Two young men from the SRCS traditional knowledge classes from Sawariwau village. (Source: The South Rupununi Conservation Society SRCS, Facebook)
Sunday, September 22, 2024
THE livelihood of locals will be significantly enhanced from the farfetched villages of Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) following the intervention of a solar dryer processing facility in Nappi Village.
WHEN Falana Fraser established Favour’s Hair Therapy, it was out of love due to her son’s hair condition. Today, it has become a thriving small business empowering her to realise her true potential with her own haircare and beard products.
The residents of Nappi and satellite communities will see the completion of a multi-million-dollar solar dryer, which will be fully operational soon.
The products include hair oil, hair pomade, beard oil, beard wash and conditioner, edge balm, shampoo and conditioner, hair mist, beard and hair tools.
At present, the construction of phase one of the physical structure of the 20-foot by 40-foot solar dryer and shed was completed.
According to her selfnamed business, Favour’s Hair Therapy, “promote(s) healthy and strong growth for all hair types”. It is a small business that started in the kitchen, and it had a trial period before the products were launched.
However, an evaluation is being conducted to ensure all requirements are met before production trials and training sessions are intensified for beneficiaries of the project.
Fraser is originally from Uitvlugt but resides at Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara. She is married and has a three-year-old son.
Fruits that were previously wasted will now be put to good use to make local products of high quality and standards.
The facility will also employ villagers, thus en-
She explained that after the birth of her child, she noticed that he had issues with hair growth, and parts of his head were very patchy with no hair, and she wanted to change that.
Fraser led herself into detailed research, and after gaining knowledge, she experimented with some ingredients and made a hair oil from aloe, coconut oil and onion.
She began massaging the home-made oil into her son’s hair/scalp, and within a short time, she noticed a difference: his bald spots were replaced with new hair growth, and soon he had a full head of hair which could be held in a ponytail.
The transformation of her son’s once-patchy hair was replaced by full hair growth within three to four months, and today, his hair remains healthy and full.
Fraser told the Pepperpot Magazine that the positive results in her child’s hair process motivated her to make more of the plantbased hair oil and she began sharing it among family members.
The demand was great within her family tree, and one day, her father encouraged her to utilise her newfound skill to establish a small business to bring in an income to her home.
As such, in 2022, she launched her products in which the hair oil infused
abling them to have a stable income.
Meanwhile, resident and former Toshao, Samuel Fredricks of Nappi Village, has since expressed his satisfaction with the pace of the project implementation.
“For years, we have dreamed of having such a facility to add value to what we produce. Now, the Guyana Marketing Corporation is helping us realise such a dream. As a community, we are pleased with the construction of the solar dryer,” he said.
Primarily an agrarian community, Nappi Village is located in the Rupununi Savannahs and is nestled at the edge of the Kanuku Mountains along the Nappi and Maipaima creeks.
with rosemary oil became the best seller. She branded her products and went about to become a registered business.
It is the home of one of Guyana’s nine Indigenous nations – the Mucushi, who still use eco-friendly agricultural practices to cultivate their lands, which is the main source of income and food security for many families there and its satellite communities.
Fraser’s hair oil was then vetted as safe for use by the relevant authorities, certified and has its own label and packaging to market the products. She explained that the name “Favour” is a powerful Bible name which suited her small business.
is used in the production of the products, including essential oils.
The G$4M solar dryer, which is funded with resources from the Ministry of Agriculture’s integrated agriculture project, was designed at the requests of former Toshao Samuel Fredricks as part of a comprehensive agricultural plan to improve food security and diversification of livelihood in Nappi Village and its surrounding communities.
Fraser added that as a
As part of his advocacy, Fredricks further highlighted the importance of value-added production as an important step forward to significantly enhance the marketability of products through enhanced packaging and labelling according to regional and international standards.
lack of proper post-harvest management and lack of market access.
Due to its remote location, Nappi Village doesn’t have the network and resources to employ its locals fully, and although most residents earn through farming, fishing and hunting, jobs aren’t easy to come by.
When fully operational, beneficiaries of the project will be able to produce 10,000 kgs per month of mangoes, ground provisions, fruits, and thyme.
According to Fredricks, “It has come at a time where we have grasped the vision of His Excellency President Dr. Irfaan Ali of having a food-secure community and country at large. The vision is to make the communities more food secure. We intend to produce
Falana Fraser, entrepreneur. Favour’s Hair Therapy plant-based products (Yohan Savory photos)
small business, she operates from the confines of her home but has pick-up locations in the city and on the West Coast Demerara.
The entrepreneur related that her products are all plant-based and give a therapeutic feeling when used and everything from plants
As a small business owner, Fraser says of all her products, three have been FDA-approved and she is working to get all certified but is registered with Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), GCCI and, GSMA and the Small Business Bureau. She related that being
registered with the authorities is an avenue for networking and marketing the products, and it is beneficial to have all your prod -
flour from eddoes, plantain, and sweet potatoes.”
He also noted that the operation of the solar dryer will encourage farmers to increase production because they will be able to add value
afloat. She added that her vision is to produce top-quality, effective products and she would like to become num-
At one of the awareness sessions held recently by the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) at Nappi Village, agro-processors from Nappi, Hiawa Village, and Parishara welcomed the initiative, noting that such a facility would boost their production capacity and marketability since they are currently using traditional drying methods.
She reported that scores of people were genuinely interested in the products and even encouraged her to produce more. She was also complimented on her attractive packaging.
Some of the products emanating from Nappi Village and its surrounding communities include cassava bread, dried garlic, garlic sauce, dried thyme, fruit juice, ground pepper (chitai), and cassava cassareep.
to the production process by using the solar dryer to dehydrate and package their crops, including seasonal fruits such as cashews and mangoes, which in the past often languished and perished due to
Fraser stated that although all the manufacturing takes place at her home, she would someday like to have a separate facility for that purpose, along with a store to sell and display her products.
During the sensitisation session, the Guyana Marketing Corporation addressed issues pertaining to food safety, packaging and labelling, among other topics to support the successful operation of the facility when completed.
“I advertise my small business via social media, that is, Facebook and Tik Tok, and I often have to produce daily content to promote my products and I can say I have a few loyal
and her products.
ucts certified, labelled, and well-packaged.
ed that she is constantly inspired by customers and their reviews and testimo nials of the products, and being a small business isn’t ‘all bed of roses’. It requires hard work, dedication, con sistency and money to stay
keep going,” she said.
