Guyana Chronicle Pepperpot 04-04-2021

SUNDAY APRIL 04, 2021

‘Use this Easter to unwind from the tension caused by COVID-19’ - Veteran kite maker urges

Veteran kite maker Maurice Prince has been selling kites for the past 38 years on the pavement of Camp Street, Georgetown. Prince said business for him is bright despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In this photo, Prince and his wife are unpacking kites from their truck preparing to sell for the day (Carl Croker photo)

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, April 04, 2021

A memorable Easter tour to the Rupununi

By Francis Quamina Farrier WITH the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting constraints in our movements, I have been reflecting on how we spent the Easter holidays in past years. Of course, kite flying was the major activity for the majority of Guyanese, whether on the coastlands or in the hinterland regions or the savannah lands of the North and South Rupununi. However, on the coastlands of Guyana, especially at the Georgetown seawall beach, the Hope Beach on the East Coast of Demerara and the Number 63 Beach on the Corentyne Coast, tens of thousands of kites of all sizes and shapes dance in the skies, as strings lead to adults and youths, joyfully flying their kites. My very first tour to the Rupununi was over an Easter weekend. It was way back in the days of colonial British Guiana. There was no Tourism Authority at that time if my memory and records serve me well, I was part of a group that included Guianese, other West Indians, Americans, Canadians and a few “Brits.” The organiser of the tour -- and similar tours of which I was a member -- was educator and Girl Guides leader, Marge Rockcliffe. She was a senior member of the well-known Rockcliffe clan. The recently deceased Leon “Gunn” Rockcliffe, was her nephew. All of my early tours to the deep hinterland, including my very first trip to the Kaieteur Falls, were as a a member of the Marge Rockcliffe Tour group. I was so impressed and satisfied with how well that tour was operated, that I was on board for the Easter weekend tour to the Rupununi the following year. At that time, Miss Rock-

cliffe resided in the upper apartment of the Twins Drug Store at the corner of Middle and Cummings Streets in Georgetown. That was the assembly point for the tourists. From that location, we were transported by bus to the air-

h his two Farrier wit

port at Timehri. There we boarded a Guiana Airways Dakota airplane for the one-hour flight to Lethem. At that time Lethem was more or less a small village with all the streets being unpaved. Their surfaces were red dirt, and I clearly recall us having fun seeing who had the reddest dust on our bodies and clothes. What was most welcoming, was the friendliness of the local people. Those in particular who were responsible for our accommodation and meals were exceedingly

competent and hospitable. The group also visited the ‘floating shops’ on the Brazilian side of the Takutu border river. The present town of Bon Fin on the Brazilian side of the river was only an idea

er Nature, which she has so graciously given to Guyana, must be treasured by all Guyanese. Enjoying the sight of such beauties of nature will most likely make you

prepared to do business. The villagers were also ready to do business. As such, there was much business, which included indigenous

years ago em many th e L t a o r Rode at an Easte alcoholic beverages. No need daughters

back then. The biggest portion of our overland adventure was a trip by truck, from Lethem due south around the western end of the majestic Kanuku Mountain Range; the home of the giant Harpy eagle. Our destination was the beautiful and friendly village of Sand Creek. If you are Guyanese and never flew over or set eyes on the Pakaraima Mountain Range or the Kanuku Mountain Range, I take this opportunity to encourage you to do so as soon as possible. Seeing these pearls of Moth-

love Guyana even more. The giant ant hills in the Central Rupununi are also something to behold. Sand Creek is almost 100 percent Catholic. On our arrival there we received a truly warm welcome from the people, including the English priest, Fr. McKennan, SJ, who was based there for a number of years. Being business-like, some of the people had already brought out items for sale. Our visit was known well in advance and so arts and craft, as well as food and drinks, were ready for sale. The visitors were financially

to mention that some of the visitors, especially the men, began imbibing while yet in the village. Some wanted to prove to the villagers that they could ‘handle’ the indigenous brew. A few were not too successful and showed it by less control of their movements. Some of the younger villagers were giggling at the sight of the quick effects of the piwari on a few of the male visitors. The female visitors were more interested in items of art and craft. Their generous patronage was welcomed by the vendors. There wasn’t

much kite-flying seen in the village during that visit. After about three hours, it was time for the visitors to leave and return to Lethem. Many of the villagers gathered around to bid us farewell and a safe trip along the sandy trail around the Kanuku mountain back to Lethem. Miss Rockcliffe and one other female got into the cab of the truck with the driver. The rest of us made ourselves safe and as comfortable as possible in the tray of the truck. The engine was engaged and the truck began to move. Arms of the visitors, as well as the villagers, began to wave goodbye. Soon the truck was going past the boundary of the village and on to the main trail as a cloud of dust lagged behind it. Suddenly the image of a person on horseback emerged from out of the cloud of dust. It was the priest galloping on his horse at full speed as his long silver beard was blowing in the warm Rupununi breeze. He was shouting, “You have left something. You have left something.” Each of the visitors began to take stock of their belongings; cameras, bags, and others. There was no let-up in the speed of the priest as his horse galloped past the truck which had by then, come to a stop. The priest turned and began heading back to the village as he continued to shout, “You have left something. You have left something.” And as he passed the truck still waving and smiling broadly, “You have left something. A good impression.” All on board that truck felt like a kite soaring and dancing high in the South Rupununi breeze as they headed back to Lethem to enjoy the rest of their Easter holiday in the Rupununi.

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, April 04, 2021

Relishing the true meaning of Easter

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- Religious leaders encourage reflection amid pandemic By Dillon Goring CHRISTIANS worldwide look forward to the traditional celebrations during the Easter season. Good Friday and Easter Sunday are the times when Christians all over the world attend church services, with church buildings packed to capacity. But since the pandemic outbreak in December 2019, several restrictive measures have been put in place, thus limiting the number of persons that are allowed to gather in one place. These restrictions, therefore, extend to Good Friday and Easter Sunday Services and church in general. The Pepperpot Magazine spoke with two pastors to get their perspectives on the comparison between services held for the Easter celebrations before the pandemic and now that the pandemic is upon us.

Missing traditions Evangelism Pastor of the New Covenant Ministries, Eureka Aderemi, related that the celebrations themselves have been severely affected due to the restrictive measures that have been put in place to curtail the spread of the virus. “ Even during Easter Monday, we would normally go on an excursion, that has been cut out too; we as a church didn’t go on any excursion, we didn’t go last year and this year we aren’t going either, so yes, COVID has affected coming together per se,” Pastor Aderemi told the Pepperpot Magazine in an interview. She also mentioned that even the attendance at church services to commemorate Easter have been somewhat affected, because persons are now required to attend services in fewer numbers than usual, because of the requirements instituted by

Evangelism Pastor of the New Covenant Ministries, Eureka Aderemi

the COVID-19 Task Force. Pastor Aderemi added that the church has implemented measures to combat this effect by using the strategy of having more of their services online. She further added that the church also encourages social distancing in its l a rg e b u i l d i n g during physical services. “We have a building with the space and the capacity. We have three levels, the third level is really functional, Kite ve ndor displayi ng kites (Del but if needs be, ano Williams photo) it will be utilised,” the “ Evangelism Pastor told the magazine. But while observances for the celebrations might be curtailed because of restrictions, Aderemi is of the view that the enthusiasm and excitement are still there regarding the celebrations. The joy of seeing someone face to face, greeting them with a hug and the ability to mingle with them without inhibition, whenever and wherever there is a social gathering of families has been absent since the advent of the pandemic, and during her interview, Pastor Aderemi noted that with the absence of their attributes, it has put a damper in the manner in which she personally has enjoyed the Easter observances. Pastor Sean Wilson “ There is no excitement. Meanwhile, Pastor Sean I really want to see people, I Wilson of the New Testareally like that contact, it is so It is because you don’t want different now, we can’t even our acts to be in violation, we ment Church shared similar get to hug our brothers and can’t hug, we just a bounce, sentiments about the effect sisters anymore because of for example, Easter Monday, of the pandemic on personal COVID,” Aderemi related to we would have gone out and interactions. “As a result of the restricPepperpot Magazine. all of that, but we want to tion and our understanding of be compliant, so as a result, how COVID-19 is transmitStaying safe that has been cancelled and we don’t want to make ac- ted, we recognise that a lot of Assistant Pastor of the tivities of the church a super the ways we interacted with First Assemblies of God spreader event, so we want each other had to be radicalChurch Pastor Wilbert Lee to stay within compliance of ly adjusted, so that one year said that the measures used to restriction. We would advise later we still have not really curtail the spread of the virus, families to stay within their come to grips properly with have certainly put a damper small groups, and avoid large adjusting,” he said. “I think on congregational gatherings family gatherings,” Pastor all of our lives or most of it, of families for Easter obser- Lee told Pepperpot Maga- we have had the opportunity of being a people who are vances zine.

accustomed to meet and greet

in a physical way; now having to change that behaviour, presents a challenge, “ Pastor Wilson told Pepperpot Magazine. The Guyana Chronicle is quoted as saying in an article dated April 12, 2020, that for many Guyanese, Easter is about big family gatherings, picnicking at the park and beach or time spent at church. But this year, those events are off the table, as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic bears down across the globe. There will be no church gatherings, parks filled with families picnicking, nor the skies filled with a kaleidoscope of kites, due to social distancing. The Protected Areas and National Parks Commissions have made a decision to close the parks and beaches across Guyana for the Easter Weekend, in light of the presence of COVID-19 here. The zoo was also closed too. Due to this historically unprecedented change to the celebrations of Easter and Passover, churches across the country have moved their in-person mass or services online, in response to the virus, by using Skype, Zoom, Facebook live and other electronic means.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, April 04, 2021

‘Use this Easter to unwind from the tension caused by COVID-19’

By Elvin Carl Croker V E T E R A N kite maker Maurice Prince believes this Easter provides the ripe opportunity for the public to release and free up from the tension that COVID-19 brought. “De people looking fa a lil break, we deh under tension wid dis COVID,” he exclaimed when the Pepperpot Magazine visited him at his Camp Street location. Prince and his wife Beverly were busy applying finishing touches to a row of neatly stacked kites which were arraigned in a canter truck in which they were seated. Also in the canter were kites of all imaginable colours everywhere, some hanging from the ceiling, some in boxes and yet others hanging on the canter wall and others occupying almost the entire floor space in the truck. Prince, a father of six and grandfather of two, has been plying his trade for the past 38 years on the pavement of Camp Street between Regent and Robb Street. Unlike some other businesses Prince said business for him is bright despite the COVID-19 pandemic and he anticipates it getting better, coming up to Easter day. In sharing his opinion on the challenges faced by the COVID-19 regulations, he related that it was hard for him last year but things are looking better this year. “Well, is de same kinda meditation but only now you got to study that when you come out for sale. If you in gon got a problem, or you gon got a problem

with according to de COVID and thing wah going on,” he said. Prince, 63, related that every Easter he and his wife Beverly would come out to the spot early in the morning and display their colourful kites of varied sizes and colours on a wooden rack on the pavement. Speaking from his canter truck parked in the corner, he related that he has been operating from the said spot for the past 38 years. Addressing the question of why some persons wait until the last day to shop for kites, he explained that some people choose to do so because the children would break it up before Easter day. “Most people waiting till like Sunday then they might come and buy,” he related. Reminiscing on the experience last year, he related that persons might not want to buy early also because last year they could not fly their kites on the seawall. “Remember now, most of the people said they don’t want to buy kite because they chasing you off the sea wall, so some people say it in make sense,” he said in explaining persons’ reaction to last year’s experience. But he said that this year it appears that it will be much different because people are more aware of the measures re-

garding taking care of themselves. “This year it gon be much more different because they gon apply the same kinda safety measures they learn while indoors… You know you got to go and put on yo mask, protect yourself and others around you,” he related. Kite making Prince who is of the Rastafari culture explained that he was inspired to get into kite making after he lost his job at the Demerara Tobacco Company. “After realising that I had children to feed I had to find something to do to sustain us,” he said. He said he felt that with working with people there is always a possibility of losing your job so he decided to work for

- Veteran kite maker urges (Carl Croker photos)

himself. “So I look into my own meditation and said I will make some kite,”he said He also does painting and sculptures. The preparation for kite making normally begins in August but for this season he related that he began in December because of the uncertainty with COVID-19.

