Sunday Times Magazine July 30, 2017

Sunday July 30, 2017

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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JULY 30, 2017

Feature

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

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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

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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.

10 Sunday Times Magazine

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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JULY 30, 2017

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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JULY 30, 2017

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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JULY 30, 2017

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.