Guyanatimes 30 july 2017

5 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3288

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Teen’s throat slit by lover

Page 10

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Guyanese heritage not lost – Minister P14 Henry Warden jailed for smuggling ganja into P16 prison

Assassination claim

CoI destroying Police’s morale – Jagdeo …used to distract nation from real issues Page 9

The art of the sport

P7 $116M requested to fund SARA operations

…Opposition objects, says not a priority

Govt warned against using money instantly from SWF P11 P13 Guyana requires new technology to battle climate change – Govt

Going through the drills. Guyana Amazon Warriors players demonstrating some of the warm-up drills to these young upcoming cricketers who took part in Digicel’s Big Brother Programme in Guyana at the National Stadium, Providence on Saturday. Several upcoming cricketers were taught the basics of cricket (Akeem Greene Photo)

16 shot as riot erupts at Lusignan Prison Page 3

…Police recapture Camp Street Prison escapee in Berbice

Agri Ministry seeks $530.5M for agriculture projects P12

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NEWS

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Sunday – July 30 –09:30h-11:00h and Monday – July 31 – 10:30h-12:00h.

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Sunday – July 30 –08:45h-10:15h and Monday – July 31 – 09:50h-11:20h.

FERRY SCHEDULE Parika and Supenaam departure times - 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily

WEATHER TODAY Weather: Sunny conditions followed by heavy rain showers, with cloudy skies in the evening.

Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Ranging between East North-easterly and South-easterly from 1.34 metres to 2.68 metres.

High Tide: 09:26h and 21:51h reaching maximum heights of 2.31 metres and 2.29 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 15:21h reaching a minimum height of 0.94 metre.

SATURDAY, July 29, 2017

LOTTERY NUMBERS 13 09 16

10 14 24

17 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

DAILY MILLIONS 02 05 10 08 04 LUCKY 3 0 6 0 Afternoon Draw

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16 shot as riot erupts at Lusignan Prison …Police recapture Camp Street Prison escapee in Berbice

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

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Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

07 03 01 20 18 02 12 DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

ess than a week after 13 prisoners escaped from the Lusignan Prison, 16 were shot as a riot erupted at the correctional facility on Saturday. In addition, four inmates were injured during a brawl among themselves.

Information reaching Guyana Times revealed that some time after 16:20h, a group of inmates started to behave disorderly among themselves, but this quickly escalated into a stampede.

As a result of the fight, four prisoners were injured, with three being rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital to be treated while the fourth was attended to by medical personnel at the Prison.

The prisoners were repeatedly warned by officers, but they refused to adhere to orders and hurdled bricks at prison officers who were on duty.

Speaking with this pub-

Some of the bricks the prisoners hurdled at the wardens at the Lusignan penitentiary

lication, acting Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels explained that as a result of the behaviour of the prisoners, the officers were forced to retaliate by opening fire.

He noted that they were shot with pellets.

During the ordeal, 16 prisoners were injured, but only three had to be further examined by doctors at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

The remaining 13, Samuels explained, were treated for minor injuries at the penitentiary.

He, nevertheless, stated that the situation was brought under control and the prison was back to normalcy. However, this newspaper understands that security at the holding area has been beefed up.

On Sunday into Monday last, the 13 prisoners made their way out of the Lusignan Prison by digging a hole under the perimeter fence, which was under the watchful eyes of members of the Joint Services. The men were deemed the “real bad” prisoners and were left in the pasture. Three were arrested along the East Coast of Demerara while four were recaptured in Georgetown on Monday evening.

Another, Kendall Skeete was recaptured, after being found hiding in an abandoned house on Wednesday in Wisroc, Linden and another, Pascal Smith was nabbed

by Police ranks from a pit latrine at his residence in Barr Street, Kitty, Georgetown.

Following the recapture of the first seven, they appeared before Magistrate Peter Hugh at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court. During the arraignment, 22-year-old Jamal Forde, Jamal Joseph and 19-year-old Winston Long pleaded guilty and were sentenced to one year’s imprisonment.

On the other hand, Teshawn McKenzie, Royan Jones, Jason Howard, and Odel Roberts pleaded not guilty and they were remanded until their case is called again in August at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court.

Recapture

Meanwhile, Joint Services ranks on Saturday evening recaptured wanted man Stafrei Hopkinson Alexander, who had escaped from the Camp Street Prison on July 9.

Information reaching Guyana Times indicated that ranks nabbed Alexander about 20:00h on Saturday at Topu, a village situated to the North of Albion and to the

South of Rose Hall Town.

Hopkinson was among those who escaped from the Camp Street Prison during the fire which reduced the penitentiary to rubble and left one prison officer dead.

Divisional Commander, Assistant Commissioner Paul Williams told this publication that the wanted man was recaptured during “Operation Clean Sweep”. He said members of the Joint Services had gone on an all-out hunt for Hopkinson after there were several sightings of him along the Corentyne in recent days.

“We started checking all of the abandoned houses in the area not leaving anything unturned.”

This newspaper was told that four persons were arrested on Friday, and based on information they provided, Hopkinson was nabbed.

Guyana Times understands that ranks concealed themselves in an abandoned house when Hopkinson walked into the building bringing an end to a 16-hour stakeout.

Residents of the Williamsburg/Hampshire squatting area say several houses were searched on Friday and Saturday by members of the Joint Services.

According to the Divisional Commander, Hopkinson had been seen in the area on Friday. “So we implement-

Captured: Stafrei Hopkinson Alexander ed “Operation Clean Sweep”, and not too long ago I got a call stating that they were able to capture him…,” he related.

On July 19, there were reports that Hopkinson was seen and shot at, but he eluded capture. He was at the time sleeping in a hammock in the backlands of Port Mourant.

Hopkinson was implicated in several robberies along the Corentyne. Several of his Corentyne associates were under surveillance of the Joint Services in recent days, this publication was told.

Meanwhile, efforts continue to recapture the remaining three fugitives. These are Mark Royden Durant, Uree Varswyck, and Cobena Stephens.

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Views Digicel’s Big Brother Programme

Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544 223-7230,223-7231,231-0544, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss I

n Guyana, the law on “noise nuisance” to individuals is contained in Sub-section 1 of Section 174A of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act, as amended

by Act No. 1 of 1989: “No person shall, in any road, street, public place or land, or in building or premises, by operating or causing or suffering to be operated any stereo set, juke box, radio, wireless loudspeaker, gramophone, amplifier, automatic piano or similar instrument of music, or by any other means whatsoever, make, or cause or suffer to be made, any noise which shall be so loud and so continuous or repetitive as to cause a nuisance to occupants of any premises in the neighbourhood.”

A “nuisance” is basically something that causes some level of inconvenience or annoyance to a person. Few Guyanese today would dispute that the law, having been enacted over one-quarter of a century ago, does not cater for the wonders of electronic creation, projection and amplification of noise that today bombards the unwary citizen. Over the last decade, the complaints to the press by citizens from all across the country have become more frequent, and more pertinently, increasingly desperate.

It is clear that the law has not served as a deterrent to the offence, much less to its eradication; and there have been calls, all the way up to a Committee in the last Parliament, for amendments to encompass the present circumstance.

Subsection (2) of Section 174A of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act, as amended by Act No.10 of 1998, deals with penalties, and states: “Any person who contravenes the provision of Subsection (1) shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine of not less than $7,500, nor more than $15,000, and to imprisonment for six months; and on a second or any subsequent conviction, to a fine of not less than $20,000 and to imprisonment for 12 months”.

Even when the law is applied by the police against offenders in front of the magistracy, which is more done in the breach, a slap-on-the-wrist nominal fine might be pronounced, but never the 12-month incarceration.

And this for an offence which, while described as a “nuisance”, can actually cause severe pain to victims and what is described as “noise-induced hearing loss” (NIHL), which can even be permanent.

The “loudness” of sounds, which actually describes the vibrational energy it transmits via air to human ear, is described in “decibels”, abbreviated “db”. But the ear is sensitive to such a large range of vibrations that if a soft whisper is considered “0”, it would take 3000 miles on a linear scale to place the latter. Decibels are a logarithmic scale to which ordinary conversations at 60 are acceptable, but sustained sounds above 90 decibels – like revving motorcycles - can cause NIHL. A car or home stereo can deliver 120 decibels – most of it in the bass range – which can vibrate the walls of the home and certainly lead not just to loss of sleep to fretful neighbours, but NIHL, if it is sustained for hours. The damage to some sensitive hairs in the inner ear are incremental.

The aborted efforts to amend the laws on “noise nuisance” must recommence forthwith, and must begin with a renaming of the offence to signal its new dangers posed by the new and ubiquitous arsenal of mass noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). “Noise Violence and Assault” is respectful?y submitted, since it is no different from other physical assaults, except that sound is not visible, while fists are. Fines must range from $100,000 -- $200,000, and non-discretionary sentencing must be imposed with the second conviction.

The Music and Dancing Licensing Act, Chapter 23:03 must also be coordinated with the proposed “Noise Violence and Assault Act”, to move beyond the 2am curfew and encompass stricter guidelines to cater for residential peace. NIHL can also be precipitated from sudden intense noise surges.

Guyana Amazon Warriors players were part of Digicel’s Big Brother Programme in Guyana at the National Stadium, Providence, on Saturday. Several upcoming cricketers were taught the basics of cricket. In photo, Warriors’ well-versed all-rounder Sohail Tanvir interacts with two of the youngsters on bowling techniques

WPA has lost its way

Dear Editor, I read in the Thursday, July 27, issue of the Guyana Times a report of the press conference hosted by the Working People’s Alliance (WPA). In it, Dr David Hinds called on the Government to withdraw against Donald Rodney the charges which were made in 1980. Donald Rodney was charged in relation to the death of Walter Rodney.

When the Commission of Inquiry was set up in 2014, this matter was raised with me. I was ready to withdraw any charge. However, on the advice of my then Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, I was told that I could not do so.

Mr Donald Rodney was not only charged, he was tried in his absence and convicted. Indeed, he was sentenced to a prison term. All this was done in his absence.

It meant, therefore, that Mr Donald Rodney could have been arrested by the police once he arrived in Guyana.

The other option open to me at the time was to pardon

Mr Rodney. That I did. That allowed Donald Rodney to come to Guyana and to give evidence to the CoI. Actually, there are no charges now against Donald Rodney that could be withdrawn. I am therefore surprised that the WPA, and its most vociferous commentator Dr Hinds, did not call for the report to be made public.

True, the report has been laid in the House after the PPP/C Opposition made a tremendous push to get that to happen.

However, the process has been stalled at this point.

The public is unaware of where to go to get a copy of the report. Neither the Parliament nor the Government has made it available online. Nor is it readily available at the Parliamentary Office.

As far as I am aware, it was not sent to the libraries.

The University of Guyana and the University of the West Indies do not have this report, I am told.

I, as President, established the CoI, but was never given a copy of the report,

even out of courtesy.

The present leaders of the WPA only pay lip service to Walter Rodney. In practice, they treat him as dead and gone. He has become more of an inconvenience to them at this time.

I say this because, from all their actions in Government, it is clear that the PNC/APNU has not changed. We see them using their appointed speakers to stifle debate and discussions in the National Assembly.

The present leaders of the WPA are happy with the open racial and political discrimination that is being practised by the regime of which they are a part.

The destruction of the sugar industry – even though the CoI, which cost more than $80M did not recommend closure – is taking place mainly on racial and political grounds.

Instead of condemnation, we often hear some of them spewing what can only be described as racial sentiments.

After he resigned as

a Minister of the PNC Government, Martin Carter wrote: ‘the mouth is muzzled by the food it eats…’

Our boys and girls in the WPA now prefer to stay quiet because they are also enjoying heavy perks - big cushy jobs being paid princely salaries. Their children are enjoying scholarships overseas and many other such benefits.

They have taken a stand on the side of the growing dictatorship, against the masses of working people of Guyana.

Walter Rodney, therefore, has become a huge inconvenience to them.

Calling for the Government to drop non-existing charges against Donald Rodney is just another smokescreen to hide the new anti-people positions that they have adopted.

It is not the PNC/APNU that has changed, rather, it is the WPA that has lost its way.

Sincerely, Donald Ramotar

All must benefit equally Dear Editor, I fully support Dr Vishnu Bisram, who wrote, “Amerindians, Indians, others entitled to reparations” (GT: 28-07-17). Like the callous slavery conditions, the inhuman circumstances and humiliation that the indentured servants endured must be given equal consideration.

The rhetoric on reparations reminds me of my history classes at the high school I attended in Guyana.

I learned of (African) slavery and the role of the colonials

as it related to Africans.

Absolutely nothing was mentioned of indentureship or Indians – I mean ‘nothing’!

Similarly, in the early 1980s, the Indian presence had been ignored. I encountered a consultant in Canada who was rounding up her conclusions about music in the Caribbean. She spoke of musical genres such as ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub music, calypso, etc. She was surprised when I mentioned chutney and soca, and of course the prevalence of

Hindi (Bollywood) music. In this conversation, however, the sector of people that should have come to the fore in the discussion on reparation are the indigenous peoples of the West Indies.

The slavery and indentured circumstances pale in comparison to what the native Amerindian population experienced in the Caribbean. The Taino people, who apparently had their origins from the Arawak tribe, were virtually wiped out from Jamaica and Cuba.

Their language and culture, along with their existence, are no more. The invasion by the Europeans resulted in their eventual annihilation. Disease, violence, and a changed way of life altered the existence of the aboriginal population.

If ‘reparations’ are becoming a reality, all peoples in the region who have been affected must benefit equally.

Yours truly, Devanand Bhagwan

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Cash grant for flood victims

Dear Editor, In 2014, flooding caused much damage to some 6,000 homes in the UK. David Cameron donned his Welles (long boots) on a walkabout into the areas affected by the floods, and instantly promised to pay each householder STG 5,000 (pounds) as a “repair and renewal” grant. As the head of Government, he delivered on that promise.

When Bharat Jagdeo was in office, he also visited victims of flooding during his

themselves a distance away from the misery of the ordinary people.

In the National Assembly, when asked the question what compensation is on the table for the flood victims in the hinterland, especially Region Eight, this is what Bulkan said, “The question of compensation is not normally one that is provided by the state in situations such as this (one).

What will be contemplated is assistance”. Well, that

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan and the team discussing the flood situation in Central Lethem

tenure and instantly offered each householder Gy$10,000 as a “flood relief” grant. He also delivered on that promise.

Today we have Minister Ronald Bulkan and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo visiting the people of Rupununi is dress shoes, and all they can offer the people affected by the flood is a delaying concept of “contemplation”; and after one month they have not delivered on it, as they keep

is a plain untruth, because I have already pointed to two examples in two countries where compensation was offered without all that bureaucratic bunkum from Minister Bulkan.

For his edification, the meaning of compensation, according to the Cambridge dictionary, is “the action of awarding money or resources for losses”. Similarly, the meaning of assistance is “the provision of money and resources to help someone.”

So who really is Bulkan trying to fool? And why can’t he just ensure with haste that those who are suffering do have the resources to stabilize their lives?

In early July, when Nagamootoo and Bulkan visited Rupununi to be with the flood victims, they most comically went with dress shoes – talk about being out of touch with reality (see picture below).

When Jagdeo was in power, he went fully equipped, and fully inserted himself into local conditions, unlike these aloft and arrogant people like Bulkan, who want to have the authority to be ministers but choose instead to hide from their responsibilities. They can never earn emotive intelligence and passion for serving the people from behind a desk and with dress shoes from a distance. Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan, and the team discussing the flood situation in Central Lethem).

I call on Bulkan to deliver a cash grant for the flood victims of Guyana, but then I remembered, his name is not Harmon and he is nothing but a powerless poodle that can only parrot a message given to him. So I am calling on Government to facilitate a cash grant for the recovering householders who suffered from the 2017 floods.

Regards, Sase Singh

Blame the system, not the Pandit Dear Editor, In Badree Etwaroo’s letter “More respect needs to be shown to Guyana’s oldest organisation” published in sections of the media on July 28, he questioned the competence of the Pandit in charge of the said organisation. In doing so, he has, indeed, touched a very sore point. However, this problem does not only prevail at that Mandir; it is endemic throughout Guyana, the Caribbean and North America.

I do not entirely blame the Pandit; I blame the system. Anyone desirous of becoming a Hindu Priest can do so by merely approaching another ‘Pandit’ who shows him a ‘few things’. The person from whom ‘knowledge’ is sought is himself flawed, and so, for over 60 years, our ‘Pandits’ have been operating with faulty and imperfect information/knowledge.

The general Hindu public is no wiser; they accept these persons so long that they don the garment. This faulty system has contributed very much to the production of ‘faulty’ Pandits. Don’t blame the Pandit, rectify the system.

Many Pandits and aspiring Pandits want to improve themselves. They thirst for that knowledge which will enhance their performance.

But where can they turn for such knowledge? There is no Hindu College or School – no training institution anywhere. While Christianity and Islam have many such Institutions, there is none for the Hindus. There is urgent need for the setting-up of such a training facility.

A course of study that will make for a competent Pandit

includes: 1. English Language; 2. Sanskrit; 3. Hindu Rituals and Ceremonies; 4. Hindu Theology/ Philosophy; 5. Hindu Astrology; 6. Public Speaking The Sanatan Vaidic Dharma Pandits’ Sabha of Region Three has been conducting Training Programmes for Pandits and lay-persons (though in a limited way), for the past 20

years under Pt Balbadar’s bottom house. Is this the best Hindus can offer? There is urgent need to address this situation. Hindu organisations, together with members of the public, should work towards the realisation of this worthwhile undertaking – the setting-up of a Hindu College.

Sincerely, Pt R Balbadar Sanatan Vaidic Dharma Pandits’ Sabha Region Three

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Foundation

Emancipation No slavery can be abolished without a double emancipation, and the master will benefit by freedom more than the freed-man.

– Thomas Huxley

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Anu Dev

his Tuesday, August 1st, is Emancipation Day! Slavery was abolished 183 years ago. 183 years! But yet, oftentimes, I wonder what has happened to the promise of that seminal event.

Caribbean Studying History back at Queen’s, we spent a lot of time learning about conditions on the sugar plantations during slavery and after Emancipation. It was a descent into horror. It was an eye opener to learn about the slave trade and about the terror of the Middle Passage which, when contraposed against the societies from which the slaves were snatched, becomes an object lesson of “man’s inhumanity to man.”

I was surprised (but vindicated that I chose to write History at CSEC!) when, in my first year in med school, one of the required classes (they’re all “required” incidentally) was “Caribbean Civilisation”. Quite a lot of my new friends found

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the going quite strenuous and unfamiliar, but to me it was quite familiar territory -- but with a twist.

The professor, Dr John Campbell, chose as his foundational text a book he’d written: Beyond Massa.

The book dealt with the running of the sugar plantation Golden Grove in eastern Jamaica during the years 1770-1834. The setting and timeframe are both significant since, at the time, Jamaica was the most profitable British colony in the Caribbean, and yet there were pressures developing in England for the abolition of slavery, the “peculiar institution” from which the wealth from sugar was generated.