With the assistance of his wife, Prince makes over 300 kites in sizes of 18 inches, 4 feet, 3 feet and 2 and a half feet. He proudly boasts that all the kites he makes are uniquely designed with a colourful star in the middle. These colours he explained, are created by him buying white bond paper and

spray it with various colours of spray paint. The process of making a kite, he explained is very time consuming, noting that one kite takes about 20 minutes to make. In responding to his ability to supply in large quantity if approached by a company, he said he was never approached by any company but is confident he can satisfy any such request. Prince who is also a sculptor and an artist said he had donated many of his works to former president David Granger and current opposition leader Joseph Harmon. Prince believes while restrictions due to COVID-19 regulations affected business last year, this year is turning out to be a better one for business since the restrictions are not as stringent as last year.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, April 04, 2021

Dhaman Kissoon celebrates 30 years in legal profession By Frederick Halley THIS month marks 30 years since Dhaman Kissoon was called to the Ontario Bar and the auspicious occasion is being marked by the publication of a Commemorative Magazine, styled Kissoon30 – Celebrating Dhaman Kissoon’s 30 Years Law Practice. Published by TMac Enterprises on behalf of Kissoon & Associates, the classy magazine, which is scheduled to be released to the public shortly, traces the life of Kissoon from his boyhood days in Beehive, Guyana, a message from the publisher Tony McWatt, his rise to the prestigious position of Adjunct Professor at Queen’s University Faculty of Law, his Call to The Ontario Bar, his passion as a cricket and sports enthusiast, community involvement, awards and recognitions and acknowledgements. Among those extending congratulations to Kissoon are Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Toronto Mayor John Tory, Toronto Police Service, Queen’s University Faculty of Law, where he still teaches, Dr. Aubrey Zidenberg B.A., L.LD Chevalier de France, the Rotary Club of Brampton and outgoing Consul General to Toronto, Anyin Choo. According to the magazine, Kissoon’s legal journey began by articling at a medium-size firm from 1990 to 1991, which provided him

with the opportunity to regularly visit many courthouses throughout Southern Ontario, appearing on behalf of clients who were charged with Retail Business Act violations. The experience gained afforded Kissoon some courtroom training and after being called to the Bar, he rejoined the firm as an associate law-

re Dhanam Kissoon in his legal atti

yer. However, in 2000 Dhaman established his own law firm, Kissoon & Associates, covering all aspects of the legal

field. Two of his partners have since joined the Crown Attorneys office while one was appointed a Justice of the Peace. Dhaman has developed expertise in Criminal and Immigration laws and has made regular appearances at the Ontario Court of Justice, representing clients on various

criminal charges. He has also made appearances at the Superior Court of Justice, the Federal Court, and Immigration Tribunals. This has not prevented him from developing a passion for educating the next generation of lawyers. Upon graduating from Queen’s Law in May 1989, Kissoon was asked by the Dean of the Faculty of Law to return to the law school in the capacity of an Adjunct Professor, joining his colleagues Ian Smith, now a leading appellate lawyer. “Racism and Canadian Legal Culture” was one of the first courses offered by Kissoon in a Canadian law school and is still being taught currently. It examines racism throughout Canadian legal history and according to Kissoon, the course in particular focuses on racism in all aspects of criminal law. Dhaman has since become an experienced voice on race-related issues in the Canadian legal context.

As a long-serving adjunct professor with over 30 years of teaching experience, Dhaman has played a significant role in educating and developing a more diverse, tolerant and knowledgeable legal profession, particularly as it relates to issues of race. Dhaman has been the recipient of multiple awards including the Teaching Excellence awards in 2002, 2009, and in 2015, The Law Students Teaching Excellence award. In 2018 he was presented with the Stanley Corbett Teaching Excellence award, which has a special

place on his mantle. Corbett was a student of the course in the early 1990s and later became an Associate Dean at the law school before he passed away. Apart from teaching, Dhaman still finds time to devote to the Black Law Students Association of Queens’ Law where he acted as a coach for the law school’s Julius Alexander Issacs Moot Team – a mooting event attended by law schools around the country litigating diversity issues. He has also sat on various panels of the law school and law schools across Ontario discussing issues of race and diversity in the legal profession. Dhaman’s long list of community involvement, which began in 1990, includes service with the Toronto Police, the Micro Skills Board, the Pickering Devi Temple, Sick Kids Hospital, Advocates for Etobicoke Youth and the Brampton City Rotary Club, among others, He was a charter member of the Rotary Club of Brampton Flower City, whose primary purpose is to assist in humanitarian causes locally and internationally. Dhaman served as president of the club on two occasions and has been recognised for his outstanding efforts with the Paul Harris and the Paul Harris 1 awards. Dhaman also co-founded Advocates for Etobicoke Youth (AFEY) which has been supported by the Police Service and many local businesses. This organisation assists and mentors more than 1,000 underprivileged children from the North Etobicoke area of Toronto on an annual basis and has also been instrumental in providing a forum for the young

people and law enforcement officials to have dialogues on matters of mutual interest. Judges, lawyers and other prominent business people are among those who have attended AFEY’s Forums to provide guidance and mentorship to youth attendees. Kissoon’s involvement with the Kissoon Charity Golf Tournament has raised about half a million dollars for various charitable causes. Among the organisations benefiting over the years are the Toronto Sick Kids hospital; the Devi Hindu temple in Pickering; Guyana Help the Kids Foundation; the Three Rivers foundation among others. Dhaman was born in the small village of Nootenuzil, also known as Beehive, East Coast Demerara on September 30, 1956, and was the second of five children to Sugrim and Latchmin Kissoon. After attending Ann’s Grove Primary School, Dhaman was later enrolled at the Golden Grove Secondary School which he credits for his interest in law. His talent as a cricketer also gained him selection to the school’s team for the nation-wide Under-19 championships which saw Golden Grove reaching the final before eventually losing to the Georgetown based Tutorial High School. After successfully completing his GCE O’ Levels, Dhaman migrated to Canada in 1975 and was determined to follow the path of his uncle Jailall Kissoon, who had studied law in London, England. There are now more than 20 lawyers in the Kissoon family worldwide, one of whom Dhaman’s uncle Nandram is now a retired Court of Appeal Judge in Guyana. The most recent example of the Kissoon family’s legal practice pursuits is actually Dhaman’s own son Navan, who was called to the Ontario Bar in June 2020.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, April 04, 2021

Tuschen Village (Carl Croker photos)

e g a l l i V n e h Tusc

A developing community rich with activities

By Michel Outridge THIS week the Pepperpot Magazine visited Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo and interacted with the villagers and reported on their way of life and the community. Tuschen Village is probably the second-largest housing area with two Phases and it extends from the main public road to way down to the backlands area and savannah. The community is very deep and large and has an everyday market just at the entrance of the village; there is a tarmac for taxis and there are many roadside shops, stands, stalls, food businesses and various businesses in this village. There is an abundance of grocery shops, salons, barbershops, wash bays, supermarkets, hardware stores, boutiques, poultry and meat shops, pet shops, restaurants,

cookshops, pharmacies, lumber yards, stores and many other businesses ranging from small to large scale. The village has more than 30 streets, some of which are currently being upgraded and on the access road, a walkway pavement is being constructed and that road which was in a deplorable state as the internal streets are being upgraded by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure. Tuschen Village has a nursery school a primary school, a police outpost, a health centre, many churches, a mandir, a mosque, two playfields, and there is a lot of construction taking place in this community. Phase One is the front section of the village, while Phase Two sits at the rear of the community and is equally populated with people of all ethnicities and some people would leave the village for work, while others have businesses and are self-em-

ployed. The village is self-sufficient and the people are making use of their talent by utilising skills to earn and many of the people in this village hold more than one job and are very multi-talented. The people are very accommodating and friendly and did not hesitate to have a chat while a few were not so inclined. Tuschen Village is managed by residents, who formed the Community Development Council (CDC) and they are in the process of streamlining developmental projects to enhance the community. Since the CDC was newly formed they are at an incubation stage and plans will be developed to have projects done. Recently, following a village meeting with Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Indar Deodat, who is also a resident of this

Focus on the Village

village, street lights were installed to illuminate a once darkened community and for that the people are very pleased. Villagers reported that it is a nice place to live, but in the evenings some young men and youths would gather at street corners in the village and carry on a loud party, smoking illicit drugs openly and drinking alcohol late into the night and using indecent language. There have been some break-ins of homes and some people have been victims of robberies while, walking in the community by some criminal elements. During my walkabout in this village, some folk complained about the effects of the pandemic on their pockets, others talked about being unemployed and others are utilising their skills to become entrepreneurs, doing something to bring in a much-needed income to the home. This village is a busy one, it hardly sleeps and there is a hive of activities almost all day and late into the night, with businesses and people traversing to go to

work and return home using their own vehicles and the many taxis that operate on a short-drop basis. Almost everything is within reach in this village and one would hardly ever have to exit the community to get fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry, eggs, hardware supplies, lumber, clothing and just about anything. A lot of people, who originally came from the riverine islands and main-

land of many villages in the Essequibo River were allocated house lots in Tuschen and after constructing their houses they relocated. Some people are still building their houses while, living in small cottages and there is a never-ending of construction happening in this villages where more houses are being erected. There are more than SEE PAGE XX

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, April 04, 2021

The people of Tuschen Village

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- ‘Go-getters’ in their bid to earn

By Michel Outridge JOSIAH Dias, better known as “Levi” is a speedboat operator/captain at Parika beach and he would transport people to various parts of the Essequibo River, since he is very familiar with the places and people. He is originally from Liberty Island, one of the 365 islands in the Essequibo River and grew up there, but after he was allocated a plot he relocated to Tuschen, Phase Two after he constructed a house, eight years ago. The father of four is a very simple and humble man, who was busy doing some cement work in his yard, since he wasn’t doing his speedboat business that day. Dias told the Pepperpot Magazine that he would pay $15,000 per month to have

Josiah Dias doing some work in his yard

Vice Chairman of the CDC, Iqbal Yakub

his speedboat and engine secured at the Parika beach, where it is moored along

with more than 100 speedboats. He has been a speedboat captain for the past 20 years and these days he works on hire and would transport people from Parika beach to Buck Hall, Essequibo River, among other jobs. Dias disclosed that most people at Buck Hall have their own landing, but the main one used is managed by a resident, who would charge $2000 as a landing fee, even though the facility is not proper and he is of the view that is unfair and not pocket-friendly for speedboat operators.

