus to preserve the indigenous languages of Guyana By Ravena Gildharie “HALE-Ko-ba,” he says in a fluent Arawak tone, thereafter explaining, “it means ‘how do you do’.” “If you want to say ‘good morning,’ it is ‘stapho moroko’,” adds Leeland Klenkian, an Arawak-language tutor of Pakuri Village (St Cuthbert’s Mission), and a man who is dedicated to preserving the tribal language of his native ancestors. As a child, his grandparents taught him the traditional Arawak language, and to him and his community, native language is of vital importance to maintaining culture and identity of Guyana’s first people. “‘Dai-dakuda-dai-be’ [means] I greet you, I welcome you,” Klenkian conveys. His teaching of the Arawak Words of welcome in Patamona language at entrance of the Indigenous Peoples’ Village language took him on travels at Sophia.‘Wamlan pai’ can mean ‘Lets have an outing to or Welcome to.’ to several countries including nous and English languages at the Pakuri Heritage Celebrations Antigua, Bahamas, Canada, Suriname and Belize to showcase and promote his indigenous earlier this month. He also offers private tutoring sessions as he observed increasingly that when the children got older, there is a culture, beliefs, practices and traditions. Over the past decade, up until last year, Pakuri was the only reawakening of their interest to learn the language and they often village in which native language training was conducted. It was seek his help. Some families have also been utilising Klenkian’s sponsored by the non-profit Robinson Trust Fund and included tutoring skills to teach their young children the language. language classes on Saturdays at Klenkian’s home. Students were offered a monetary incentive of $1,000 at the end of each AMERINDIAN LANGUAGES PROJECT Across Guyana, the indigenous languages are vanishing class. Through the initiative, scores of young indigenous men and women of Pakuri became versed in their native language, and owing to social, cultural and modern influences. Recognising according to their teacher, they were able to converse at a good this trend, the Guyana Government has launched an Amerindian Languages Project, a revival of an earlier Indigenous Language level with older Arawaks in the village. However, sadly, he observed that as many of them got Project at the University of Guyana which was inaugurated in married and relocated or left in search of better economic oppor- 1977. The University’s Amerindian Research Unit was birthed tunities in the city and along the coastland, they stopped using from this project. One of the the language. “Language is something if you don’t use it, you lose it, and f o u n d i n g m e m that is what has been happening. The language is not functional at bers of the previhome either. Everyone is using ‘Creolese’ English and they don’t ous initiative was even take time to converse in Arawak to the elders so there is no the late Dr Desrey channel for the language to pass on to younger children even in Caesar-Fox, who originated from the the home,” Klenkian related. Most of his students, especially females, migrated or got Akawaio-village married and went to the coast where they became resistant to of Waramadong. She spoke fluent using their native language. But he is not giving up. These days, Klenkian imparts the Akawaio and Arelanguage to youth and young children through songs, poems and cuna, as well as Enskits. He recently worked with three young children who deliv- glish, and was Guyered the Lokono welcome and recited two poems in both indige- ana’s first Amerin-
Petroglyphs in Guyana
economic activities of the people and roots of the languages. Professor Edwards said he will use “the linguistics information garnered from these descriptions to reveal to teachers of Amerindian children and to educational policymakers, the major linguistic and cultural differences between English and these languages.” Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister, Sydney Arawak-language tutor of Allicock announced at the St Cuthbert’s Village, lecture that languages of the Leyland Clenkian. Indigenous peoples would be (C. Junor photo) taught in Guyana schools. “If our Indigenous people do not know their language, they are not complete. Language is the identity; language helps us to understand the laws of nature which allow us to have an environment; that has a healthy ecosystem,” Allicock stated.
FACTORS FOR VANISHING LANGUAGES This is obviously welcoming news for Indigenous people such as Guy Fredericks of Nappi, Central Rupununi, who recalls being beaten in school for speaking his native Makushi language during the 1970s. He grew up hearing the language and quickly learned it as most residents then spoke Makushi. Over the years, since, he has witnessed the community moving away from the language even though there are few householdS that still maintain fluent Makushi. He still teaches his children the language at home. Fredericks feels mixed marriages is one of the main reasons the native languages are disappearing. It is believed that when young Indigenous women get married, especially to males from the coastland, the union and family tends to gravitate more towards the husband’s culture. Fredericks feels too that some of the youth are ashamed to use their language because they fear being mocked by their friends and therefore they stick to the Creole dialect, most prevalent in society. It is observed also that modern influences on Indigenous culture, including their music, are responsible as English lyrics and contemporary rhythms are replacing traditional indigenous culture and traditions. Music is a known channel in keeping languages Guyana’s National Anthem with Akawaio translations alive. (O. Williams photos) In the North Rupununi, the dian research assistant recruited Surama Culture Group is using music to teach the younger to work on the initial languages generation, the indigenous Makushi culture, including language. project. She died in a vehicular Led by Glendon Allicock and his wife, Jean, the group writes accident in December 2009. At and records Indigenous songs in the Makushi dialect, featuring the time of her death, Dr. Fox traditional stories. was leading a process to translate During the period 1999 to 2007, Makushi language was the National Anthem into the taught in the community’s schools through storytelling, but it nine indigenous languages. was later dropped to give way to more focus on Mathematics Now, eight years after her and English. It was found too that the young children were more death, the languages project is inclined to learn the language when it was taught verbally and re-established. thus efforts are being made to teach them through songs. Two weeks ago, a memorial In some remote hinterland communities such as those surlecture was held in Brooklyn, rounding the Carib-populated Baramita, the Wai-Wai village New York, during the Guyana of Konashen and the Patamonas-inhabited Paramakatoi, the Folk Festival, and it discussed Indigenous languages are very much alive and maintained by the current project that would the youngest of children. There have been instances where examine the structure of the public meetings led by officials from the coastland required Akawaio/Arecuna languages; translators for locals to better understand the message being phonological, grammatical, shared with them.
folklore BUSH HOG Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
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By Neil Primus
A TEAM of five disembarked from the speedboat. Quickly, they unpacked their equipment and waited for their guide. They were heading for an area that was earmarked for mineral extraction. Their task was to mark the boundary and map the area. Only then could the company send its big machines to begin clearing the heavy foliage. Their guide arrived and very soon they were heading into the jungle. It was a tough journey because of the thick vegetation that had to be hacked away. The team made slow progress. Night approached and they stopped moving. A fire was started and food was prepared. Everyone ate and then they talked late into the night. The next day they set out again. Their guide, an Amerindian man, taught them many things about the forest through which they were trekking. They saw creeks with cold water, plants they could eat and
those in which water was stored. He pointed out some snakes to avoid and a few that could be ignored. He told them about the animals that lived in the surrounding area. This seemed to excite them. That evening when they pitched camp they asked him to take them hunting. They had two guns and were
itching to use them. “We want to eat some wild meat”. He agreed and told them to be ready before the onset of dawn. Next morning they followed him into the jungle. The group travelled for about an hour and a half before stopping. Then their guide spoke to them. “I will go into the bush to locate the animals. You wait here. Conceal yourself. Pretty soon you’ll see a herd of bush hogs charging through here. Take your pick but remember, do not shoot the animal at the back of the herd.” They readily agreed and hunkered down to wait, excitement racing through their bodies. The guide slipped into the jungle and disappeared. The wait began. Early morning noises in the forest were a collection of chirps, screeches and howls. Birds flew by the dozens and monkeys frolicked recklessly in the trees above. Then they heard them coming.