Most intriguingly, Campbell used as his primary source of data the correspondence from the manager of the plantation, Simon Taylor, and the absentee owner, Chaloner Arcedeckne. These letters are on the Web… and they are fascinating. But what made the work interesting was his use of ideas from the contemporary Human Resource Model (HRM) of managing workers. Slavery was more nuanced than I had been taught.

He placed emphasis on the social interactions between the enslaved and the managers, rather than the now conventional historiographical focus on the economic aspects of plantation society.

He emphasised that there was a two-way negotiated space where the enslaved people had more ‘agency’ than previous studies had accredited to them: they were subjects, and not just objects.

The study also contended that the differences between the West African form of slavery, from which the slaves were brought, and Caribbean chattel slavery were crucial in the new dyadic masterslave relationship. In the West African form, the slave was still considered a person, while under the chattel slavery system, the slave was completely dehumanised and considered “property”. And it is because the enslaved people were accustomed to this more benign concept of slavery that HRM techniques could work.

There could be opportunities for bargaining and negotiation.

Taking the logic to its denouement, the author posits a third and controversial thesis

– that the enslaved people did not want to end slavery itself, they simply “wanted to change the tone of British West Indian slavery”.

The historiography on the institution of West Indian slavery was initially dominated

by British writers, who focused on the “civilising” mission of the enterprise for the African slaves, who were not considered fully human. This is in our high school textbooks.

This perspective was challenged by historians such as Eric Williams, who later became the first PM of TT. He proposed a more Marxian economic-based approach, which stressed the role of slavery in laying the material foundation of Britain’s industrial revolution.

This is now being supported by modern scholars who are relooking at what Marx called “primitive accumulation”. We don’t hear much of this.

Now Campbell offers another perspective. It’s worth checking out.

As our Caribbean prophet Bob Marley sang, “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; none but ourselves can free our minds.”

Happy Emancipation Day!

9-year-old appeals to public for assistance …in urgent need of a liver transplant

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nine-year-old and his mother are appealing to the public for financial assistance to offset expenses to be incurred in his much needed live-saving liver transplant procedure.

Jamal Williams of Lot 248, West Indian Housing Scheme, Bartica had, in January 2016, been diagnosed with a tumor on his liver, sustained when he was injured during an accident at school.

It was not until he was rushed to the hospital crying out in pain that a tumor was discovered on his liver.

The nine-year-old has since been the object of a series of medical emergencies, forcing him to frequent hospitals.

Natasha Williams, the mother of the ailing child, is now left jobless as she is occupied with caring for her child, who suffers with a swollen stomach and a series of medical complications that affect his daily life.

In an interview with Guyana Times, this distressed mother explained her experience ever since Jamal was diagnosed. “He was a normal child, but since he was diagnosed with this tumor, it became a real difficulty for me,” she explained.

She added, “It got times with Jamal take in you don’t know what to do, life don’t be easy for me. I does got to run up and down in hospital with him, because Jamal’s complains are very serious.”

She has resigned herself to dedicating her time to caring for her one son, who is sickly. She related that the task is difficult, especially since it often results in the neglect of his five other siblings.

Meanwhile, the nineyear-old, in his cry for assistance, outlined his plight brought on by the tumor.

“Sometimes my belly start to hurt, I faint away, I can’t breathe, I get short of breath,” the young man told this publication. His condition has caused him to not attend school for more than a year.

As his condition continues to deteriorate, Jamal is in urgent need of surgery; but his family is unable to afford the costly procedure, especially since it cannot be conducted in Guyana.

Jamal Williams

The cost of the surgery, which will be performed in India, is US$50,000.

However, given that the organ sample needed for the transplant would most likely be donated by one of his parents, they person now needs to raise additional funding to cater for travel, accommodation and other expenses during the journey to India.

As such, Williams is asking the public to assist in ensuring her son receives the surgery he needs to survive. “…I am a poor woman, so I am pleading with the public in Guyana so that they can see with me to just save a life. It could’ve been anybody’s child. Life is what matters…,” she declared.

Adding to the appeals of his mother, Jamal is reaching out to citizens to aid in his fight to stay alive.

“Can you help me? I want to live to grow up and see my mother get good, and I want to go back to school,” the child told this publication as he seeks help for his surgery.

Persons desirous of making a donation towards Jamal’s surgery can do so by depositing their contributions in Scotiabank account #175-441 or contact his family at +592-690-5092, +592689-0957, +592-673-4238 or +592-661-6106 for further information.

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$116M requested to fund SARA operations

…Opposition objects, says not a priority

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overnment has requested millions of dollars to help fund the controversial State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA), formerly known as the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU).

Through a supplementary provision laid in Parliament, the Government is seeking $116 million to assist with establishment of the new agency, which will consist of five managerial staff, 13 technical staff, 12 supervisory and clerical staff, and 16 services-related staff.

The coalition Government is requesting $89.89 million for managerial, technical, supervisory and clerical staff and services. Some $116.31 million are being sought to assist with the purchase of furniture and equipment for the new SARA building, besides two vehicles and other items.

However, while the matter is yet to come under scrutiny, Opposition

Member of Parliament (MP) Anil Nandlall has objected to the request.

The former minister told Guyana Times that the money being requested for SARA could be better utilised on agencies that are in greater need of finance to carry out their policy functions.

Nandlall said important decisions and policies that can impact positively on the lives of the poor and vulnerable in society have in the past been shut down because of so-called “serious financial constraints.”

Making reference to an Opposition call for the removal of VAT on private education and medical supplies, and the imposition of subsidies for the elderly, Nandlall said this excuse was also used to shut down these requests.

“We have been told that the nation cannot afford to implement those measures because of financial constraints. And that is why we don’t support this, and

Opposition MP Anil Nandlall

we don’t think that this is a priority for Guyana at this point in time. And we are essentially contending that this is a waste of money,” he asserted.

The former legal affairs minister also questioned how the request was made through the Legal Affairs Ministry when SARA does not have a responsible line minister.

Nandlall recalled that one of the major criticisms he made about the SARA

Bill when it was debated in Parliament is that the head of SARA and the entire agency is not answerable to any person, including the President.

“So I cannot understand on what basis the Ministry of Legal Affairs is requisitioning this money, because the Minister of Legal Affairs is not the subject minister for that ministry,” he noted.

He also finds it strange that the Government would put aside concerns raised by the labour movement, the private sector and political parties to move ahead with establishment of this agency.

“Its purpose is not clear.

It has been pointed out that the law invests too much power in those who will run and operate this agency; that there are not sufficient checks and balances to ensure that there will not be an abuse of power; and the law that brings this organization into force is unconstitutional,” Nandlall said

as he pointed to the legal challenge being mounted by political and social commentator Ramon Gaskin on the matter.

Further, Nandlall claimed that the request has no basis because there is no likelihood that the sums of money being requested would be utilised before the next budget.

“So, why take from the treasury scarce liquidity of this magnitude and put aside to an agency that is not even extant and running, when you have competition for scare financial resources by so many agencies that are of far more importance to the need and welfare of Guyanese people?” he questioned.

Nandlall spoke about the process that led to the appointment of an official to head the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), which he said will be similar to that of the SARA. He said it took in excess of one year for the process to be completed, and

he also referred to the AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Authority.

“That authority will be made up of a 20-member team, and those persons have to go through a process of being selected through Parliament.

That process has not commenced. So there is no urgency for this money at this point in time,” Nandlall explained.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has expressed disappointment at what he described as the appointment of “political hacks” to the now vacant positions at SARA. He contended that his Party would seek to have persons with the requisite qualification function in the positions at SARA, and would accept nothing less.

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has also made known its intention to implement several changes to the SARA Bill 2017 if re-elected to office in 2020.

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SunDAY, july 30, 2017 | guyanatimesGY.com

Trinidadian charged for causing death of Guyanese cyclist

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he Trinidadian who allegedly drove his vehicle in a dangerous manner causing the death of a Guyanese pedal cyclist was made to answer to the related charge when he appeared at the Weldaad Magistrate’s Courts.

Tarron Alexander, 28, who presently resides at Lot 188 BB Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD), made his appearance before Magistrate Alex Moore.

He denied that on July 24

at Lovely Lass Public Road, West Coast Berbice, he drove vehicle GPP 4166 thereby causing the death of Keifer Campbell.

His attorney, Bernard Da Silva made a successful bail application, explaining to the Court that his client has never been convicted of any crime in the past.

However, Police Prosecutor Racquel Mars objected to this and revealed that the offence was a serious one. She also reminded the

Court that the defendant was not Guyanese and as such, was a flight risk.

Magistrate Moore granted bail to the defendant in the sum of $200,000 on the condition that he must lodge his passport and report to the Providence Police Station weekly.

The matter was adjourned until August 17.

Reports are on the day of the accident Campbell was proceeding west along the Lovely Lass Public Road

when he was struck by the motor pick-up with registration number GPP 4166, driven by Alexander.

Campbell was picked up and rushed to the Fort Wellington Hospital in an unconscious state. However, he was later transferred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

A breathalyser test conducted on the detained driver revealed that there was no trace of alcohol in his blood.

Illegal firearm, ammo land Surinamese before court

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urinamese Niamid Nabibux was on Friday remanded to prison after his arraignment before Springlands Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh on a charge of being in possession of one .38 firearm and five rounds of live .38 ammunition without being the holder of a firearm or ammunition licence.

The 41-year-old defen-

dant pleaded not guilty to the charge, and his attorney Mursaline Bacchus asked that bail be granted to his client, assuring the court that Nabibux would attend court if granted his pre-trial liberty.

But in objecting to the defendant being granted bail, Police Prosecutor Orin Joseph informed the court that police had carried out a search on a car belonging

to the defendant based on information received, and the firearm and ammunition were found in the vehicle.

Thus he was arrested and charged with the present offence.

Magistrate Singh refused the defendant bail, but scheduled his case for recall on August 10th, 2017.

This defendant’s 23-year-old son, Nashad Janallah, also appeared be-

fore Magistrate Singh, and was ordered deported after he pleaded guilty to entering Guyana illegally.

Janallah entered Guyana illegally and failed to present himself to an immigration officer upon arriving via the Crabwood Creek foreshore.

He was also fined $20,000, default of which would attract a three-week term of imprisonment.

Outsiders…

O …or Diaspora?

ne of the constants of West Indian life – from which we were excluded for a while – is to emigrate whenever things got tough at home.

Now, whether this was also done by other countries is neither here nor there. We’ve had this “vent” that prevented our frustrations from boiling over into the revolutions that regularly convulse other jurisdictions.

So, over the years, especially since the 60s, a substantial population of our expatriates have accumulated in the old “Mother Country”, England, the US and Canada.

They’ve picked up the moniker “Diaspora,” and a “Diaspora Engagement Conference” was just concluded.

Your Eyewitness hopes they’ve clarified as to what kind of “diaspora” they’re talking about, since initially there was expansive talk by the expansive VC about launching a “Caribbean Centre”.

This “Diaspora” business, of course, started with the “Jewish Diaspora” which emphasised they were a people that were “dispersed” from a land to which they could always return. The notion led to the formation of Israel, a circumstance that still hasn’t quite settled down more than half a century down the road. Anyhow, back to OUR Diaspora, which your Eyewitness figures is a “Guyanese” Diaspora, since these were the only folks that showed up.

Your Eyewitness hopes that there will be a release stating exactly what was achieved by this “engagement”, apart from the VC having his coronation. There was an investment component; how many investments were locked down?? Your Eyewitness is reminded of several such (expensive) efforts made earlier in each of the three diaspora habitats -- England, NY and Toronto -- but hasn’t been informed of anyone biting the bait.

The fact of the matter is that those expats who turned up are full of ideas (they’re full of something else, but that is neither here nor there!!) for developing Guyana.

But somehow, even though they’ve supposedly made it “big” abroad, none of them has been willing to put their money where their (big) mouths are. After a while, it’s getting increasingly more difficult to take them seriously.

Then there were expectations of UG getting help to move it from what one academic called its “community college” status to becoming a “real” university, whatever that is nowadays. Your Eyewitness notes there were a host of professorial types at the engagement, and would like to know how many of them would be returning to put their shoulders (brains?) to the wheel to move UG forward -- without “special conditions”!

Sadly, most of these Diasporans just wanted to show us locals they’ve “made it”. They should ‘fess up that they’ll never return.

…and our oil

One of the bitter truths we Guyanese don’t want to accept is that: while we have a heck of a lot of resources, most recently oil, we need an even greater heck of a lot of capital to develop them -- to bring in the funds we need for development. So, for the longest while, we have comforted ourselves with the thought that “we have potential”!! Fat lot of good THAT did us!!

And creamed about being “exploited” when those with capital do come in to make their play. Now, let’s get this straight, shall we? When investors came in to “develop” our bauxite, what exactly did we get? Some jobs for a while, and lots of holes in the ground. Ditto for gold and forestry more recently.

The bottom line, when doing business, has always been “caveat emptor” - buyers beware!!

Meaning that our buyers -- our Government -- better get some strong negotiators when dealing with sellers.

…for the Police

Our Police and prison Forces’ warts are being exposed, and they are really being embarrassed right now. Maybe they should bring in some “outsiders” to show them how it’s done?

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

NEWS

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SunDAY, july 30, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

3 confess to robbing, CoI destroying Police’s murdering vendor Assassination claim

morale – Jagdeo

…used to distract nation from real issues

“M

ost people in Guyana believe that our Government is beleaguered by its own incompetence and that it constantly seeks distraction and that may be true. One of the ways they believe that the Government has been distracting public attention from the real problems in Guyana is through the establishment of the Commissions of Inquiry (CoIs) in a never-ending manner and on every single thing under the sun,” Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said.

Jagdeo levelled those accusations at a press conference held at his Church Street office on Friday.

He said that the CoIs were a monetary vehicle for people who often were sympathetic to the Government to be given huge sums of money to do work that may seem important. He added that in reality they were just given large pay cheques to “waste time”.

The Opposition Leader alluded to the recently-established CoI into the alleged claim that Andrif Gillard was offered $7 million by businessman Nizam Khan to assassinate President David Granger.

The CoI, which commenced on July 11, will seek to: inquire into persons, places, time and circumstances and events by and through which allegations and reports came to be made of an intention to assassinate the President;

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

investigate the full range of the actions and responses of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to the reports and the extent to which such actions were conducted or executed with due diligence; determine whether any person, and in particular, officers of the GPF had information before and after reports were made of a plan to assassinate the President and whether any such officers communicated that information to a superior authority.

Commissioners will also record and report on what official action was taken on the basis of the information received and whether there was due diligence by the officers of the GPF in the investigation of the alleged plan to assassinate the President

and determine whether there was failure, neglect or omission to thoroughly and properly investigate the plan to assassinate the President and determine whether such failure or omission was intentional.

The Commissioners will seek to also determine the blameworthiness for the failure or neglect of officers or persons involved in the investigation and recommend action to be taken against persons found to be blameworthy.

They will also recommend steps that can be taken to prevent the recurrence of such an incident and identify systemic issues, if any, in the GPF’s competence to investigate matters of this nature.

Jagdeo on Friday noted that while the country was going through one of the biggest security crises, as it related to the recent Georgetown Prison fire and jailbreak and the subsequent breakout from the pasture enclosure at Lusignan Prison, the Government seems totally oblivious and continues establishing CoIs. “We are in the middle of this crisis at the national level, yet this Government has seen it fit at this point in time when you have a number of prisoners who have escaped, when the safety and security are in question to launch a Commission of Inquiry into a plot to assassinate the President,” he said.

Jagdeo said that the CoI sought to demoralise the GPF and its officers. He added that if the President was dissatisfied with the investigation into the assassination claim, then he should have had the Head of the Presidential Secretariat meet with the parties involved and request a more comprehensive and thorough investigation.

“They are destroying the morale of the Police Force in a partisan act. This is a deliberate process, the public nature of it and having a junior officer question people who are far superior to him and a person who is partisan too heading that CoI has implications for who takes over the Force in the future,” Jagdeo warned.

A

s Police continue their investigation into the murder of 51-year-old Dhanpaul Dookie, called “Pauline”, a vendor of Uitspa Village, Demerara River, 3 men have confessed to the heinous crime.

According to reports, the men admitted to robbing and stabbing the vendor to death between Monday and Thursday last.

Guyana Times understands that two of the suspects reside on the East Coast of Demerara and were employed by the now dead man. The third is reportedly a villager whom the two masterminds contacted days before the murder.

The farmer was stabbed twice to his abdomen, once to his lower back, once to his hip, once to his forehead, and once above his right eye. After committing the act, the suspects made their way into the man’s

home, from whence they raided money and jewellery among other items before escaping.

However, after three days, the man’s body was found by persons who had gone to check on the cause of his absence. The police were immediately contacted and an investigation was launched.

A post mortem conducted on the remains of the man proved that he died from multiple stab wounds.

The three suspects were each previously charged: one for murder, but that case was dismissed; another for attempted murder, and that case is pending in the high court; and the third was charged with several other criminal offences.

The three suspects are expected to be arraigned on a murder charge when they make their court appearance in the new week.

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sunDAY, July 30, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

Teen’s throat slit by lover A

teenager was on Saturday found dead at her Number Two Village, Canje home minutes after neighbours heard her and her boyfriend arguing.

Dead is 17-year-old Rasanna Lakhpal, a former Berbice Educational Institute (BEI) student who lived in the lower flat of the two-storey building with her boyfriend while her mother who owns the property lived in the upper flat.

The teenager’s lifeless body was discovered lying on the floor about 13:30h.

According to reports, the now dead teen and her boyfriend were heard arguing on Thursday and her mother demanded that he leave the home as a result. Guyana Times understands that the 22-year-old suspect and the teen were arguing over his

bour, discovered the body lying on the floor. According to her, she was informed that the couple were fighting and she went to investigate.

Persaud explained that the teen had been tasked with babysitting her two children, ages two and 10.

The 10-year-old told this publication that she had gone to the house from a Vocational

Bible School (VBS).

“Ryan went upstairs and he and ‘Rosie’ [Rasanna] and the two of them were fighting and then he turn to me and say we should go out the yard before we get hit. So I just pick up the baby (two-yearold) and go and call mommy at her workplace and told her,” the youngster related.

Persaud said when she

Dead: 17-year-old Rasanna Lakhpal

lack of interest in finding a job.

On Saturday, the teen’s mother left for work at a hotel in New Amsterdam and the suspect forced his way into the yard.

Nadira Persaud, a neighThe dead girl’s mother being taken into custody

arrived, there was no movement in the premises. She first looked downstairs and saw no one and as such, she went to the upper flat of the house.

She said that before she went upstairs, she saw a taxi driver who was acquainted with the family and the two of them went upstairs.

“So he look in the house and he tell me ‘look’ she there’, so I see she foot; it cover with a sheet an’ I pull the sheet an she ain’t move, so I pull the sheet off she face…”

In describing what she saw, the domestic worker said the girl’s face was partly covered with a pillow as she lay on a carpet on the floor with her neck slashed in the vicinity of a tattoo.