Josiah Dias with his grandson

Narine Dookie selling greens in the village

Focus on the Village

Village leader The wife of Josiah Dias is Namrita Dias, she is a member of the Community Development Council (CDC) and it is at their home most meetings are held and she is a village leader, who would make representation for the residents. She is advocating for better facilities and a better life for all in Tuschen and has been instrumental in getting street lights recently for Phase Two. Dias does a lot of volunSEE PAGE XI

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, April 04, 2021

Life is a ‘hustle’ in Tuschen Village

Naresh Lall on his bicycle selling peeled shrimps

Suraj Dhanbeer poses by his taxi in Tuschen (Carl Croker photos)

Focus on the Village

By Michel Outridge SURAJ Dhanbeer is a resident of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo and the father of one, and is also a taxi driver and a construction worker. When the Pepperpot Magazine met him, he was on his way home to have lunch before returning to work; he is a full-time construction worker and does taxi work on a part-time basis. “I left home early this morning to work taxi, so I don’t eat then because it is too early and I would pull a few trips transporting passengers in and out this village to the public road, then return home for a quick bite then go again,” he said. Dhanbeer is from Coffee Grove, Essequibo Coast. He used to be a salesman/driver on a bread truck, back home before relocating to Tuschen after he was allocated a house lot. He is a resident of Phase Two, Tuschen Village and would do two jobs to ensure his wife and child are comfortable. The resident reported that a short drop is just $100 in the village while, for the cross streets it is $200 and he is part of the Tuschen Hire Car Service, the United Minibus Association managed by Eon Andrews and they have a logo and operate on the tarmac on a ‘turn’ system just by the public road. There are more than 100 hire cars operating in Tuschen Village with just 30 registered with the Tuschen Hire Car Service and the private cars are taking over and charging cheaper with loud music and tint. The drivers told the Pepperpot Magazine that they would pay to keep the tarmac area clean and garbage-free but vendors also share the location and there has been illegal dumping of refuse and it is unfair for them to keep cleaning it up every day. Even though there is a warden at the location garbage is still being dumped. In the hire car ‘turn’ system, drivers stated that they pay $200 per day and they would book in their timing and they clean and maintain the tarmac, as well as install a station for handwashing with soap and water to minimise the spread of the novel Coronavirus. From Blackwater that is Phase Two to the road front is $500 by taxi, since there are no buses traversing the village, the buses would only put off passengers on the SEE PAGE XIII

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, April 04, 2021

Becoming industrious during a pandemic Tuschen resident explores entrepreneurial skills By Michel Outridge AFTER the pandemic and she had to be at home and adapt to online learning and with no income, Soyinni Craig realised that she had to do something to earn and began exploring the possibilities of starting her own small business. Late last year, the mother of two told the Pepperpot Magazine that she got the idea after she was trying to get a proper wooden desk and chair for her daughter to be home-schooled via virtual classes and she could not. Craig added that she was trying to source the desk and chair but she was unsuccessful because the items were either too pricey or not durable. The 31-year-old stated that she began watching videos of how to make wooden furniture and after many online tutorials, she decided to give it a try. At first, she was intimidated by the electrical cir-

cular saw she had to cut the wood, but after some tutoring and encouragement from her father, she started doing it on her own and got better at it. The final-year student at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) will become a qualified teacher when she graduates and will then be placed at a school. She attends CPCE fulltime and gets a stipend and that went towards travelling from Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, to CPCE at Turkeyen; so money was needed to do other things in the home. Craig knew she had to come up with a plan on starting her own small business really soon and after saving up to buy the tools needed, she began making her first wooden table and chair for her daughter. It was successful with the help of her father, who would source the wood needed from sawmills and make the other purchase while she does

classes online, completes assignments and take care of her daughters and the home. Craig is a resident of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, and lives in an extended family setting where she is a single parent. She used to teach at a private school for two years and she wants to upgrade herself academically and applied at CPCE for the two-year course to become a qualified teacher. Craig reported that when she started it was difficult, because she could not afford to buy all the tools at the same time and bought what she can and as time progressed and she began earning she purchased all the tools she needs to become equipped for the job. Today, she has her own small business making wooden desks and chairs for children ages five to eight years old and as her business continues to grow, she is taking orders for large wooden ta-

Focus on the Village

bles and chairs for daycare and playschools. Craig would make custom-designed wooden desks and chairs and the desk can be equipped with a compartment for storage and it is a well-painted complete set. “I am a parent of two girls and I know how hard it is to buy things for them, so with that in mind I make my prices affordable so parents can afford to buy a desk and chair for their child or children,” she said. “I don’t feel woodworking and making furniture is a man’s job and nothing is wrong with women being empowered and take it up as a job,” she said. She disclosed that online

Soyinni Craig at work in her makeshift workshop under her house in Tuschen Village (Carl Croker photos)

classes have been difficult because of being at home and having to deal with children, housework and other things, it is hard to stay focused on studying outside of a classroom setting. She would advertise her small business via Facebook where she has a page and she is part of a group called “Sit and Stay Handcrafted Furniture for kids” and through that, she would get orders for her furniture and that business is gaining momentum. “When I have extra time I would try to put in some hours in getting furniture made, because I like to spend time doing a proper job for customer satisfaction and not do a ‘hurry up’ job,” she said.

Craig, the self-taught furniture maker told the Pepperpot Magazine that it is a learning experience for her and at the same time, is it money in her pocket to provide for herself and children, a ‘side hustle’. She does her deliveries only in Tuschen via a motorcycle that has a carrier and when she has to deliver furniture to other places she would use a taxi. “Having my own small business and being self-employed is a dream come through for me and regardless of what you are going through you can become a small-business owner once you are determined to,” she said.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, April 04, 2021

Necessary institutions in Tuschen Village

The Tuschen Health Centre and the church provide meaningful services to the community By Michel Outridge

Staffers of the Tuschen Health Centre

THE Tuschen Health Centre is situated in almost the middle of the village in Phase One, Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo and it is accessible to residents five days per week and they provide a healthcare service that is free of cost with the resources at hand. The nurse in charge, Jannella Henry, told the Pepperpot Magazine that they are opened from 08:00hrs to 16:00hrs from Mondays to Fridays and they have a staff of 11. The facility is neat and clean and all COVID-19 protocols are in place for the safety of staffers and patients where hand-

Prophet Troy Charles

washing, the wearing of a face mask and social distancing are all necessary to reduce the spread of the virus. The Tuschen Health Centre has a clinic attendant, two nursing assistants, two community health workers, four staffers in the dental department including a dentist, two dental technicians and one dental assistant, a doctor and a midwife. Nurse Henry reported that they have a good relationship

Focus

with the community and the patients are very cooperative causing them to get along well. The facility has a waiting area with benches, a dispensary, a dressing room, a dining room, a records section, a room for testing and counselling of PMPCT which takes places every Thursday and the antenatal/ vaccine/examination room. Tuschen Health Centre serves a large catchment area which includes the entire Tuschen plus Phase Two Zeelugt,

on the Village

where there is a shortcut that is being utilised by villagers to get to the health centre for medical care. The biggest clinic is the chronic disease/hypertensive clinic which attracts a large gathering but daily more than 20 patients would pass through the facility for varying health conditions. Nurse Henry said they are trying to provide proper health care for the community but at present, there is a shortage of drugs but they are making use of what they have. The staffers of this government-run facility are very friendly and do not waste time in assisting patients, some of whom need urgent medical care and attention. The village church Prophet Troy Charles is the head of Touching Your Healing Miracle Centre which is located in Phase One, Tuschen and is under construction. Charles is originally from One Mile, Wismar, Linden but settled in Tuschen, five years ago to fulfil his calling as a pastor to serve the people and provide a place for worship. He reported that he is trying to extend the building to house the church and it will also serve as a place for weddings, religious events, counselling and generally, a place where people can visit to talk to God. “Anyone can come here, it is a safe space and once a month we would try to distribute hampers to villagers and members through a partnership with Food For The Poor Guyana and other organisations to ensure the people have something to put on their tables at home,” he said. Charles stated that he is part of a family business in One Mile, Wismar, Linden and the church is his passion and does not receive any earnings from it and does it because he desires to serve the people of the community. “This church is not a money-making venture for me and I will never see it as that, in fact, I work with my family and

The church under construction in Tuschen

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Garden-fresh produce sold by Narine Dookie

The flower garden at Geeta Bacchus’s house (Carl Croker photos)

The people of Tuschen .... FROM PAGE VII

teer work behind the scenes and is regarded as a ‘go-getter’ in the community. The farmer/greens vendor Meanwhile, the Pepperpot Magazine also met another resident, Narine Dookie, an elder in the village. He is 73 years old, a pensioner, who has a cultivation of vegetables and he would sell it in the village via his bicycle which has a carrier attached to it. The father of five said he lives with his elderly wife since all the children are grown and left home and it is an income for him because it would supplement his monthly pension to honour bills and other household expenses. His harvest of boulanger, tomatoes, calaloo, sweet peppers, peppers, ochro, corilla, squash were all reasonably priced unlike market prices because they are perishable and doesn’t want to return home with them. The housewife Geeta Bacchus is a housewife and a resident of Phase Two, Tuschen Village, East Bank Essequibo and a mother of four. Bacchus told the Pepperpot Magazine that her time is taken up with the children, the parrot and six dogs plus household chores and cooking. She would leave home only when necessary to go shopping for essential supplies or to go to church. Her husband, a fisherman is away at sea, but the children are at home assisting in the chores and the one that is not working is fed up with being at home. He is job-seeking while, the others are employed and are school-aged and attending virtual classes online. Bacchus has been a resident of Tuschen for two and a half years and is originally from Hubu, also on the East Bank Essequibo. The CDC Vice Chairman Iqubal Yakub is also a resident of Phase Two, Tuschen and the Vice Chairman of the Community Development Council (CDC). When the team met him, he was doing some masonry work within the village because he would do such jobs whenever it present itself. The father of eight stated that he is always looking for work and when he gets any carpentry or masonry work in the village he would do it because jobs aren’t easy to get. Yakub added that he has been a resident of the village for the past eight years and three months ago they established the CDC to develop the community and since it is new they are in the ‘teething’ stage. He reported that the community was once neglected with bad roads, no street lights but they are seeing some development now with the upgrading of internal streets, a walkway is being done on the access road and the access road is being upgraded currently. The 40-year-old stated that the CDC has outlined plans for skills training for youths and women in the village as well, as other empowerment projects. Yakub pointed out that Tuschen is a very large community in size and population with more than 1000 houses in Phase Two and about 5000 houses in Phase One.

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Tuschen Health Centre.

Necessary institutions in Tuschen...

The list of services provided at the Tuschen Health Centre (Carl Croker photos)

FROM PAGE X that brings in an income to my home,” he said. Charles reported that it is very fulfilling to meet the needs of the people spiritually and he is there to transform the lives of those in need of that kind of spiritual healing through the church. “This is not a fly by night operation to collect money from members and it will never be but it is a place where people can come to talk to me at any time and serve God,” he said. The father of four added that he has a membership of 75 and they do not gather at one time on Sundays, and other days in the week for worship service to comply with the COVID-19 guidelines. Charles disclosed that he made an application for a plot of land to house the church, five years ago but to date, he wasn’t successful in securing it, as such, he had to build the church as an extension in the front of his house. He has, however, identified another vacant plot within the community.

The child-friendly corner in the health

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, April 04, 2021

Life is a ‘hustle’ in...

The packaged peeled-shrimp he has on sale

public road and they have to make their way into the village itself. Dhanbeer is part of the newly formed Community Policing Group (CPG) and once they are sworn in and take the oath, they will secure a van and do patrols in the village along with a police at nights. “I want to give back to the community, so I will assist as a volunteer for the CPG to ensure my family and neighbours are safe at nights,” he said. Dhanbeer reported that they have a playground in the village, but it needs maintaining, so the children and youths can go there for recreational activities. The 34-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that life in Tuschen Village is so

FROM PAGE VIII far, okay, except they need a more visible police presence due to some break-ins at houses and some instances of phone-snatching and a few robberies by bicycle robbers.

The ‘ peeled-Shrimp Man’ The team also met the “Shrimp Man’, Naresh Lall, who would ride around the village on his bicycle that has a carrier attached selling peeled shrimp that is already packaged for just $300 a pack. Lall explained that he would buy the fresh-caught shrimp from fishermen and he would clean it and package it, freeze it and would sell it in the community daily. Sometimes he also buys,

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cleans and packages fish also. He is a resident of Phase Two and had to find a way to earn after he had to quit his construction job due to ill health. Lall disclosed that due to the dusty conditions at the work environment, he developed a severe allergic reaction but was unable to continue working as a construction worker. He began the peeledshrimp business two weeks ago but has been living in Phase Two, Tuschen for the past 10 years. The father of two added that right now life is a bit hard but he is something to earn even though it is not a fast earner he is trying to hold his self-employed job.