FOR some people, bold academic pursuits are simply a degree on a wall or a series of numbers on a page. For others, the passion to learn more is a path to self-development and empowerment. For Dr. Vashti Lavina Budhram, the drive to know more has been a constant burning fire for more than two decades.
Now a Professor at the Mandl College of Allied Health in New York, USA, Dr. Budhram stands as one of the most prestigious figures in her field of educational leadership. The Guyanese academic is an inspiration and champion for personal development through education. Today, she serves as a reminder to countless young Guyanese women of the true extent of academic excellence.
A daughter of the soil, Dr. Budhram was born and raised in the county of Berbice, with her roots in a small community called Edinburgh. Born into a supportive family, she quickly discovered not only her passion for education but also her immense drive to teach others.
This passion led to her first job and later shaped her career path. “I was raised in a family of six. My mom, dad and siblings supported me throughout my educational journey,” she reminisced.
when I was 19 years old. I continued to work as an assistant mistress.”
An academic shift from Guyana to America
After proving herself as an educator, Dr. Budhram sought to further her own education. She began her Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Guyana’s Tain Campus, where she met in-
Volika Jaikishun and Shafiran Bhajan, Dr. Budhram said, were major mentors to her.
“I did my Bachelor’s in education in Guyana at the University of Guyana. So that’s where my post-secondary educational development, after teacher training, began,” she explained. She then continued her academic pursuits abroad, adding, “I
“I started as a pupil teacher when I was 16 plus at Edinburgh Primary School. That was my first place of work. I became a trained teacher
did a Master’s Degree in Education and one in Healthcare Administration in the USA. I then pursued and completed my Doctoral Degree in Ed-
ucational Leadership, also in the USA.”
The significance of support systems
Dr. Budhram emphasised the importance of support systems in one’s journey. After leaving home, she found new cheerleaders in people like Cedric Dew, Vice President of Transitional Housing and Executive Director and Juliet Beecher, Senior Youth and Family Director, both attached to the YMCA, Jamaica, Queens. Her genuine love for learning soon gained recognition overseas, particularly as a professor lecturing on law and healthcare ethics. She continues to be grateful to her overseas mentors and supporters in her education journey. She made reference to Dr. Clayton-Rowe, Dr. Sharon Reid Jackson, Royden Gilead and Deborah Ward.
“Both of my studies, my Doctoral and my Master’s Degrees, I had a GPA of 4.0. And imagine, I was struggling. I was a valedictorian for my class when I did healthcare administration. I was valedictorian for my last Master’s in Education programme,” she proudly stated. Her expertise in education has become a valuable asset in her flourishing profession-
advocate for education for underprivileged learners. She also addresses the social and emotional well-being of young people.
Added to her achievements, Dr Budhram pioneered the development of many young teachers, much as her mentors in Guyana did for her. “I was the Literacy Professional Development Officer for Region Six before leaving Guyana. I felt honoured to have been given the opportunity to coach young teachers in Region Six to become highly professional as they pursued their careers. In addition to my several activities in the USA, I am the site director and education specialist at the YMCA, Jamaica Queens.”
Turning obstacles into opportunities
Where others might see impossibilities as setbacks, Dr. Budhram views them as opportunities. She shared that her driving force was simply accomplishing what she was told she could not because of the odds. “The motivation for me to become a champion is when I was told what I could not be. I then decided that no negativity would hold me back, and I would strive and
and girls, especially those facing adversities. Drawing inspiration from her own challenges, Dr. Budhram sees education, in any field, as the first step to creating a better way of life. “I have a passion for young people to see them achieve in life, and especially women. I want them to know that we have the strength and we can do impossible things if we just believe in ourselves. And so, I advocate for a lot of women, especially those who are experiencing many challenges which appear to be unsurmountable. I have had rough times, but I never gave up. I still made it,” she shared.
Giving back to Guyana Never one to turn her back on her home, Dr. Budhram frequently returns to Guyana and aspires to play a larger role in developing the country that shaped her. “My future endeavour is to be an educational leader who can inspire other people to become good leaders and thus contribute effectively to the development of
al career.
Serving the underprivileged
Dr. Budhram’s versatility and generosity shine through her involvement in several major educational institutions. Her primary professional responsibility lies in serving underprivileged youth and families. In fact, she is an international
develop with or without validation. My family members and mentors continue to be supportive and I am determined to journey forward and help others on the way,” she asserts.
Empowering women through education
The 49-year-old mother of five is a vibrant advocate for the education of women
whichever country they reside in. Specifically, I would like to have the opportunity to share in educational leadership programmes in Guyana. Guyana is developing rapidly and we have to ensure that our citizens are trained in all relevant areas. Development in education must be regarded as a priority. I am willing and ready to serve,” she said.
By Shaniya Harding.
WHEN Leroy Hendricks was just eleven years old, he faced a decision that many children in remote areas encounter: whether to stay in his hometown of Lethem or venture to the capital city of Georgetown to attend school. Fuelled by enthusiasm and a passion for higher academic pursuits, Leroy chose Georgetown. This brave decision would alter the course of his life and was just the first step in his medical career. Leroy would later return to Lethem, first as a teacher and now as a doctor and artist. The young professional and entrepreneur
swimming, and all the activities that Guyanese would call ‘life in the countryside’.
“When we were there in Lethem, it’s more of like a country setting. We would really get to pick fruits and climb trees. We would enjoy an open environment. As a child, we would go out and shoot birds, catch fish. But now, it’s not so much like that here,” he said.
After completing his primary education, Leroy was awarded the opportunity to attend school in Georgetown on a scholarship. As the fifth of seven children and already an ambitious young man, Leroy left Lethem before he was twelve. Reminiscing about the experience, Leroy
champions the celebration of indigenous heritage in a bold, unique, and authentic way.
Growing up in the red dust of Lethem was exciting, says Leroy. Although simple, life on the outskirts of town was drastically different from that in Georgetown. Leroy shared that his childhood was characterised by countless days filled with fishing,
ing thing he noticed was the environment; going from the open vastness of Lethem to the confined space of a Georgetown apartment was hard to adjust to. The food of his home was also something Leroy struggled with. As he explained, “In Lethem, I was not accustomed to eating rice every day. I was used to eating our traditional foods and drinks. But here, it was rice every day. Now, I actually like rice. That’s something I can’t do without now.”