At first, it sounded like a far-off grumbling. This quickly became a low thudding, then a growing rumble. Suddenly the wild pigs erupted from the bush and charged straight towards a dense and bushy area. The animals were a few hundred yards away. Bang! Bang! Bang! Three pigs fell, struggled and lay still. The herd increased speed racing for the safety of the trees. As they grew less and less the hunters got ready to retrieve their prize. Then came the last Bush Hog. It was the biggest and best looking of the lot. That was too good to pass up. The rifle bellowed again and that animal too fell. Grabbing their gear they headed to the kill zone to collect their prizes. What a shock awaited them. As the group emerged from the bushes they saw three animals lying where they had been shot. They headed for the fourth kill, the largest beast of the lot. When they arrived at the spot they stopped dead in their tracks. Mouths fell open in shock and disbelief. Lying there in a pool of blood was their guide. He had been the last Bush Hog.
Everything rises and falls on leadership I had a very interesting evening with some friends at the Aldo Wine Bar in Manhattan. We arrived at different times but the courtesy extended was exceptional. The ambiance certainly matched the service and the wine. When you are investing time with like-minded people who are on the same page, a few hours can go by so fast. We started talking about the quality of the excellent service, among other things at Aldo and one of my friends mentioned that the leadership must be good. The discussion then began about the importance of good leadership. Notice, I did not say a good manager because all managers With Free Holder President, are not leaders. Nothing Britnee Timberlake HAPPENS without leadership, nothing CHANGES without leadership, nothing DEVELOPS without leadership, nothing IMPROVES without leadership, nothing is CORRECTED without leadership, nothing ADVANCES without leadership, nothing SUCCEEDS without leadership. Everything rises and falls on leadership. Everyone should read The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell. This is the first thing the book says about those laws: Follow them and people will follow you. I am part of JMT Guyana which will be hosting the John Maxwell Live2Lead Simulcast on October 6. This is a very important event because it will explain to people why leadership is vital to their office, organisation or business. I must
commend the ones who saw it necessary to add value to themselves and team. I am optimistic that we will get there one day and I hope it is sooner than later. The evening continued with a visit to one of my oldest friends, Vera, an Italian American who I met in Barbados years ago and we forged a great friendship which became very important to me. I missed her brunch on Fire Island and promised to have dinner so we could catch up. We spoke about the hurricanes and the craziness happening in the world but concluded that we still need to stay focused on what is important. She has contributed so much to humanity and is still doing so in her senior years and it’s admirable. We spoke about how much God loves us and if we could love ourselves and others half as much, then this world would be a better place. She was interested in hearing about how my trip was going and I shared a number of activities with her. One of the highlights was my visit to the Empire Beauty School. I had promised Ktell, who is one of the teachers, to have a motivational chat with her students. I had less than 24 hours in Boston and a few things to do so it came down to choosing one or the other. I had to choose between dinner with some good friends or visiting the school before my departure time. My word is my bond and it was important that I kept it that way. I decided on the school and I was happy that I did. They were anticipating my visit and were so re-
Beyond the Runway with Dr. Sonia Noel
... Inspiring lives through fashion ceptive. So many said that the message hit home and it was as though I was talking to them individually. Those young people are so talented and I am elated I had the chance to share in their future plans. I also told her about the democratic luncheon and meeting some very influential women in Nassau County. It was an honour to be the guest of Free Holder President, Britnee Timberlake, and it felt so special to be acknowledged on stage and of course, talk about Guyana. “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office” Dwight D. Eisenhower. Send us a message to beyondtherunway2@gmail.com and visit our FB page as we continue this beautiful journey call life beyond the runway.
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Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
Fear is a real strongman
Special interventions sometimes needed to conquer it By M Margaret Burke
“ONLY thing we have to fear is fear itself,” were the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt at his First Inaugural address as the President of the United States of America after he won the 1932 presidential elections. He ended up being the only US President to be elected four times and led the country through the Great Depression and World War II. Here FDR was telling the American people that their fear was making things worse. He goes on to say, “... nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyses needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
to cause retreat. The problem is that there is still fear – in some cases greater fear, while in other cases the fear itself may lead to a determination to never let something so heartrending ever happen again – within that community or elsewhere in the country. But the question is: “How would or could this be done?”
FEAR AND DEATH ENTWINED? Just recently there was a story many now know so well – a very sad report about a young lad, just 13 years old, who lost his life in Berbice after having one of the most abysmal experiences ever. Leonard had hardly lived his life and no one could have accused him of even being ‘a bad boy.’ He was attending a primary school, where no one gave him a bad name and he came from a village that is called ‘Brother’s’ Village’ on the East Bank of Berbice. A prime audience of people who may only need help in The Senior Probation and Child Protection Officer, becoming knowledgeable and armed (within the law) for their role in protecting their community Mitford Warde, as part of his address to those who attended Leonard’s funeral told the gathering: “If the perpetrators’ behaviour was known by so many in this community, for so many years, what did we do to protect our While there is no time to throw the blame from one side children, and what did we do as a community to help him [the to the other; there is time to speed up the process of helping main suspect] to reform his evil ways?” As he continued his the affected parties to deal with the whole issue of ‘fear’. discourse with the gathering he questioned, “Are we going to “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, allow these experiences to force us to go back to our normal and of love, and of a sound mind.” These are words that can state without us doing something? Every Guyanese is a child be found in 2nd Timothy 1:7 (KJV) of the holy bible. protector. We must break the cycle of child abuse,” he said. Overcoming fear, therefore, is not an effortless situation within an individual’s life; within a family, a community or ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM OF FEAR even a nation. Sometimes there is need for a lot of effort to The people have spoken out in sections of the media that help people overcome fear – fear of all sorts. fear is what caused them to not retaliate in no great measure; Fear may be felt in many forms. People fear other peoinstead of retaliation, some sought to ‘walk the other way’ ple – just because of how they look, the things they say, the so as to avoid any form of contact with the man. For many, things they do, or a combination of all. There are also other he was no ordinary man and fear gripped them in a manner fears such as the fear of making a commitment, fear of the
The bleeding heart of a mother who stirred a community into action
unknown, fear of heights, fear of depths, also the fear of being shut in (small spaces), as well as the fear of open spaces, and many more. Dr. Carmen Harra described fear as: “a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined... Fear is such a powerful emotion that it can simply override all other feelings, logic or priorities. And no matter how strong or courageous or defiant we are, inevitable circumstances can entangle us in a web of our own fears.” She further said that fear leads us to act out of desperation, frustration and anger, but fear also plays a vital role in our lives. We would live with reckless abandon if we knew no notion of fear, performing all sorts of downright dangerous activities. The key is to distinguish between actions which induce a healthy acknowledgment of apprehension versus illogical triggers of fear which stifle our potential and limit our well-being. Conquering our fears, therefore, begins with the acknowledgment that oftentimes fear is a decision, not an inherent trait or needed component of life. GLOBAL PROBLEM There is this global problem where far too many children live in fear; also many adults live in fear; there is also the problem of so many women who live fearful lives. However, each country’s circumstance would allow them to deal with their situations differently. Guyana has to work with her own sociocultural factors, which essentially affects thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Then there are also the economic factors, as well as the political will to overcome. There is no doubt that the latter is in place, but the situation is well-spread and deep-rooted and would call for the zeal and enthusiasm of the major players in the decision-making arena to make a positive impact. Public education, as well as individual and group education touching at the root-cause of the problems, have got to be addressed. There is hardly a short-cut to this approach. “…Every Guyanese [should indeed] be a child protector,” said Senior Probation and Child Protection Officer, Mitford Warde and he is correct. People fail each other, even as they fail themselves in not formulating ways of protecting themselves and their communities. THE CHALLENGE, THE WAY FORWARD However, what is done is (sadly) done! There has to now be a way; a way toward recovery, a way toward triumph over evil. Some people may already have the tools and all they need is the encouragement to move ahead, along with the understanding and reassurance that their role, according to the laws, will be well supported. On the other hand, there are those Guyanese who may be very willing but need to understand what is expected of them. What may seem as basic ‘common sense’ or simple knowledge to some people might not be the same for others. It is therefore imperative that nothing be taken for chance so that no stone be left unturned in reaching out to every person through public education, as well as through individual contacts, within groups, as well as in the communities. There is nothing like over-educating the masses.(mercilinburke2017@gmail.com)
Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
Pleasurable flavours now available in big supermarkets … on its way to the export market By Vanessa Braithwaite 'PLEASURABLE Flavours' is a Linden-based business which is located in Amelia’s Ward and founded by Dianna Plowell, the matriarch of the Plowell family, Known for its wide range of products including pepper sauce, green seasoning, all-purpose sauce, sweet pepper relish and other products, `Pleasurable Flavours’ is the first Linden-based brand of products that has been made available in supermarkets across Guyana. This is indeed a big hallmark, not only for the Amelia’s Ward business but for the mining town. It is which can be deemed as an encouragement for all local manufacturers who are afraid to take up the mantle of increasing the quality and quantity of their products. Dianna proudly disclosed to the Pepperpot Magazine that the products are now available in DSL Supermarket, Nigel’s Supermarket, Real Value, and will soon be found on the shelves in Massy and Bounty Supermarkets.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS For her, this is a great achievement knowing that ‘Pleasurable Flavours’ started from humble beginnings. “I did a lot of walking around for two years, and then like two years ago we started in the small shops in Linden,” Dianna said. She added that the business started when she realised that she could not adequately provide for her family after her daughter was accepted into a prestigious university in the United States. She stated that after praying about the matter, she was moved to put her hands **** to use and the idea for the business was born. “I got up from the bed and went to the fridge and I had a big bottle of [homemade] pepper. My father had a lot of these high wine bottles so I threw it out into these bottles and went around and I sold all out that afternoon. “I didn’t have any seal or any label or anything, the next day I went down the road and buy more pepper and blend and did that for a while and as the money came in, I increased in amount and quality and that’s exactly how I started,” the entrepreneur revealed. From then to now, Dianna now has six flavours of pepper sauce and later added several other seasonings and products. `Pleasurable Flavours’ also manufactures ready-mixed fruits for cakes, local confectionaries such as plantain chips, ‘chicken-foot’ and tamarind balls. For the holidays, the business aims to launch its ketchup and dry-shake seasoning. She revealed that each product has a fruit as the main ingredient which makes it so unique and finger licking. CHALLENGES For the business to progress, Dianna had to make significant improvements to the quality of the packaging, in order to capture the attention of the big supermarkets. This took a period of trial and error. The greatest challenge in doing so, she said, was acquiring quality packaging materials and most importantly, the containers. Turn to page XVIII ►►►
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“That’s a bit challenging not only for me but for all manufactures and entrepreneurs. Finding the bottles is challenging but God has been so good to us that he has been helping us in that regard,” she said, adding, “we are in the process of getting our own shipment for containers for our fruits for cake and we are also acquiring our own bottles.” As it relates to sourcing their ingredients, Dianna said that she would acquire large amounts when they are in season and store them in large quantities so that she never
runs out. “You see when five fingers were in season, we would raid all the trees and the five fingers that people wasting. we would pay for it and store them because we have a lot of freezers,” she said. Another challenge the local entrepreneur is facing is battling the stigma attached to local products. She revealed that the local products would be isolated into a particular corner in the big supermarket and shoppers would be hesitant to go there. “People have a stigma that local products are degrading and so they don’t go there. So [supermarkets] shouldn’t isolate it, they should have it with
Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
all the other products, let them try it and then check to see what it is and go back for more… we got through with it not being isolated at Nigel’s and our product moved very fast there,” she said. GROWTH Despite these challenges, Dianna said that looking back, the business has surely grown over the last five years and she is proud of what it has become. She now has five persons in her employ and also has a sister company called `Perfect Finish Janitorial Services’ which is creating jobs for young women. The service provides cleaning services to homes and other buildings in half the time that it would take to do. She is encouraging Lindeners to cash in on the service during the upcoming Christmas season.
After five years, `Pleasurable Flavours’ will now be acquiring a loan to aid in the shipment of packaging material. While the financial boom has not yet been experienced, Dianna added that the business now sustains itself. From her many training sessions, she learned that a business takes 10 years to fully progress, where the entrepreneur can relax. For the progress made at being at the halfway mark, Dianna said that she is astounded at the tremendous progress “I really see myself starting another business in the next five years and this one is totally managing itself. I would encourage everyone to push themselves and don’t wait for anyone to push them… don’t see yourself for where you are, but where you want to be because God wouldn’t let you down,” she said.
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Guyanese Author to launch
The Guyana Contract ON OCTOBER 4, Guyana-born Rosalind McLymont will return home to launch her newest novel The Guyana Contract, an international thriller which tackles a host of issues including corporate politics; the complexities of foreign investment in developing countries and life in these countries; the frustrations of entrepreneurship; biases within the black community; and the scourges of human and drug trafficking. The book, which is available on Amazon in both e-book and print format, will be launched at the Education Lecture Theatre, University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus on October 9 at 17:00hrs. But her return home is more than just about the book. Rosalind will also be a presenter at the Bishop’s High School’s First Annual Student Conference spearheaded by the school’s New York Tri-State Chapter. The event is being held under the theme “After Graduation -- What’s Next: Preparing Our Youth For A Successful Future,” will be hosted on October 5-6. The Pepperpot Magazine interviewed Rosalind to get an insight on her newest publication and some of her talking points at the conference. IN WHAT WAYS WILL GUYANESE (YOUTH OR OTHERWISE) BE ABLE TO RELATE TO THE GUYANA CONTRACT? There is so much because I write fiction to entertain and educate. Guyanese can certainly relate to the social, economic, political, and folklore aspects in the Guyana settings of the novel. For example, there was a period during my primary school days at Comenius Moravian School, in Anira Street, when people reported seeing a mermaid in the Lamaha Canal. I used that in the novel, just as I used tidbits about the man who bought scrap iron when I was a child, race relations, past neglect of Amerindians, and food shortages due to exportation. I touch on how some, not all, Guyanese in the Diaspora feel about working in Guyana in collaboration with locals, and how locals view Diaspora Guyanese who return to the country as professionals. I touch on the inner workings of foreign investment, a topic that is front and centre now that Guyana’s oil finds have put the country on the radar of overseas investors. Who benefits from unchecked foreign investments? What do investors sometimes think of countries like Guyana and their leadership? Because life is not linear, there are themes I bring in global issues related to entrepreneurship; human and drug trafficking; race, gender and sexual orientation discrimination; corporate politics; coping with the cultural differences among people of African descent. But most of all, Guyanese can relate to the characters, because we define ourselves according to our most outstanding traits or our most memorable action. Hence, such characters as Lebba Lip, Wicket-Down, the security guard at Pegasus Hotel, the Guyanese doorman at the luxury residence in New York City, the small-island security guard at the Wall Street firm. In terms of geography, Guyanese readers get to experience Marseilles, Paris and New York from my first-hand knowledge.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST MESSAGES THAT ARE INCORPORATED INTO THIS BOOK? Three of the biggest messages reinforced in the book are: ● It is the duty of leaders of developing countries like Guyana to negotiate and carefully vet foreign investment contracts in order to secure the maximum benefit of their countries and their people for generations to come. Leaders should learn to trust and engage the expertise of their local citizens and overseas diaspora. ● Self-reliance – personal and national, which does not preclude strategic partnerships and collaborations. Hillel, the Jewish religious leader and one of the most important figures in Jewish history, said, “If I’m not for me, who is? And if not now, when?” ● Love shows up where you never dreamed it would. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO OTHER GUYANESE WRITERS WHO ARE LOOKING FOR AVENUES FOR THEIR WORK TO GET PUBLISHED IN A LARGER MARKET? It’s so tough these days to be published via the big established houses in large markets such as the United States that small, independent presses and self-publishing platforms are proliferating in these markets. While those are viable options, writers still have to invest in professional copy editors, proof readers, graphic artists and layout editors to put the best, cleanest, most visually attractive product on the market. Publishers big and small like to know that the writer already has a following, be it in his or her home market, in his or her professional field, or via a blog or social media. A good strategy is to make your name in your own small market and leverage that in approaching a large-market publisher. Big