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CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, April 04, 2021

XXI THE PUC REGULATES WATER, ELECTRICITY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS TO THE BENEFIT OF THEIR CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ―― Sunday, CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT Sunday,February January 28, 10, 2021 XX XIV INDUSTRIES AND PROTECTS CONSUMER RIGHTS 2021 REVISITING THE GUYANA/ VENEZUELA CONTROVERSY SOON TO COME BEFORE THE ICJ

EASTER GREETINGS TO ALL! MAY WE RECAPTURE ITS TRADITIONS, POST-PANDEMIC! THE SEAWALLS

IN Guyana, five agencies are devoted to assisting con- recent order is one concerning billing, whereby they have to sumers and ensuring that they are treated fairly. They continue sending hard copies of bills with a detailed stateare the Consumers Division of the Ministry of Business ment of usage, but GTT has not been effectuating this Order. With regard to the other two utilities-- GWI and GPL headed by Ms Cheryl Tinnis, The Competition and Consumer Commission, The Public Utilities Commis- -- the PUC monitors them to ascertain that they are mainsion (PUC) chaired by Ms Dela Britton and the Guyana taining a good quality of service and products and that their Consumers Association and Consumer Advisory Bureau. rates are fair. Relations between the PUC and both the water In this offering, we will focus on the Public Utilities and electricity utilities have been cordial and cooperative to Commission (PUC), which celebrated its 30th anniversary the benefit of consumers. THE controversy will againtheshortly andThough discussions where regulatory factual bases invariably become the PUC’s duties are exacting in the Guyana/Venezuela last quarter of last year. The PUC, unlike other come up beforebodies the International of Justice (ICJ). with blurred. regards to the utilities per se, the consumer facet of four consumer which addressCourt all types of consumer In Guyana, most oflie thedeep writings thethe controversy have its work In thisisisoffering, weand will depart from this norm and tryitto impacting in the period 2005 toseashells 2020, THE Seawalls in theon consciousness of which Guyanese today rather muddy was once covered with and complaints, is confined to dealing with utilities addressed approximately 8,400 complaints. been of a historical and factual nature and this is a good answer two questions that many have been asking since theup people, but especially Georgetowners. Yet it has rarely are Guyana Water Inc (GWI), Guyana Power and Light Inc there would always be children exploring and picking (GPL) and thethe Guyana Telephone and are Telegraph Co time (GTT). thing, since Guyanese of theoftwo Guyanese fishing boats inthey Guyana’s terribeen noticed by the newspublic media andnot the encouraged last it wasseizure seashells different colours; sometimes may find large Themove PUC was just time the mentioned as an item ofabout national concern was five or sixtorial conch shells. to theirestablished attention into thethe realms of state-owned arguments waters by a Venezuelan navy ship. The first question Guyana Telephone (GTC)) wasthe sold toand a small years ago whenCorporation the Ocean overtopped wall flooded The foreshore or continental shelf gradually rises and falls American company, Atlantic ATNthe re-first every 20 years and today, the foreshore land between Camp the yards parallel to theTelenetwork Public Road.(ATN); This was named GTC ‘Guyana Telephone and Telegraph time in living memory that there was suchCo.’ an occurrence Street and the Pegasus Hotel has almost risen to the height of The first chairman of the PUC was Joseph hurriedly Tyndall, acon- the wall and coconut trees and other vegetation grow on it. and it led to great panic. The authorities nationalist anda abarrier man of of great learningconcrete and extraordinary structed standing brilliance became Caribbean’s prominent teleslabs who on the Wallsthe to counter suchmost overtopcoms expert. In the purchase agreement, GT&T (later GTT) ping. In the last few weeks, the Seawalls was given a renewable 25-year monopoly of the industry have featured theinnews, in aGT&T and which theyagain exploited fullyinand ATN but circles, happier vein. Guyana were known as the cash cows. From Camp to the Demerara River, as a posGTT’s entry into Street the industry was first regarded wall by an accuitive the force forhad the become industrydisfigured again became functional. Immemulation unsightly and no one between diately after theoffirst flush ofgarbage satisfaction, relations assumed and the responsibility of cleaning it. A since the the company consumers became adversarial, homeless man, Carl who sometimes company embarked on aMelville, course of action that was exploitthere was noticed by Dwayne Hackett ativeslept of the consumer and anti-national, their only concern was trying garnering as many improper as they could. to clean the garbage andgains immediately

FOREVER!

volunteered to help him. Hackett placed the incident on social media and immediately numbers of persons volunteered their services. First Lady Arya Ali was one of the first to volunteer and the Ministry of Public Works, the Director of Solid Waste Department of the Georgetown City Council and the Fire Service became involved with her. The Fire Service cleaned the bandstand and in a few days all the garbage was removed and Seawalls appeared as if they had always been maintained! Many have been highbriefly in theironpraises of this example We will touch three examples of such impropof civic responsibility. er action: to inflate their profits, GTT brought in a fleet of The vehicles Seawalls had always the promenade park for 39 derelict which werebeen sprayed over andand which people of Georgetown and the surrounding villages they the were passing off as new. Tyndall uncovered the fraud.from lastoverseas quarter ofcall the rates 19th century and continued to world be so until Next,the their were the highest in the and this was purely And lastly, GTT a sex- tenthe 1960s when exploitative. the country became plagued withran political call system illegal and on exposed the country from sion andthat therewas were robberies the Seawalls. For most of the which suchtherefore, calls emanated to fewer serious sanctions 1960s, fewer and people visitedand the other Seawalls. consequences. The Scandinavian countries, instance,place In its heyday, the Seawalls were the mostfordelightful discontinued all telephone contact with Guyana! in Georgetown. The vast openness of the seascape and the GTT’s monopoly was forthe landlines, but and theysilver were able to the surrounding landscape, blue skies clouds, blockever-present all cellular seagulls companies which tried to enter the Guyana and the steady flow of the health-giving market. French company, Umobile, to secure tradeOne winds and the enveloping peacewas and able quietude attracted a licence and GTT were determined to eliminate them. Behundreds of people at all times of the day. The beach which fore they could do so, Digicel bought them to be licensed. Digicel entered the market and in a very short time, Digicel had more cell subscribers than GTT and rates fell by half. A great part of the PUC’s time and activity had been absorbed by GTT and the telecoms industry and its most

Likewise, the sea has reclaimed the land along the Kitty Seawall where houses once stood. Indeed, a substantial building is still standing close to the wall near the Kitty Pump Station, but the sea is under it. Old fishermen who set their nets on the foreshore sea could vividly describe the cyclical rise and fall of the beach. The Seawalls provided a favourite place for health enthusiasts. Many would go there to practise deep breathing of the clean and fresh sea breezes. Others would be cycling or even training for cycle races. Probably the most notable were the ones who went for physical culture. Many of this group would go to the Seawalls by either jogging to get there or by cycle and they would arrive there at 5 o’clock, long before

Research work helping curb... From Page III

timate for that area and in the space of 18 months, some 33 Giant Anteaters were identified. According to Millar, researching the animals included going out on horseback and following them from a distance to be able to stock up on more scientific information. One of the things they discovered is that the

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

several short documentaries called the “Secret Life of Giant Anteaters” and each episode focuses on different aspects of the work being done. Two more episodes are expected to be released this month. The team also does a lot of awareness work, including environmental education. They have another project for

EASTER the most important celebration in the Christhe sun hadisrisen. is, why is the Venezuelan public sowere convinced they tian calendar, for it commemorates thealways deathathat and resOn moonlit nights the Seawalls crowded urrection of the Lord Jesus. If the resurrection did not have a valid claim to two-thirds of Guyana’s territory and promenade. Many went to socialise with friends, but all went occur then there would be no Christianity. why their politicians are so bellicose and aggressive about to enjoy the beauty of the moon rising from the sea and the The basic story the resurrection well known, but it this claim? And theof second question is,iswhy did President blue-green moonlight which was brighter, since there were could always bear repetition: Lord Jesus was born in a poor Maduro Venezuela this time seizethe thevarious boats no road of lights to dilutechoose it. Others wouldtoenjoy carpenter’s and asalienate he reached late 20s population he began to when he would the his Guyanese phasesheofknew thefamily New Moon with the background of purple skies teach an ethic was different from thattowhich obtained and cause the which international community condemn or embellished with thousands of stars which appear in his home country of Palestine. The ethic which he taught disapprove of his action, leaving Venezuela isolated interbrighter since there were no city lights. Others very much resembled that which Lord Buddha had taught nationally on thebefore issue. would go to and the Seawalls in the latehave afternoons to many centuries several historians surmised to of thehis first began during theinto Cold sunsets gradually transforming thatThe theanswer 15admire years lifequestion which were unaccounted forthe in light of dusk. War: At theblue beginning of the Britain had decided the Scriptures were spent in 1960s a Buddhist country, where to he Another of the joys ofethic. the Seawalls were the withdraw from Guyana and grant the colony independence, imbibed the Buddhist teachings and The ethic which evening Sunday concerts given bythe the newly Militia but it was very likely that the Middle Prime Minister of prevailed inearly Palestine and East, in general, could Band and Police Band the Bandstand be encapsulated thethe phrase, “An eyeatfor an eyean and awhich tooth independent statein would be Dr Cheddi Jagan, avowed for a tooth,” while Jesus’ teaching wasto “Ifpersuade anyone slapped attracted of people. Their repertoire conMarxist. U.S. Cold hundreds War interests tried Britain on one cheek,ofturn other.” music Jesus’ teaching wascould theresisted lighttheclassical Strauss’ and toyou delay Guyana’s independence, but allsuch that as Britain fore strange and waltzes, revolutionary. ballet Delibes’ pizzicato promise wasother that she would handmusic over such power to a non-ComLord Jesus’ birth was miraculous in thatpatriotic he was andMinister. Sylvia, atAmerican least one English song such munist Prime Intelligence feltborn that from this the Virgin Mary and was recognised as the “Son of God” by as “This royal throne of Kings” and Guyanese and British offer needed further insurance and so they devised his family Caribbean and even by people inThe faraway lands such as the folk songs. concerts were arranged aMagi plan who whereby their client Venezuela would threaten to came to visit himsoat that his birth and could pay worship for early evening children attend; to him. The concept of God reincarnating Himself,that thattheir is, many Guyanese in later life have admitted assuming human form, was well-known and accepted in first exposure to classical music was from these Bandstand concerts. On Easter Monday thousands of kite-flyers turned out from five o’clock in the morning. Kites were all hand-made and were in a variety of shapes such as boxes, birds and snakes, but the predominant shape was the Guyanese octagon and in a variety of colours. Singing engines, a kite which made a loud droning sound, was one of the most popular. Kite-flying was always combined with picnicking. The Easter kite-flying today is a pale reminiscence of the heyday. As mentioned above, the political tensions and criminality kept people away from the Seawalls in the 1960s. By the invade Guyana if theremore wasstable any possibility of a Marxist 1990s life had become and people again began to government being installed in Guyana. frequent the Seawalls, but the ambience had changed. There Theup1899 Award hadofsettled the boundaries of grew stallsArbitral lining the parapet the Public Road from the Guyana and Station Venezuela these selling boundaries were fully Kitty Pump to theand Pegasus, refreshments and accepted bystalls bothwere parties and the communiall of these well-lit. TheInternational character of the Seawalls ty. One of the junior lawyers representing Venezuela had changed from a peaceful promenade to a lively fair. at the arbitration, MalletPrevost, left ais letter was not Now that the tourism industry beingthat revived, the toSeawalls have been opened until after his death. In that letter, still offer an attractive attraction. he claimed that the Arbitral Award was the result of an arrangement between Britain and the Russian arbitrator toEastern deprive Venezuela rights.Buddhism After more half a religions suchofasits Taoism, andthan Hinduism. century, Venezuela, based on Mallet-Prevost’s posthumous In Hinduism, the incarnation of God is known as an ‘Avatar’ letter, now and rejected Arbitral Award claimed Outar twoor ‘Outar’ Lord the Krishna is the most and well-known thirds of Guyana’s territory. Mallet-Prevost’s posthumous in Guyana. letterLord was Jesus’ the causus Venezuela used to subversive threaten Guyana teaching was therefore to the status and theafter Jewish which d’etre controlled and thisquo continued the Establishment Cold War, the raison for Palestinian society at the time felt that Jesus should be sithe claim, had ended. lenced. charges were made himnotice and he Most Trumped-up lawyers and historians who against took any brought to trial before thedismissed Roman governor Palestine, ofwasMallet-Prevost’s letter it as aofhistorical Pontius Pilate. could find noon fault withto Jesus, but the curiosity or veryPilate flimsy evidence which attempt to Jewish Establishment could engender widespread disorder upset a long-accepted Arbitral Award. But the Venezuelan and Pilate was constrained to condemn Jesus and ordered that politicians and the gave credence he be crucified. HeVenezuelan was made topublic drag his heavy cross toand the importance to Mallet-Prevost’s posthumous letter, which execution grounds where he was crucified on Friday. This would have been dismissed in Friday’ the modern world. But day came to be known as ‘Good or ‘God’s Friday’. the Venezuelan politicians andhe public still live the 19th After several hours when had died, his in family took century Napoleonic world where territorial conquests were regarded as acceptable andPAGE even XXIV heroic. In today’s world, SEE this 19th-century ethic has been completely rejected.