After an alarm was raised, several villagers rushed into the house.

When Police arrived on the scene, they cordoned off the area. Moments later, the dead girl’s mother arrived.

She was taken into custody after Police interviewed her.

Meanwhile, the suspect is on the run. Shortly after the discovery was made, his Facebook page was deactivated.

The young couple had been together for close to one year. The Police investigation continues. (Andrew Carmichael)

Emancipation

S

atiricus and his friends didn’t need much…well, ANY! - excuse to celebrate. And so it wasn’t surprising they were huddled in the back of the Back Street Bar, planning their moves for Emancipation Day. As usual, after their opening round of beer had been duly consumed, they plunged into justifying their drinking capers.

“Rememba when abee bin a slave, dem white maan only use fuh gi’e abee lil-bit rum fuh drink when de crap done?” Bungi ventured.

“But don’t forget that, as a revolutionary act, our foreparents used to steal small amounts of rum from the still,” pointed out Satiricus.

“Yes, but me hear dem fact’ry slave na bin a gi’e abee fiel’ slave none,” said Bungi morosely. “Dem use fuh exchange wid dem house slave fuh fancy food!”

“The white men also used to give them some old clothes to wear at end-of-crop,” grumbled Hari. “But how come we didn’t make that ‘sport’ into Carnival, like Trinidad did?”

“Well,” Satiricus said with a smirk at the opportunity to display his knowledge, even though this was a yearly ritual, “You really want to know?”

“Budday, na play de ass,” said Bungi. “Leh abee hear.”

“All right,” continued Satiricus. “Some French planters who knew about Carnival came to Trinidad after the revolution in Haiti, and they started Carnival there!”

“Let’s drink to that!” said Hari enthusiastically as beer bottles clinked all around.

“Yes!” said Bungi, “Now abee can drink how much abee want! Real emancipation!”

“Well, I will bring the metemgee this year,” said Satiricus. “I already buy the coconuts and ground provision.”

“Yuh real smart, boy!” grinned Hari. “So I have to pound the foo-foo again this year?”

“Lemme jus’ she yuh wife a mek de bes’ foo-foo!” smiled Bungi. “Suh me gat fuh bring de beer?”

“You buy the best beer,” said Hari and Satiricus in unison. “We’ll have a good Emancipation Day!”

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SunDAY, july 30, 2017 | guyanatimesGY.com

Govt warned against using money instantly from SWF Oil Economics: Changing global trends – demand & supply dynamics

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ast Thursday, July 27, 2017, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry launched its 2017 Business Magazine at the Marriott Hotel. Speaking at that function, ExxonMobil’s Operations Manager in Guyana announced that the Government of Guyana will receive revenue from day one of production. This column, however, noted with interest the inherent ambiguity of his statement, which led to only one plausible inference: that is to say, the only revenue the GoG will receive from day one is the 2 percent royalty.

Computing 2 percent royalty at the current price, which is about US$48 at a production level of 100,000 barrels per day, it works out to roughly US$34.5M annually; not an exciting figure.

Turning to the essence of today’s piece: The global oil market has been at the centre of economic news over much of the past years. When one examines the degree of vast developments and richness with which oil rich countries in the Middle East, such as Dubai among others, have attained, this has certainly validated the notion of the magnitude of economic prosperity, wealth and development this resource can bring to a country and its people.

Notwithstanding, the global oil market has undergone significant changes over the last 10 or 15 years. Underscoring this evolution, two changes in particular have had profound impact on the economics of the oil market. The more significant stems from the United States (U.S) shale oil revolution -- the rapid growth of onshore oil production in the US, typically using hydraulic fracturing techniques to extract oil from shale and other types of so-called tight rocks. The second major change has to do with increasing global concerns about carbon emissions and climate change. The momentum for increased actions is growing – with specific reference to the Paris Accord, or the recently concluded meeting with major global leaders, which saw the US withdrawing support for the Paris deal. Ironically, as the US withdrew their support, without much delay, many other countries, including China, strengthened their support in this regard. If this sense of urgency translates into policies, this could have significant implications for the long run demand for fossil fuels.

It is worthwhile to mention that while perusing and synthesising the current body of literature that sought to address the future outlook and projections of oil prices, it was found that those analysis that were conducted by oil companies themselves projected that global oil price will increase at a rate of 1.25 percent annually, in line with a shift in demand from West to East -- India and China -- and will largely be driven by the global transportation sector.

Conversely, the inherent flaw with these analyses is that they ignored the impacts climate change policies will have on oil consumption, and also technology is another key factor that will be a major threat to sustainable oil prices in the future. Already, there are developments in the creation of electric cars, for example, and these developments will be accelerated and have real implications in respect to the oil prices.

The first basic principle of oil is that it is an exhaustible resource. Total stock of recoverable oil resources is assumed to be known, and the main focus is on the optimal pace at which these resources should be exhausted. But empirical evidence has shown that, in practice, estimates of recoverable oil are increasing all the time, as new discoveries are made and technology and understanding improves. Moreover, they are increasing at a more rapid pace than existing reserves are consumed. Over the past 35 years, in very rough terms, the world has consumed over 1 trillion barrels of oil. Over that same period, proven reserves of oil have increased by more than 1 trillion barrels. Put differently, for every barrel of oil consumed, another two have been added.

With reasonable certainty, total proven barrels of oil which can be economically recovered from known reservoirs are almost two and one half times greater today than what they were in 1980. But what is of critical importance at this point in time are the growing recognition and concerns about carbon emissions and climate change, which means it is increasingly unlikely that the world’s reserves of oil will ever be exhausted.

To conclude for today, putting today’s discussion into perspective in respect to what all of this means, it is that these trends and developments will have a bearing on the world market price for oil, and it is likely not going to be an upward trajectory.

(For comments, questions and responses on articles featured in this column, readers can reach the author at jbinsights@outlook.com).

W

hile Guyana is still in the process of setting up a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) for the oil and gas sector, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) President Deodat Indar has warned Government against using money from that fund towards its annual expenditure.

Indar claimed that some countries use monies from their SWFs for current year running expenditure that was supposed to be funded from normal revenue cycles of government. “This is not what a SWF should be; I have just described what would be tantamount to putting your money in a bag with holes if Government is to take this approach. I warn against it,” Indar told a recent GCCI dinner.

The GCCI head said the organisation was expecting the Government to state what model was used to develop the framework for the SWF and when it should expect a first draft to be released.

Indar said the GCCI was committed to working with Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman and his staff, but like any good partner, the organisation will constructively criticise when necessary for the good of the Private Sector and, by extension, the Guyanese workers.

He also commended the Minister for his outreach with respect to consultation on the oil refinery prospects for Guyana, local content policy and the Petroleum Commission Bill.

With respect to the

penditure from oil be used in the areas of education; health care; infrastructure such as bridges, roads, ports, Information Communication Technology (ICT) – quality infrastructure; and programmes for the alleviation of poverty.

Guyanese involvement

GCCI President Deodat Indar addressing a recent dinner event

Petroleum Commission Bill that was before a parliamentary select committee, Indar said the GCCI was very interested in what external model was considered in the drafting of the Bill and enquired whether it was the Newfoundland, Norwegian, Australian, or Alaskan model.

“Explain to us about the proposed Petroleum Commission Board and its makeup, independence, appointment, remuneration and removal of Board members. And how this Bill meshes with good governance, transparency and being bipartisan?” the GCCI President further questioned.

Economic explosion

The GCCI official also observed that Guyana has the potential to be a wealthy nation with the flow of oil money. Indar said Guyana could experience an economic explosion with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growing between 400 and 2000 per cent in the next two decades.

Basic management principles dictate a company with a diversified base of products and services was likely to be healthy and sustainable. Indar said these same principles apply to running a country.

It, therefore, means that, “We must learn from the mistakes of others and recognise that any country that has its economy dependent on one or two sectors will be doomed by it in the long term.”

He used Venezuela as a prime example where 95.6 per cent of its economy dependent on oil which among other things has fractured its society.

The GCCI official has also suggested that ex-

While recognising that ExxonMobil has invested heavily in Guyana, Indar said his organisation was pleased to hear over 140 Guyanese companies now supply either goods or services to ExxonMobil offshore operations and about the creation of a Local Content Centre.

The GCCI President said that he would also like to see more Guyanese involvement in the workforce for other jobs such as cooks, chippers and painters, able body riggers, able body unlimited riggers, and banksmen on the supply boats and the Stena Carron drillship if possible at this time.

“At the end of the day it is Guyanese taxpayers who will be footing the bill as a deduction from its future earning; therefore, it is only fair that we be given first priority as they say in Canada, for all things – soap, rope and dope.”

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SunDAY, july 30, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Agri Ministry seeks $530.5M for agriculture projects

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nder the Rural A g r i c u l t u r e Infrastructure Development and the Flood Risk Management Projects, the Agriculture Ministry is asking for some $530.5 million in additional funds outside of what was granted in the 2017 Budget.

This was revealed when Finance Minister Winston Jordan laid Government’s financial paper Number Two in the National Assembly on Thursday.

The proposed allocations for the Agriculture Ministry form part of the schedule of supplemen-

tary provisions totalling $2.5 billion for January to December 2017.

Under line item two of Section B of the Capital Estimates, the sum of $350 million is being sought for the flood risk management project. In its financial paper, Government explained that the fast tracking of works necessitated additional funds being sought.

The paper detailed its request for more money under the World Bank’s International Development Association loan to complete three pump stations at Lusignan, Buxton/Vigilance

and Hope/Enmore, East Coast Demerara (ECD). According to the Government, the money is also to continue rehabilitation works on the access dam for the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC).

Government is optimistic that the three pump stations will provide improved flood relief to thousands of residents on the ECD corridor. During a press conference earlier this year, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder had promised that 2017 would see an emergency preparedness plan for the EDWC being oper-

Rural agriculture

Finance Minister Winston Jordan and Caricom Development Fund (CDF) CEO Rodinald Soomer after signing the loan and grant agreements as Agriculture Minister Noel Holder looks on

ationalised.

Farmers and residents along Guyana’s coastlands were left counting their losses in June 2017, when heavy rainfall left them inundated. Such were the

floods that schools had to be closed. The situation had prompted emergency measures from the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA).

Meanwhile, some $180.5 million was sought by the Ministry for its Rural Agriculture Infrastructure Development (RAID) project. In the financial paper, the Ministry detailed what use it made of its previous budget allocation.

Government is also seeking the additional money to hire a supervising consultant for the project.

It also explained that more money was needed for rehabilitating the pump station at Mocha, East Bank Demerara (EBD), because “the pace of implementation has increased”.

The RAID project is one which targets farmers within Co-ops in various villages. The Agriculture Ministry is expected to not only assist in the clearing but also training in the areas of crop production.

TURN TO PAGE 15

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SunDAY, july 30, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana requires new technology to battle climate change – Govt

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Emancipation versus freedom

O

n Tuesday, the history of Emancipation will be recounted across the land. There will be many accounts. There will be narratives that highlight the moral appeals of Wilberforce, Buxton and the other Abolitionists, to make the blessed event a reality. Or of the Industrial Revolution displacing the importance of agricultural products, including those from the colonies – and demanding a free trade regime that could not co-exist with mercantilism and slavery. We will hear of Britain willing to commit “econocide”. Or, in the version that has become most salient in our local discourse, of the heroic efforts of the slaves that actively (slave revolts) and passively (malingering etc.) opposed their oppressors, so that slavery became no longer viable. And so on and so forth.

Ravi Dev And each of these narratives would have elements of “truth”. The way we narrativise our past tells us something about how we see our present and our hopes for (and possible realisation of) the future.

Since 1838, “Emancipation” has generally been framed as an inaugural event in the generally vindicationist telling of the overcoming, against the greatest of odds, to deliver the African slaves out of (in)human bondage.

Like all propositions, it was a response to questions generated within the problem- space of that time, with a look firmly towards a future horizon that encapsulated the hopes of the ex-slaves and their descendants at that time. But problem-spaces are fundamentally temporally bound to the particular historio-socio-cultural conjuncture in which the Q&A are generated. Problem-spaces are always in flux, and it is therefore vital to always intensely interrogate our present and its horizon of expectations, and consider whether the old telling moves us closer to our currently defined goals or not.

It is not that the answers proposed by the old telling are necessarily wrong or mistaken. A vindicationist approach (the answer) was necessary for the longest while because the old historiography denied Africans any agency, much less heroism and leadership, in the struggle against New World slavery (the question). But the point I am raising is whether, at present, the old question has the same relevance in reference to our present problem-space and horizon of expectations? In answering, “Maybe not,” I suggest that maybe it is time that, in invoking Emancipation, we look to it for answers to the new, more relevant questions posed by our present conjuncture.

One such question posed in 1838 – and which is of greater salience in today’s problem-space -- was the pronouncement that the freed slaves would not be able to utilise the freedom conferred (or won) on account of their purported inability (incapacity?) to create a new, viable society on their own. Ironically, this was in face of the fact that, just after emancipation, the ex-slaves husbanded the resources (financial, conceptual and organisational) to launch a village movement that had no rival in the New World. After all, which other group had ever emerged from the very antithesis of freedom to challenge its most fundamental premise so quickly?

That the expectations and hopes, immanent in that inaugural move to found a new society, have not been realised to the present, should give us pause to consider the impact of contingency, fortuity, happenstance, luck, and our own frailties – not to mention, enemy action - on the best laid of plans. We cannot ignore, also, the possible diversionary effect precipitated by the continued deployment of the vindicationary emancipation narrative, with its teleological promise of redemption and salvation when it had lost much of its traction.

The distinction between emancipation and freedom may today appear trite, but that does not make it less real and true and relevant. In making that distinction, Hannah Arendt noted: “…liberation may be the condition of freedom, but by no means leads automatically to it”. We need to create the political-institutional conditions that would give meaning to the positive import of freedom. And this is why the initiative launched by the newly-freed slaves after emancipation – the Village Movement – which directly addressed issues of selfgovernance and economic independence -- has to take centre stage in our present Emancipation narrative.

I caution, however, against the dangers of focusing only on the benefits of the intended horizon of expectations, rather than on the obstacles preventing their realisation.

Happy Emancipation Day!!

hile agriculture may seem less important than other sectors in terms of its overall contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, this might not necessarily be the case.

Agriculture is the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions after energy production, but gets far less attention than fossil fuels as a potential way to mitigate the threat of climate change.

This is according to Ambassador Rawle Lucas, Executive Director for Global Economic Cooperation, Trade and Investment at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Lucas told a climate change workshop sponsored by the United States National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Support Programme on Saturday that agriculture was important not only because of the potential to reduce its own emissions, but because of its potential to reduce net emissions from other sectors.

The Ministry official said that agriculture could take carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas, out of the at-

mosphere and store it as carbon in plants and soils.

Climate-smart agriculture, according to him, is recognition that Guyana has the core competency in food production, but it is also recognition that agriculture affected climate change in a major way.

“Globally, agriculture is considered major contributors of greenhouse gas emissions.

It is estimated that agriculture accounts for 24 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions,” he pointed out.

Studies have shown that increases in temperature and precipitation will adversely affect productivity of crops. Most recent studies have shown too that there is a high degree of uncertainty of pattern and potential magnitude of precipitation changes.

“With agriculture contributing to high levels of greenhouse gases, Guyana recognises the need to use low-carbon systems of production. Guyana must, therefore, look for new technologies and production methods which will enable it to maintain its advantage in

Ambassador Rawle Lucas food production.”

Climate change policy shapers have long suggested that farmers widely adopt the best management techniques to store carbon, and undertake cost-effective reductions in nitrous oxide and methane.

With technological advances, biofuels could displace a significant fraction of fossil fuels and thereby reduce current emissions in the Americas.

Using biomass to produce transportation fuels could also significantly reduce reliance on imported petroleum.

Lucas said Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy has also highlighted already

the importance of the link between economic activity and climate change. The need for water resource management is linked to economic activity in Guyana, particularly to those in mining, manufacturing and agriculture.

“There is concern that the freshwater resources increasingly will become polluted as the mining and industrial base of the country expands.

If Guyana does not undertake proper water resource management, the water stress level will increase and this will lead to loss in freshwater system,” he added.

As a result of its linkage to land use, forestry water resource management must be considered in a wider context – protecting, restoring and preserving use of Guyana’s terrestrial eco-system, Lucas opined.

“Guyana’s focus in this area should be both the threat and opportunities that arise from this sphere of environmental concern, particularly since Guyana intends to remain a major food producer and exporter.”

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SunDAY, july 30, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyanese heritage not lost – Minister Henry

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s 81 youths completed the seventh National Trust Annual Children’s Heritage Programme on Friday, the Education Minister is convinced that the participants’ performance was a direct reflection of a culturally ingrained generation.

The event, which spanned a week, saw the participation of children aged 7-11 in various heritage projects. Participants were presented with the opportunity to create models of Fort Zeelandia and the Children’s Millennium Monument among other monuments across Guyana.

Under the instruction and supervision of staff of the National Trust, the students employed various creative methods and resources to produce their respective projects. The mere setting played a vital role in promoting and encouraging teamwork, sharing and creativity.

Participants created hangings with illustrations and paintings of Indigenous petroglyphs found in various local Amerindian communities, and also worked on natural heritage areas by constructing a model illustrating the important role of mangroves in guarding our seashore.

Aimed at promoting the importance of Guyanese culture and natural heritage, these activities helped to instil in the young minds, their significance in Guyana’s history and role in ensuring the preservation of the many heritage sites.

The Education Ministry is pursuing sustainable and longer term programmes

Anna's

Roots & grass roots

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Participants proudly display certificates

for children of all ages in the foreseeable future, having recognised the need for more projects to fill the widening gap in Guyanese heritage and daily existence.

In this vein, the National Trust will be hosting a second, four-day programme, which is set to start on August 7 in New Amsterdam, Berbice, with the aim to sensitise a wider section of children on their heritage.

Speaking about the initiative, Minister Henry deemed the heritage programme “a unique experience” and one that would assist students in school for years to come.

“I urge you to share what you have learnt with your peers, relatives and friends such as the rules one should observe when visiting our monuments, or the importance of keeping the environment clean and being proud of our country’s heritage,” she urged the participants.

The Education Minister further acknowledged the efforts of the National

Trust in advancing the standard of the programme this year with branded materials, increased students and uniformity.

“I am aware that the response was overwhelming this year… exceeding the 2017 target of 50 students between the ages of 7 to 11...,” Henry said. Referencing a budding University of Guyana student present for the programme, the Education Minister added: “I am sure this was a wonderful experience for her to now return and share all she learnt with you. I am sure the Trust must be proud of her also, knowing that this programme played a role in her life.”

Minister Henry distributed certificates and books on Guyanese monuments and heritage to the participants.