publishing houses and some of the more established smaller ones will only deal with the writer’s agent. There are several directories of literary agents. The most reputable ones in the US are Writers Digest Guide to Literary Agents (http://www. writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/2017guide-literary-agents-57-reasons-buy-giveaway-contest) and Publishers Weekly Literary Agents List (https://www.pw.org/ literary_agents). Akashic Books (http://www.akashicbooks. com) publishes lots of Caribbean writers. The writer has to approach publishing as an entrepreneur. That means studying trends in the market you’re targeting to
know who best to approach with your manuscript and how best to do so. Even after publication – no matter who publishes your work – the writer has to take on the responsibility of marketing the book to boost sales. Given that you are stationed abroad, how connected are you with the challenges youth face in Guyana with regard to unemployment and other issues and how relevant to Guyana is the information that you will be providing? Youth unemployment is a global dilemma, even in a country as developed as the United States, where I have lived for more than half of my life. Being stationed abroad does not mean you are divorced from your country of birth. I was a member of the feasibility study team for the establishment of the School of Entrepreneurship, Business and Innovation (SEBI) at the University of Guyana, and during my time in Guyana in that capacity, I was privileged to learn a great deal from observations and interactions with Guyanese in both the public and private sectors, as well as with young people, including those in my own family who still live here. Moreover, unemployment and other challenges young people face are trends I follow in my work as an author and journalist focusing on business, entrepreneurship, and economic development with its attendant social consequences. While it is true that youth in Guyana may have unique issues to deal with, they have more in common with youth around the world than they realise. I spent several years in Africa as a high school teacher, specifically in Uganda and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and that brought me into intimate contact with youth in a socio-economic situation not unlike that of Guyana today. I have witnessed first-hand the dilemma of youth in other African countries, as well as in Asia, the Caribbean, North America, and Europe. I travelled to Russia Turn to page XXVIII ►►►
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Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
President reinforces the importance of people, planet and peace at UNGA PRESIDENT DAVID GRANGER recently attended the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) held in New York, where he stressed, in his speech, the importance of the three P’s, people, planet and peace in keeping with the assembly’s theme this year: ‘Focusing on people: Striving for peace and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet. PEOPLE, PLANET, PEACE The Guyanese Head of State pointed to the fact that humankind continues to be challenged by several crises. Children, he noted, in all parts of the world still die from preventable diseases or go to bed hungry. The denial of equal opportunities for women in some parts of the world, the “unacceptably wide” gap between the rich and poor and of course, conflicts within states, which have led to international refugee crises; causing millions to be displaced from their homelands were highlighted by the President. The challenge to the UN, therefore, President Granger said, is to reinforce respect for the rights of citizens within the governance structures of the individual member states. He said that “the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent our collective desire and determination to eradicate hunger and poverty from our planet while promoting equal opportunities in education, employment and social justice for both men and women. The adoption of the SDGs has catalysed our aspirations for a better world into concrete and forward-looking actions and objectives. The respective ‘Goals’ seek to promote respect for the inherent dignity of people and their rights as human beings.” According to the President, the advancement of these ‘goals’ are being obstructed by the incidence of human rights violations and the involuntary migration of people from their homelands, by terrorism and warfare. In this regard, he used his platform to call on fellow Heads of Government
President David Granger meeting with Prime Minister of Mauritius, Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly
sive plan is needed to address the issue of evacuation; noting that people cannot be moved from one affected country to the next. “We have got to think about how we are going to prevent climate change at the global scale from affecting the Small Island Developing States [SIDS] and also the low-lying coastal states because countries like Belize, Suriname and Guyana can also be affected by global warming and rising sea levels. Even though we do not get hurricanes, we are going to see rising sea levels which will jeopardise our
for a more tangible demonstration of their commitment to the protection of the planet. He told world leaders that a sustainable planet is humanity’s ultimate patrimony, with nothing being more vital to the survival of the world’s people. The threats to sustainability that the world now faces, President Granger said, are as a result of the indifference shown to the need to protect the planet. “Climate change is not a fiction or the invention of a few extremists. The small island states of the Caribbean and parts of North America have felt the devastating fury of a series of hurricanes – Harvey, Irma, José, Katia, Lee and Maria – to whose frequency and ferocity mankind has contributed through the reckless exploitation of earth’s resources. Hurricane Irma was a deadly, destructive portent of the extreme vulnerability and fragility of the small island developing and low-lying coastal states of the Caribbean,” President David Granger exchanges a the President said. But, as the world continues to grapple handshake with the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. António Guterres with these climatic conditions, Guyana is playing its part within the limits of its resources, to provide relief to affected populations in sister Caribbean states. sea defences,” he said. Speaking on the sidelines of the UNGA, President GrangDuring his meeting with the Chairman of the Council er said that with several Anglophone Caribbean states being of Delegates of the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), devastated simultaneously by hurricanes, a more comprehen- Brigadier-General Luis Rodríguez Bucio in Washington, D.C., President Granger took the opportunity to emphasise the need for the global community to focus its efforts towards mitigating the effects of global warming, through the protection of the environment, people, and the perpetuation of peace. Noteworthy was the changing mission of the IADB, which takes into consideration, the need to protect the environment and to respond to natural disasters. The main purpose of the IADB is to provide the Organisation of American States (OAS) and its member states with technical and educational advice and consultancy services on matters related to military and defense issues in the Hemisphere in order to contribute to the fulfillment of the OAS Charter. TIRED OF WAR A good life for the world’s peoples and the sustainable use of the planet’s resources are predicated on peace with justice, including justice within and between states, President Granger said. The world is weary of war; therefore, the President urged that the ‘striving for peace’ be humanity’s ceaseless quest. “The United Nations is the paramount global instrument of peace. It has a vital role to play in ensuring respect for international law through the International Court of Justice and the Security Council. ‘Striving for peace’ must aim at resolv-
Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017 to the territorial issue between Mauritius and the UK [United Kingdom], Guyana has already made forthright statements. We support Mauritius and I also took the opportunity to raise the territorial claims on Guyana’s territory by Venezuela. Mauritius as part of the Commonwealth has always given us support so there is mutual support in terms of the territorial claims against these two countries.” In his address to the UNGA, the President reminded leaders that Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s territory has not been diminished or diverted, since the country remains imperiled. The disturbing developments within Venezuela, he said, have attracted the world’s attention