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Happy Easter AS we know, today is Easter Sunday and so, I would like to talk about how we can best experience this day, one that gives the opportunity for fun traditions or simply promotes much-needed rest and relaxation. Many of us are happy simply because lent is now over and therefore we can return to our vices. Although, if they were unhealthy, I hope you have realised the benefits of not practising and continue to abstain from them. First, a little bit about today. Easter is a Christian holiday and festival that celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and is the most celebrated of holidays. It began as a Pagan holiday that was adopted by Christians. My research shows that the holiday was named after the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre whose sacred symbols were thought to have been the hare and the egg. Hencewhy Easter Eggs are a thing. Christians used to recognise the resurrection of Christ every Sunday until it was decided that a full, annual day will not only be acknowledged but celebrated. Easter Sunday specifically is the day that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus- the day he rose from the dead, three days after his crucifixion and burial. It is the last day of what is known as ‘Holy Week’ which encompasses Maundy Monday, which commemorates the Maundy and the Last Supper and Good Friday, the day of Jesus’s burial. Easter Sunday, the day he resurrected, is the oldest and most important day in the Christian calendar. For those who aren’t so religious, Easter simply marks a long weekend, filled with fun (hopefully). Today both Christians and non-Christians celebrate with more modern and fun traditions involving family, friends, kites, chocolate, cross buns, Easter eggs and even an Easter bunny. Traditionally, during Holy Week, eggs were not allowed and any eggs which were laid were saved and decorated as ‘Holy week” eggs which were then given to children on Easter Sunday. Future generations have thankfully evolved these into chocolate eggs. Also, why a bunny rabbit for Easter? Rabbits have traditionally been viewed as a symbol of new life because they usually birth large litters of babies which legend believes they often hid. This idea is believed to have originated in Germany during the middle ages as the first-ever seen written piece on the Easter bunny was dated back to the 16th century, Germany. It is then believed that Dutch settlers in Pennsylvania brought the bunny ritual to the United States in the 1700s and the tradition spread on from there. Hence, today an Easter egg bunny has left treats for you to find in an Easter egg hunt. The traditional act of painting eggs is called Pysanka and the eggs were traditionally painted red to signify the body of Christ and his victory over death. The official flower of Easter is the white lily (Easter lilies) as it represents grace and purity. Like many other religious holidays, the dates of Easter and Holy Week change, based on different group beliefs SEE PAGE XVIII

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Happy Easter... FROM PAGE XVII is hiding candy in a safe and the moon. I apologise if I’m the environment, keeping them only one who finds these quiet and busy searching for them while you as the facts interesting. So what to do today parent/guardian can eiother than eating chocolate ther enjoy the peace and quiet or equally share in and cross buns? Well there is the tradi- their excitement. The adult tional Easter egg hunt and version can be more of a scavenger hunt - around kite-flying Easter egg hunts can the neighbourhood or even work for children and around the whole town. Inadults. The child version vite some people and make

it a neighbourhood event, socially distancing all the while of course. Want to bring out your or your child’s creative side? Try egg decorations. I used to do this all the time as a child. My mom would drill small holes into eggs, make us breakfast and then put the empty eggshells in the fridge for a while. The SEE PAGE XIX

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Happy Easter... FROM PAGE XVIII

hole was just big enough for us to stick our finger in which meant we could easily hold, turn and paint around it. We also used these and any other Easter creations to make Easter hats out of plain straw hats. While kite-flying did not originate in Guyana, it did as an Easter tradition. Did you guys know that? That Guyana made kite-flying during Easter a thing? We did – no other country typically flies kites during the Easter holiday. I also always thought an interesting thing to do on

holidays was plant a tree, especially on one which signifies resurrection and life. It’s a great tradition as while it’s good for the environment, it’s great for strengthening relationships and creating memories. Basically, any healthy quality time can do this and no better day than today for some family bonding. Regardless of your religion, today is a day for the appreciation of life, hope and family time. I hope you make the most of it.

Thanking you for reading. Please keep sending any topics you’d like to talk about to caitlinvieira@gmail.com. If you would like personal counselling sessions, please feel free to contact me at +592 623 0433 Suicide Prevention Helpline numbers: 2230001, 223-0009, 6234444, 600-7896 Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always

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. . . e g a l l i V n e h c s u T FROM PAGE VI

SEE PAGE XXI

6,000 houses with a population of more than 10,000 people of all ethnicities and walks of life. Tuschen Village hasn’t come under the Neighbourhood Democratic Council yet and residents do not pay taxes as such, they have to maintain their own parapets, drains and

other waterways within the village. From time to time, large government-owned equipment would assist and clear the black water canal that runs throughout the village and trenches to prevent flooding and assist farmers in this community to have access to

water for their crops. Tuschen Village is a developed community and it is still developing to date. This community is located between Vergenoegen and De Kinderen villages and is one of the largest housing schemes in Guyana.

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Tuschen Village... FROM PAGE XX

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The healthy (chewing) gum for your teeth

WHAT do Trident, Icebreakers, Stride, Orbit, Pure, Mentos, Spry, Tic Toc, and Life Savers have in common? They are all chewing gum containing xylitol, which is a healthy sweetener. For centuries it has been known that salivation contributes positively to oral hygiene by literally washing away the colonies of caries-producing germs that constantly proliferate on the tooth’s surface. The practice of chewing gum originated with the act of keeping a smooth pebble in the mouth to resist bad breath. The diet, and by the pattern of its consumption by the host, plays a crucial role in oral health. Its dependency on ingestion of fermentable dietary carbohydrate (sugar) is beyond question. However, caries do not occur in germfree animals, no matter what their diet, thus establishing it as a fundamental microbiological disease. Based on these facts, researchers are working consistently to identify new ways to combat tooth decay. The merits of chewing gum as it relates to preventing tooth decay is well publicised. Literature and TV advertisements refer to the buffer effects that saliva has on dental plaque and everyone knows that chewing gum SEE PAGE XXIII

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The healthy (chewing) ... FROM PAGE XXII

provokes salivary flow. But there is a new mechanism whereby chewing gum helps prevent caries. That aspect has to do with the actual composition of the chewing gum. Several studies of humans have examined the effects of partial or total substitution of sugar by xylitol in chewing gum. Xylitol is sweet but is not a fermentable sugar. Actually, it is chemically classified as alcohol. As part of the famous Turku Sugar Studies, a comparison of caries experience was made among three groups of adults whose diets contained diverse foods in which fructose-substituted-for sucrose, xylitol-substituted-for sucrose, or the usual sucrose-containing foods were exclusively consumed. The results after two years,

supported by a variety of microbiological, salivary and other observations, demonstrated a dramatic reduction of decay incidence, about 85 percent by comparison with the ordinary sugar diet. Studies demonstrate non-cariogenicity of high xylitol (65 percent) content gum. They also suggested that such chewing gums were caries inhibitors, despite the limited time and quantity and exposure of the dentition to the gum. Of course, it should be recognised that chewing gum would seem to be an ideal vehicle for delivering caries-inhibitory substances at relatively high concentrations to the surfaces of the teeth, although the quantities ingested may be very small. The factors which are conducive to tooth decay are remarkably localized to the surfaces of the teeth. They are plaque, its bacterial population, the acid produced from sugar in the plaque in juxtaposition to the tooth surface, and the sugar challenge to the plaque flora. Finally, certain factors should be involved with chewing gum for the sake of oral hygiene. The chewing gum must contain xylitol sweetener instead of sugar. The content of xylitol should be high, that is, over 60 percent, because it is the xylitol that specifically attacks the germ (strep mutans) which causes tooth decay. The gum should be chewed for at least a total of 20 minutes a day. This implies that one may chew the gum four times for five minutes during the entire day, to derive the maximum effect. Now, even tooth whitening gum is sold on the local market.

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EASTER GREETINGS TO ALL! ... FROM PAGE XIV

his body down from the cross and buried it in the family vault and for Saturday his family and Christian believers agonisingly awaited his resurrection. On Sunday morning they found the large stone blocking the entrance of the vault had been removed and Jesus had gone. He was seen walking about and many, such as the disciple Thomas could not believe their eyes; Jesus had to tell Thomas to place his finger in his wounds to convince him that it was with Jesus he was speaking. The resurrection had occurred on Sunday as had been prophesied and this day was celebrated as aster. There are many persons, especially from the peripheral churches, who posit that since Easter is named after the Anglo- Saxon goddess of Spring, Eostre, Easter is a pagan festival and has no relationship to Christianity. This nonsensical position is easily demolished by pointing out that in the Mediterranean countries they use the word derived from the Hebrew word for Passover for Easter; in French, for instance, it is ‘Pascal’ and the celebration of the holy day is much the same throughout the Christian world. Another point that shows the absurdity of those who claim Easter is a pagan festival is that in the English language, the days of the week are named after Teutonic deities such as Wednesday being Woden’s day or Thursday being Thor’s day; it is foolish to think that English-speakers worship Woden on Wednesday or Thor on Thursday. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the traditional ways Easter and the Easter season had been celebrated. The Stations of the Cross Service or the Midnight mass on Holy Saturday and other church services take place virtually or not at all. The traditional dinners or lunches for family and friends and the children’s fun of searching for Easter eggs and rabbits on Easter Monday morning have fallen into abeyance and above all, the Easter Monday kite-flying and all-day picnicking have become extremely restrained. All are however confident that when the COVID-19 pandemic would have passed away, Easter would re-emerge in all its glory.