She applauded the parents of the participants for recognising the importance of heritage education by enrolling their youngsters in the course and ensuring that the course was successfully completed.

sed loosely by an increasing number of individuals and organisations purporting to represent the people, the term « grass roots » is gaining in popularity. Of course, some critiques remain sceptical: does one simply become a “grass root” overnight without having lived the life of the commoner? The rebuttal: how do you define “grass roots” in the Guyanese context, and who’s eligible to flaunt this title?

Two valid arguments.

As a child in pre-1992 Guyana, I grew up in a depressed countryside, in my grandmother’s thatched-roof shack on stilts which swayed and slanted with the wind, in a scarcely populated squatting area used as pasture for cattle. Placing basins and empty tins to collect water leaking through the used and damaged “roof” always filled me with anxiety, since I had to ensure they never overflowed onto the floor. Looking back, I realise the floor provided adequate evacuation through the wide gaps between planks, from which I could see the bottom house which was neatly daubed with cow dung and mud every week.

That bottom house was Anna Correia the HQ for my sis, cousin and I, where we’d have tea parties using dry coconut shells as cups, or make kites, or trade rubber bands. When there were floods, we’d sit on the stairs and look at the tadpoles, frogs, fishes, snakes and other life-forms in general which inhabited the waters. At the time, there was no tap water, so I’d help grandmother wash dishes in the “front drain”. I must have transformed it into a graveyard for cutlery. Truth be told, I preferred to catch tadpoles than wash dishes; fond recollections from my grass roots!

Getting ready for school meant having to fetch buckets of water either from the nearby trench or from neighbours living in another area, to bathe. When rain water was scarce, we’d sometimes resort to black water for drinking. As kids, we loved bathing in the trench, never mind the caimans were then resident inhabitants and had even snapped off a chunk of the neighbour’s arm once.

By 1995, tap water was available and so was electricity.

Growing up in a single-parent home meant being resourceful enough to make ends meet at the end of the month. So maintaining kitchen gardens and poultry was part of daily childhood chores. Life was simple for villagers; most times it was tough, though it gave character to our resilience. But even as Guyana developed with the years and the landscape transformed, grass-root problems trapped rural Guyana.

Domestic violence, unemployment, alcoholism, illiteracy, suicide, incest, lack of or inaccessibility to information and education which could empower us, marginalisation, and deficient State services and infrastructure are among the list of setbacks which still hinder rural Guyana’s development.

Experiencing the life and hardships of a rural Guyanese is essential to understanding it, but what does understanding it mean if we do not apply knowledge to progress? Some extract themselves to rise above the grass roots, forming a sort of intellectual bourgeoisie hoping to save Guyana. But those claiming to represent grass-root interests can only gain credibility through validation by the people of rural Guyana, and through the people’s integral participation in their own development.

The APNU/AFC, in its neglect of the small woman and man, has yet to incorporate this principle into its governance of our country. Regrettably, the Parliament of Guyana prefers to waste the nation’s time on a Tobacco Bill, which relies on data pertaining to every other country but our own, rather than to discuss sound economic measures to save the sugar industry and its thousands of workers, through for instance, modernisation. Had the Bill suggested an analysis of the impact of smoking in Guyana, one might have been more lenient.

While the country is confronted with the troubling consequences of what can only be defined as deliberate neglect of the aggravating circumstances culminating into two consecutive prison breaks under Ramjattan’s watch, the Government is wasting hard-earned tax dollars on a CoI into the alleged assassination plot against Granger – alleged!

Today, everything other than the welfare of Guyanese, especially rural Guyanese, is prioritised, by a Government that uses Guyana’s Parliament unabashedly to slaughter our democratic rights. But even seven extra hours of Government propaganda per week on TV and radio stations made compulsory by the newly-amended Broadcasting Act, to complement the DPI, NCN, the Guyana Chronicle and other State media, wouldn’t save the coalition from the grass roots come 2020.

Contact sundayarrow@gmail.com

15 Ensure performance bonds in place – MP warns procuring entities T news

sunDAY, july 30, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

he Parliamentary Opposition is warning Government entities of the importance of ensuring a performance bond is in place when entering into a contract with any contractor that would see advances being paid.

This advice was specifically given by Opposition Parliamentarian Juan Edghill, who is also a member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Over the past few months, a number of accounting officers were asked by the committee to account for fiscal infractions when procuring goods and services.

It has been noted that, in some cases, Government has had difficulty recouping losses because of non-existent bonds.

“Any contract that is signed between a budget agency and a contractor, where (sums of money) are given in advance before the

PAC member Juan Edghill

supply of the goods or the service or the performance of the contract; whether it is civil works, that money that was paid must be covered by a bond,” Edghill warned during a recent interview with this publication.

“So if the service is not provided, you could draw

from the bond. There must be security in the form of a bond. So it’s almost handing the people the money and what you do with it you do with it,” The parliamentarian added.

Edghill decried the existence of the practice, and noted that more stringent measures are needed to prevent their repeat. The Audit Office of Guyana is expected to present the AG 2016 Report in a matter of months.

The PAC, which also has the task of preparing its own report based on the AG’s 2015 findings, has been the scene of turmoil for the past few months, with some of these accounting officers having to be cautioned and evicted from the Parliament Chambers for being untruthful with the Committee.

Performance bonds A poignant case of inadequate or non-existent security bonds for contract works is the East Coast Demerara

Agri Ministry seeks...

FROM PAGE 12

There had been complaints that poor drainage and irrigation greatly hinder agricultural development in the backlands.

The Guyana Marketing Corporation had also said farmers in the community are hindered from producing marketable amounts owing to failures in the drainage system.

In a recent interview with Guyana Times, Holder had provided an update on the Regions Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and Five (Mahaica-Berbice)

villages that are benefiting from a US$3.8 million grant. The grant was awarded late last year by the Caricom Development Fund (CDF) to facilitate infrastructural improvement in targeted smallscale farming communities.

The Agriculture Minister related that the first phase of the agricultural land development project was underway in the villages of: Mocha Arcadia, EBD; Beterverwagting (BV)/

Triumph and Buxton, ECD, and Ithaca, West Coast Berbice (WCB).

These were seen as having been “neglected” over time.

This publication was told of some “60 acres” of land that was being cleared in the Buxton backlands to facilitate farming.

Holder also indicated that while the majority of the funding would come from the multimillion-dollar grant, some 20 per cent of public funds would be sourced to facilitate such services as local staffing.

road project. The project commenced in 2011 and spanned Better Hope to Belfield, with the civil works split into seven lots.

It was intended to bring a number of benefits for motorists using the road, including reducing congestion. Over $2.7B have been expended on this project.

Courtney Benn Contracting Services had been assigned to do works on Lot Three: from La Bonne Intention to Beterverwagting, with the contract sum being $349M. Compustruct, on the other hand, was assigned Lot Four of the highway improve-

ment programme, ranging from Beterverwagting to Triumph. The cost for that lot was $322.3M. According to the Auditor General’s Report, both were granted time extensions up to June 17, 2015. By September 18, 2015, the auditor observed, Lot Three was 80 percent complete, while Lot Four was halfway completed.

The Auditor had noted that advance payments of $120.6M for Lot Three and $132.7M for Lot Four were not recovered.

The auditor had also stated that Compustruct submitted only one advance bond,

while receiving three advance payments.

Compustruct’s performance bond expired on December 31, 2014. In the case of Courtney Benn, the company’s bonds also expired in 2014.

In February 2017, however, Courtney Benn denied reports that his contract was terminated because he had not fulfilled his contractual obligations. In fact, Benn reportedly stated that his work was completed, as the roadway was widened, drains dug, and sheet pilings erected.

The now Ministry of Public Infrastructure is in the process of collecting payments as restitution.

16 news

SunDAY, july 30, 2017 | guyanatimesGY.com

Minibus driven by policeman topples …2 injured

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wo persons had to be rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) after the minibus in which they were travelling toppled on the Mahaicony Public Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Injured are Gregory Halley, 33, of Zeskendren, East Coast Demerara (ECD) and Prince Harte, 33 of Paradise, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Guyana Times understands that the incident occurred at around 20:30hrs when minibus BRR249, being driven in a westerly direction along the Letter T Public Road, Mahaicony by a police corporal, confronted the bright lights of a vehicle proceeding in the opposite direction. The corporal reported being suddenly blinded by the bright lights, and swerving further south to avoid a collision. This caused the minibus to become uncontrollable and toppling

several times. Those in the bus were pulled from the wreckage and rushed to the hospital.

Halley and Harte were both admitted to the facility, but are now said to be in a stable condition.

The corporal and other passengers also received minor injures, but were treated and sent away. A breathalyser test conducted on the cop showed no alcohol in his system.

The Police are investigating this incident.

SOL hosts road show in Region 2

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undreds of persons flocked the booths of SOL Guyana Inc at Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast on Friday, when the company hosted a road show to showcase their products and special offers.

Accommodated at the G&P Jaigobin Supermarket tarmac in Anna Regina, the show provided consumers with opportunity to get a greater understanding of the technology employed and advantages available in using the Shell range of Lubricants.

According to General Manager of SOL Guyana Inc, Liz Wyatt, the show caters for drivers of gasoline vehicles and miners, among others. Vehicle owners benefited from being educated on the Shell products which could pro-

A little winner of one of the many prizes that were up for grabs

tect and preserve their equipment.

The SOL Group of Companies operates in 23 countries across the Eastern Caribbean, and in Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Bahamas, Cayman, Belize,

Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Martinique and Guadeloupe.

SOL supplies fuels, lubricants, bitumen and LPG through an extensive service station network; and caters to the needs of marine, aviation and commercial operators.

news

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SunDAY, july 30, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Younge’s Take Ramjattan and the jail men

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resident David Granger continues to prove daily that he is disinterested in running a very competent, effective, efficient, lean and clean Government. By his nonverbal posture, utterances, actions and inactions, Mr Granger is proving that he is also not committed to the very high political and ethical standards that he preached about while campaigning for the leadership of the Peoples National Congress.

He has also demonstrated that he is more concerned about continuity in Government, as opposed to exemplary public service and good governance.

From all appearances, the President has a clear preference for the wastage of tax payers’ funds on the establishment of politically sullied commissions of inquiry, finding jobs for his exmilitary friends, and PNC party and coalition politics above all else.

This has resulted in the President becoming deaf to the voices of those who elected him to serve, Michael Younge and those who are unified against him whenever his Government abuses its privileges and tramples on the rights of the populace.

Mr Granger also seems more excited about performing the ceremonial functions of the office of President of Guyana. He has no appetite for those aspects of the job which require him to act in the interest of the public, and not on behalf of any specific political party or politician. He also seems incapable of making tough decisions which would clearly set his Government apart from the legacies of the PNC and PPP. Mr Granger, therefore, cannot discipline, dismiss, hire or reshuffle his ministers as he sees fit. He cannot act based on his own deliberate judgement and conscience, or he risks committing political suicide within the hierarchy of the PNC and coalition, even if he is acting on principle and according to the expressed will of the people. If he does act in this respect, his party must approve his actions, and the affected party must agree fully. Failure to please the old PNC guards and those currently parachuted into that party's Executive could result in his removal from the post of leader, and fresh efforts to undermine the firm grip he has on power within that political unit.

As a direct result, ministers currently serving in his cabinet appear untouchable and indispensable. They know too well that they are not serving by virtue of the President and people’s confidence in them, but rather their individual party's confidence.

This may be the reason for Mr Granger's alarming inaction with respect to disciplining Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan for his continued failure to competently deliver on the key aspects of his ministerial portfolio. Regardless of what he says publicly, Mr Granger knows that Mr Ramjattan is incompetent and ill-suited for the job. He knows that the AFC politician is doing a disservice to the people of Guyana, and does not possess the intellectual capacity to understand what is needed to run the country's security sector efficiently. It is no secret that the minister, big on dramatic political rhetoric when sober, has not implemented a single new policy that has positively enhanced the operations and functions of the Guyana Police Force, or any other security agency for that matter. Apart from his 2:00am party down curfew -- which has also been ineffective, given the rationale behind its implementation -- Mr Ramjattan has not brought any new ideas to the job. He has not done anything remarkable that would justify his continued appointment. He has not inspired confidence in the ranks of those who continue to serve and protect our country.

As a matter of fact, Mr Ramjattan has so far failed to accomplish any of the important reforms outlined in the coalition's elections manifesto. He has been sitting at Brickdam since his appointment, scheming on how to bring the PPP and Jagdeo to its knees. And from all indications, both are still standing tall while Mr Ramjattan and the coalition are swimming through controversy after controversy and battling crisis after crisis.

The truth is: the recent jailbreak should have resulted in Minister Ramjattan's dismissal or resignation. He should have been held solely responsible, because 11 dangerous prisoners escaped from the highly secured Lusignan prison pasture under his watch. They escaped after another eight prisoners created mayhem in the country by escaping lawful custody at the Camp Street jail, before reducing the facility to ashes.

The minister has oversight responsibility for the prison system as far as policy creation, ' implementation, and execution are concerned. He has done nothing to improve the conditions under which prisoners are housed, despite the fact that he inherited a set of exemplary system reforms from the previous Government, which they refused to approve while in opposition. Recall how Ramjattan had criticised Clement Rohee's stewardship of the very same sector.

Recall how he spoke eloquently about ministerial responsibility and the fact that when such crises occur under someone's eyes, they should do the honourable thing and resign from office. Aside from the deadly prison outbreaks this year, there have also been arson at the prisons last year, increased criminality and crime in Guyana and rampant corruption within the Public Security sector.

The minister presided over a period of unprecedented violence and human rights’ violations since coming to office, too. How some people could argue that he should not be blamed for what is happening in his very own sector is beyond rational and independent reasoning. If he should not be responsible for the problems in his sector, then no other minister can be held responsible in the future when similar things occur under their watch.

Things will not get better under Ramjattan's leadership of the sector. If he had any integrity and public decency, he would have resigned already. A minister was fired over a guest she invited to her swearing-in ceremony in Trinidad and Tobago, because of the impression it gave about Govt. But here, in Guyana, an entire jail burns down, high profile murderers escape and 17 other prisioners die, but the minister still enjoys Mr Granger’s confidence, and is able to still knock glasses at parties during the crises. Guyana is a strange place with strange politicians and an even stranger President.

Warden jailed for smuggling ganja into prison

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oanne Erskine King, a 38-year-old former prison officer of Fort Ordnance, East Canje Berbice, who late last year was found in possession of marijuana which she had intended to traffic into the New Amsterdam Prison, was on Friday jailed for 18 months by Springlands Magistrate Alex Moore.

Police Prosecutor Godfrey Playter was responsible for presenting the state’s case against Erskine.

The charge she faced detailed that on October 23, 2016, she was found in pos-

session of 298 grams of marijuana, which she had intended to traffic into the New Amsterdam Prison.

Prison officer Donell Crandon, who was on duty at about 10:30h on the day in question, observed Erskine, who was also on duty, acting in a suspicious manner -- walking in and out of the female prison as she conversed on her cellular phone.

Erskine then requested that Crandon open the main door, and this was done. Crandon then observed Erskine collecting a

bulky black plastic bag from a dark coloured car and placing same in her working bag. Later that day, Erskine was seen placing the bag in a basket that the cook at the prison was carrying.

Moments later, the basket was intercepted and Erskine pulled the plastic bag away. Officer-in-Charge of the New Amsterdam Prisons, Colin John, interviewed the accused and an investigation was launched, following which Erskine was arrested and charged with the offence.

Erskine will be serv-

Joananne Erskine King

ing her time at the New Amsterdam Prison, where she once worked.

Overseas college partners with locals to tackle suicide in Region 2

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he high rate of suicide in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) has captured the attention of the William James College of Newtown, Massachusetts, United States of America (USA), which has now partnered with the Guyana Foundation to provide suicide awareness in communities.

Professors as well as students and a psychologist attached to the College have dispatched a team to Region Two, where they helped to alleviate mental health issues within the Region.

The team arrived in Guyana on July 22 and immediately commenced its outreach programme, which concluded on Wednesday last.

Natalie Cort, PhD, Assistant Professor of WJC’s Mental Health Department, said that the trip focused on reaching out to persons suffering from suicidal tendencies as well as training major stakeholders in the fight.

“We from the univer-

The team visiting from the William James College

sity would love to help Caribbean countries and Region Two was selected because of the need for mental health work within the Region. We would conduct continuous training once we start. We want to empower persons; we want them to make it – Gatekeepers,” Cort told Guyana Times.

The assistant professor added that the university has recognised the need for mental health work within Region Two and as such, has partnered with the Foundation to provide basic

suicide awareness.

Cort said that under the global health programme the university has worked, over the years, with various countries in the Caribbean to provide awareness on mental health issues.

Dr Jill Bloom, also of WJC, said that based on research, Region Two has the highest suicide rate and as such, they believe that training was urgently needed, so the university conducted a two-day mental health workshop.

Guyana Foundation

Managing Director Susan Isaacs expressed her satisfaction with the partnership of the two organisations.

Isaacs said since the establishment of the Guyana Foundation Sunrise Centre, much-needed support has been provided to those who are suffering from depression and other disorders that lead to suicide.

According to statistics from the Region Two statistical department, thus far there have been 35 attempted cases with six deaths.

Albouystown, Charlestown benefit from massive clean-up exercise

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ollaborative efforts between the Public Infrastructure Ministry and the communities of Charlestown and Albouystown in Georgetown have seen the successful execution of a clean-up campaign to reduce the impact of flooding during the rainy season.

Several citizens commended the efforts of stakeholders who were behind the clean-up drive, while noting that the cleaning of drains would facilitate effective drainage by allowing water to run off rather than stay on the roads and land for days.

Paul Samoogan reflected on the simple life back in the 1970s when “drains running over” was unheard of.

Residents in action desilting drains

“Water used to flow through the drain so fast: in the drain, you coulda race cork in it, but it is a good initiative. I hope that when this work is over, the drains keep to the standard and the water keep flowing,” he is quoted as saying by the Department of Public Information.

Samoogan’s view was

echoed by another citizen, who highlighted the importance of consistency in such an initiative.

“It’s a very good initiative, but they have to keep it constantly; it’s not an initiative that you have to do like once in five years or once in two years, you have to do it constantly like once every six months or once ev-

ery year, you know – make it a programme,” Frentz Farier suggested.

Legal Counsel and Councillor for Constituency 10, Eston Bostwick said that the Constituency would implement charges for residents who fail to upkeep their surroundings.

Community Coordinator within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Neilson McKenzie said that the initiative was part of the $150 million that was voted for by Cabinet and passed over to the Ministry in relation to ensuring that critical areas that have suffered from immense flooding were assisted.

The clean-up exercise is expected to conclude on Monday.

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sunday, july 30, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World

Trump threatens to end Ousted Pakistani PM lines insurance payments up brother to take over if no healthcare bill

President Donald Trump

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resident Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to end Government payments to health insurers if Congress does not pass a healthcare bill.

In a Twitter message on Saturday, Trump said "if a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, bailouts for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS

for Members of Congress will end very soon!"

Trump's comment came after Senate Republicans failed to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare bill, on Friday.