After finishing his high school education, Leroy became a teacher, a role he took on with the well-being of his community at heart. While working as a teacher at St. Ignatius, Leroy had his eyes set on the medical field, but teaching gave him a chance to give back and nurture young minds for three years. He stated that the experience also taught him a lot about himself: “I taught at St. Ignatius Secondary School for three years. One of the things I really got from that experience is the fact that I was able to speak more. I was very timid, very shy, but I was placed in a situation where I had to speak.”
their country, and I did not have any to give back. So I designed my own and took it back home,” he said. This was the beginning of a brand. The bright colours and uniquely inspiring designs garnered support from people in both Guyana and Cuba. The collaborative brand Lethem Exclusive was born. Focused on branding and designing, Lethem Exclusive has worked alongside ventures like the Rupununi Rodeo. Leroy and Lethem Exclusive aim to bring the true traditions of Guyana’s nine indigenous tribes to the forefront. Leroy is proud of his country and even prouder of his heritage. As more efforts continue to be made to reach and create opportunities in far-flung Indigenous communities nationwide, Leroy is happy to have had the chances he did and is an advocate for staying true to one’s origins.
shared, “I had to make the choice of whether I want to stay in Rupununi or come to Georgetown. So, I was excited. I decided to come to Georgetown because in my mind, I was coming to a city like New York.”
Leroy soon learned that although it was a new experience, life in the big city was not all that it seemed. The first and most challeng-
Medicine had long been a passion for Leroy and something he saw as a way to give back not just to his community but to his country at large. He stated, “I always wanted to do medicine. But I didn’t have the finances to go to university at the time. So, I applied for a scholarship to China and to Cuba, and I got through with Cuba.” Taking advantage of the opportunity, Leroy pursued medicine to become a general practitioner. As he stated, “In the seven-year period, the first six months that you’re there, you got to learn Spanish. You’re not allowed to say anything in English at all... But the teachers are very patient.”
Cuba was the beginning of a new chapter, but it was also the birthplace of Leroy’s artistic venture. While studying, he met people from nations all around the world, each person showcasing their country’s culture in different ways. Leroy wanted to do the same. “It started by travelling back and forth; people would bring me T-shirts from
By Shaniya Harding
DR Stephon Henry has come a long way from his humble beginnings in a small community in the Rupununi. A general practitioner turned psychiatrist, he hails from one of the few remaining Macusi-speaking villages in the region. Despite the distance and decades that separate him from his roots, Dr. Henry proudly embraces his heritage, which remains a vital part of his identity. Now a champion for mental health care accessibility, he is committed to ensuring that treatment reaches not only central Georgetown, but also the remote communities such as the one he calls home.
Born and raised in the south-central area of the Rupununi, a young Dr Henry was ambitious. With a drive and passion for education, he took his educational endeavours very seriously, wanting to work in healthcare from the time he was a boy. This drive for excellence may have been generational as well, with a few of his other siblings making the move to study in Georgetown before
he did. Recounting the memorable parts of his childhood, Dr Henry shared that traditional food was a big part of his home and who he is today. “Where I grew up is the only Macusi-speaking village in South-Central. In terms of our culture, it’s pretty similar to other villages. Even now, I can’t do without farine or cassava bread—it has to be there at some point. The Brazilian music also had a lot of influence in my house.” He said.
After his secondary education, Dr Henry was sure that he wanted to follow along the path of healthcare, but he was not sure how he would get there. That was until the chance to become a doctor came along. As he said, it was an opportunity he just could not give up.” I finished school, and then the opportunity to become a doctor came up, and I couldn’t let that slide because it was one of my dreams as a kid. I applied and got through to go to Cuba. I spent seven years there and graduated as a general doctor in 2013,” he stated.
Dr Henry worked as a general practitioner for a
year, moving through various hospitals and clinics around the country. Although a great experience, he sought to have a speciality and wanted to move into a field that would allow him to help people uniquely. He wanted to champion the importance of the often-overlooked and stigmatised issue of mental health. Initially, he gained some pushback about choosing psychiatry, but he persevered regardless and soon gained his Master’s in the field he was so passionate about. “After working for a year and doing various rotations, I decided I couldn’t be a general doctor for long. I chose psychiatry. A lot of people told me I shouldn’t do it, but I felt it was something I could make a difference in. I started the Master’s in Psychiatry programme in 2016 and passed in 2019. Since then, I’ve been working with the TPSU, doing satellite clinics all over Guyana,” he said. But, Dr Henry’s journey to success was marked by quite a few challenges. One of these has been tackling the constant misconception that is being thrown at him as a young Indigenous doctor. A champion for Indigenous
people in his own right, Dr Henry is dispelling and disproving harmful stereotypes. The only way he knows how is by being living proof of the success of his people. “One of the things I grew up with is that people think we are from the bush. But we have Indigenous lawyers, doctors, nurses, and policemen. We are everywhere now. It shows that if we are given the opportunity, we can make it far. And we are making it far,” he said.
Dr Henry has made it so far that he often returns to his community. Looking at the healthcare aspect of Guyanese communities, Dr
Henry shares that there are many mental health challenges present in communities nationwide, not just in the populated, well-known areas. “There are a lot of mental health issues in the community—depression, anxiety, psychotic illnesses. Not everyone with a mental health illness is crazy. If you come to seek help for a mental illness, it doesn’t mean you’re crazy. We at the TPSU are always willing to help, and we encourage people to reach out for assistance.” He said.
As Guyana celebrated yet another Indigenous Heritage Month, Dr Henry sees this month as a sig -
nificant step in connecting cultures and an opportunity to do more than just observe. But it is a chance for Guyanese to support and learn from each other and gain just a little bit more appreciation for one another. “This month is very important. It’s a time to bring everybody together and showcase our talents and culture. We share it with our fellow Guyanese so they can learn to appreciate it more. That’s what this month is about—celebrating and appreciating our heritage,” said Dr Henry.
By Shaniya Harding
IN the Rupununi, at the very heart of Guyana’s untouched biodiversity, an incredible team of indigenous men and women is doing more than conservation.
The South Rupununi Conservation Society (SRCS) is one of Guyana’s most inspiring conservation efforts, aimed at working with villages in the Rupununi to keep the wildlife intact for generations to come. By collaborating with the people of the Rupununi, the SRCS is using a unique approach which sees traditional knowledge and scientific research combine to protect the endangered species of the Rupununi.
conservation. By officially registering as a Friendly Society in 2003, they aimed to foster community-led conservation efforts, empowering local people to take charge of protecting their natural resources and addressing the challenges they faced. This community-driven model has been central to the SRCS’s mission and effectiveness.”
The community still plays an integral role in the venture today, with even more communities and locals getting involved. The idea behind the society is simple, says Kayla: sustainable conservation by creating systems that would continue to garner support.