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A LEGAL ARM ACROSS POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE INTEREST OF ‘PEOPLE CONCERNS’ is a necessity... BY now it should be clear that the Attorney General’s office in any national Guyanese government is occupied with predominantly the legislative and constitutional arguments that develop in parliament in relation to mainly the political protection and sanctity between government and opposition. While most of the disruptive conflicts that are part of the daily woes that have the potential to be life-changing and also with fatal consequences do not reach parliament, or even arouse debates as to the determined possibilities for its frequencies. With this said, the case study for the observation that we have become accustomed to, though we should not, with this article, is the frequency of ‘arsons’ directed it would appear, as a tool to liquidate business competition and disruptions between businesses and as a conclusion to domestic conflicts, we dare not deny that arson is a national affliction. Some time ago without reaching too far out, I enquired about a fire that was publicly deemed arson in a ward of Georgetown. Some friends of the accused decided to tell me the cause, it seemed that the couple came together as normal but her family mainly females and self-appointed guardians whispered certain things to her that resulted in his name being left out of the title of the property/land. Upon discovering this, a dispute emerged that led to the conclusion to ‘bun de #*+ house down’ many elder children mostly male are taken out of school early to become surrogate providers, leaving them almost illiterate. As it is with humans we tend to postpone the seriousness of events, however close to us as exaggerated and with the creole placebo-”It ent suh bad, ‘e’ jus mekking it sound

suh” well here’re some reflections; 1-Woman jailed for 13 years for husband’s fiery death -Stab. March 5, 2010: 2- Three die in arson attack-Stab. May 10, 2006: 3- Jilted man charged with arson murders-GNNL May 13, 2006: 4- Miner set afire by wife-doused with gasoline while melting gold-Stab. June 27, 2011: 5- Raging fire, chilling bones found-Corentyne murder-GNNL July 17, 2004: 6- Former boxer burnt to death in suspected arson-Stab. March 23, 2012: 7- Charlestown fire claims four lives-including three children- Stab. Sept.30, 2012-[this incident I have knowledge of] 8- Property dispute eyed in Regent Street fire-Kaieteur April 3, 2012: 9- Region 5 farmer suspects arson-Kaiet. Sept. 14, 2017: 10- Suspected Lombard St. arson leaves two dozen homeless -Stab. March 3, 2019: 11- One man carried out arson attack on human rights centre-witness-Stab, July 29, 2020: 12- Mother, six children homeless after suspected arson at Charity-Stab. May 7, 2019. These 12 incidents are taken from literary dozens, into hundreds, over the years indicated, they represent individuals trying to steal properties from unrepresented citizens with legitimate prescriptive rights positions, domestic disputes, as with number seven, a man’s house was sold by a Bank, (this matter was brought before the ERC) while he was paying a loan his mother had taken. The buyer decided to evict residents and the rest is tragic history. If arson in Guyana does not require very special attention, then what does? Then there is the less tragic but an infliction of mental torment. Whether you own a house or is in some form of family dispute, and need to ‘Move’ may have to be dealt with, and as there are no registered association of movers,

so you take a guy with a truck, and after the moving is done you commence the unpacking and realise that the box with the new reserved curtains is gone, along with it, an electric iron still in its original box, when did it happen? Well, in the confusion with not too much tabulating as to what went in which trip, anything is possible, and a very fluid space to shuffle possibilities and create doubts about what went wrong, even if you need to make an accusation, so afterwards you explore, ask persons who had moved here and there, and similar stories arise, with too many similarities, but the anxieties of the process involved with a moving family will create the right-vulnerable mood if you’re unsuspecting, with predatory recruited movers. However there’s a wide section of families who’ve punished to what seems to be a clandestine criminal code of extracting incentives from families, the only group exempted from this would be the youthful and older resolved ‘Bachelor boys’ and girls’ who travel with hands-on trappings, regularising these services are important. In closing, every home should also have a contracts book [I’ve thought of designing this] the contracts would have to be legalised to facilitate the numerous repairmen and solitary contractors that now traverse our townships, professing this or that competence, without a professional directory as I had discussed with the late Mel Sankies so many years ago. Such a legal facility will resemble the ‘Legal Aid’ but with the thoroughness of the ‘Drug Court’ with its own research and enabling authority, but with the former two in existence and a significant plus to our vulnerable humanity, there is indeed evidence cited in this article that a

Public Legal Affairs Centre –P.L.A.C should be constituted, collaborated across the political ‘no man’s

land’ to serve areas that for too long have remained unattended, because of the weight of its social

contentions, so to find for such contentions, at last, a functional place of resolve.

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ANGELS IN THE SKY (Photo courtesy of Amanda Richards)

RICCARDO stared at the sketch pad in front of him, his mind blank, seeming lost in a desert place. He sighed in exasperation and putting down his pencil, he wheeled over to an open window overlooking the garden. It was where he would sit on those days and nights when his spirits were low, looking at the night sky or sunrise, listening to the birds singing and feeling the cool breeze on his face. Those scenes of life inspired him as an artist, for art had given him a new lease on life after the accident. Each day he lived with the hope for a miracle that would make him walk again. His young life had been turned upside down when a speeding minibus had skidded off the wet road on the highway and crashed into his father’s SUV. A horrific accident that crushed his dreams of becoming a cricketer – a mesmerising spin bowler like the greats of the past. He couldn’t even go back to school but became homeschooled, so he hardly had any friends. Time has passed slowly and painfully for him after the doctors concluded he would never

walk again, and gradually he turned his interests to art and chess. He won many trophies in junior chess tournaments but kept his art as a private collection. Nothing seemed in spring today as he looked through the window and sighing deeply he wheeled his chair to the back veranda where he could see the playfield a short distance away. Kite flying had already begun and boys were shouting, laughing and running with their kites as they took to the air. Riccardo watched, an ache in his heart and he whispered as he had done so many times before, “I wish I could walk again.” He sat there watching the fun, as kites rose and fell, the string of a butterfly-designed kite bursting and flying over the tall palms, high in the cloudless sky. Riccardo watched the kite as it sailed away and a light shone in his eyes. “Yes!” he exulted, an idea just born. He wheeled his chair back to his desk and picking up his pencil, his fingers brought the blank paper to life. That night after his

mother had helped him into bed and they said the Lord’s prayers together, he asked her, “Are there angels on earth, Mom?” She kissed him on the forehead and said, “Angels are everywhere we are, in our hearts and our minds.” He smiled and closed his eyes to sleep. His mother looked at home, an aching in her heart, but proud also and she whispered to the heavens, “A brave child he is, and he believes so much in you, dear Lord.” Riccardo worked on his sketch all day until it was perfect. Now all he needed was the construction, which his big brother was good at. Easter day drew closer and even though he knew he couldn’t run and play anymore, he could still make the day special with his uniquely designed kite. Papered in pure white with gold trimmings, he called it, ‘Wings of an Angel’. On Easter morning he awoke with pure excitement in his heart and as he entered the park with his family, he felt something beautiful was going to happen. His kite attracted a lot of attention and after SEE PAGE LI

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Farmers partnering with NAREI to conduct Irish Potato trials THE National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) is currently conducting trials of Irish potatoes on three farms -- two at Little Biaboo and one at Dora. The intention is to ascertain communities in which potatoes could be grown and the conditions necessary for a successful harvest. Irish potato is a high-demand commodity in Guyana because of its consumption preferences. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, in the year 2017 alone Guyana imported approximately 11.5 tons of Irish potato costing an average of US $3.5 million. NAREI’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. Jagnarine Singh noted that the institute has initiated and commenced various initiatives in its strategic plan, a programme of import substitution i.e., to reduce food-import costs by at least 20 percent annually. Thus far, several varieties of Irish potato were screened

for production capabilities under Guyana’s agro-ecological conditions. It was proven that some varieties performed well, with quality compared to that of international standard. We are also working with our international partners to continue the screening of more tropical varieties. The environmental condition set to a specific variety determines that crop yield within its genetic limits. Therefore, a combination of environmental factors and cultivars can result in production differences. Crop-screening for adaptation to a new environment before dispatching for large-scale production is important. Research plots/ farmers Thus far, three farmers’ plots have been selected to conduct trials based on strict criteria and are expected to expand as more seed materials become available. * Little Biaboo, Upper Mahaica River- Field visits and assessments were done on two half-acre plots in the area to ascertain whether the conditions (soil type, irrigation & drainage) were present. This area was reselected to conduct trials since it had proven to be the most successful in previous trials done by PROPEL. Two farmers: Mirzaad Persaud and Chetram Ramdass were selected since their farms met

the requirements needed. * Dora, Soesdyke-Linden Highway- Field visit and assessment were done on a half-acre plot to ascertain the suitability for cultivation. The farmer, Haresh Tiwari, had

previously expressed his interest in trialling Irish potatoes on his farm as a means of intercropping his avocados. Land preparation: SEE PAGE XXXIV

haring their journeys XXVIII

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mazing women from the Women ies. ch Radio NY requested an interm if it was okay for me to invite am sharing some excerpts from

ips -- born in St Lucia, living in

eing a Midwife of Purpose came oken, displaced, and journey, I experienced a divorce, displaced n administrator’s position. Coupled major eclipses n eclipse happens when you can ecomes greater than your current is process, you can transcend to a where you can connect with your one with nature. n in Guyana and living in NY ave the real experience of dreamm world alive. I was immediately with the agency where they tested Microsoft Office and typing speed.

INSPIRE YOU truly inspired One week later I completed my assignment with CTO and was now ready to move on to my next career move. I called Monique to let her know I was available as we agreed and she was so happy to have me start my first temporary assignment with Deutsche Bank. My first

Dr Safeeya Mohamed started her presentation. She shared why wellness is so important in our lives Keynote speaker in 2019 for INSPIRE YOU at the Pegasus. John Maxwell has influenced both of our lives to be servant leaders. Dr. Safeeya Mohammed, a well-known keynote speaker, most recently shared “Optimising Digital Well-being in a Pandemic” as the TTCSI designate at Dubai 2020 Talks. Motivated by the overwhelming burdens of ill health and unwellness in the Caribbean, Dr. Mohammed founded SISU Global Wellness, an organisational consultancy aligned to United Nations SDG 3, as the pillars of Resilience and Behaviour. assignment lasted two weeks, covering someone’s vacation. Due to my work ethic and desire to go the extra mile, I landed another assignment in the same department for six months, then another for three months, which finally led to my permanent position, allowing me to live a dream. Dr. Safeeya Mohamed – Trinidad We received the updates that the accident was horrific and that the victim was stuck in the car. The vehicle had to be cut open to get to the victim. It never occurred to me that my brother could be remotely involved. The next thing I remember, I was looking at the body of my brother covered in blood in a hearse. The strident, agonising scream of my mother in the A&E that early morning has not escaped my mind almost 17 years later as she howled “my son died, my son died, nobody’s helping us!” But nobody could, as his spirit departed at the point of impact. Up to this day, I ponder where the strength came from to navigate that night. Shanon Paar – Arizona

When I was six years old I started school in Mesa, Arizona, so I began staying with my mom and her husband routinely. It was like going from heaven to hell. It was a horror story that’s yet to be written. While at grandma’s I was filled with the love of a grandma and Jesus daily. On the other hand, at my mother’s house, I was filled with Rock ‘N Roll, drugs and inappropriate, wild sex parties. Ultimately, from such an environment you can imagine the kinds of abuse that mom’s house provided. When I was 11 years old, grandma Shirley died and my stepdad left. My mom had an emotional breakdown, so I ran away! I couldn’t take any more. Andrea Edwards – born in Guyana, living in Florida As I sat in the back of my dad’s Nissan Bluebird, I peered through the windows at the images on the fence of the Guyana Botanical Gardens and Zoological Park. The radio blasted the popular calypso song “1985” by a then-popular calypsonian. I would have just celebrated my sixth birthday, quite oblivious to the concept of time, but that song would not allow me to forget that it was 1985.