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President Granger and the Venezuelan President, that the Good Offices process will continue for one final year, until the end of 2017, with a strengthened mandate of mediation. If, by the end of 2017, the Secretary General concludes that significant progress has not been made toward arriving at a full agreement for President David Granger the solution of the addressing the 72nd session of the President David Granger examines controversy, he will United Nations General Assembly a figure during his meeting with the choose the InternaChairman of the Council of Delegates of the Inter-American Defense Board tional Court of Justice (ICJ) as the next means of settlement, (IADB), Brigadier-General Luis unless the Governments of Guyana and Venezuela jointly Rodríguez Bucio in Washington, D.C., request that he refrain from doing so. Peace for the world’s people, the President reminded, is the mandate of the United Nations. Peace, he noted can be achieved by addressing the world’s humanitarian crises, promoting justice within and between nations and resolving long-standing ing long-standing inter-state conflicts. conflicts between states. President Guyana, in this regard, supports the call Granger has stressed that common infor the reform of the Security Council terests in the ‘Basin’ require that the to give even greater voice to developing region become a zone of peace and countries,” President Granger noted. a zone of development rather than a Addressing the Perry Center for zone of disaster. The ‘hurricane era’, Hemispheric Defense Studies, on Sephe pointed out has made security President David Granger and his delegation during the meeting with the United Nations tember 21, 2017, the President once cooperation, rather than strategic General Secretary, António Guterres. The President’s delegation included Minister of Foreign again demonstrated his strong position on Affairs, Mr. Carl Greenidge; Presidential Adviser on Petroleum, Dr. Jan Mangal; Director General confrontation, a necessity to protect climate change, by calling on the faculty the Region’s vital interests. in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Audrey Waddell; Sir Shridath Ramphal; and and staff to provide the intellectual leadSecurity cooperation he urged Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations, Mr. Michael Ten-Pow ership to promote a new era of security must be re-engineered to take into relations in the Caribbean Basin aimed account the interests of the special at protecting the people, perpetuating peace and preserving and roused the concerns of many over the privations of its environmental needs of small-island developing and the planet from disaster. According to the President, Climate people. The Caribbean people, President Granger said, wish low lying-coastal states. Change has emerged as a major international threat, requiring for the region to be a Zone a reconceptualisation of peoples’ understanding of security to of Peace and the Venezuelan incorporate environmental hazard that threatens both human claim to Guyana’s territorial safety and state security. integrity, would be a threat to Disasters, he noted, disrupt governance, damage property that zone. and infrastructure, cause death and lower citizens’ quality of During a meeting on Seplife. Environmental hazards are threats to the national security tember 25, 2017 between Presof states, whether they are rich or poor, large or small, island ident Granger and the UN or mainland. The increased frequency, ferocity and intensity Secretary General Mr. António of hurricanes across the Caribbean Sea promise more death, Guterres, Guyana’s commitdamage and destruction and the Region requires a new regime ment to the Good Offices proof international cooperation to make it secure and safe. cess and the intention to work Small Caribbean states, on their own, cannot respond, towards the achievement of in an adequate and timely manner, to the scale of death, the highest expectations of the damage and destruction caused by most natural disasters. “I decision were put forward by emphasised the need for regional and particularly Caribbean President Granger. “I would states to work together to mitigate Climate Change and also say that as far as Guyana is conto alleviate the suffering and the damage caused by disaster, cerned we remain committed to so all in all, the three engagements, I put out Guyana’s view the process and through the that we need to work together to protect the planet earth from Secretary General’s personal catastrophic events like we had in August and September,” representative, Dag Nylander, the President said as he provided an update of his engagement we will continue to exchange with officials at the Perry Center. views with the intention of The Head of State acknowledged that there needs to be bringing this process to a sucmore work at the governmental and inter-governmental levels cessful closure,” he explained internationally to increase and enhance awareness of the envi- in an interview at the end of ronmental threats, so that populations can behave differently his engagements with the UN towards the protection of the earth. In Guyana, President and representatives of several Granger assured that steps will be taken to reverse the trends international organisations in that lead to environmental degradation at the regional and New York. The President was community levels. accompanied by his delegation, which included Minister GUYANA/VENEZUELA CONTROVERSY of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Carl The Guyana-Venezuela Controversy was another import- Greenidge; Minister of Public ant topic for the Head of State at the UN General Assembly. Affairs within the Ministry of Following a meeting with Prime Minister of Mauritius, Mr. the Presidency, Mrs. Dawn Pravind Kumar Jugnauth on September 19, 2017, President Hastings-Williams; and DirecGranger said a closer relationship will be established between tor General of the Ministry of the two nations within the Commonwealth Framework. The Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Head of State explained that both Guyana and Mauritius are Audrey Waddell. currently faced with claims on their respective territories and On December 15, 2016, said that he and Prime Minister Jugnauth reaffirmed their the former UN Secretary Genunreserved support for each other and noted that, “with regard eral, Ban Ki Moon, informed
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Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017
World Habitat Day
ANNUALLY, the first Monday of October is observed as World Habitat Day. The purpose of this day is to reflect on the state of our towns and cities, and on the basic right of all persons to adequate shelter. It is also intended to remind the world that we all have the power and the responsibility to shape the future
of our cities and towns. This year’s theme ‘Housing Policies: Affordable Homes’ focuses on promot-
ing concrete initiatives that can be developed to ensure adequate and affordable housing, especially in ur-
ban areas. All across the world, the population of urban areas continues to expand. More often than not, this leads to overcrowding and while housing is considered a basic human right, it is quite evident that all do not have access to this privilege. Unaffordable housing leads to quite a number of environmental issues. When housing is unaffordable, especially in cities, the development of slums and squatting areas is prolific. Such areas usually result in all forms of pollution, the consequences of which have to be faced by the inhabitants of these areas themselves. Contamination of land and water is very prevalent due to improper disposal of all types of wastes, including human wastes. As a result, there are high incidences of infectious disease outbreaks like flu, cholera, malaria, dengue and yellow fever. Moreover, the building materials used in these areas
are usually not of the highest quality. This leaves them exposed to environmental conditions, and with climate change a reality, they are burdened with facing the impacts of stronger storms, more intense rainfall, increased temperature and other impacts of climate change. Realising that unaffordable housing leads to social as well as environmental issues, it is time for all relevant stakeholders to understand their role in making housing affordable for all. Affordable housing is an issue of local and international concern and achieving this
will mean a move towards a safe, healthy and green Guyana. Sources: http://www.urbanoctober.org/2017/about.asp?pcd=2 https://unhabitat.org/ world-habitat-day/ You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O ECEA Programme, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit. epaguyana@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
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Facts about the Pakuri Benab The Pakuri benab can accommodate up to 250 persons and is also designed to house hammocks and serves as a guest house for visitors. Andrews said that the Pakuri benab is the first of its kind being a hybrid of the Wai-Wai/Arawak tribes in design, with the `siding’ made out of baramali wood skin which was also sourced from within
Village Council Treasurer, Paul Andrews, poses in front of the Pakuri benab
PAKURI resident Paul Andrews, who is the Treasurer of the Village Council had the privilege of overseeing the construction of the Pakuri benab; a beautiful piece of Indigenous architecture made out of dried ite` palm leaves. It took him and the team which consisted of youths from the village two months to complete the benab, which has now become the showpiece of the indigenous community. Thirty young men from the village assisted in the construction of the benab
under his supervision which, he described as quite a task, but together they were successful. He related that the ite` palm leaves were sourced from the community after which they were cut and placed to dry for one week before being used to make the roof of the benab. The father of eight said they had another benab in the village but it deteriorated and it was decided by the Village Council that a new one should be constructed in time for Amerindian Heritage Day celebrations.
the village. He stated that the benab has a lifespan of about 15 years and the ite` leaves will deteriorate faster than the baramali wood. Several cultural events took place inside the Pakuri benab last Saturday to observe Amerindian Heritage Village Day which was attended by President David Granger, ministers and others.