As she stated, “The impact the SRCS wishes to see is, first off, the long-term sus-
more across 12 communities. The majority of its members, executives, and staff are Indigenous themselves, and most of the projects are spearheaded by the people of the Rupununi. Kayla shared that each project is a collaborative effort involving villagers, community leaders, local governing bodies, and the occasional other conservation society. “Communities themselves are members of the SRCS, but the executive also actively engages communities in all decision-making processes and always incorporates traditional and local knowledge into the conservation strategies,” she said.
“The SRCS believes that as Indigenous peoples rely directly on the environment, the people who live in these lands should have the right to initiate projects that align with their bigger environmental management goals.”
Rupununi and the rest of Guyana are home to a wide array of undiscovered and endangered animals. The SRCS hopes to extend their reach to more communities and people. In the meantime, however, they have made massive strides in protect -
this bird. Through education and awareness, community engagement, lobbying for legal protection, and tourism interest in the bird, communities were able to see the value of conservation. It was not easy, but the long-term, community-led, and consistent
how conservation, education, research, and livelihoods can be linked.”
The SRCS has faced some challenges in their ambitious endeavours, with the biggest being funding and resources. As Kayla shared, “A lot of funding comes through grant cycles, and we do not have consistent support for our core administration. Many dedicated individuals volunteer their time and energy, driven by their passion for their communities, wildlife, and the environment, but they also have personal needs to address. Retaining human resources becomes difficult as they balance these responsibilities.”
It could be easy for people to miss the subtle changes in their environment and underestimate the importance of conservation efforts. This significance is also something the SRCS is working to educate people on, lobbying for the message that our ecosystems have a big part to play for everyone. “It can be a struggle to help others recognise the value of conservation when they are focused on survival. It’s crucial to
Kayla de Freitas, Programme Manager of the SRCS, spoke to the Pepperpot Magazine about the establishment of the society, which has its beginnings going as far back as the 1990s. The initiative began at the community level when the people of the Rupununi noticed a decline in the thriving ecosystems in their home. As she stated, “As community members noticed the decline of wildlife and other changes impacting their way of life, they recognised the need for a grassroots approach to
tainability of biodiversity and ecosystems in the South Rupununi. We would like to have strengthened community resilience to environmental challenges and climate change, and empowerment and ownership of conservation initiatives among Indigenous communities and other local peoples in the region.”
One of the things that stands out about the SRCS is the fact that it is something done for the Rupununi, by the Rupununi, having some 150 registered members and reaching hundreds
The vast savannahs of the Rupununi are home to some of Guyana’s rarest animal species, some of which are unique to Guyana. These are what Kayla says the SRCS is working to keep safe. “Our flagship species, the bird that we have focused on for over 20 years, is the endangered Red Siskin. We are also working on setting up protections for the Rio Branco Antbird and the Hoary-throated Spinetail – which are two critically endangered birds. We also have active programmes focused on anteaters, armadillos, yellow-spotted river turtles, and rabbits,” she said.
According to Kayla, the
ing and promoting the Red Siskin, a rare species that was brought back from near extinction by the team at the SRCS. “I’d say that the Red Siskin programme has been very successful – here was a small, fiery bird on the brink of extinction, and here was a small group of friends who chose to protect
approach helped. It is easy to define it as a success now, but it was a long road with a lot of passion and love for community and the environment, a lot of volunteering, and a lot of understanding.” She further added that, “Success is difficult to define, but we remain committed to a holistic approach that tries to show
demonstrate that our fates are interconnected, particularly in the context of climate change. While local efforts can be made, the broader systemic issues—such as pollution, deforestation, and environmental changes— seem overwhelming. After
SEE PAGE XII
‘Art is just a part of who I am‘ Indigenous writer and artist shares how her culture shapes her art
By Shaniya Harding
ART in any way or form can be a means of expression, a form of storytelling, or a way for some people to share a part of who they are. However, for indigenous writer and artist Cosmata Lindie, art is simply a part of who she is. The Kwakwani-born fiction writer has been recognised internationally for her unique literary flair. Her work has been praised for its immersive style that incorporates elements of life in Guyana as well as her traditional and cultural identity. Cosmata says that much of her work that is seen as traditional was not intentional but rather, like the rest of her work, simply an extension and expression of who she is.
time. But it was still a good childhood,” she said.
Although simplistic, Cosmata’s childhood was the birthplace of her talent and where she would later garner inspiration for some of her best work. Her artistic ventures began with visual art, which initially started as a hobby, a simple piece she did in her youth. “I have always done art. Since I was young, art, drawing, and painting are things that I like,” she stated.
There are few places that offer an upbringing as unique as one in the heart of the Berbice River. Life in the riverine community presented quite a few challenges. Without roads, Cosmata and her peers traversed the area by boat. “Growing up in the river was a bit more rural, I would say. We did not have roads, so we used boats to move most of the
Cosmata’s art continued to blossom as she grew older, eventually making the move to New Amsterdam in Berbice. Visual art still fascinated her, and she continued to paint, although she pursued other ventures. “Something about visual art has always captivated me, and I think it’s something I was born with,” she said. Her step into writing came much later when she began with short stories in 2010.
Cosmata describes her writing as ‘secular fiction’ - a unique blend of the mystical and magical stories that captivated her as a child and the incredibly beautiful surroundings she grew up in. Since beginning her writ-
ing path in 2010, Cosmata has gained recognition from various institutions and people around Guyana and the Caribbean for her oneof-a-kind writing style that connects with people across the board.
As a painter, her recreation of Guyana’s breathtaking sceneries has made her a member of the Guyana Women Artists Association (GWAA) and the Berbice Art & Craft Collective (BACC). She has also participated in several art exhibitions in Guyana. In March 2023, she exhibited her work in Paramaribo, Suriname, as part of a joint Guyana and Suriname art exhibition to mark the launching of the third edition of the bi-national magazine Inside Guianame.
Her phenomenal writing has also gained traction, with her being longlisted in 2022 for the Brooklyn Ca-
ribbean Literary Festival’s Elizabeth Nunez Award for writers residing in the Caribbean and shortlisted for the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Her short fiction was featured locally in the Sunday Stabroek (“The Birds” - 2019 and “Crossroads” - 2020).
Cosmata has been published internationally in adda (“Where the Winds Blow” - July 2023) and Doek! (“The Deer’s Tale” - December 2023). She also contributed to a Caribbean folklore-themed collection of short stories being published by the Trinidad and Tobago-based Caribbean Books Foundation, which is due to be released in the latter part of 2024.