I knew that I would be in big trouble if I told my dad what had happened. It was a secret: the kind that could get me into big trouble. I didn’t know how much trouble, but I wasn’t willing to take a chance. “Shhhh... Don’t tell anyone.” Maybe it’s the trauma of my experience, but is fora keen someand passionate entrepreneur and Clinton Urling reason stilliscannot rememmentor.I He the Owner of German’s Restaurant (Brooklyn ber andhow Georgetown), former President of the Georgetown Chamit happened, when Vice-Chairman of the Private ber often Of Commerce & Industry, itSector started, or even when it Commission and President of the Guyana Football ended Federation. He holds Masters degrees in Foreign Affairs (University of the West Indies) and Sports Management Penny Phakahi –South (Columbia University) and is currently a doctoral candidate Africa in Business Administration at the University of Florida IAka have had myis share Ali-Kerr a JohnofMaxwell-certified coach, trainer, turmoil and I strongly believe and speaker. She shared how we can lead through the lens that it is these stints of turof care, especially in this challenging time. She shares why moil me will be transformational. She has fabooksthat onbrought this subject this far in my life.seminars, I was and coaching to aid personal cilitated workshops, and perhaps is still in and professional growthmy through the study and practical refinery process. application of John’s proven leadership methods. Working As a young I grew together, she hasgirl, moved leaders and their teams in the deup with one main ambition, sired direction to reach their organisational goals. A dynamic wanting to get away, Human Resource leader,far she has advanced interpersonal away from the system of on achieving individual and team skills that have focused thinkingAka or the that and love for people which has objectives. has box a passion we often find ourselves in. Apart from understanding myself I always dared to be different, which was a constant struggle when surrounded by my situations. I grew up under a strict Christian family with my grandfather and step granny, as my mother lost her mom SEE PAGE XXV

been demonstrated for more than 20 years in developing and implementing best-practice strategies in all spheres of human resource management. Peter Ivey is an entrepreneur, writer/ author, speaker and SEE PAGE XXIX

CHRONICLE PEPPERPOT ― Sunday, April 04, 2021

INSPIRE YOU truly... SEE PAGE XXVIII

food-security activist. I have never met a chef who was passionate about food security. He believes social responsibility must be married to a career and we all should use our skills for good. Born and raised in Jamaica, he divides his time between the Caribbean island and New York. As Founder and CEO of The Reggae Chefs®, a culinary services company that uniquely fuses Jamaican food and cultural expression through customised events, Ivey’s work as a chef and cultural ambassador of Jamaica has been featured across a variety of platforms, including Forbes and the New York Daily News and has been archived in The National Library of Jamaica. Caron Hawco and I met a few years ago at the Women in Business Expo and I enjoyed watching her navigate her way in what is perceived to be a man’s world. She shared some of the challenges for women in the oil-and-gas industry. Caron Hawco is president of the Caron Hawco Group, specialising in corporate strategy, international business development, communications, negotiations and facilitation. With a diversified portfolio of clients, she has recently focused on opening new markets for technology companies, including Guyana, commercialising cutting-edge ocean technologies, as well as strategic communication and energy-transition projects. With over 25 years of experience in the petroleum industry, Caron served on Statoil’s (now Equinor) Offshore Canada leadership team for over seven years and is the former chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industry Association (Noia). I appreciated the opportunity for my first live event. Shawn Shewram was the youngest member on the panel and I have a great vision for his life because he is one of the most intentional young men I know. He shared his WHY for having a relentless drive to achieve. Shawn is currently a First-Year Student at the Hugh Wooding Law School. He has recently completed his Bachelor of Law Degree at the University of Guyana, where he was awarded The Pro-Chancellor’s Award for the Best Graduating Law Student. Mr. Shewram is a former student of St. Rose’s High School who topped Guyana at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) in 2017, and he gained the 10th spot nationally at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examinations in 2015. Mr. Shewram was also the recipient of the CXC Award for the Most Outstanding Business Studies Candidate in the Region and he was the first-ever recipient of the ACCA - CXC Award for outstanding performance in Accounting. Mr. Shewram works at the Hughes, Fields and Stoby Law Firm. Eve Mathai from Kenya was super excited to share at this event, but unfortunately could not join us because she was very ill from COVID. All of the panellists share the common opinion that we need to have more discussions with both genders to deal with the many challenges we are having. It is an honour to host this event again and from all the feedbacks, this virtual event truly inspired! You should make an effort to watch the replay on the Sonia Noel Page and the Women and Men Across Borders, as we continue to celebrate this beautiful journey called life BEYOND THE RUNWAY.

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‘Inside is nat fuh we,’ but it should be NEWLY crowned Soca Monarch and renowned gospel artiste, Samuel Medas, sings that ‘Inside is nat fuh we’ and even though I agree with him (a whole year ‘inside’ already!) the still-evolving COVID-19 pandemic emphasises that it has to be. Last week, in his column in another daily newspaper, Director of the National Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Dr. Zulfikar Bux, highlighted that unless persons take the necessary precautions and adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines, the country may be devastated by the adverse effects of the virus. While lamenting the staggering increases in COVID-19

cases recorded daily, at least over the past month, Dr. Bux opined that the increases could be prompted by two factors: the importation of the P1 variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the virus that causes COVID-19), which was first detected in Guyana’s south and south-western neighbour Brazil and, just plain irresponsible behaviours whereby persons are not avoiding large gatherings and maintaining a social distance, washing hands constantly and wearing masks. “My concern is that it may be the former (the importation of the variant) and the latter (the irresponsible behaviour) is responsible for its rapid spread. Common sense would dictate that we should not wait to find out, but get responsible and

heed preventative measures before the situation really gets out of control,” Dr. Bux underscored. For context’s sake, variants of viruses are expected. As viruses spread, they mutate (change). Scientists note that most variants are of little to no significance but now and then, some mutations give the virus an advantage. This was the case with the novel coronavirus and the P1/Brazil variant as well as the other two variants that have emerged thus far- the B.1.1.7/ United Kingdom (UK) variant and the B.1.351/ South Africa variant. The advantage that these variants have is that they are more transmissible (meaning that more persons can become infected) and in some cases, able to bypass the immune response produced by the COVID-19 vaccines. The Brazil variant, in particular, has been one of great concern to Guyana due to the porous border that separates the two countries and the myriad of illegal crossings that have been occurring, since through the official crossing between the two countries (the Takutu bridge) has been closed since March last year. Now, Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony says that it would be mere speculation to attribute the increase in COVID-19 cases to the importation of the variant. This is so because Guyana has been unable to detect whether any of the variants are present in the country thus far. Only 10 samples were sent abroad, to Trinidad, for genetic analysis to be conducted by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA). Those samples were not variants. Even so, with the current surge in cases, Dr. Bux advocated for Guyanese to place a concerted effort on adhering to the COVID-19 guidelines. His comments come on the heels of the string of observances in Guyana- that is, Phagwah, Easter, and Ramadan. On Phagwah day, I travelled around Georgetown and parts of the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) trying to photograph families and friends playing with the coloured water and powder. Phagwah is usually the day when hundreds of persons would gather on the streets, at community centre grounds and other open places. Usually, it would be difficult to drive through streets without being powdered or splashed with buckets of water. Or even drive at all, since the streets would be filled with no space for a vehicle to manoeuvre through. Sunday last, however, I had to peer through every nook and cranny, hoping to spot a few coloured faces, so that I can take a few photographs of ‘Phagwah in a pandemic.’ Understandably, there were no big events at the Everest Cricket Ground or the National Stadium, but part of me (the pessimistic side) believed that there would be hoards of people congregating in public spaces, flouting the COVID-19 guidelines that had been instituted. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised when it was difficult for me to see people ‘playing Phagwah.’ In fact, I found only seven families and one group of friends. Maybe persons were adhering to the COVID-19 guidelines, maybe they were not. Certainly, however, some persons were at least a tad concerned about what was happening. But, I hope that as we celebrate Easter today and Ramadan soon, we can be very wary of the real occurrences that are taking hold of our country and be very mindful that the COVID-19 pandemic is still a real threat. If you would like to discuss this column or any of my previous writings, please feel free to contact me via email: vish14ragobeer@gmail.com

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Guyana playing its part in fight against plastic pollution By Dillon Goring AS the world observed World Consumer Rights Day on Monday, March 15, 2021, Guyana is playing its part in the fight against plastic pollution since the focus for this year’s theme. A classic example of how Guyanese are taking up this challenge can be found in a small group of volunteers, who would clean the seawalls weekly. Dwayne Hackett, Project Coordinator of the group, during an interview with the Pepperpot Magazine explained that one of the purposes of the exercise is to not only clean ocean trash, but also to advocate and raise awareness of the dangers of ocean trash. He further explained that the practice of people dumping trash into rivers, canals and trenches has a serious impact on

the environment which most Guyanese aren’t aware of. According to Hackett, the object of the exercise is to promote an appreciation for nature. Hackett shared his views on the issue of plastic pollution, stating that because plastic is so cheap to produce and persons use that to their advantage to indiscriminately throw plastic into trenches, alleyways and on road parapets, is a public health issue that needs to be addressed immediately. “Plastic does not decompose, they don’t break down so to speak, they actually break up and they turn into microplastics and they eventually get into the food chain,” he explained. Hackett noted that since this issue is not on the list of priorities for immediate attention, there is a callous approach by citizens to adhere to laws that govern this area. The coordinator appealed to the powers that be for a handson approach to address this seemingly chronic problem. The group hopes to encourage talks regarding addressing the issue and tackling the problem by providing legislation and policies to stymie the problem. “We are seeing things happening and our social media platform continues to advocate measures and methods to completely alleviate the problem. One of the things being explored is engaging giant producers and manufacturers of plastic beverages to play a great part in solving the problem,” Hackett told Pepperpot Magazine. The leading ministry that is addressing this fight is Guyana’s Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, and thus they have outlined 6Rs in a document released. These are, reduce, recycle, reuse, refuse, rethink and repair. The document further explained that to reduce plastic pollution, customers need to look to reduce the number of products they buy or consider buying products that use less energy. Retailers can reduce carbon emissions by transporting products straight to the consumer from the place of manSEE PAGE XXXIII

Dwayne Hackett and his fellow volunteers during a past clean-up exercise

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More Women are shattering the glass ceiling By Dillon Goring As women worldwide continue to celebrate their achievements, it has become evident that more women are venturing into worlds that were predominately occupied by men. Recently, Pepperpot Magazine sat down with one of Guyana’s Female Sports Photojournalist Jemima Holmes to talk about her life and her career. Jemima who is currently at the Guyana Times Newspaper told the Pepperpot Magazine of the many times she felt like giving up and quitting but nevertheless will preserve to shine in her distinguished career. “I think it is intimidating because you have all these men around, honestly most of them don’t think that I know what I am doing because of the misconception that women don’t know anything about sports, as a result, there is the mindset that you may need some extra help, so it is definitely intimidating at times because people tend to downplay you, so it is a work in progress,”Holmes said. Holmes feels that because of her presence in the workforce, she is definitely not the one to be taken advantage of just because she is the lone female in the group. “If there is any situation to make me feel like I am being taken advantage of, without being disrespectful in any way, I would definitely express my feelings on a matter,” she said. Holmes expressed some great moments on the job as well as some moments when she felt like giving up and quitting altogether.

Sports Photojournalist Jemima Holmes

She vividly remembers one time when Guyana won the CPL Finals, which was held in the country. For her, those were great moments of joy and jubilation. But, she also remembers moments of frustration when writing stories and they didn’t make it for the final to be published in the newspapers. When it comes to meeting the challenge of the profession, Holmes told Pepperpot Magazine that it is always a competition, which is the nature of the job but that she always wants to be and do her best. “So when I became employed, taking pictures wasn’t what I wanted to do, but I soon realised that Sports isn’t given priority when as a journalist, a photographer is assigned to you.But nevertheless, I adjusted quickly and did my thing. I am not where I want to be, but I am getting better at it, as time progress,” Holmes disclosed. Holmes challenges young journalists, who have now entered the profession or have plans to enter the profession to be creative, there is no right and wrong way to write sports. “ There are rules to every game, but whatever is your SEE PAGE XXXIII

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Guyana playing its part in... FROM PAGE XXXI

ufacture, instead of via warehouses and shops. Recycling is also a key element in the fight against plastic pollution, products are converted back to their basic materials and remade into new products. It further noted that designers and manufacturers of products need to design products for recycling. Guyana‘s Tourism Minister Oneidge Walrond, in her message to mark World Consumer Rights Day noted that since Guyana is recognised globally as one of the leaders in eco-tourism that to maintain this esteemed status requires us to act responsibly in how we treat the environment . “Pollution can have adverse effects on our tourism because it negatively impacts the aesthetics of our surroundings and the tourist experience, “ the minister was quoted as saying. She further added that tackling plastic pollution requires a collective effort and therefore we all have to appreciate the value of environmental preservation and do our part. Every year, World Consumer Rights Day is observed on March 15 across the globe. The day is celebrated to enable consumers across the world to fight for their rights. It highlights the power that rests in the hands of consumers and intends to empower them.