The first part of Trump's tweet appeared to be referring to the approximately $8 billion in cost-sharing

reduction subsidies paid by the federal government to insurers to lower the price of health coverage for low-income individuals.

The second part of the tweet appeared to be a threat to end the employer contribution for members of Congress and their staffs who were moved from the normal federal employee healthcare benefits program onto the Obamacare insurance exchanges as part of the 2010 healthcare law.

The Obama administration had ruled that these contributions could continue, flowing through the District of Columbia insurance exchange.

Many insurers have been waiting for an answer from Trump or lawmakers on whether they will continue to fund the annual government subsidies. Without assurances, many insurers plan to raise rates an additional 20 percent by an Aug. 16 deadline for premium prices. (Reuters)

O

usted Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced plans on Saturday for his brother Shahbaz to take over as leader of the country and lashed out at the Supreme Court ruling that barred him from office.

Shahbaz must contest a by-election for parliament to become eligible to take the reins, so the outgoing Sharif also nominated staunch ruling party ally Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to serve as interim prime minister for at least 45 days.

Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party has a strong majority in parliament so should have no problem getting its choices confirmed when the chamber convenes to elect a new premier.

Local TV said the session would begin on Tuesday.

Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif

For now, Pakistan has no leader, creating uncertainty at a time the nuclear-armed country is enjoying a rare period of relative stability, with militant attacks slowly declining and the economy growing at its fastest pace in a decade.

An eventual transfer of power from Sharif to his brother would, however, still mark a relative-

C

Attorney Joseph Melville

guilty of these charges as well. Melville was also sentenced to nine years for conspiracy to murder, 14 years for kidnapping and four

years for assault. These sentences will run concurrently and because he has spent four years and nine months in prison, while awaiting trial, this will be deducted from the 19 year sentence. So he will serve just over 14 years in prison.

Melville was represented by attorneys Ravi Rajcoomar, Larry Williams and Radeyah Ali. Senior State attorney Anju Bhola prosecuted.

It was Melville’s second trial. He was first convicted in March 2004 and sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for his role in Cox’s kidnapping and attempted murder. (T&T Newsday)

(Reuters)

Venezuelans brace for unrest, stockpile food ahead of vote today

T&T lawyer jailed for attempting to kill secretary onvicted attorney Joseph Melville was on Friday sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for attempting to murder his secretary in 2001.

In sentencing Melville, Justice Maria Wilson said she considered the employee/ employers trust relationship and noted that the attorney was the mastermind and participated in the commission of the offences. Melville was before the court on charges of conspiring to murder his then secretary Patricia Cox on June 28, 2001. He was also charged with kidnapping and assault and found

ly smooth transition for Pakistan, which has been plagued by political chaos and frequent army interventions since it was founded 70 years ago.

But opposition party leader and former cricket star Imran Khan derided Sharif's plan to make his brother prime minister as a flaw in Pakistani politics.

Demonstrators clash with riot security forces while rallying against Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro’s Government in Caracas, Venezuela

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enezuelan protesters blocked streets on Saturday in a lastditch effort to derail the election of a legislative super-body that opponents of President Nicolás Maduro say will give the socialist leader a stranglehold on power. The oil-rich but recession-racked country has been gripped by four months of protests against Maduro

that have left more than 110 dead in confrontations against security forces who have responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons.

"Extend the barricades until tomorrow and everybody go to the streets on Sunday to demand the transformation of Venezuela," Freddy Guevara, an opposition congressman, said on

Twitter.

Caraqueños, as residents of capital city Caracas are known, woke to the sight of debris-strewn streets where demonstrators clashed with security forces during the week. Those who are against Maduro's brand of socialism said they would not vote in Sunday's election aimed at selecting the "constituent assembly." The government has banned protests from Friday to Tuesday, but opposition figure Henrique Capriles called on his followers to hold protests along the country's main roads on Sunday.

People with enough money to buy food in the face of the world's highest inflation rate also stocked up on basics like bread, chicken and milk as a precaution in the event that unrest forces stores and other businesses to close in the coming days.

(Reuters)

Hamburg supermarket attacker 93-year-old Mugabe says “not dying” as health concerns mount “was known Islamist”

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imbabwe's 93-yearold President Robert Mugabe, declaring "I am not dying," sought Saturday to brush aside growing concerns about his health after his wife urged him to name a successor.

Mugabe's medical trips to Singapore have become frequent in recent years, fuelling questions about his health. His last visit was early this month for what was described as a "routine medical check-up".

"There is the issue that the president is going. I am not going. That the president is dying. I am not dying," Mugabe told thousands of supporters at a rally in his home town of

President Robert Mugabe

Chinhoyi.

His remarks came after his wife Grace urged him to name a successor in a bid to

end the factionalism threatening to tear apart his ruling ZANU-PF party.

"I thank God for having lived to this day. I thank God for the good life. I have an ailment here and there (but) my organs… my heart and liver are very firm. Recently, doctors were actually surprised by the strength of my bones," Mugabe said.

He said he had followed a strict exercise routine from the years he was imprisoned during the fight against colonial rule in the 1970s. Mugabe, who spoke for more than an hour at the rally, now walks with difficulty and sometimes dozes off during meetings. (AFP)

T

he man who killed one person and injured six in a supermarket knife attack in Hamburg was a "known Islamist", police say.

"He was known as an Islamist but not a jihadist," police spokesman Andy Grote said, noting that the suspect also suffered from "psychological" issues.

The man, a failed asylum seeker born in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), attacked customers at random on Friday.

Police said he acted alone and he was overpowered by passers-by.

The 26-year-old man, identified as Ahmad A, is a Palestinian from the UAE

Police said the suspected knife attacker was cornered and overpowered by members of the public

who is registered on an Islamist database, Mr Grote said on Saturday.

The attacker, who arrived in Germany in 2015 but could not be deported because he had no identification papers, was also suffering from mental health problems, officials said.

Police have carried out a search of the shelter in Hamburg where the man was living but said there was no evidence that he had accomplices or was part of a terror organisation.

It is not yet clear what the suspect's motivations were. (BBC)

sunDAY, july 30, 2017

19

Chelsea must avoid a “Jose Mourinho season”, says Antonio Conte C helsea manager Antonio Conte says that he must avoid "a Mourinho season" as the champions attempt to defend their Premier League title.

Jose Mourinho won the league with Chelsea in 2015 but was sacked the next season with the club in 16th place.

"Two years ago Chelsea finished 10th; that cannot happen again," Conte said.

The last team to win back-to-back Premier League titles were Manchester

United, who completed a hat-trick of successive wins in 2008-09.

"We know the difficulty and for sure we want to avoid the Mourinho season with Chelsea," Conte added.

"The coaches of the previous two champions [Chelsea and Leicester] both lost their jobs [the next season] and we are working very well to find the best solutions and use them," Conte said.

"We have a lot of young players and it is necessary to try and develop them."

Chelsea continued their pre-season with a 2-1 defeat to Inter Milan in Singapore, in a game featuring an amazing own goal by Inter's Geoffrey Kondogbia.

Kondogbia lobbed a bizarre backpass into his own net from 40 yards, but the Italians won thanks to goals from Stevan Jovetic and reported Manchester United target Ivan Perisic.

Chelsea's club record £60m signing Alvaro Morata was quiet on his first start but got an hour under his belt before being replaced. (BBCSPORTS)

Dutch reach Euro semi-finals N

ew Arsenal signing Vivianne Miedema was on the scoresheet as hosts Netherlands set up a potential Euro 2017 semi-final with England by comfortably beating Sweden.

The Dutch were always in control in front of a sell-out crowd in Doetinchem and will play either England or France on Thursday.

Winger Lieke Martens opened the scoring with a low free-kick before Miedema tapped in her 42nd international goal.

The Dutch have never reached the final.

The hosts and England are the only sides in the tournament with a 100% record and the Netherlands took control with Martens' opener.

New Arsenal signing Vivianne Miedema was the top scorer in last season's Champions League for Bayern Munich

Miedema, 21, was tripped by Jessica Samuelsson just inside the area and while referee Bibiana Steinhaus gave a free-kick, Martens bent home to ensure that the

mistake did not matter.

Martens will join Barcelona after the Euros, alongside England forward Toni Duggan.

Martens then freed Liverpool winger Shanice

van de Sanden over the top, and she kept her cool and teed up Miedema for a simple finish as the Dutch matched their run to the last four in 2009. (BBC)

Atkinson turns heads despite missing World Champs

Dominant Dressel makes history with 3 golds in one session

N

o swimmer had ever claimed three golds in one session at the FINA World Championships, but Caeleb Dressel changed that on Saturday.

Caeleb Dressel made history at the FINA World Championships on Saturday and cemented his status as the United States’ new superstar in the pool by becoming the first swimmer to win three gold medals in a single session.

Dressel won the men’s 50-metre freestyle and 100m butterfly before leading off for the USA’s victorious mixed 4x100m freestyle relay team.

The 20-year-old now has six gold medals at the meeting and can tie Michael Phelps’ record of seven - set at the 2007 championships in Melbourne - with success in the men’s 4x100m medley relay on Sunday.

Dressel came agonisingly close to taking Phelps’ 100m fly world record as he won in a time of 49.86secs. That time was just 0.04s shy of Phelps’ benchmark and ensured Dressel took gold by a huge margin from Hungarian teenager Kristof Milak (50.62s), as Joseph Schooling and James Guy (both 50.83s) shared bronze.

“A lot of people like to compare. I am not the same person as Michael Phelps,” said Dressel. “I just want to keep doing my own thing for this meet and for the future.”

Katie Ledecky claimed her 14th world title and fifth at this year’s event with another dominant win in the women’s 800m freestyle.

There were also gold medals on Saturday for Sarah Sjostrom and Emily Seebohm, who secured respective triumphs in the women’s 50m butterfly and 200m backstroke.(Sportsmax)

A

Alia Atkinson

lia Atkinson, despite skipping the 17th FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, is still managing to turn heads after breaking Jamaica’s National 100-metre freestyle record at the Florida Gold Coast Senior Championships on Friday.

Atkinson was breaking a national record for the second time this month after the four-time Olympian, became the first Jamaican to swim the 100-metre butterfly in under a minute (59.94) at the Southern Zone Sectional Championship on July 7.

Swimming in the open women’s final yesterday, Atkinson touched the wall in 55.35, smashing her threeyear-old national mark of 56.06.

The victory came at the expense of Miami Swimming’s Kyla Valls (56.33), and Victoria Fonville of Westminster Academy (57.52).

Atkinson also swam in the 50 metre breastroke, hitting the wall in 30.54, winning by more than two seconds. The time, though a season’s best, is just the eighth-fastest time this year.

The Jamaican will next take on the FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup Series in Moscow on August 2.

(Sportsmax).

20

Kohli, spinners help seal victory

Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja complete India’s thumping win in Galle

S

guyanatimesGY.com

sunDAY, july 30, 2017

pinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja shared six wickets to help India to a thumping 304-run win against Sri Lanka on the fourth day of the first test on Saturday for a 1-0 lead in the series.

The hosts, chasing a mammoth 550 for victory, only managed 245 runs before their second innings folded in the final session of the penultimate day, after opening batsman Dimuth Karunaratne had been dismissed for 97.

Asela Gunaratne, who had fractured his thumb and was ruled out of the series, and stand-in captain Rangana Herath, who suffered a hand injury on Friday, did not bat for Sri Lanka in the second innings. "(I'm) Really happy with the way things went in this particular game," India captain Virat Kohli said at the presentation. "All bases were covered nicely and the guys stood up when it was needed most.

"The surface didn't offer much. That's why the win is more special because the bowlers had to work hard."

India, the world's topranked test side, declared

their second innings closed on 240 for three after Kohli completed his 17th test hundred.

The right-handed batsman, who resumed the day on 76, remained unbeaten on 103 after reaching the milestone with a single off spinner Dilruwan Perera.

Burdened with an improbable target, Sri Lanka needed a solid opening stand but their hopes were dashed when Mohammed Shami bowled Upul Tharanga for 10, a relief for Kohli who had dropped the batsman at second slip in the same over.

Debutant Danushka Gunathilaka did not last long either and was out for two, hitting Umesh Yadav straight into the hands of Cheteshwar Pujara at square leg.

Sri Lanka were 29-2 at that stage and needed a solid 79-run stand between Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis to settle things down.

India came back strongly after lunch with two quick wickets from left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, ranked number one in the world in the longest format.

Mendis, who made 36, was given not out on a

caught behind appeal but India successfully overturned the umpire's decision on review. Former captain Angelo Mathews fell soon afterwards, mis-hitting Jadeja to get caught by Hardik Pandya.

Mathews' dismissal brought Karunaratne and Niroshan Dickwella together and the pair added 101 for the fifth wicket, before Dickwella was caught by wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha to become Ashwin's first victim of the innings.

Karunaratne dragged the off-spinner, playing his 50th test match, back onto his stumps while playing a sweep shot and fell perilously close to his sixth test hundred.

Ashwin, who took 3-65, also dismissed Nuwan Pradeep without scoring before Jadeja (3-71) wrapped things up when Lahiru Kumara skied an attempted slog to become the last man to fall for the hosts.

"All credit goes to the India team," Herath said.

"We need to improve ourselves in all three departments."

The second test will be played from Thursday in Colombo. (Reuters)

SCOREBOARD India 1st innings 600 Sri Lanka 1st innings 291 India 2nd innings (Overnight: 189-3) S. Dhawan c Gunathilaka b D. Perera 14 A. Mukund lbw b Gunathilaka 81 C. Pujara c K. Mendis b Kumara 15 V. Kohli not out 103 A. Rahane not out 23 Extras (lb-1 nb-1 w-2)4 Total (for 3 wickets declared, 53 overs) 240 Fall of wickets: 1-19 S. Dhawan,2-56 C. Pujara,3-189 A. Mukund Did not bat: H. Pandya, W. Saha, M. Shami, U. Yadav, R. Jadeja, R. Ashwin Bowling Pradeep 12 - 2 63 - 0(nb-1) , Perera 15 - 0 - 67 – 1, Kumara 12 - 1 - 59 1(w-2), Herath 9 - 0 - 34 – 0, Gunathilaka 5 - 0 - 16 - 1 Sri Lanka 2nd innings (Target: 550 runs)

D Karunaratne b R. Ashwin 97 U Tharanga b Shami 10 D Gunathilaka c Pujara b U. Yadav 2 K Mendis c Saha b Jadeja 36 AMathews c H. Pandya b Jadeja 2 N Dickwella c Saha b R. Ashwin 67 D Perera not out 21 N Pradeep c Kohli b R. Ashwin 0 L Kumara c Shami b Jadeja 0 R Herath retired hurt 0 A Gunaratne retired hurt 0 Extras (lb-3 w-7) 10 Total (all out, 76.5 overs) 245 Fall of wickets: 1-22 U. Tharanga,2-29 D. Gunathilaka,3-108 K. Mendis,4-116 A. Mathews,5-217 N. Dickwella,6-240 D. Karunaratne,7-240 N. Pradeep,8-245 L. Kumara Bowling: Shami 9 - 0 - 43 - 1(w-5), Yadav 9 - 0 - 42 – 1, Jadeja 24.5 - 4 - 71 – 3, Ashwin 27 - 4 - 65 – 3, Pandya 7 - 0 - 21 - 0(w-2)

Yadram awarded MVP as WI U-19s claim series against Zimbabwe

Bhaskar Yadram

G

uyanese Bhaskar Yadram was named man of the series as West Indies comfortably defeated Zimbabwe in the recently concluded U-19 Tournament.

Like they did in the decider against South Africa in their first stop of their Africa tour, West Indies Under-19 team led by Keagan Simmons, Emmanuel Stewart and Bhaskar Yadram who registered half centuries won the final match against Zimbabwe to claim the series.

Yadram and Simmons, who have both been in good form added 113 for the first wicket after making 65 and 89 respectively.

Stewart, who batted at number three finally, got to a significant score after a horrid tour as he rallied to an aggressive 76 which lasted 79 deliveries.

Those three significant knocks guided the visitors to 257-4 from their allotted 50 overs.

They then returned to restrict the hosts to 187 all out in 42.5 overs to win by 70 runs and claimed the three match series 2-1.

Zimbabwe’s skipper Liam Roche top scored with 65 while Darren Nedd with 4-33 and Yadram 2-20 spearheaded West Indies attack.

Yadram was named man of the match and series as the young West Indies wrapped up their tour of Africa with success against South Africa and Zimbabwe, winning those series 3-2 and 2-1 respectively.

Hamilton rules out Hungarian Grand Prix victory

M

ercedes' Lewis Hamilton all but ruled out his chance of winning the Hungarian Grand Prix after qualifying fourth.

He faces losing ground to title rival Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, who is one point ahead and starts from pole.

"We can't do anything in the race. We can't follow or overtake a car that is as fast or faster," said the Briton.

"It is going to be a battle to get on the podium - and unless something happens with the others that is probably going to be where we are."

Hamilton's remarks are founded on the difficulty of overtaking on the tight and twisty Hungaroring.

The 32-year-old said his unsurpassed record on the track, where he has won five times in 10 races, was "not relevant".

"It has been a good track. I was hoping to make the difference today but I wasn't able to," he added.

Mercedes have struggled compared with Ferrari all weekend but when Hamilton set the fastest time in the second part of qualifying it raised hopes he might be able to take a record-equalling 68th pole.

But he complained of lacking tyre balance on his first lap in the top 10 shootout and then ran wide at the fast Turn Four, forcing him to abort that run.

That meant he had to minimise the risks on his final lap to ensure he qualified close to the front, which he said was "unfortunate". (BBCSPORT)

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sports

GFF to have training facility for Girls Academy by next year P

resident of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Wayne Forde, has revealed that by this time next year, the Guyana Girls Academy (GGA) will have their very own artificial turf training facility, in which the Academy’s training camp will be held.

This announcement was by the GFF president at the closing ceremony of the first training camp on Friday at the Transport Sports Club, where the camp was held.

Addressing the 50-odd participants of the camp, Forde expressed “heartfelt gratitude” to coach Colin Wilson, one of the founders of the GGA, and his team for the hard work and dedication shown in facilitating the camp.

He acknowledged that the work required to develop women’s football in Guyana is monumental, as the needs and specifics of the female game are very detailed.

“I assure you, the participants and GGA staff, that this time next year, when you are

having your camp, you will be doing it at a GFF artificial turf national training facility.

In closing his address, Forde urged the girls to have fun and absorb as much knowledge as possible from Coach Wilson and his team.

Meanwhile GFF Women’s Development Officer, Tricia Munroe, has noted that the GGA’s camp is a step forward, as the federation aims to implement excellence at all levels of football in Guyana. She also urged the girls to stay focused and to keep playing hard. She said they should be thankful to be a part of the first camp, while noting that it was great working with them.

The girls, selected from various parts of the country, were each presented with a certificate, footballs, shin pads and kits.

They pledged to continue training weekly at the respective Academy Training Centers (ATC) closest to their neighbourhoods.

Aimers compete Grand finale on today at fundraiser A T op and emerging aimers will today meet at the Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) Pavilion for a darts tournament.