Her most recent endeavour has been her contribution to this year’s Amerindian Heritage Month Art Exhibition. Her two pieces, “Taking Flight” and “Kaieteur Falls,” are
among the highlights of the exhibition. “Taking Flight,” which captures a seemingly uniquely Guyanese sight, features two cranes beside a rapid river in Guyana, while “Kaieteur Falls” portrays one of the nation’s most majestic sights through the eyes of a creative Guyanese. In every word of her writing and every stroke of her brush, Cosmata manages to bring the beauty of Guyana and Guyanese to the very forefront. Her indigenous culture is often a constant underlying theme as well. A lot of her work has what many have called cultural undertones, with most featuring people and places within the deeper, more remote parts of Guyana far from the capital city. This is not a conscious decision, says Cosmata. Although a proud Indigenous woman, she says that her work is simply how she sees the world and what she considers beautiful. “People have asked me about the cultural and traditional themes in my paintings and art, and to tell you the truth, it is not a conscious decision. It’s just who I am.” Her culture, she says, is just a part of who she is.
THE idea of one’s identity is complex and multi-faceted. Every person has an identity, even though they may occasionally struggle to define it. Although self-identity is something that is in a perpetual process of evolution for everyone, young people may find it especially strange to realise that we are not the same people we were a few years ago. The permanent changes that occur to our emotional and mental state can become overwhelming if we are not open to accepting them. We can easily become trapped in a space between the past and the future versions of ourselves.
Perhaps physical change may be a little easier to accept and understand than mental change because it is tangible and visible. Physical change may mean that we no longer fit into the same clothes that we used to wear when we were younger. Mental change, however, may mean that we no longer want to wear the same kind of clothes that we used to like when we were children. This change is a little difficult, simply because it is saddening to let go of the things we used to love. It may be a little easier to undergo self-transformation if we are willing to remember that change is not just about letting go of the things we love about ourselves. It is more about making room for the new parts of ourselves that can help us be better people.
So, there is nothing to fear when experiencing change within ourselves. In fact, did you know that even stars
evolve? Stars start off as nothing more than clusters of gases and dust. Eventually, when met with specific conditions, these clusters of matter transform into stars.
Then, even when they have fully evolved into stars, they continue to change very slowly as a result of losing energy. When they have lost sufficient energy, stars reach their final state, which may vary depending on their mass. Our sun is an example of a star that is gradually losing energy until it reaches its final state. Of course, this will only occur billions of years from now, but it is interesting to think that even something as powerful as our sun cannot escape change.
As we grow up, we will discover that change not only affects our likes and dislikes, but it may also affect the relationships we form. Sometimes, we can grow apart from the friends we have had throughout our entire lives. This does not mean that we stop loving them, but it may mean that our lives may have begun to take different courses from each other. We might stop spending as much time with each other and instead gravitate towards other groups of people. In moments such as those, we need to understand that, just like us, our relationships can change without breaking or disappearing.
Finally, change also means that our goals can become different. This may be the most difficult part of it all. There
are very few goals and dreams that survive the transition from childhood to adulthood. This may be the reason why many young people are only able to decide on a specific career during the latter part of their teenage years. Even so, they may choose different paths later on in their lives. It is all right to experience a period when our most fundamental goals are changing into something different. It is also alright to experience a brief period where we do not know what we want at all! After all, a caterpillar only becomes a butterfly after it experiences a period of inactivity within its cocoon.
Our self-identities are carefully and deliberately constructed by the memories we make and the experiences we have over the years. Some parts of us are completely replaced when we go through new things in life. On the other hand, some parts of us only transform slightly to accommodate new perspectives that we gain. Throughout this entire process, there are days when we may go to sleep feeling confused about who we truly are. During days such as those, we only need to look up at the stars in the sky to remind ourselves that change is normal, and if we are willing to accept it, then we too may glow as brightly as the stars do.
I WASN’T brought up in the age of TV. Though my generation knew that television existed, we were loyal to the cinemas and the many bookstands and bookstores, so, we didn’t complain.
I was about 13-plus when I was given the first book for my personal library. It was a book without pictures. My friends and I preferred books with sketches or with coloured artwork such as Treasure Island, which I learned two generations later that the artwork was done by the American artist N.C. Wyeth.
Now, to that first book that I was given, ‘Aesop’s Tales’: I loved the stories, especially because I was told about him, that he was also called Esop, being the same as Ethiopian in his era. The tales of Esop were grounded in philosophical awareness that would enable us to adjust to the true nature of humanity close and afar. The next book was given to me by a relative who insisted that this book would teach me a lot the world of my early 20s was losing. That was a big, gloomy prediction then, but today, he is more on the ball. That book, “Man The Bridge Between Two Worlds,’’ if I had not read Esop or Aesop, understanding the latter content would not have been that accessible.
What we’re losing is the symbolic language of folk story time and, worse, the awareness of personal decisions based on prior knowledge and the capacity to analyse good against wrong, further. A religious example illustrates that morality was a matter of obedience rather than a moral individual choice. It never occurred to Abraham that the sacrifice of his own son, demanded by Yahweh, could be immoral. The remarkable fact was that the Bible had nothing but praise for Abraham’s readiness to bring a human sacrifice. Was this common practice in
a different age? ‘Paraphrased without disrupting content, ‘Man the Bridge...’ Why is there a need to question the dissemination of core awareness with respect to balancing religious or spiritual beliefs within the context of profound moral ideals? The when and why “There is a time for everything.” We are a country with too many violent, fatal human incidents impacting young citizens without a murmur that recognises, defines, or can inspire.
In Esop’s Fables, the narratives are more direct. I bought another issue of this book some years ago for my last child. I told her who Esop was because this edition was completely Europeanised. Page 5 carried the story of the Wolf And The Lamb. The hungry wolf came upon the lamb by the stream and began all sorts of accusations towards the lamb, to which the lamb responded respectfully, proving the wolf wrong, but when the lamb least expected, the wolf seized the lamb, slew
it and devoured it. The moral of that story is that the wicked will always find a twisted reason to commit wrongdoing.
What we can extract from the process of experience is that childhood readings, those of us who have benefited from it, have endeavoured us to understand better the actions before us and, at times, the rehearsed deceptions proposed, which can help to cease the mental tensions of promises by persons trusted.
Our children must never be the ill-fated lamb that is confused by the empty accusations of the wolf, who, in the end, devours the naïve lamb. Get them reading, do what I did in my early working years: visit the second-hand book stands and purchase relevant books. They wouldn’t learn everything on a phone. Get them accustomed to reading.