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Aries Your work is clearly laid out before you and you can’t wait to get started. It really doesn’t matter if you are overcommitted; you believe you’re invincible, even if others think your agenda is too ambitious. However, you must be realistic or you might find yourself backed into a corner by your misjudgement . Good intentions are not a substitute for critical analysis and sound planning. Former U.S. Senator Lewis Cass wrote, “People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do.” Taurus Pursuing pleasure is a practical matter today, rather than some fleeting folly. Relentless Pluto trines assertive Mars in your 5th House of Self-Expression, motivating you to reach your goals no matter how long it takes. Both planets are in fellow earth signs, demanding that you be realistic in all your endeavours. Fortunately, your drive is strong and you will likely accomplish whatever you envision. Life coach Emily Guay wrote, “Believe in yourself and you will be unstoppable.” Gemini An uncharacteristic determination pervades everything you do today. In fact, you are empowered by a palpable force that won’t let up until you get what you want. Unfortunately, you could waste your momentum on a trivial goal unless you weigh all your options before choosing one destination. However, you must resist the urge to rethink the same thoughts again and again. You’ll be happy with your investment of time if you make a decision and stick with it. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” Cancer You want to connect with a dear friend or lover today in ways that go deeper than just a casual meeting. Sinking into a juicy conversation is just what your heart desires. But you won’t need to stage a melodrama; an objective discussion about your dreams may be all you can ask for while the emotionally detached Aquarius Moon is on the scene. Poet Audre Lorde wrote, “Our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge.” Leo Your self-confidence is unshakable today, even if someone you love seems a bit distant. Perhaps you had expected to do something special with a close friend, only to discover they made plans that didn’t include you. Thankfully, your happiness is not dependent on external circumstances, so you can roll with the changes without taking anything too personally now. Author Nabil N. Jamal, PhD. wrote, “He who is satisfied with what he has, is a rich man.” Virgo You want love to conform to your notion of perfection today, but feelings are messy. You must make a choice: risk failure in the exploration of an emotional connection or allow it to close down without further pursuit. There is no guarantee of success; relationship chemistry works outside the realm of logic. Normally, you might let the opportunity pass, but it seems as if the odds are in your favour now. Performance artist Jeanette Coron wrote, “If you stop being afraid of the word no and take more chances, you will get more yes.” Libra Although your opinions are uncharacteristically strong today, you can fool others into thinking you don’t have a preference. Appearing uncommitted works to your advantage because classic Libra diplomacy prevents you from offending anyone with your ideas. Nevertheless, non-negotiable Pluto trines pushy Mars buried in your 12th House of Secrets, prompting you to hide your motives from anyone who might oppose your plans. Thankfully, honesty doesn't require you to reveal every little thing you discern and feel. Dr. Assegid Habtewold wrote, “That is why we have the word discretion.” Scorpio The cosmos is playing your song now and you can’t help but dance to the music. But you’re not interested in following anyone else’s steps. You need to be the leader today, and won’t relinquish control, regardless of the situation. Although you may have all the right moves, your power originates from your relationship with others. A solo act is sure to fail, while collaboration is your ticket to success. Sagittarius Although it may be a day of rest for many, you’re obsessed with solidifying your plans for success. You can see your place on the summit of the mountain and won’t let up until you’ve proven your competence. You aren’t interested in achieving your goals on someone else’s back. However, if you make it to the top, you want your peers to reach it along with you. An African proverb teaches, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go with others.” Capricorn You are quite comfortable playing your cards out in the open today. Your strategy might be quite unnerving to others because you suddenly don’t seem to care if everyone knows everything about your intentions. Each action you take moves you closer to your goals and there’s little anyone can do to prevent you from executing your entire plan. Just don’t get too cocky or you could slip and make a foolish step, jeopardizing all your recent progress. Oscar Wilde said, “Confidence is good, but over-confidence always sinks the ship.” Aquarius Your secret weapon is the strength of your convictions, even if you don’t loudly advertise them to others. But this is not about you thinking you’re right about any one specific issue. Instead, you are stubbornly rigid in your belief that everyone should have a voice. However, it’s ironic that the same people you are standing up for now think that you are wrong. Ultimately, there are many ways to look at the same reality, even if it seems so complicated today. Nevertheless, the Dalai Lama said, “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” Pisces There’s a lot weighing on your mind, but you might keep your feelings locked up so they can’t negatively impact anyone today. Ironically, the very act of denying your emotions adds to their power and increases their unwanted influence. Meanwhile, sharing your secrets with those you trust lightens your load. Don’t let your fears hijack your day; facing them directly enhances your position, clearing a path for your participation in the greater energetic flow. Philosopher Alan Watts wrote, “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
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Indulging in Indigenous Delicacies AT age 71, Victoria Parkes still actively puts her hands to work by making pure cassava casareep at her home in Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo. Added to this skill, Victoria also makes Amerindian tuma pots filled with wild meats and fish to go with home-made cassava bread. Originally from Moruca, Region One, Parkes moved to Tuschen several years ago and has a stall at the Amerindian Hostel in the city where she sells her Amerindian dishes. Parkes told the Pepperpot Magazine that she would visit Moruca where she would buy cassava from the farmers and bring it to town where she would make pure cassava casareep and cassava bread. She would then source wild meats from the various markets across the country and make her tuma pots which are often made from cassava water (cada). She also prepares pots of bush fish- tambaqui and hymara. Parkes said that she while undertakes most of the work, she would at times be assisted by one of her daughters. On completion of her task she would then travel to the Amerindian Hostel in the city where she would vend her tasty dishes to the numerous customers she has acquired,. This mother of six said she has been visiting the Amerindian Village at Sophia for several years to also sell her delicious tuma pots and cassava bread, but lamented that due to poor attendance this year, she did not attract the sales like she had over the years. Nevertheless, she said she spent three days vending at the Sophia Ground and was happy to mingle with her fellow Amerindians most of whom came from remote areas across Guyana. Meanwhile, Sunita Jacobs, a resident of lower Kara Kara, Linden, who was also a vendor at the Amerindian Village at Sophia said it was her very first time and describes the experience ws very good. She had a stall with pots of tuma in the form of labba, powis, hymara, wild hog and shish-ke-babs (kebabs) and roast beef, all traditional Amerindian dishes. The mother of four also had a fresh batch of cassava bread to accompany the tuma pots of wild meats, along with the piwari which she made. On hand to assist in setting up the grill and to attend to the customers who could not get enough of the various tuma pots of wild meats, were her husband and children.
Victoria Parkes vending her cassava bread, pure cassava casareep and tuma pots of wild meats at Sophia Exhibition Centre Amerindian Village
Another vendor, Natasha David had a display of pastries, puddings and cassava balls at her little stall, all made from farine. She proudly disclosed that she made all of the fresh and tasty products she sold, which included muffins, cakes, pone, cassava cream pudding and cassava balls.