The event is being held as a fundraiser for the Caribbean and America Darts Cup 2018, and will commence at 14:00h. Participants will engage in competition in various categories, including singles and doubles. Since the start of 2017, darts authorities have embarked on a path to develop the sport, and this is one of the many activities that aim at that target.

There will also be Bar-B-Que on sale at the event.

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ll the boasting and bragging will be thrown in the garbage when the top 17 teams of the GTT Tape Ball Tournament converge at the National Park Tarmac for the coveted honours in the seven a-side event today --final day of action in the GTT Tape Ball Knockout Tournament There will be one match prior to the commencement of the super 16 round. In that match, Eccles All Star and

“Messi” cops trip to Spain to train with FC Barcelona courtesy of Nestle Milo

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Participants of the first GGA Training Camp paying keen attention to GFF President Wayne Forde during his address

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21

GFF President Wayne Forde and Nestle Representative Mark Clarke pose with the top 10 competitors of the Tournament

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welve-year-old Martin King has won the chance of a lifetime -- to train with Futbol Club Barcelona in Spain. It is a chance most adults only dream about.

King, coincidentally, was the last child to register for the Nestle Milo-sponsored Skills Tournament for children in the Caribbean.

The children were made to go through three skill sets: dribbling, short passing and control. As they went through the drills, they were judged based on skill and accuracy, and were awarded points based on their performances.

Called “Messi” by his peers, King amassed 215 points from his three skill sets, while his closest chal-

lenger, 11-year-old Renaldo Adams, scored 160 points.

The Nestle Milo Skills Tournament resulted from Nestle Milo teaming up with FC Barcelona to host the tournament, wherein five lucky children from across the Caribbean are given a chance to win a trip to Barcelona to attend a 2-day training camp with the FC Barcelona coaches.

Earlier, before the winner of the tournament was announced, Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde congratulated the Nestle group for pulling off the event; and congratulated the parents of the children as he noted that “this is the kind of commitment we want to see from parents in supporting

the children that have an interest in playing football.”

Meanwhile, Trinidad Nestle Representative Mark Clarke has extended gratitude to the children and parents as well, while pointing out that without the GFF the tournament would not be possible in Guyana.

He maintained that the level of football skill in Guyana is excellent, as the scores of the competitors are not very different from other Caribbean countries.

Below are the list of top ten competitors of the tournament. Aside from first placed King, the others received cash prizes and Nestle products.

First Place”- Martin King (Age 12) - 215 points 2nd- Renaldo Abrams (Age 12) - 160 points 3rd- Makhaya Munroe (Age 12) - 155 points 4thShaquille Dalrymple (Age 8) – 140 points 5th- Keshawn Andrews (Age 12) - 140 points 6th- Daniel Lowe (Age 12) – 135 points 7th- Shane Dalrymple (Age 8) – 130 points 8th- Akeem Francois (Age 7) – 130 points 9th- Malik Barker (Age 10) – 130 points 10th- Clarence Lucius (Age 12) – 125 points

Queenstown Masjid will battle for the final spot in the final 16.

The champions will be determined from those teams who have survived after the four days of competition, in which more than 100 teams had entered for a shot at the inaugural title.

Following the super 16, the quarter-finals will be played, followed by the semi-finals and the grand finale. The teams making up the 15 that have

already qualified for the final day of action are: Doosan Vipes, Enmore Stars, Rising Stars and Modern Media (East Coast); Invaders, Specialist, Rising Star B, South Side, West Dem 08 and Spartans (West Demerara); PSI Legends, Ruimveldt Sports Club, GT Strikers, Outlaws and CJIA B (Georgetown).

Action is scheduled to get underway at 08:30h

Digicel’s Schools Football Championships

Annai’s chance to create history against powerful Chase today

Annai will be looking for their first Digicel’s School Championships trophy

A

fter an amazing comeback in their semi-final against Waramadong on Thursday, Annai will have a chance to create history today when they face a strong Chase’s Academy side at the National Track and Field facility at Leonora, in the final of the Digicel Schools Football Championships.

The game is set to kick off at 18:00hrs with the dangerous trio of Naidison, Sherral and Orville Daniels rearing to bring their side’s maiden trophy, while Ryan Hackett, Nicholas McArthur and Jeremy Garrett will be aiming to help Chase’s retain their second title in as many years.

This is the first year of the competition that no Lindenbased side will be participating in the finals, as Chase’s defeated Christianburg/Wismar Secondary on penalties in the semi-finals; Annai came from 4-2 down to Waramadong as they won 7-5 to book their final spot.

The champion team is set to win the coveted championship trophy and $1,000,000, which goes towards a school project of their choice.

Second to fourth placed teams will win the corresponding accolade and $700,000, $400,000 and $350,000 respectively, for a school project of their choice.

Today’s final will be played at the aforementioned venue, with the third-place play-off starting at 16:00 hrs and the final from 18:00 hrs.

22

guyanatimesgy.com

sundAY, July 30, 2017

Warriors ready for 1st practice match today

Digicel’s

‘big brother’

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aspiring cricketers T

n event made possible by Digicel, part of the Hero Caribbean Premier League Big Brother Programme, attracted 20 young cricketers from Enmore and Zeeburg, and saw members of the Guyana Amazon Warriors spending just over an hour interacting with, and imparting their knowledge of the sport to, youngsters on Saturday morning at the National Stadium at Providence, EBD. The players went through paces on the basics of fielding, batting and bowling, after which they were given certificates of participation.

Digicel Guyana Communications Manager Vidya Sanichara said, “We are doing this programme throughout the Caribbean, wherever Digicel markets are, (and) especially in the markets where CPL is going to be played.”

Sanichara said Digicel is big on the promotion of youths, and this is just another manifestation of that.

“So what we try to do (is to) always incorporate that youth element into the cricket, into football, into any sporting activity that we have; and the Big Brother Programme is to actually get boys who are interested in the game participating.”

She added, “Today, here we have two different cricket clubs, one from Enmore and one from Zeeburg. These are fairly new cricket clubs, and they maybe would not have gotten as much exposure as other cricket clubs in Georgetown, and so one would have been privy to (that). So we thought it great to go out of town and get these guys to come and spend some time with the Warriors, and spend some time with Digicel to get that hands-on feel of what it is to live their passion.”

Director of Sport Christopher Jones also expressed kind sentiments about the programme, not-

ing that events such as these help to foster the development of the sport and give great confidence to the young players.

Warriors’ Rayad Emrit described it as a privilege to work with the youngsters, since he was not afforded those opportunities when he was that age; and he said they showcased an abundance of talent.

The Big Brother Programme is geared to give aspiring cricketers from across the region the opportunity to be mentored by players from the teams in the five territories participating in this year’s Hero CPL.

Green Machine loses steam on final hurdle

– suffer 23-19 loss to USA Panthers

By Akeem Greene

G

uyana’s National Rugby Team, ‘Green Machine’, bidding to return to Rugby America’s North (RAN) supremacy, suffered a heart-rending loss to USA Panthers on Saturday at the National Park Rugby Field.

It was “so close but yet so far away” for the local ruggers in a game which had varied performance in both halves, causing the final score to read 23-19 in favour of the visitors, who had lost to Guyana 3—27 in a dramatic match in 2014.

Guyana found it hard going from the onset, with the soggy conditions only adding more to their woes. They failed to bury any chances in the first half, and this ultimately caused them the match, much to the disappointment of the sizable audience, which included Director of Sport Christopher Jones and Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson.

In the 19th minute, Zach Miller gave the Panthers their first three points; and 10 minutes later, Captain Hein Erasmus scored a try, giving his side a clear 8-point lead. Miller missed the conversion, but the Panthers were up and running again when Wayne Chermely scored a try in the 35 minute. Miller again was guilty of missing the conversion, but the visitors went in at half-time the better team with the score 13-0.

Some tactical changes saw a rejuvenated Green Machine keep a closer

backline and begin having a regular presence in the 22-yard area. Though they were looking the more dominant side, Miller again missed the mark, offered in a penalty in the 54th.

Time was running out for the home side to make an impact, and their fortunes came in the form of the burly winner Avery Corbin scoring a try in the 64th, followed by Allen Crawford’s conversion. The game was now well and truly on.

Jordon Gunderson gave the US response with a try in the 73rd minute, followed by Miller converting in taking it now to 23-7.

From then the Guyanese rallied in a desperate effort to salvage some pride. Late substitute Osie McKenzie

produced a daring half-field run to score a sensational try in the 77th minute, but Lancelot Adonis unfortunately missed the conversion. The heat was on, and McKenzie again made the difference with another bullet-like sprint down the centre in the 80th minute, sinking another try, which was converted by Godfrey Broomes. With the final looking very interesting, given that Guyana had to maintain ball possession and score a try to win the match, the ball went out of play and the referee sounded the final whistle.

The local ruggers will now shift their attention to the Sevens format as they seek to defend their Caribbean title later this year.

Osie McKenzie on his way to scoring one of two tries which gave a late boost to the Green Machine (Akeem Greene Photo)

The Warriors had a simulation exercise on Saturday at the National Stadium (Dexter Ceres Photo)

he Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) tournament is just days away, and all 17 Guyana Amazon Warriors in the squad are fine-tuning their preparation under the watchful eyes of Head Coach Roger Harper and Assistant Coach Esuan Crandon.

Frantic preparations are ongoing daily at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, and the boys will have their first practice match on Sunday, July 30, from 6PM. The Guyana Amazon Warriors, most consistent team in CPL, will test their readiness against a Guyana Select XI with the likes of Paul Wintz, Akshaya Persaud, Romario Shepherd, Anthony Adams, Tevin Imlach and Eon Hooper.

The cricket loving Guyanese public is encouraged to go to Providence and get a first-hand look at the Guyana Amazon Warriors, especially since there will be no admission fee.

The fifth staging of CPL opens on Friday, August 4 in St. Lucia with the St. Lucia Stars taking on Trinbago Knight Riders at the Darren Sammy National Stadium, while Guyana Amazon Warriors get in the action the next day against St. Kitts and Nevis Patriot in Lauderhill, Florida.

The Amazon Warriors squad is comprised as follows: Martin Guptill, Rayad Emrit, Sohail Tanveer, Babar Azam, Jason Mohammed, Chadwick Walton, Rashid Khan, Steven Taylor, Keon Joseph, Gajanand Singh, Roshon Primus, Veerasammy Permaul, Assad Fudadin, Steven Jacobs, Steven Katwaroo, Keemo Paul and Muhammad Ali Khan.

Pele, Santos win as Petra/Corona Beer Football Tournament continues

P

ele FC and Santos FC were the latest victors when the Petraorganization/Corona Beer football tournament continued on Friday night at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground.

Pele bested Eastveldt FC through strikes from Thairys Payne in the 21st minute and Darwin George in the 61st minute, to win 2-nil.

In the second game of the night, Santos needed a goal in injury time to defeat Flamingo FC in an entertaining matchup which ended 2-1 after the final whistle.

Kacy John opened the scoring for Santos in the 4th minute, and that team would hold on to the lead until the 78th minute, when Leon Yaw equalized for Flamingo.

However, as always, football is full of surprises, and Travis Cotton poked one home in injury time to

win t h e game f o r Santos.

In a game defined by penalties, Riddim Squad and Northern Rangers drew 1-1.

Sceyon Hope successfully converted a penalty kick in the 17th minute to put Riddim Squad in the lead, but Northern Rangers would equalize through a penalty kick of their own in the 67th minute. The tournament will continue tonight at the same venue, as GFC clash with Black Pearl FC while Western Tigers take on Beacons FC, and Police FC face Camptown FC in the final match of the night. Action begins at 17:00hrs.

sundAY, july 30, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

23

Get to know your Guyana Amazon Warriors Full name: Jason Nazimuddin Mohammed Born: September 23, 1986, Trinidad Current age: 30 years Playing role: Batsman Batting style: Right-hand bat Bowling style: Right-arm off break

T

his unsung hero has had some cliff-hanger matches for the Warriors during his debut season with the

Amazon Warriors (GAW) last year, where he averaged 47.8 with the bat after 12 matches. Speaking with Guyana Times Sport,

........................

Gajanand Singh

Full name: Gajanand Singh Born: October 3, 1987, Berbice, Guyana Current age 29 years Batting style: Left-hand bat Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin

S

ingh was, and possibly still is, one of Guyana’s most talented batsmen.

He has a wide range of

Times Sport that if he was not a cricketer, he would have aspired to be an attorney-at-law. He said he loves Guyanese

“This year, we need more support.

We have been going to finals for the last three out of four years, and this year we need more support. Come out and support us, and be (with the) Warriors as we take this one step further to the championship”. eye-catching shots, but took a break from the game to focus on his family.

His selection comes approximately two months after a superb display at the University of the West Indies (UWI) T20 tournament in Trinidad and Tobago. In that tournament, he scored 328 runs from five innings, getting out only once as he guided Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) to the final of that tournament, rounding off a good year for the 29-year-old Berbician.

He is ecstatic about his selection to compete in the Warriors’ colours.

Singh told Guyana

cuisine, has been married for five years, and has one daughter.

The Berbician is urging all fans to come out and support the team. “This year, we need more support. We have been going to finals for the last three of four years, and this year we need more support.

Come out and support us, and be (with the) Warriors as we take this one step further to the championship,” he admonishes the fans.

Should he be given opportunity to make the team, Singh offers the team great impetus at the top of the innings, and can be a great asset in the middle order.

and mashed potaMohammed redreams of bevealed his most “Come out, support your Amazon toes, coming a singer, and memorable moplans on again doment in the Warriors through the highs and ing his best for the league. lows, so with your support and Warriors in their bid “When GAW for championship played Tridents God’s blessing we can be your glory. He is urging in Florida…, we Champions,” all fans to come out needed 4 runs in their numbers in from 4 balls, and support of the team.

I got my team to ing 91 not out, made in 58 The batsman is expectvictory with a six off the balls in helping the West 3rd ball”. Mohammed has Indies to their highest suc- ed to be the link between had an indifferent return cessful chase in One Day the middle and lower-orto West Indies colours, Internationals. The styl- der, hopefully powering but Guyanese fans should ish 30-year-old batsman, the Warriors to several vicremember his scintillat- a passionate lover of steak tories.

Jason Mohammed

SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

guyanatimesgy.com

Digicel’s

Pg 22

‘big brother’

Get to know your Guyana Amazon Warriors Pg 23

aspiring cricketers Rayad Emrit shows one of the youngsters the correct posture for fast bowling (left) while Sohail Tanveer gives an example of how to have the correct seam position as Digicel’s Big Brother Programme got underway at the National Stadium, Providence on Saturday

Jason Mohammed

Green Machine loses steam on final hurdle

– suffer 23-19 loss to USA Panthers

Pg 22

Gajanand Singh

Dwayne Schroeder (with ball) attempts to power his way through USA Panthers during their clash on Saturday at the National Park

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Times Magazine Emancipation 2017

INSIDE

Celebrating freedom and heritage

Conga Drums of Union Village

Page 3

Emancipation Day Festival The Ankara Collection Page 8

Page 10

2 Sunday Times Magazine

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Feature

Emancipation 2017

Honouring an African Country: Democratic Republic of Congo

T

Aerial view of the Democratic Republic of Congo capital, Kinshasa

he African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) honours an African country annually in celebration of Emancipation Day. This is done because most Guyanese of African descent cannot trace their ancestral roots to a particular African nation.

In choosing a particular African country to highlight every year, ACDA seeks to educate young and old about African countries and to remind them that Africa has 54 countries and is not a single country like China or India or the United States.

Traditionally, ACDA honours an African country every Emancipation Festival by building an educational booth for that country.

This year, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR

Congo) was chosen as it is the second largest country in Africa with a very rich history and culture, something ACDA will proudly showcase during the observance of this year’s Emancipation Day. DR Congo is a vast country with immense economic resources. It is for this fundamental reason that the African Cultural and Development Association has selected DR Congo as the country of focus. This country, which is located in Central Africa, shares many parallels with Guyana; it has a vast natural resource wealth which enables most of the world’s technology to exist. In addition, the Congolese people that reside in Guyana are direct descendants of settlers who came to Guyana as indentured labourers af-

ter slavery. DR Congo and Guyana share a common past. Due to their similarities, their futures may as well be aligned.

With one of the largest populations in Africa, spread across a huge area, the people of DR Congo are made up of many hundreds of different groups, speaking a variety of Bantu languages. It is the second largest country on the continent.

With over 215 different mother tongues, the DR Congo is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. More than 250 ethnic groups have been identified and named, of which the majority are Bantu. The four largest groups - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu) - and the Mangbetu-Azande make up about 45 per cent of the

population.

Although 700 local languages and dialects are spoken, the linguistic variety is bridged both by the use of French and the intermediary languages, such as Kongo, Luba-Kasai, Swahili, and Lingala.

The capital, Kinshasa, is located on the Congo River about 320 miles (515km) from its mouth. The largest city in central Africa, Kinshasa serves as the country’s official administrative, economic, and cultural centre. The country is often referred to by its acronym DRC or called Congo (Kinshasa) with the capital added parenthetically to distinguish it from the other Congo republic, which is officially called the Republic of the Congo and is often referred to as Congo (Brazzaville).

Most of Congo lies within the inner humid tropical, or equatorial, climatic region extending five degrees north and south of the Equator.

Southern Congo and the far north have somewhat drier subequatorial climates. The seasonally mobile inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is a major determinant of the climate. Along this zone, the trade winds originating in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres meet, forcing unstable tropical air aloft.

The air that is forced upward is cooled, and the resulting condensation produces prolonged and heavy precipitation.

At independence in 1960, the formal economy of Congo was based almost entirely on

DR Congo flag at the Rockfeller Center, US

the extraction of minerals.

The abundance of minerals in Katanga province was among those factors that attracted European powers to Congo in the 19th century. Minerals found in Katanga include copper, cobalt, zinc, cassiterite (the chief source of metallic tin), manganese, coal, silver, cadmium, germanium (a brittle element used as a semiconductor), gold, palladium (a metallic element used as acatalyst and in alloys), uranium, and platinum. The region west of Lake Kivu contains cassiterite, columbotantalite, wolframite (a source of tungsten), beryl, gold, and monazite (a phosphate of the

cerium metals and thorium).

Lake Kivu also harbours vast reserves of methane, carbonic, and nitrogen natural gases. There are deposits of iron ore and gem-quality diamonds in south-central Congo, while the central regions are rich in industrial diamonds. In the northeast, there are gold, coal, and ironore deposits; there are prospective deposits of gold.

For more information on DR Congo, contact ACDA on 225-8420 or visit the Emancipation Festival on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 at the National Park. (Text provided by ACDA)

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Sunday Times Magazine

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Feature

Conga Drums of Union Village

Beating the Conga drums

O

ver the years, in celebration of Emancipation, the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) honours many villages that have a common history of being purchased by freed slaves. This year, the Association honours Union Village No. 53 on the Corentyne River, Berbice with special focus on Conga drums.