More Women are shattering the... FROM PAGE XXXII

perception of what you witness at the game is really important, because that is what makes you different from any other reporter because your readers get a different perspective of what actually went on at the game,” Holmes. The young Sports Photojournalist explained that she received great support from her parents since she is from a cricketing household and therefore maintaining the balance between work and family is manageable but hard sometimes since you have got to leave for work when the family is spending time with each other. Jemima has some of her colleagues in the field for inspiration, those include Avinash Ramzan, Akeem Greene, and she talked a lot about her love for the game and having the ability to be creative in her writing as her inspiration to propel her in her career. Plans for the Future In every career, there is room for upward mobility, and photojournalism is in no way different. Jemima told Pepperpot Magazine, that she has plans to become an announcer in the field of Sports and thus will continue to stay with the profession for a long time. “I want to be able to relate to the common man, what you are seeing from an analytical perspective, thus using language that anyone can relate to because women don’t have that many opportunities, so any woman that is in the field, doing stuff that the men do is really interesting to me,” Holmes related to the Magazine. She explained the reason for the switch is because writing has its challenges and at times, it is not challenging, but according to her it is not something that she would completely walk away from, hence she sees it as a way to challenge herself more. The Sports Photojournalist told Pepperpot Magazine that she wants to be remembered as a person who is confident and excellent at what they do. Jemima wants to advocate for the respect of Women across the world stage, whether they are professional in the field of their choice but more particularly in the areas that are dominated by men.

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Farmers partnering with... FROM PAGE XXVII

Little Biaboo: Both plots were ploughed using a tractor equipped with a disc plough and harrow to at least 30cm (1ft) dept. Limestone was incorporated based on soil-test recommendations during these operations. A garden tiller was then used to refine the soil structure and to aid in the creation of ridges and furrows, 75-90cm (30-36in) centre to centre. Dora: The plot was cleared and levelled using a bulldozer. A garden tiller was then used to establish ridges and furrows the limestone was broadcasted and incorporated in the soil. Seed preparation: The seeds were removed from cold storage and transported to the farms in preparation for sprouting. They were placed in a cool, dry area protected from the elements but exposed to sunlight. They will be left to sprout until three to four strong, green sprouts (1.25cm (1/2in tall)) were observed. Establishing irrigation: Little Biaboo: sprinkler tubes were supplied to the farmers based on the dimensions of the farms. The farmers both provided pumps and the needed PVC pipes to set up the irrigation systems. Water is being accessed from the irrigation drain running parallel to the plots. Dora: All the needed irrigation equipment was provided by NAREI. The water had to be moved from a creek approximately 1000 ft from the trial plot via a water pump and PVC pipes for irrigation. Sprinkler tubes were placed along the beds and connected with PVC pipes. Planting: Approximately 1000lbs of seeds (20 bags of 25kg weight) were sprouted for each plot. Whole-seed potatoes were used for planting to reduce the likelihood of bacterial infection. Seeds were placed along the furrow at 30cm (12in) spacing, giving a population of approximately (7,000- 8,000 plants for the half-acre). The seeds were assessed for sprout development before planting. The Spunta and Kennebec varieties were sown first on both plots at Little Biaboo and the Granola one week after because of the level of sprout development. All of the varieties were planted at the same time at Dora.

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Guyanese ought to learn the value of higher academic learning THE University of Guyana recently held its convocation ceremony for the class of 2020. There were outpourings of joy and happiness from the graduates’ friends and family all across social media. Many success stories were inspiring and some that even led the inspired to tears of happiness. It feels empowering to know that as time goes by, more and more Guyanese are equipping themselves with degrees. It is also enlightening to know that our country will be in good hands for years to come as the intellectual capacity of this generation and the next will only grow more and more. I am overjoyed by this. I and alongside other Guyanese feel this way but I am afraid that there is a selective few who disregard this sentiment. What I am about to explain should be of no surprise to anyone, especially graduates, as it has been an ongoing exasperation. The majority of the feedback students receive is often positive but as yin yang suggest, there is always a little bit of bad in all that is good. Some students are met with insults or even worse; they’re bullied because of the mere fact of having a degree in higher learning. I can recall being laughed at during conversations with others as I referenced some bit of my academic experiences or being met with disgust because I advocated the importance of higher learning. There are times when people question your ability to have “common sense” or your will to engage in normal conversations because of your degree. Let’s not forget the countless times we’ve all heard the phrase thrown at us, “book sense isn’t common sense”. It’s usually said by the speaker as a personal jab or insult,but for what reason? I don’t know. I’ve been down this road so many times with countless people. I don’t wake up and decide to shame other people for not having a degree and/or a lower intellectual capacity than I do. As such, I expect the same kind of treatment in return. Judge me based on my character and personality,

not from a general assumption created to insult students of Universities for simply having a degree(s). This is very demotivating to students who spend years upon years to elevate their intellectual capacities. Many use education as a tool to escape poverty or as a form of self-betterment. For some, it simply isn’t a choice as it is essential to gain a degree in their line of required work. The question remains, how can one ever have a distaste for education? This simply shows how poorly some Guyanese value education and its importance. It’s disheartening to even fathom. As we enter a new economic and social wave with the oil industry, we ought to hold a positive collective mindset on education and higher learning. If not, Guyana will surely lose many of our intellectuals to brain drain, or even something worst I’m afraid.

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THOUGHT FOR TODAY

a) THE mass of of quiet desper men lead lives at or, Life in the W ion. Walden; oods (1854) b) It takes two to truth, - one to sp speak the other to hear. A eak and the Concord and M Week on the errimac (1849), Wednesd k Rivers ay

APRIL 04, 2021 STUDY SUCCESS Dear Student, Welcome, dear friend. Use much discussion. It formally helps with the revise of a previously studied topic or a written product. It tests your knowledge and understanding, brings on new

ideas and insights, allows active reordering of the material at hand, and helps to explore solutions to a problem or to resolve a question. Crisply put, it facilitates the action or process of talking about something from a fresh, critical perspective to reach a decision or to exchange ideas. Be wise. Love you. IMPROVING WRITING Applying the use of sentence stops Revision of punctuation marks whether within or end of sentence. Instruction: Each of the following sentences contains one or more question marks (?) to indicate possible missing punctuation opportunities. Indicate what punctuation you would use at each given point (?). Write O.K. for any sentence that requires no added punctuation usage. 1. Jasmaine requested another copy of the procedures manual (?) one that has the most recent discount policy. 2. Jackson Lambert (?) not Robert Simpson (?) is the executive you should be looking for. 3. George Thompson (?) he is the director of marketing (?) will be speaking at this morning’s meeting. 4 In each presentation, you should be sure to do the following (?) explain the features of the products, compare our features with competitors’ features, discuss our credit terms, and try to close the sale. 5. Kathy Simmons insisted that we can buy these fabrics at cheaper prices (?) consequently (?) we are exploring other possible suppliers. 6. Remember (?) all purchase requisitions must be signed by your department head and by the controller. 7. In a recent survey, employers indicated that they highly value (?) applicants with good speaking and writing communication skills. 8. We plan to put on television and radio (?) commercials for this new chain of stores (?) in addition (?) we will have many full-page ads in major newspapers. 9. Only one person (?)

Ida Whatsnip is in favour of the motion. 10. The reason for the delayed start of sale offers this Easter season (?) The warehouse is still out of stock on the essential items. LETTER WRITING Practise writing everyday business letters. The Requirement: Write an everyday business letter concerning the receipt of the following unacceptable order: Two large boxes of green-skinned apples and pears that you ordered from All-Green, Fort Millington, West Bank Berbice, arrived by minivan service, with some of the fruits spoiled. Both fruits were poorly crated and were marked “Keep in a Cool Place.” Write a letter making your claim. An example of everyday business letter of claim: Gentlemen: Today I received two l a rg e b o x e s c o n t a i n i n g spoilt, green-skinned apples and pears (your invoice 2100582), instead of two complete boxes of good All-Green apples and pears, as specified in March 20th. Order, a copy of which is enclosed. These boxes you delivered by way of your minivan service. I am returning the two boxes to you by Alwin’s, a well-known minivan service, that plies within your West Bank Berbice area. Please substitute two boxes of good fruits as quickly as possible. The quality of the good apples and pears is superb, and I am looking forward to receiving my new delivery by an early date. Thanks. Sincerely yours, STORY WRITING Adding more skills to improve reader-interest To improve your reader-interest try to tighten your story line and writing style. Here is one way to bring your story to life with the use of dialogue and interesting use of language. Two examples of dialogue: In “A Tale of Two Cities” she opened the first page and I heard poetry for the first time in my life: “It was the best of times and the worst of times ...” her voice slid in and curved

down through and over the words. She was nearly singing. I wanted to look at the pages. Also: Papa knocked at the door. “What’s the matter?” he asked. “What is it?” I unlatched the door, and he took me in his arms. Then he sat on the edge of the bathtub with me. “Now tell.” he said. In this last case the writer could have said: Papa knocked at the door and asked me what the matter was. And also: He sat on the edge of the bathtub with me and asked me to tell what happened. You would admit that the latter delivery would not be interesting enough to hold the reader’s attention much more than the corresponding pieces of dialogue. And to do dialogue well in a story, you need to know much about using dialogues and punctuating them. What to Do: Make a splendid job of writing up a good conversation between an old, learned country gentleman and a young man who has left the city for the first time. Take time to make their exchanges exciting and pleasing to both parties as they stand with a high bridge and the Atlantic Ocean in view, and people of all origins coming together for a night of the village. POETRY Imagery in poetry Revision: Imagery is poetic language that uses images – words or phrases that appeal to the senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste or smell and feeling. In addition to the sensory language, poets sometimes use the following techniques to create humorous effects: a) pairing images that do not usually go together; b) describing common situations from unusual perspectives, such as showing a kitten’s eye view of his owner’s household; c) describing a familiar situation, such as standing in a shoe-repair line viewing the swift vehicular traffic outside. [To be continued next week.]

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ANGELS IN THE ... a few tries by his brother, the kite took to the sky. He sat in his wheelchair holding the string, thrilled at the strong pulling as it danced in the wind. Riccardo did not take his eyes off of the kite, then suddenly something white flew across, then another and another. He gasped and looked

FROM PAGE XXVI around to see if anyone else had noticed but no one did. He looked back into the sky thinking maybe it was his imagination but it was real. There were angels in the sky, flying with his kite! Riccardo was overjoyed beyond words at such a wondrous vision, and they came down one after the other to

the crippled boy and took his hand pulling him up to his feet. “Go run and play,” they said, “God has answered your prayers.” Riccardo laughed and ran across the park with his kite. “Ricky, wake up,” a gentle voice was saying and he awoke with a start.

“I’ve got you some food to eat,” his mother was saying. He looked up at the sky, the kite was there but no angels. “It was just a dream,” he said, sighing in disappointment. “What were you dreaming?” his mother asked. He smiled and said, “Angels.”

She smiled a little, nothing needed to be said and as she handed him the box of food, the kite string slipped from his fingers. He jumped up and ran and caught it in one flowing motion. All those around gasped in shock at the miracle that just happened in the blink of an eye. “It wasn’t a dream!” Riccardo cried, “It’s real!”

His mother was crying and praising God, and his brother hugged him, tears in his eyes. “Angels are indeed among us.” Riccardo ran and played as more kites were raised on that blessed Easter day. Pic saved as angels caption:

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