FROM PAGE VI
all, how can you tell the sun not to shine so brightly? Climate change is a complex challenge that cannot be easily tackled at the local level.”
The countless projects put forward by the SRCS are not random; these in-depth and diverse efforts are based on scientific studies and research. This is where the people of the Rupununi play a significant role, with their knowledge and understanding of the community being vital to researchers. As Kayla explained, “Many of our conservation strategies begin with research that blends scientific methods with traditional knowledge. While scientific data provides valuable metrics, local insights offer a deeper understanding of the context and nuances of the environment. Each of our projects incorporates both scientific research and traditional methodologies, ensuring a holistic approach to conservation. This combination enriches our efforts and leads to more effective and culturally relevant outcomes.”
Measuring the true impact of the SRCS is quite challenging, as many of the outcomes will only become evident over time. At this stage, key indicators of progress include community interest, active support, and engagement alongside long-term goals such as increasing species populations or reducing habitat destruction. As a relatively young organisation, the team is in the process of establishing systems, after 20 years of groundwork, to effectively monitor and measure these impacts in the future. Moving forward, Kayla says the SRCS hopes to grow with their core values at heart. “We currently have a diverse focus with four main areas: community livelihoods, research and conservation, education and awareness, and cultural heritage. Each of these areas has active programmes, and
they are closely interrelated, working together to support our overall mission. As we move forward with our 10-
year strategy, we aim to develop these areas further while ensuring our growth remains manageable, allowing us to
SHE stood at the water’s edge, her torn dress swirling around her legs, a lone figure shrouded in the shadows of the night. A foreboding silence hung over the beach as the tamed wind gently lifted the dark tresses of hair falling over her face. A pretty face it was, streaked with sand and dry tears.
The sunset -- a collusion of brilliant, rich colours, a backdrop to stately coconut palms and a smooth, flowing, black-water creek in the conversancy backlands.
A stunning tropical scene!
A young girl in pain, alone, at the beach in the dead of the night.
What happened to her?
The deep, haunting look in her eyes, the ashen face and colourless lips told a story of something cold.
Vahin sat in the anchored engine boat in the middle of the expansive creek, camera in hand, captivated by the beautiful scene.
Hushed were the wind and water as something bad unfolded the night before on the sandy beach. No one heard her cries, her pleas on the deserted beach and when they were gone, a young body was left on the sand, helpless and broken.
She turned and walked back to the mangrove trees, no footprints in the sand, for late that night the pain had ebbed away like the tide, and one last tear trickled from her eyes as she took her last breath.
“How did this happen?” she cried, “They were my friends, whom I trusted to take me home.”
In the quietness of dusk, with only the soft sounds of the wind and the emerging nocturnal animals, he felt as though he had found his own little world.
Her heart beat no more, and the coal-black eyes shed no more tears, but she was not going into the light, not now. It was not her time. She did not have to die, not that way. Not for someone who revered God and had good values. She was a classical dancer and a teacher, recognised for her talent and as an educator, it was all wrong, her death.
The untouched natural exhibits of his surroundings astounded him, for he had lived almost all of his life in Europe, away from such raw beauty.
She was supposed to have ridden home with her two friends, Aruna and Preity, that night after the cultural pro gramme, but a late change of plans by them to go out with their boyfriends caused her to ride home instead with two male friends she knew very well. The other two boys she had met only once at a wedding reception, but they seemed like nice guys. On the way home, she had a bottle of fruit drink, and a slight drowsiness overcame her, which she thought was tiredness, but it must have been something else. She became dazed and did not notice the detour on the lonely road to the beach that would be deserted at that hour.
Since leaving as a young boy, his travels had taken him to several different countries, but never once back home. All he knew of the tropical South American country were stories told by his grandfather, stories of colonial rule under the British when his grandfather was a young boy: of sugar plantations and of pineapple and citrus farms.
He had planned his visit to his birth home with doubt in his mind, wondering if it would be worthy of his time, whether he could relive his grandfather’s adventures, or whether things were too different.
God.
camera in the process.
He attempted to follow the otters in the hope that the girl was close, but they had also disappeared.
How, then, did evil interrupt her life?
No one had an answer.
All the media houses carried the story, and shock rippled through her community and the nation. The boys who had given her a ride home were held for questioning, but they all stated that they knew nothing.
Now, as he sat there in the boat, in the embrace of beautiful nature, he understood his grandfather’s deep love for this place.
Betrayed by those who masqueraded as friends. “Why? Where is my wrong?” were her soundless, agonising cries.
He smiled and said, “Bless your dear old heart, Grandpa, you have gifted me something of heaven”.
She looked up at the heavens and continued to cry, “You are my God. I believed in you. Where were you when I cried for help?”
The beach was silent as the lone figure sat with her head bent. There was no place in the world for her anymore. “I died,” she moaned, “My mother and father have lost their little girl.”
There was always a yearning in the old man’s voice whenever he spoke of his homeland, and Vahin always listened with interest.
A fisherman had discovered her body lying on the sand early the next morning. She stood there, unseen in her spiritual form, watching as the police cordoned off the area and canvassed the scene for clues. Word spread, and a crowd gathered, shocked and angry that such a horrible thing had happened to a decent young girl.
Vahin was about to put down his camera as the shadows of dusk descended. He heard the distant barking of otters and saw them on the horizon coming his way.
“This is amazing!” he exclaimed, capturing them on camera.
Then something so unexpected happened, it stunned him!
She had watched helplessly as her father, shocked beyond words, sank to his knees and broke down, crying as he looked at her lifeless body.
“I will visit one day,” he had told him, not sure at the time that he would, but it had brought a comforting smile to his ageing relative. It came as a great surprise to Vahin when the old man passed and left him one of the family homes and some acres of land.
He had looked up at the heavens, his hands clasped, his voice breaking, “Why…why God? Why, my little girl?”
“What would I do with that?” he thought to himself, “My life, my future is in Europe.”
When the hours had gotten late last night, and she hadn’t yet come home, her phone turned off, and her mother experienced a deep feeling of dread, her father, brother and cousins had begun searching until daylight.
In the otters’ midst, like an illusion, a girl emerged from below, long black hair cascading down her shoulders with water glistening on her smooth, dark skin.
No one could console her father. What should she tell her mother, who was waiting at home battling her fears?
Even the heavens trembled that day at the mother’s cries for the child she had brought into this world, a blessing from
The pain of losing his grandfather was great, and time did little to alleviate it. There was still an emptiness in his heart months after the funeral, which prompted Vahin to return home.