Natasha David’s farine-based pastries, puddings and cassava pone and balls
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in the 1990s when it was beginning to emerge from a purely socialist construct – a confounding period for young men and women at the time. So, in spite of the uniqueness of Guyana, there are certain universal truths that I have learned that are relevant to Guyana. In light of the theme “After Graduation What’s Next:
Preparing Our Youth For A Successful Future” and given your chosen topic that you will be presenting on, what do you believe are the most important steps for young people to take in order to find worthwhile careers? When it comes to career, I prefer to use the term “choose” instead of “find”, the first being a deliberate, informed, strategic action on your part; the latter being dependent on luck or on someone else’s largesse. That said, it’s of the utmost importance for a young person to first and foremost to take stock of himself or herself before deciding on a career that will prove worthwhile. Taking stock of yourself means getting to know who you really are – what kind of person are you? What are your likes and dislikes? How do you see yourself? How would you describe yourself? What kind of people, what kind of activities put a big smile on your face? What is your inventory of skills? And by skills, I mean both hard skills and soft skills. Defining these two and identifying them is what I will focus on in my presentation at the BHS Student Conference. Too often we ignore this self-assessment step when transitioning from classroom to career, or from one stage of life to another. But if you don’t know yourself, how can you make life choices that bring out the best in you and that work to your maximum benefit? There is often the struggle between just getting a job or making a career- which is often times connected with balancing logic with passion, what would be your advice for young people who may want to follow their passion but are being pressured to be “responsible in order to earn a living instead? Some people do earn a
Chronicle Pepperpot October 1, 2017 living, sometimes even a comfortable living, when they follow their passion. [But sometimes] that tension often exists between the need or pressure to find a job and the pursuit of a career that is in sync with your passion. To those who find themselves in this situation, I say this: Once you are sure that you have identified your true passion, find a job in the field that is related to your passion, work hard at it so that you excel and move up, acquiring as much knowledge and as many influential contacts as possible along the way, and building a reputation in the field – as well as some savings – until you can ditch the job and operate as an independent if that is your wish. Passion is just that. It’s innate. Giving it life, putting it into revenue-generating action requires skill, knowledge and strategy. Those are learned. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a job in a field that you are passionate about. As a woman of colour who has significant achievements under her belt, what would you say to Guyanese women who are aspiring along similar paths as yours and are seeking to find a “strong enough voice” to get there? These are some of the things I discuss with women in my workshop titled, “My Fabulous Me!” ● The voice is you. Set out a vision for yourself and learn to articulate it. ● Self assess often. Take stock of your accomplishments, even little ones, along your life journey. You don’t realise how much you have done until you self-assess. This builds self-love, confidence, self-esteem, all of which strengthen your voice. ● Discard mental/psychological baggage. It weighs you down. Face it, forgive yourself and move on. ● Surround yourself with positive, uplifting people. ● Study role models – women who are where you want to be, doing the kinds of things you want to do. ● Stay abreast of developments in your chosen field. ● Draw on the strength of your lineage. There are women and men in your family tree who have overcome tremendous obstacles. They’re in your DNA. Find them. Talk to the elders in your family about them. I found out that my maternal grandfather was a bookbinder at one time. I always picture my grandfather, perhaps wondering as he worked if anyone in his family would ever write a book. So I write books now, right? I had already published when I found that out about him, but it gave me a lift. It connected that aspect of me to someone in my family line. I wasn’t an aberration. [It was] just dipping into the DNA. It felt so good. ● Find a mentor, someone whom you can trust and who has the connections to help you to get to where you want to go. ● Stick with the vision, make the plan, execute. Try to do even one little thing every day toward your goal. One-one dutty build damn. ● Stay healthy. Drink lots of water. Exercise. I practice and teach Tai Chi, Zumba, and Trim Brulée, which is a workout programme I developed that combines cardio, balance, and stretching exercises based on Tai Chi and Qi Gong. ● Adhere to the eight principles of Black Belt excellence. ● Stick with the vision, make a plan, execute, trust your God. Rosalind said that The Guyana Contract is a product of personal experiences, first-hand and shared observations, and research. The book is dedicated to her classmates at the Bishops’ High School as a way of showing them all that she had learned since she left the school and migrated while in Fourth Form. The author said that she did not obliterate memories of the school and of Guyana because she migrated. Rosalind expressed excitement about returning home to address the students at her alma mater and to launch her book. ABOUT THE AUTHOR McLymont, an award-winning journalist, is the executive editor of The Network Journal and CEO and publisher of AfricaStrictlyBusiness.com. A former managing editor of The Journal of Commerce (Knight Ridder; Economist Group), she is the author of the groundbreaking “rebranding Africa” novel, Middle Ground, and of the nonfiction title, Africa Strictly Business: The Steady March to Prosperity. She is a graduate of The City College of New York and New York University, with a Certificate in Spanish Language and Literature from the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. A past European Union Fellow, she taught for several years in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo; served as an entrepreneurship development expert for the United Nations Development Program’s Africa Bureau; worked with women entrepreneurs in Russia through the Alliance of Russian and American Women; and served two terms on the Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Born in Guyana, she lives in New York with her husband.
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The significance of the Caria Caria campfire Fort Island resident, Medex Preetty Debideen and Ashton Simon, President of the NADC and Ministry of Natural Resources representative having a Kodak moment in front of the camp fire before it was ignited on Sunday
By Michel Outridge EVERY year in honour of the Amerindian Heritage Day celebrations, the residents of the quaint community of Caria-Caria, which is located on the mainland of Region Three, gather together to observe their annual tradition of hosting a campfire. The Vice Chairman of the Community Development Council (CDC), Compton Klass, told the Pepperpot Magazine that this tradition holds a simple significance: to bring togetherness among people. Klass, who was one of the organisers of the Amerindian Heritage Day celebrations in the village last Sunday, said that the event also forms a bond between communities as
the villagers can always look forward to assistance from other communities in hosting Turn to page XXXI ►►►
Residents posing in front of the ignited camp fire
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the event. The campfire which was lit on Sunday just as the sun went down, and set ablaze by Ashton Simon, a representative from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the President of the National Amerindian Development Foundation (NADF). This tradition was adopted by the village from the residents of Mainstay/Wyaka during a visit to that community a few years ago during their Amerindian Heritage Day celebrations. Klass told this publication that he thought that it was fitting for Caria-Caria and it was inculcated as part of their practices from then on. When the campfire is lit residents would form a circle around it and the fire gives off a very picturesque atmosphere as it continues to burn. Klass said they would often choose a visitor to the community or a Minister to light the fire and that person then becomes a “friend of the community”. When Simon ignited the campfire it was met with loud applause and cheers by both residents and visitors. The people of Caria-Caria are unique in that they make their own wines which vary and they are also very hospitable. The residents of this little village are mainly farmers, loggers and miners.
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By Michel Outridge IN observance of Amerindian Heritage Month 2017, a Farine Fiesta was held under the theme “Promoting the versatility of Farine”, an activity which was geared towards the sensitisation of the use and nutritional benefits of farine. General Manager of Guyana Marketing Corporation, Ms. Ida Sealey-Adams, the event was the first of a series of events which were planned, and the idea was birthed when they recognised that there were so many groups in
the interior that are involved in the production of farine. Unfortunately, though, not many persons on the coastland know how to prepare and consume farine and the products that are derived from it, hence the GMA thought of the initiative to highlight the use of the commodity with the idea of having more persons utilise it. “We recognised that it cannot be used exclusively to prepare any meals, but it can make a variety of dishes,” Sealey-Adams said. The event was a collaborative effort between the Guyana Marketing Corporation, Inter-American Insti-
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Farine Fiesta organisers and participants at Sophia Exhibition Centre on Monday
tute for Cooperation on Agriculture (ICCA) and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs. Sealey-Adams stated that a comparative analysis was done by GMC as it relates to brown rice and found that farine contains less carbohydrates and it is gluten free for health-conscious folks. She disclosed that two groups from the Wowetta Women Agro Processors from the interior were invited to the Farine Fiesta, to sell the product and that samples of meats, muffins, pancakes, and fish were made available for visitors. Representatives from several institutions that prepare large quantities of foods, along with students from the Guyana School of Agriculture, the Guyana Prison Service, the Guyana Defence Force and the Carnegie School of Home Economics, also attended the event which was held at the Amerindian Heritage Village at Sophia Exhibition Centre, Sophia last Monday. Agriculture Health Specialist, Ms. Maxine Parris-Agron said ICCA, an international organisation had partnered with two other agencies to finance the preparation of modern dishes made from farine, as part of their contribution. Meanwhile, Omar Bispat Project Manager of Amerindian Development Fund said his organisation partnered with the United Nations Development Project (UNDP) on projects that promote the development of Amerindian villages in 161 communities across Guyana. He stated that the projects are based on the products of cassava and agriculture but from cassava they make farine and other by-products of cassava. He said too a trivia was held for members of public to have a chance to win a quantity of free farine by answering some farine-related questions correctly. The group said that they were pleased to be a part of the event which attracted scores of Guyanese, who showed up to have a taste of the tantalising Amerindian dishes available and to make purchases. Farine, a versatile commodity, is a traditional Amerindian staple made from cassava roots. It is used by the indigenous Amerindians of Guyana, particularly those in the Rupununi Savannahs, Region Nine. The origin seems to point to the Indigenous tribes that migrated from Brazil (e.g. Wapishana). Hence, the word farine is from the Portuguese word “farinha” which means “flour”. The Rupununi is known for its roasted meats, fried Tasso, Boiley and Tuma pot. None of these dishes are complete without this traditional staple, Farine.