Conga drums of Union Village

Drums provide the soundtrack to the rhythm of life in a village that maintains most of the small, close-knit, communal way of life. Union Village, a name evocative of the unity of its founders who purchased the abandoned cotton estate, is located on sandy reefs that embrace the Atlantic Ocean,

about 34 miles from New Amsterdam and 14 miles from Plantation Skeldon.

Drums are the heartbeat of Union Village residents as they labour in the fertile fields that produced ground provision of all kinds: eddoes, cassava and sweet potato, plantains and bananas, long mangoes, cherries, citrus fruits, paw-paws and even rice, which was planted in Sandy River. This tradition of cultivation wanes now in the face of villagers trading the uncertainty of the market forces in favour of employment in large scale rice cultivation. And of course, the Atlantic Ocean continues to provide bountiful catches of fish, supplementing the sheep, goats and cattle reared for their meat by some villagers.

Drums beat out rhythms joyful and full of promise in

celebration of achievements in the cooperative spirit for which Union Village is famous for, even in these days when it is called by another name, No. 53 Village, after the introduction of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council system of governance. These drums produce mournful beats in times of trouble, grief or remembrance of things less welcomed, but still drummed into the consciousness of a people unwilling to forget.

The drums weave myriads of echoes of pattern dances, keeping the tradi-

Residents of Union Village listen to the rhythms of the Conga drums, while reflecting on their African heritage

tion of the ‘Cake Walk’, the ‘Shove Down’ and other folk dances alive. These dances were performed when former slave masters were made to pay wages to the emancipated slaves, but still forced them to dance for their earnings, tied in cotton rags and tossed bit by bit into the circle of dancers who stomped and weaved and moved to the sounds of the drums to sweep up their hard-earned rewards.

Drums speak the names of those who hold it as close as their heartbeat and performed celebratory dances to Queen Elizabeth II, un-

der whose reign they were emancipated, and danced for Kenneth Kaunda and other African leaders when they visited Guyana. These cultural icons include Phylis Hope, Samuel Chisolm, Aunt Belle Douglas, Kathy and Reuben Welch. Today, Murlene Welch, Susan George, Ingrid Harvey, Josephine Johnson and Elise Williams are keepers of the flame. And drums continue to echo their soundtrack across the sands of time.

(Text and photos provided

by ACDA)

4

Sunday Times Magazine

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Feature

Jewellery directly from Africa

Kpelige Mask, Senufo Tribe, Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso

Ceramic water containers, Akan, Ghana

T

he African Museum of Heritage in Barima Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown is said to be the first of its kind in the Caribbean, and there are many fascinating artefacts on exhibition at the museum that tells of our historical and cultural connections to Africa.

The exhibits include paintings as well as everyday items and ceremonial artefacts that symbolize mostly West African art in daily African life and cul-

ture: from combs to iron and wooden masks to the carved door and sculptures.

A visit to the museum will prove worthwhile for many students or persons interested in African art and history.

One of the many interesting artefacts on display is the group of Kpelige masks.

According to the museum, these are characterised by a central portion, which is essentially a natural human face.

Such masks are worn with a

costume made of plant fibre, which completely covers the wearer. The projections on the sides of the face represent bird wings and projections at the bottom represent legs. The lower lip has been pierced by a lip labret or plug. The top of the mask has horns symbolising power. A bird at the top represents the clan emblem of the people who performed with it.

Brass weights used for measuring gold dust, drums, musical instruments, games and clothing are just a few of the museum’s many captivating exhibits.

Originally called the Museum of African Art and Ethnology, the Museum was established in 1985 with the purchase of collections of African art from Hubert H. Nicholson, owner of the building that currently houses the African Museum, and Desiree

Malik.

These collections were annotated and accessioned through UNESCO by Dr William Seligman, Curator of African and Oceanic Art, Brooklyn Museum.

In 2001, the Museum of African Art and Ethnology was renamed the Museum of African Heritage in order to open its doors to a wider audience and address the African experience in Guyana.

Much of the art in the collection are examples of the kind of art objects found in West Africa, and help to educate us as to the meanings and reasons behind African art traditions.

Some of the exhibits came from Africa, brought directly to Guyana by Nicholson.

In celebration of Emancipation 2017, the Museum of African Heritage will host exhibitions and support speakers who travel from village to village to give talks on the history of

Emancipation, the Village Movement and other important historical topics.

Opening hours are Mondays to Thursday from 8:00am to 4:30pm. Call 2265519 for more information.

(Cover photo: Painting by Guyanese artist C. Nurse (1991) showing freed slaves transporting money in cans in wheel barrow to purchase land housed at the Museum of African Heritage)

Bowl to hold Kola nuts from the Yoruba tribe

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Sunday Times Magazine 5

Feature

T

he Miss Emancipation pageant, launched in 2012, aims to showcase the beauty of African culture while promoting community development, edifying patrons on African heritage, challenges and solutions.

It is a highly-anticipated occasion that takes the form of an “African gala”. It is one of few occasions in which Guyanese adorn themselves in their African attire showcasing the richness of the culture.

The show takes the format of an Introduction Segment, where delegates introduce themselves adorned in beautiful African wear, reciting a spoken-word introduction written by them on the Emancipation theme of the year; the Business Wear Segment showcases the delegates’ choices of African styles that are appropriate for the working environment; the Project Presentation Segment gives the delegates an opportunity to present their projects and answer questions relating to them; the Evening Gown Segment showcases the rich beauty of African culture via the delegates’ choices in African lace designs; the questions asked in the Question and Answer Segment assess the contestants’ knowledge during the culture awareness and leadership development classes, workshops and seminars they participated in from March to July.

The Miss Emancipation’s Community Development Project, which accounts for 30% of the competition, requires delegates to design and execute a community-based project centred on the aims and objectives outlined by the pageant’s committee. The project holds the largest single score card for the competition and the winner will automatically become a finalist.

The aim of this year’s project is to

Delegate 1, Rachel Alfred

Delegate 2, Emaley Nurse

Delegate 3, Sceantell Alder

Delegate 4, Tinesha Trotman

Delegate 5, Amaniah Cort

Delegate 6, Ayana Glasgow

design and execute a community development project that will directly impact the lives of residents, especially women and children. The objectives are to promote the importance of STEM and to assist in the increase of students enrolling in the science stream. Notably, the delegates have to focus on underprivileged communities, such as those with larger percentages of single-parent households.

Marks will be awarded to the delegate who showed compassion and dedication towards execution of the project; to the delegate who has fulfilled the aim and objectives of the project; the project that showed unique characteristics; the project that showed long term benefits to the community; the delegate who demonstrated that she will follow through with the project beyond the competition.

According to the pageant’s president, Dr Melissa Varswyk, Miss Emancipation is once again being celebrated this year under the theme of the United Nations' International Decade for People of African Descent.

She mentioned that the delegates have already created their spoken-word rendition for the Introduction Segment based on the United Nations’ theme for this Decade, “Justice, Recognition and Development”.

The delegates will also be attending African cultural lectures with Dr Norman Ng-A-Qui, of Cuffy 250 Committee, and Varswyk.

This year, the delegates will be working collaboratively on their community project to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) – a pertinent feature of the pageant.

Additionally, they will be collaborating with STEM Guyana to make its community projects a success.

Keisha Jackson, a 2015 delegate, renovated the bridge joining A Field and B Field The pageant is hosted during the month of Sophia

Emancipation (August) and is incorporated in the national calendar of activities.

The Miss Emancipation show will be held at the National Cultural Centre on Saturday, August 12, 2017. Tickets cost $1000.

For more information, visit Miss Emancipation on Facebook. (Photos by DW Photo Studio)

Miss Emancipation 2016, Delisha Wright

6 Sunday Times Magazine

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Literary Corner

P

roverbs are an integral part of African culture, notes the BBC. Passed on from generation to generation for centuries, they are still in wide use today and are very much part of everyday speech.

Proverbs are used to illustrate ideas, reinforce arguments and deliver messages of inspiration, consolation, celebration and advice.

The great Nigerian author Chinua Achebe once wrote: “Proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten.”

Here are a few proverbs to ponder on: “Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable” - (Kenya) “Wood already touched by fire is not hard to set alight” - (Ashanti) “Beautiful words don’t put porridge in the pot” - (Botswana) “Rain beats a leopard’s skin but doesn’t wash off the spots” -

(Ashanti) “Don’t sweep another’s house whilst your own is dirty” - (Kenya) “You can wash the basket in the stream but you can’t carry water home with it” - (Nigeria) “A skunk does not smell itself” (Xhosa/Ndebele) “Make some money but don’t let money make you” - (Tanzania) “If you lift yourself up, that’s better than if others lift you up” (Bantu) “Someone with more firewood than you also has more ash than you” - (Kenya) “Sheep wander together but have different prices” - (Ivory Coast) “Never mind if your nose is ugly as long as you can breathe through it” - (Zaire) “A man who uses force is afraid of reasoning” - (Kenya) “Wealth, if you use it, comes to

an end; learning, if you use it, increases” - (Swahili) “Marriage is like a groundnut; you have to crack it to see what is inside” - (Ghana) “War has no eyes” - (Swahili) “A single bracelet does not jingle” - (Congo) “Bad friends will prevent you

from having good friends” - (Gabon) “By labour comes wealth” (Yoruba) “One cannot both feast and become rich” - (Ashanti) “If there is character, ugliness becomes beauty; if there is none, beauty becomes ugliness” - (Nigeria)

The Shaping of Guyanese Literature

By Petamber Persaud

E

xtract of an interview with Dorothy Irwin, Georgetown, Guyana, March 2017. Ms Irwin compiled and edited the book “Years of High Hopes: A portrait of British Guiana, 1952-1956” from family letters, mostly written by her mother.

DI: … I thought it is wrong for me to be the only one to know of this – the people who wrote them were not around, the people who received them were not around, it was just me reading them and that’s no good; they really belong here. And I would not have come to that conclusion if it weren’t for, as you said, “They covered significant years of Guyana’s history – ‘52 to ‘56, pushing towards its independence”. And I said this has to be published; I had to make this happen.

Well, it is fun to have the conviction; it’s difficult to make it happen.

PP: What factors assisted in seeing it to fruition?

DI: I just felt intuitively that it was important to do. I didn’t have the support of friends, who felt it was confusing, thinking I was writing a novel. My dad was supportive of the idea and that helped me along. He read the transcript and so did his second wife – that was good for me to get their response.

PP: Any particular

goal(s) in mind preparing the manuscript?

DI: I had two goals in mind: first, get it in the hands of Guyanese and, second, try to capture the interest of Americans.

PP: Are there some things in this story that Americans can relate to?

DI: Well that was part of the chore: figuring out how to get them to connect.

I knew just reading the letters wasn’t enough.

They wouldn’t be enough

to get in… into the story, but I felt once they got in, they’d be hooked. Some of the conundrums I found in 1994: it was a struggling period then, certainly economically, between then and the ‘50s and I say that’s the way to make the connection - the contrast which I couldn’t understand, so then it becomes an adventure to try to know the place.

PP: We all like a bit of adventure and it presented itself to you just like

that…

DI: Yes, so true.

PP: There are certain values to a book. We could look at “Years of High Hopes” from different angles: historical, social, cultural and literary. From which angle did you compile this book?

DI: I think I used them all; I don’t think I was analytical enough to separate them in my mind. I just knew that as I went, I kept finding things in the letters - references to people, places and events.

I didn’t know what they were; sometimes my parents didn’t know what they were. But I told myself the information is out there and if I’m to do this right, I must find out and write the endnotes and make the whole story clear.

For instance, my mother mentioned cassareep, but didn’t know what it was. Then there was Richard Allsopp, one of the masters at QC, referring to a man who came from Africa. Where the English stationed him was more critical of ‘blacks’ than in Guyana, and that man was transferred to British Guiana [BG]. He was so outrageous and disliked that he lost his position and got transferred somewhere else. Who could this be? After a bit of poking around, I found out. So it kept growing – my quest to build a real narrative.

PP: Your mother carried the narrative. She was a remarkable person;

judging from what you said about the way she sorted, tagged and stored those letters. Talk about your mother’s role in carrying this narrative.

DI: She was very young, 22 years old, when they moved to Georgetown.

Her baby was five months old, and she was alone a lot because my dad would go off on field trips at St Cuthbert’s and other places collecting botanical specimens. This was nothing she’d anticipated doing as a wife, and these letters were a sort of response of being cut off.

She really wrote from her heart to her mother, her parents. I wish I had their letters in response to hers, but I don’t. And then as she got more acclimated to BG, and by the time I was born in the fall of ‘55, she seemed more confident and more in charge within her household. But loneliness was a big part of it.

PP: Let’s locate your father, your family in Georgetown. Your father was attached to QC and QC was central to the family life.

DI: He was the first American to come to BG on a Fulbright [scholarship]. There were several who followed, but he was the first. There was no one teaching biology at the time at Queen’s College for about three years, so dad was consumed right away with work.

My parents lived for a short time in a guest

house in Waterloo Street.

It didn’t survive even in ‘94 that was gone. Then they moved to Parade Street and lived there quite a while, which was conveniently located near to the school. They decided to move out to Atkinson Field when there was agitation building after the elections; they discovered that they were been overcharged for their apartment and at the same time they thought it would be better to be out from the centre of the city. So they were able to rent a house at Atkinson Field, the old name for the airport, and they were very happy out there. Politically things were happening, and at that the time the British troops came in and those houses were needed for offices. There was a tremendous house shortage problem, so they had to get out of Atkinson Field. There wasn’t anywhere else to go, so they went on leave for six months. When they came back, they lived on Third Avenue, Subryanville, for a while before moving to Queen’s College compound, which was my first home.

PP: We have talked about your mother and your father, getting a background into the story. Let’s now talk about your story in compiling this book…

(To be continued)

Responses to this author telephone (592) 2260065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com

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Sunday Times Magazine

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8 Sunday Times Magazine

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Feature

Cultural performance by a local dance group at National Park last year

I

Exciting performances will be part of the Emancipation Day activities at the National Park

n Guyana, African slaves were emancipated on August 1, 1834.

To commemorate this event, the African Cultural & Development Association (ACDA) hosts a cultural extravaganza annually - the Emancipation Festival.

Notably, this year ACDA is celebrating its 25th anniversary and will be hosting its 24th Emancipation Day Festival at the National Park on August 1, 2017.

This is ACDA’s third Emancipation event during the International Decade for People of African Descent, which began in January 2015 and will end December 31, 2024.

ACDA’s theme for Emancipation 2017 is:

“Moving Forward, Building Guyana through UJAMAA (Cooperative Economics)”.

Its sub-theme is: “Moving Together to Develop Guyana into a Green State”.

These themes are chosen in recognition of the importance of our youths knowing their history and the legacy of their ancestors and the need to build Guyanese families through economic strength via corporative economics.

On August 1 at the National Park, the programme will include performances by international, regional and local performers; educational booths; a Children’s parade and fun centre activities; fashion

competitions; music, dance and poetry performances and competitions; food competitions; and sports activities/competitions.

The aim of these events is to encourage youths to demonstrate their skills in the spirit of the Emancipation season. The teams participating are from Georgetown, East Bank, East Coast and West Coast Berbice.

Joining in the celebration of the event are African cultural organisations and groups across Guyana.

Almost every African village in Guyana is or will be involved in activities in celebration of Emancipation. These include village festivals,

Learn about African drumming at the festival (ACDA photo)

which is usually attended by government ministers; informative exhibitions; lecture series in many villages; road races and athletic events; Kwe-kwe

events; concerts; African fashion shows; drumming competitions; singing competitions; games competitions; spiritual events at African churches; cultur-

Emancipation, the Village Movement and other important historical topics.

On August 10, an Award Ceremony and Reception

Youths not only learn about their African ancestry, but also participate in activities at the Emancipation Festival

Masquerade band at a 2016 Emancipation event

al shows; TV film festivals; and tours to African sites.

The Government of Guyana - through the Department of Culture, Youth and Sport, and via the Management and Coordination of the Museum of African Heritage - funds many of these activities nationwide.

Often, there are 60 to 80 groups involved.

Also, the Museum of African Heritage normally hosts exhibitions and supports speakers who travel from village to village to give talks on the history of

will be held at ACDA’s Akwaaba Centre.

ACDA vows to make Emancipation Day Festival 2017 one of the biggest festivals in honour of celebrating the future of Guyana.

The festival show time will start at 10am.

Admission for children is $100 and adults $500 before 5pm; $1000 after.

Check out ACDA Guyana on Facebook for more information or contact ACDA on 225-8420 or email acda.emancipation@ gmail.com. (Photos by Amanda Richards)

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Sunday Times Magazine 9

Health

M

ental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behaviour could be affected. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including: biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry; life experiences, such as trauma or abuse; and family history of mental health problems.

Mental health problems are common, but help is available. People with mental health problems can get better and many recover completely.

Early Warning Signs

Not sure if you or someone you know is living with mental health problems?

Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviours can be an early warning sign of a problem: Eating or sleeping too much or too little Pulling away from people and usual activities Having low or no energy Feeling numb or like nothing matters Having unexplained aches and pains Feeling helpless or hopeless Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared

Yelling or fighting with family and friends Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships Having persistent thoughts and memories you can’t get out of your head Hearing voices or believing things that are not true Thinking of harming yourself or others Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school

Mental Health Myths and Facts

Myth: Mental health problems don't affect me.

Fact: Mental health problems are actually very common. According to a 2016 BBC article, “How Guyana is trying to combat its high suicide rate”, the World Health Organization’s figures claim 44.2 in every 100,000 Guyanese take their own lives, compared to a global average of 16.

Myth: Children don't experience mental health

W

hile many people believe that stocking your kitchen with the right stuff—from kale to mixed nuts to a colourful assortment of veggies— is the key to a solid diet, that's not entirely true. If you don't prepare these foods the ideal way, you might be missing out on many of the nutrients that make them so potentially healthy. Researchers have tested a range of foods and cooking methods, from boiling to microwaving, to discover which yield the most nutritious results.

Here's your cheat sheet—don't cook without it!

Cooked Veggies

Best: Microwaved "Properly cooking vegetables in the microwave can go a long way toward reducing nutrient loss," says registered dietician Sandra Bastin, PhD, who uses the method in her own kitchen. Microwaving limits the need for heat and water, both of which can cause vegetables to lose nutrients. And when Spanish researchers looked at the impact of cooking techniques on 20 different veggies, they discovered that microwaving ranked higher than boiling when it came to preserving antioxidants. Place veggies in a glass container with one to two tablespoons of water, and microwave on high until they

problems.

Fact: Even very young children may show early warning signs of mental health concerns. These mental health problems are often clinically diagnosable, and can be a product of the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Half of all mental health disorders show first signs before a person turns 14 years old, and three quarters of mental health disorders begin before age 24.

Unfortunately, less than 20% of children and adolescents with diagnosable mental health problems receive the treatment they need. Early mental health support can help a child before problems interfere with other developmental needs.

Myth: People with mental health problems are violent and unpredictable.