For one mesmerising moment, he saw something of pure beauty, but as quickly as she appeared, she disappeared.
“What the ---” he exclaimed, scrambling for words, almost dropping his
Their story was that she had received a phone call on the
She surfaced slowly, her head barely above water, behind a huge, fallen coconut palm as she watched him leave.
“Who is this handsome stranger? Why is he here?”
She was a simple farm girl, and the black water creek with the aquatic animals was her playground.
In his room that night, Vahin could not sleep; the vision of the girl was imprinted on his mind, but he questioned himself, “Was she real”?
dragged away from his thoughts of balancing his life between Europe and Guyana by the sound of a loud splash in the creek. He stood up in a flash and looked across the water but was disappointed to see young boys playing. He exhaled slowly, disappointed that it was not the mystery girl.
For the next few days, he travelled across the creek from the house to the mainland as he began formulating restoration plans, but not once did he see the girl again. He was beginning to think that maybe she had been an illusion, and just to be sure of that, he anchored his boat once again in the creek and waited for the sunset. The
ly grieving family, who just couldn’t process the fact that she was no more in their lives.
crimson glow seemed to glitter across the water, and from a distance, he saw the otters coming, but she was not with them.
bank, poised to plunge into the water.
On the day of her funeral, she went back home in her spiritual form to comfort her family and to confront her killers. They would be in attendance, she knew, amongst the huge turnout of mourners.
“Wait!” he called out to her, “I just want to talk to you.”
All her friends were there, those who were true, who had regrets. She saw their tears, heard their shocked whispers as prayers and songs eulogized her life. She stood amongst her family, holding her mother’s and father’s hands, hugging her brother and sister, wiping their tears.
He shook his head silently, deeply disappointed. He turned to start the engine, and his hand froze as he saw her sitting on a sandbank, looking at him.
The world stopped for him at that moment as he looked at her.
She stopped and turned, and when he was close enough to talk to her, he said, “I am new here, don’t quite know anyone, and I would really like for you to be my friend.”
But they were not aware of her presence. Her mother, though, seemed to sense something and whispered, “Aryana?”
Was she one of the riches of the wild his grandfather had spoken about?
The family turned to look at her mother, and she broke down crying, “She’s here with us. My baby is here.”
She looked at him for a long moment, and then she smiled a little with a slight nod of her head.
The father hugged her, helping her to stay strong as the highly emotional services paid tribute to their young daughter’s life and honouring her departed soul to guide her on her final journey.
He smiled, happy for this small start, for he had found something unique that he knew he would never want to let go.
His grandfather had told him that in the wild, there are untold riches and that if he had ever found a “flower of the wild”, he needed to keep it in his life forever.
way home and asked them to stop for someone else to pick
She raised her head slowly and stood up, looking at the heavens, a burning passion of pain and anger in her voice, “I will not come home, not until I have destroyed the monsters who took my honour and my life.”
She stretched her arms out, and from the abyss of death and darkness, she screamed, unleashing fury and agony.
“What did he even mean by that?” Vahin wondered, “What flower in the wild?”
“I call on dark forces to lend me the evil power to destroy those spawned from evil, and for that, I will give you my soul.”
The sky rumbled, the water became restless, and the wind howled as she waited under the mangrove trees.
One night, two nights passed, then on the third morning, just before the break of dawn, as the high tide rushed across the sand and the wind whistled shrilly, four black crows appeared from the far horizon. She stood up, her coal-black eyes watching as the crows drew closer and closer and alighted on the mangrove trees. Her wait was over.
The family house Vahin inherited overlooked the creek with an inlet running behind, en route to the citrus and pineapple farms. The forest stood on one side as a silent guardian, and the caretaker’s house on the other. It had been a guesthouse in colonial times. His grandfather, an astute businessman, had bought the property when it went on the market.
Vahin looked at the house and pondered, “It’s an important part of history. Maybe I can restore it as a vacation home.”
The dark abyss had answered her call to fight evil with evil.
He stayed that night at the house to get the feel of a place he never lived in, one that he now owned.
“For each new day, now,” she vowed, “stones will bleed.”
The caretaker and his wife, an Indigenous couple, made sure he was comfortable.
A wake had been going on at her home, and friends, family and people from everywhere had been attending to express their sympathies. There was no comfort, though, to her deep-
The next morning, sitting on the veranda, sipping a cup of herbal tea, and watching the sunrise, he thought: “The peacefulness and natural beauty of this place is priceless.”
Hours later, he was
He started the engine and turned the boat, wanting to talk to her, hoping she would not swim away and disappear again. As the boat drew closer, she stood up on the
His flower in the wild.
A cynical smile played on Aryana’s lips as the viewing began, and she whispered, “It’s showtime.”
Aruna and Preity just couldn’t stop crying. Such were their regrets for leaving her that night, but the fury burning in Aryana could not forgive them, so she threw out the fresh roses they brought for her. There were loud gasps from those close enough to see what happened, and the two friends stepped back, scared. Her killers were also approaching her coffin bearing red roses, and she called upon her emissaries of the dark world, “It’s time.”
The sight of the black crows, their loud cawing and wild fluttering wings, created a frightening scene as they flew circles around her coffin, then among the mourners who scattered to avoid the vicious birds. The birds were gone as fast as they came, but left in their wake were fear and shock. Never had anything of that nature happened at a funeral service. What could have triggered something so ominous was the burning question.
Aryana watched her killers hurriedly leave and smiled, cold fury in her eyes, “It’s just the beginning.”
To be continued…
THIS column will again touch on Mangroves because of its importance historically, socially and economically.
When the Dutch colonisers first visited Guyana in the 17th century, they observed that Mangroves were growing along the entire coast, in some parts so thick that they could be considered mangrove forests.
IN all countries of the western world, especially in the cities, there are always a number of homeless people, but the causes differ from country to country and from era to era. In Guyana, the first appearance of the homeless came after Emancipation of the plantation slaves. Many of the freedmen were too weak or sick to continue working, and some found themselves in Georgetown and New Amsterdam. However, the vast majority of such homeless people remained in the villages where the villagers, though they were poor, extended help to them. With the effluxion of time, these, as a group, died off.
decrepit Indian ex-sugar estate workers. The emphatic term “homeless persons” is of comparatively recent usage, and these persons were contemptuously termed “villains” or “jobbers.”