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English THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
If a man’s character is to be abused, say what you will, there’s nobody like a relation to do the business. WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY (1811-1863) Vanity Fair, ch.19 STUDY SUCCESS Dear Student, Had you been paying attention to advice on revision techniques, you would have noticed that the allover recommendation encompasses three signposts: confidence, concentration, and commitment. Confidence it is because you must believe that you can be successful. Concentration it is because you must deliberately get down to study and to eliminate all frivolity and time-wastefulness. Commitment it must be because you have to cultivate the staying power and motivation to see the task to completion. You have the ability. Study! Love you LETTER WRITING The Friendly Letter Remember the friendly letter that some people think they have no need of? That is so cool! But you know its worth. You know that you are examination students and you need to master it, how best it can be written. Look at these points that encapsulate this personal, friendly missive: i) It is much less formal than the business letter. ii) It is sent to a friend, a family member, or anyone else with whom the writer wants to communicate. iii) It is mostly made up of five parts: the heading; the salutation, or greeting; the body; the closing; and the signature. Look at these points of purpose for the friendly letter: i) to share personal news and feelings; ii) to send and to answer an invitation; and iii) to express thanks. Model Friendly Letter Here is a good model. As you will notice it is very simply written; just good enough for the NGSA level, but is used here for simplicity and clarity. In it Carol-Ann thanks her two overseas cousins for a beautiful birthday present and gives them some news about her life. The letter has been put into column format so you can really see how it is set out.
Dear Jennifer and Jehnson,
234 Good Plantain Road, Topsoil, Canje, Berbice September 31, 2017
Thank you for the latest Smartphone you sent me for my birthday. It is just the phone I have been praying about for the longest while. I displayed it and did some demonstrations at the party my home people put together for me last weekend, and everyone loved its features. The weather we are experiencing in Guyana consists of scattered thunderstorms coming at any time of day; and partly cloudy skies at times. Winds feel like they are about 20 mph (showing off myself now), along with some rain. Our home plants stand to benefit as everyone is busy with some course or the other at this time and cannot properly care for them. We all are happy about it. Bible Study is going fairly well. I really like the package called The Life and Teaching of Christ. I am sure grandmother will let you do an on-line Bible course some time or the other. Trust her for that. When are you coming out to visit the family? There are so many new members that you need to meet personally. You’ll see Jenny-Ann and Kingsley look just like you two. We haven’t seen you two since our great grandfather passed. Mother bought a new bed for the guest room. No one has slept in it yet. Well, thanks again and hope all is well with you and everyone else. Love, Carol-Ann Look at the three sections above and observe how they are described below. First Section: The heading includes the writer’s address and the date on which he or she wrote the letter. Below on the other side is the person being saluted. Second Section: The body is the main part of the letter and contains the basic message. Third Section: Some common closings for personal letters include “Best Wishes,” “Love,” “Sincerely,” and “Yours truly.” THE PASSAGE Then a panic seized the Yeehats, and they fled in terror to the woods, proclaiming as they fled the advent of the Evil Spirit. And truly Buck was the Fiend incarnate, raging at their heels and dragging them down like deer as they raced through the trees. It was a fateful day for the Yeehats. They scattered far and wide over the country, and it was not till a week later that the last of the survivors gathered together in a lower valley and counted their losses. As for Buck, wearying of the pursuit, he returned to the desolate camp. He found Pete where he had been killed in his blankets in the first moment of surprise. Thornton’s desperate struggle was fresh-written on the earth, and Buck scented every detail of it down to the edge of a deep pool. By the edge, head and fore feet in the water, lay Skeet, faithful to the last. The pool itself, muddy and discoloured. (Jack London’s “The Call of The Wild) Something to Do 1. Read the passage and then discuss it with a study partner. Pay careful attention to its splendid points of description. This writer’s style can help you improve your presentations as you try by and by. Start now. 2. Pretend you were an adventure writer and you were asked to let Buck have adventures with a newly formed pack. Jot down some adventures you anticipate would help develop the pack’s hunting prowess in a forested area. 3. This passage is carefully chosen to broaden your background experience. Place it in a story ideas booklet. Later you will find opportunities to use some degree of London’s characters, action, and writing strategies as you practise for your examination. 4. Find out the meanings of all words and phrases in bold print. Explain the difference between ‘fateful’ and ‘faithful’ to a study partner.
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Bollywood news
Saif Ali Khan is happy to be 'uncle' for the first time
Saif Ali Khan, who will be next seen in the movie 'Chef', expressed his happiness after his sister Soha Ali Khan gave birth to a baby girl with husband Kunal Kemmu. Saif, who was in the capital for promoting his new movie, shared that this is a really happy time for the family and that he is really happy for his sister and Kunal. The actor exclusively told ANI, "It is a happy time for us. I've never been an uncle before, so I am Uncle Saif now." On Friday morning, Kunal announced the birth of a baby girl through a social media post and even thanked everyone for their love and blessings. He tweeted, "We are over the moon to share we have been blessed with a beautiful baby girl on this auspicious day Thank you for the love&blessing."
It should be noted that Saif Ali Khan will be seen in Raja Krishna Menon's
Throughout her pregnancy, the 'Rang De Basanti' star, who is an avid social media user kept her fans updated about her day-to-day activities as well as her daily fashion.
I suck at auditions: Taapsee Pannu Actress Taapsee Pannu says she has failed every audition in her life. "I suck at auditions. I failed every audition in my life. Seriously, I am a very 'ghatiyaaa' (bad) actor if you put a camera and a torchlight and tell me to act... I can't act like that... I have failed all auditions," Taapsee said. Taapsee has featured in films like 'Baby', 'Pink', 'Naam Shabana', and is looking forward to 'Judwaa 2'.
She says she wasn't good at her work initially, but got better with time. "I sucked at what I was doing that time, but the reaction that I got, in spite of being so bad, was so good and people loved me so much, so I said I think I need to do this much for all the love that I am getting in spite of not putting my 100 per cent at that time, not realising the gravity of this work. Then I started
acting," she added.
'Chef' which is scheduled to release on October 6.
Fish Cakes
Ingredients 8 oz cooked fish 4-8 oz cooked yams, mashed 1 tbsp chopped eschalot 1 tbsp chopped celery lemon juice pinch of nutmeg or mace 1/2 oz butter or margarine 2 eggs, beaten, for binding and coating 1 1/2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs fried parsley to garnish Instructions Remove skin and bone from fish and break it up finely Add the yam, eschalot, celery, lemon juice, nutmeg and salt and pepper Add butter to mixture together with sufficient egg to bind it together Turn on to a floured board. Shape into a neat roll and cut into 8 equal portions Reshape the slices into neat flat, round cakes Coat the cakes with beaten egg and dried crumbs Fry in deep or shallow fat, drain well Serve garnished with fried parsley and Lemon