Fact: The vast majority of people with mental health problems are no more like-

are crisp and bright in colour.

Kale

Best: Raw Here's why you should enjoy this leafy green uncooked: According to one study, boiled kale lost 89 percent of its vitamin C, and its polyphenols (compounds that may lessen your risk of disease) were reduced by more than half. If raw kale is too tough for you, registered dietitian Julieanna Hever suggests massaging the leaves with avocado or olive oil.

Cashew Nuts

Best: Roasted Cooking cashews at around 265 degrees for 33 minutes produces nuts that not only are tastier, but also have a higher antioxidant level than their uncooked counterparts, according to research. Roasting helps in two ways: It may free nutrients that are bound together in the raw nut, and it may also cause a chemical reaction responsible for increasing antioxidant activity.

Tomatoes

Best: Simmered A 2013 study found that tomato paste had more than double the lycopene (a

ly to be violent than anyone else. Most people with mental illness are not violent and only 3%-5% of violent acts can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness. In fact, people with severe mental illnesses are over 10 times more likely to be victims of violent crime than the general population. You probably know someone with a mental health problem and don't even realise it, because many people with mental health problems are highly active and productive members of our communities.

Myth: People with mental health needs, even those who are managing their mental illness, cannot tolerate the stress of holding down a job.

Fact: People with mental health problems are just as productive as other employees. Employers who hire people with mental health problems report good attendance and punctuality

as well as motivation, good work, and job tenure on par with or greater than other employees.

Myth: Personality weakness or character flaws cause mental health problems. People with mental health problems can snap out of it if they try hard enough.

Fact: Mental health problems have nothing to do with being lazy or weak and many people need help to get better.

Myth: There is no hope for people with mental health problems. Once a friend or family member develops mental health problems, he or she will never recover.

Fact: Studies show that people with mental health problems get better and many recover completely.

Recovery refers to the process in which people are able to live, work, learn, and participate fully in their communities. There are more treatments, services, and community support systems than ever before, and they work.

Myth: Therapy and selfhelp are a waste of time.

Why bother when you can just take a pill?

Fact: Treatment for mental health problems varies depending on the individual and could include medication, therapy, or both. Many individuals work with a support system during the healing and recovery process.

Myth: I can't do anything for a person with a mental health problem.

Fact: Friends and loved ones can make a big difference. Only 44% of adults with diagnosable mental health problems and less than 20% of children and

chemical that may help fight heart disease and cancer) of raw tomatoes; heat breaks down the insoluble fibre in the fruit, releasing lycopene. To make your own paste, simmer chopped tomatoes with salt on the stove until they reach a puree-like consistency. Run the puree through a food mill to remove the skin and seeds. Spread the puree in a baking pan and place it in the oven at 300 degrees. Stir every 30 minutes until the paste is thick and deep red.

Sweet Potatoes

Best: Dried A recent study looked at where the spuds fell on the glycemic index (GI), which measures how food affects your blood sugar (the lower the number, the better). The results: Sweet potatoes that had been dehydrated (a drying method that turns taters into chips) had a GI score of 41, better than when they were steamed (63), baked (64), or microwaved (66). You can buy a dehydrator online for about US$40.

Once your sweet potato chips are dried, add salt for flavour. (www.oprah.com)

adolescents receive needed treatment. Friends and family can be important influences to help someone get the treatment and services they need by: Reaching out and letting them know you are available to help Helping them access mental health services Learning and sharing the facts about mental health, especially if you hear something that isn't true Treating them with respect, just as you would anyone else Refusing to define them by their diagnosis or using labels such as "crazy" Myth: Prevention doesn’t work. It is impossible to prevent mental illnesses.

Fact: Prevention of mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders focuses on addressing known risk factors such as exposure to trauma that can affect the chances that children, youth, and young adults will develop mental health problems.

Mental Health and Wellness

Positive mental health allows people to realise their full potential; cope with the stresses of life; work productively; and make meaningful contributions to their communities.

Ways to maintain positive mental health include: Getting professional help if you need it Connecting with others Staying positive Getting physically active Helping others Getting enough sleep Developing coping skills For more information, call the Mental Health Unit at the Ministry of Public Health on 592-225-5115.

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JULY 30, 2017

Fashion

Designer Shonta Cheyanne Noel

D

esigner Shonta Noel recently launched her Africaninspired necklaces, the Ankara Collection.

In an interview with Sunday Times Magazine, the 21-year-old said her creativity is innate.

“After all, I was born with creativity in my blood [her mother is veteran fashion designer, Sonia Noel], so it really didn't come as a surprise to anyone. As far back as I can remember, I was always creating, whether it’s drawing or making clothes for my dolls,” Shonta recalled.

Apart from fashion designing, Shonta enjoys crafting.

She recollected making beaded and leather jewellery when she was about nine years old. About two years ago, she made some greeting cards, which she hesitantly posted on social media. Her work received positive feedback, which motivated Shonta to further hone her talent.

“Since then I have harnessed my talents to many extents. I taught myself to create new items, which included my Ankara collection. The inspiration came while I was browsing Pinterest, and I immediately told myself this [creating Ankara necklaces] was something I had to try. I eventually made one for myself, which received accolades.

Consequently, the Ankara Collection was birthed,” explained Shonta.

The Ankara Collection is the first fashion accessory collection under Shonta’s label, Crafted by Chey.

“Crafting is more than a business for me; it is my best form of therapy. Apart from crafting and designing, I enjoy teaching, experimenting with new projects, volunteering and binge watching a good TV series. I’m currently reading for a Bachelor's Degree in Business Economics, so the completion of that is definitely part of my immediate future plans,” she declared.

Check out Crafted by Chey on Facebook for more information on the collection featured today. (Photos by Taariq Clarke)

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Sunday Times Magazine 11

Home & Cooking

Recipe of the week

Fufu, a popular dish in Guyana, is a mash of yams or other starches served in West Africa as an accompaniment to meat or vegetable stews. To eat fufu, pull a small ball of mush off with your fingers, form an indentation with your thumb and use it to scoop up stews and other dishes.

Or place large balls in individual serving bowls and spoon the stew around them.

Ingredients: 1 lb plantain 1 lb yam 2 tbsp butter Salt and pepper (to taste)

HOME & DECOR Whether gracing a living room or an outdoor space, animal prints make a big impact where their appearance is entirely unexpected. Try these prints to add glamour to your home.

A traditional bedroom gets an exotic touch with bed linens in a variety of animal prints.

Method:

Wash, peel and boil the vegetables until tender. Pound the plantains and yams separately.

Combine all the ingredients in a mortar and pound to a fine texture until completely mixed — smooth and firm, but not too stiff.

Dip a spoon or ice cream scoop in some clean warm water and remove the fufu in balls from the mortar.

Cover and keep warm, serving in soup, stews or pepperpot.

Note: A food processor can be used instead of a mortar, since the objective is to get the fufu smooth and creamy, but the firm consistency it requires.

Greatest Cooking Tips

Keep milk fresher for longer by adding a dash of salt into the carton right after opening it for the first time.

Cut a cheesecake with a wet knife to ensure that the filling doesn't stick to the knife's edges and ruin presentation.

A pinch of soda in your icing will keep it moist and prevent it from cracking on the cake.

If your bananas are black, spotty and on the verge of turning from ripe to rotten, put them in the freezer so you can keep them on hand for a batch of banana bread on a rainy afternoon.

Always keep dough covered with a moist cloth to avoid a dry crust from forming on it.

A zebra print rug adds an eclectic twist to this space.

Home Help

Dry wet shoes more quickly by putting crumpled balls of newspaper inside them.

If an oven spill happens, immediately and liberally sprinkle it with salt to soak up the mess. When cool, nudge the crusty stain loose with a spatula; wipe clean.

To keep dust from piling up quickly, use an antistatic spray on the window blinds right after you clean them.

For cleaner counters, place all ingredients on an empty baking sheet prior to prepping them. (This will help you catch spills and avoid wasting time hunting for an item as you cook.)

To prevent an olive oil bottle from becoming greasy, secure a folded paper towel around its neck with a rubber band; the towel will absorb any drips.

Animal print pillows add a playful punch pulled from nature on outdoor furnishings.

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Puzzles

Crossword

ACROSS

1 High points

6 Public tiff

11 Skirt slits

16 Large aquarium fish 21 Waken

22 Showed fright

23 Take advantage of 24 Melanges

25 Overlord

26 Easy-to-find constellation

27 Calgary Stampede 28 Cougars

29 Harvest Moon mo.

30 Was very curious

32 Equally

34 Prevented, with "off" 36 Caprice

38 Cut some slack

40 Lascivious looks

42 Old elevator cars

43 Buck of "Hee Haw" 45 "-- new?"

47 "I Fall to Pieces" singer

49 Seacoast event (2 wds.)

52 Wrinkled

53 Madrid art gallery 54 Col. Sanders' place 57 Thick soups

58 Lawrence Welk genre 59 Pager sounds

60 Indigo plant

61 Paperless exams

62 Long-handled utensil 63 Read intently

64 "Phantom of the --" 65 Call out

66 Diadems

68 Baseball great Hank -- 69 Roman ship

70 Emcee

72 Drill attachments

73 Check for fit (2 wds.)

74 Develops

75 PC owners

77 Gotten out of bed DOWN 78 Charley horse

1 One-way sign 79 Mambo kin (hyph.)

2 Sofa 82 Paranormal, to some 3 Prefix for "media" 83 Orange coating

4 Wind dir.

84 Kind of mail

5 Vaccines 88 Kidnapper's demand 6 Washington city 89 Beach Boys' -- Wilso 7 Loving gesture 90 Avila saint

8 Drop syllables 92 "-- Jude"

9 Recent (pref.)

93 Slang

10 Best or Ferber 94 Whinny 11Hollywood 95 Restaurant employee publication 96 Demoted planet

12 Draws forth 98 Rotated

13 Consumer advocate 99 Sitcom butler Ralph 100 Country parson 14 Make a fly 101 Wraith

15 Traffic sign 102 Distress call

16 Fictional crime 103 Well-bred chaps family name 104 "Stompin' at the --" 17 Inelegant solution 105 Big cone

18 Actress Anouk -106 Cluster

19 Tailless amphibians 107 Lady's honorific 20 Lisper's problem 108 Mr. Spock's father 31 Puts in a lawn 109 Fishtailed

33 Camel relative 111 Development phase 35 They turn litmus 113 Briskly red 115 Cook in a wok

37 "Psycho" setting 119 Give a hard time 39 Lives 121 Seize power

41 Wire mesh 123 Video-game pioneer

44 Actress Dianne -125 Wheel buy (2 wds.)

46 Ocean fish 126 Quilt stuffing

48 Joe Friday's 127 Where Valletta is employer 129 Opposite of liability 49 Important period 131 Unusual sighting 50 Long-eared animal 133 "Skyfall" songstress 51 Laughs loudly 134 Slicker

52 Seltzers 135 Giggle (hyph.)

53 Evita or Juan 136 Not hidden

54 Sound a bell 137 Put a spell on

55 Put in a kiln 138 Copy

56 Sticky soils 139 Some trumpeters 58 Fragments 140 Bad-tempered

59 Element no. 5

Colour by Number

60 Self-assurance 62 Foxes' abodes 63 Check endorser 64 Big galoots 67 Steel girder (hyph.)

68 "Argo" star Alan -69 Pesky bugs 71 Univ. of Ariz. locale 73 Hebrew scroll 74 Overturn 76 Filmed a movie 77 Ponder, as evidence 78 More confident 79 Vulgar 80 Groucho's brother 81 Black cattle 82 Clapton and Heiden 83 Leg of a race 85 "Star Trek"

KATHLEEN SAXE

WORD GAME

TODAY’S WORD -- PRESTIGE WORD GAME by Kathleen Saxe TODAY’S WORD -- PRESTIGE (PRESTIGE: pres-TEEJ: A person's standing among others.)

Average mark 45 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 64 or more words in PRESTIGE? peer perse pert pest pester peter pier preset pries

priest prig reset respite rest retie ripe ripest rise

rite egest egis egret esprit ester seep seer sept

sere serge siege sire site spier spire spit spite

spree sprig sprit sprite steep steer step stere stir

strep strip stripe terse tier tiger tire tree tries

trig trip tripe girt gist greet grip gripe grist grit

RULES OF THE GAME: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of "s," such as "bats" or "dies," are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a "d" or an "s" may not be used. For example, if "bake" is used, "baked" or "bakes" are not allowed, but "bake" and "baking" are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

lieutenant 86 Admit (2 wds.)

87 Temple city of Japan

89 Train accommodations

90 Puget Sound port

91 Mac maker

94 Now, to Caesar

95 Brando's "-Zapata!"

97 Dampens a stamp

99 Tennis great Ivan - 100 Skywalker's father

101 More annoyed

103 Made a stab at

104 Tall cactus

105 Moves out

106 Victorian fashion

107 108 109 110

Get the hang of Lustrous fabric Tint Water-based paint 112 Spring bulb 114 Harem head 116 Domesticates 117 Lying still 118 Tattered 120 Omani title 122 Applies foundation 124 Click-on item 126 "Phooey!"

128 Stretchy bandage 130 Put a needle to good use 132 Future fish Solution on Pg 13

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Sunday Times Magazine 13

Feature

T

he African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) is celebrating its 24th anniversary this year, and since its establishment plays a pivotal role in the preservation of Guyanese African culture.

Founded in 1993 as a non-governmental organisation constituted to promote equity, equal access, accountability, shared governance and citizen’s participation at the local and national levels, the organisation was officially registered under the Friendly Societies Act of Guyana in 1995.

All Guyanese of African descent, regardless of class, religion or political affiliation, are eligible to be members of ACDA. ACDA has members in all parts of Guyana as well as in the Guyanese diaspora.

ACDA also is very active in African diaspora organizations. The society’s mission at its inception was to “empower African Guyanese to become more productive citizens through cultural, social, economic, educational and vocational enhancement”.

The centre’s primary goal is to improve the well-being of African Guyanese and to seek sustainable improvement in their quality of life. Another important goal is to seek national reconciliation through

“shared and good” governance through which there is genuine reconciliation with other ethnic and cultural groups in Guyana.

ACDA, located on Thomas Lands, is governed by an executive steering committee that meets on a weekly basis. This committee comprises founding and select active members, and by the heads of each of five operational committees.

The education management committee of ACDA, comprising experienced educators, parents and concerned individuals, is committed to making a difference in the lives of African Guyanese by assisting in implementing a solid well balanced academic programme that includes cultural, emotional and moral education. The goal is to ensure the Guyana curriculum is met and far exceeded by ACDA students through experienced teachers.

ACDA is focused on Afro-Guyanese youths and provides a solid value-driven education through its Centre of Learning and Afro-centric Orientation (COLAACO) which is designed to equip young children from early childhood to primary school with the necessary skills to make them excellent productive citizens who are well-

ACDA's Akwaaba Centre

balanced socially, emotionally, intellectually, physically and morally.

The vision for COLAACO is to build an institution that will be a centre of excellence in providing the highest quality education and Afro-centric education and life skills in Guyana and the Caribbean.

The Akwaaba Youth Centre is the heart of ACDA continual development of cultural, educational, economic, Information technology and sports programmes for young people. ‘Akwaaba is a Ghanaian word meaning ‘welcome’.

Apart from these tailored activities, the youth centre is also available for conferences, meetings, seminars, birthdays, weddings, thanksgiving services, award ceremonies, graduations and anniversaries. The Akwaaba Centre is the key facility for outreaching to African Guyanese and those in the diaspora.

Akwaaba is an extension of ACDA’s educational philosophy of academic and cultural excellence. It will re-focus on the mission and goals of ACDA as emphasized in its founding documents.

Joan James, a retired headteacher, showing a register with Hopetown slaves' names

Jimmy Johnson, Hopetown village overseer in 1951

Crossword Solution

Johnson's friend, Charles Blair served as the main koker operator in 1951

St. John and Number 22 Village where farming and bartering to earn a living were done.

Additionally, roads and streets were allotted. The community already had in existence a church and school, and the occupants subsequently established a governance system to

facilitate the smooth running of the village.

Today, Hopetown is known for the traditional annual soiree which is by far the biggest event of its kind held in Guyana.

The soiree started many years ago, and had its inception with the newly freed slaves to even-

tually become an annual event.

This year’s Emancipation Day Festival at the National Park, scheduled for August 1, will have many interesting artefacts from slavery as well as pictures of villages bought by freed slaves.

H

opetown, a village in West Berbice, approximately 97 kilometres from Georgetown, was bought by the Blaire brothers, who pooled their money to purchase the village. It was said that the men loaded their pennies and other savings on to a wheelbarrow and pushed it all the way to Georgetown, a journey that took four days.

They named the village ‘Hopetown’ in pursuit of hope for a better life after slavery.

After the community was purchased, it was divided into Fybrace,

The Emmanuel Congregational Church in Hopetown

14 Sunday Times Magazine

july 30 , 2017

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Sunday Times Magazine 15

16 Sunday Times Magazine

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Fun Times

Archie

Problems with partners, ARIES children or someone you en(March 21- counter at a social event April 19) can be easily handled if you don’t let your emotions take charge. Avoid indulgent situations and pushy people.

Hold your ground, but TAURUS don’t let anger take the reins.

(April 20- You’ll accomplish more and May 20) avoid unwanted change if you offer practical, diplomatic solutions.

Don’t get involved in GEMINI someone else’s argument. An (MAY 28- unexpected change will make June 20) you question your current position and the industry in which you work. Consider the value of making a move.

You may not like change, but you should experience what (June 21life has to offer. Try something July 22) new or indulge in something educational or oriented toward love and romance.

CANCER

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Dilbert

Peanuts

An impulsive, emotional response will work against you. Do your best to think about your actions before you make them. Accept the inevitable and move forward with a positive attitude.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

If you stick to the facts, you will be able to convince others to see things your way. Don’t limit what you can do just because someone is putting demands on you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

If you speak from the heart, you will help someone you love. Honesty may be harsh and painful, but, in the end, it will be what saves the day.

SCORPIO Walk away from any(Oct. 24- one making a big deal out of Nov. 22) nothing. Arguments will be a waste of time and will solve nothing. Do your own thing to make progress.

You’ll come up with a SAGITTARIUS unique idea that can solve a (Nov. 23pending problem. Extending Dec. 21) a helping hand to someone in need must be done with thought as well as self-discipline.

Calvin and Hobbes

You’ll come up with a CAPRICORN moneymaking opportunity.

(Dec. 22- Don’t let anyone talk you Jan. 19) into taking on a partner or getting into a joint venture.

You’ll do best on your own.

Arguments will not help AQUARIUS you get ahead or resolve is(Jan. 20- sues you have with someone.

Feb. 19) Take a moment to consider your best course of action.

Time is on your side.

Express your thoughts PISCES (Feb. 20- and ideas. Invest in yourself Mar. 20) and what you have to offer.

Explore new possibilities and moneymaking opportunities.

Call in favors or form a unique partnership. Financial gain is evident.