The Dutch first settled on the coast and utilised the mangrove as a convenient and easy source of wood for house building, fires for cooking, and even for making boats and rafts. Only when they had cut down large stretches of mangrove and the sea had begun to come up on the land did they understand the importance of mangroves as an effective defence against the sea and flooding. They held up to their mangrove depletion, and to avoid the threat of constant flood-
ing, they began to move their settlements to the river banks towards the end of the 18th century. In 1815, when Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice finally ceded to Britain, they were united in 1831 to form the colony of British Guiana.
The British developed their colony much faster than the Dutch. Like the Dutch, they empoldered their agricultural land and built sea defences, but it was only in the 20th century, with the growth of Ecological Studies and a deeper understanding of the environment, that the full importance of mangroves came to be grasped.
The slaves were replaced by indentured labourers, with small numbers coming from Madeira and China, but with the vast and overwhelming majority coming from India. These labourers were contracted to work for five years with a return passage, which was very often not honoured, but they were offered a renewal of their contracts for another five years, which they were forced to take since there were no alternatives. At the end of their indentureship, when their health had deteriorated and they could not work, had no money or relatives and could not face the harassment of a threemonth sea voyage to India, a number of these Indian workers who had become useless on the plantations drifted to Georgetown and New Amsterdam where they formed a homeless group trying to eke out a living as “jobbers,” fetching goods for shops or individuals. At this time and up to the 1960s there were few cars, and transporting of goods was done by animal-drawn carts or by “jobbers.” These homeless people slept on the pavements of downtown Georgetown, America Street and around the General Post Office, which are popular locations. For decades before and after the ending of Indenture in 1917, the stereotype of homeless persons were these weak and
The colonial state was aware of the problems of aged and decrepit homeless persons and the Alms House, later known as the Palms, was provided in the last quarter of the 19th century. The Catholic Church also provided some accommodation and there were a few other such “homes,” such as Uncle Eddy’s, largely financed by the Freemasons. These various homes catered for the aged, the decrepit, and those who may have lost a limb, all of whom are from middle and lower-middle-class backgrounds. The lower-class ”jobbers” and other homeless Indian sugar estate workers were never considered for admission to these “homes.”
Ramsaroop’s self-sacrifice and vision. At present, the home is being administered by Pandit Ramsaroop’s surviving daughters, and the premises are kept spotlessly clean. The inmates have three meals per day and regular medical checkups. Primarily as a therapy, some able-bodied inmates are permitted to work.
The United Nations recognised the importance of mangroves by declaring a Mangrove Day each year with a relevant motto. In this year 2024, the motto is “Mangroves matter. Safeguarding our Coastal Guardians for tomorrow”.
The first time any effort was made to help the lowest class of people of every race and religion who were always hungry and without shelter was made by Pandit Ramsaroop Maraj. Pandit Ramsaroop was born in Wakenaam and, from his earliest years, empathised with human pain and suffering and used his small resources to help the poor. He conceived the idea of building a home for the poor, and since he had no personal wealth and no wealthy donors and even the state was not willing to make any contributions to his philanthropic dream, he became a wandering mendicant collecting tiny donations as he walked over the country. He was mocked and insulted, and on one recorded occasion, when he was pelted with small stones, he picked them up and thanked his tormentors, telling them he would use these stones to help build a home for the poor.
In time -- just over a 100 years ago -- the Dharmshala was opened with the Governor and the other dignitaries paying homage to Pandit
Despite the existence of these homes’ charitable donations and the widespread personal help given to individuals, there are still hundreds who sleep rough on the pavements of downtown Georgetown. The state has been establishing shelters to offer temporary relief to the homeless. These shelters need to evolve into permanent homes equipped with modern facilities and staffed by professionals. In this era, the reasons why persons become homeless are different from the past when abject poverty was the main reason. Today, it could be the inability to meet rental obligations for their homes or losing one’s job and being left penniless, or it could be the result of spousal or other domestic discord, or it could be teenagers and even smaller children being so unhappy at home that they are driven to leave their homes, or there is Alzheimer Disease whereby the victim loses his memory, and there are a plethora of other reasons. These modern shelters, several of which would be established in Georgetown, New Amsterdam and elsewhere, must be prepared and equipped to play a rehabilitatory role.
In certain “local government jurisdictions” in North America, homeless persons are regarded as nuisances defiling the city’s landscape and should be removed to remote areas and homeless persons are criminalised. In Guyana, homeless persons should always be treated humanely, should never be ignored and should be helped to return to being useful members of society.
Though this motto identifies the most important function of mangroves, that is to guard against the flooding by the sea and tidal waves and make the soil less fertile when it would have been impregnated with salt; other positives emanate from mangroves.
Mangroves provide a home for bees as well as feeding grounds since a large number of flowering plants grow among the mangroves. When hives are established in the vicinity, they provide bountiful honey supplies. Consumers much value mangrove honey.
Mangroves are a carbon sink and enhance Guyana’s efforts against climate change. They provide a livelihood for many coastal communities, one food resource being the varieties of fish that live among the mangroves. They are an ecotourism attraction with the rich biodiversity that mangrove forests offer, and the Guyana Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture are cooperating in this development. Mangrove restoration and preservation support several sustainable development goals (SDGs), to the degree that Guyana is seriously committed to achieving them.
At the recent function of unveiling the plaque at the Kingston Seawall Esplanade in commemoration of International Mangrove Day 2024, the Minister of Agriculture summarised the importance and impact of Mangroves: “Mangroves are our coastal guardians, vital to Guyana’s environmental and economic health”, he said, “they act as natural barriers against coastal erosion and surges, protecting our communities and infrastructure. With over 23,000 hectares of Mangroves, they support fisheries, livelihoods, and food security and provide habitats for diverse wildlife… Mangroves are important in sequestering carbon, enhancing efforts against climate change as outlined in Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030”.
The State has developed a 10-year National Mangrove Action Plan and an Inter-Agency Committee dedicated to promoting sustainable Mangrove management, and over 500 hectares of mangrove have been restored. Since 2010, over $1.9 billion has been invested in mangrove preservation and restoration, and regular injections of money are expected to be made as required. For example, $275 million has been allocated this year to rehabilitation initiatives in Regions Two and Five.
MY last column, “Are we actually settling?” had me thinking; as many of us settle, there are an equal number who don’t. That, unfortunately, means that those who feel they weren’t fearless enough not to settle have some feelings towards people who didn’t. It begs a specific question- If we are settling, are we projecting on those who aren’t?
Projection is powerful in everyday life: we project our dreams into goals, our thoughts into emotions, and our experiences into stories, and this influences other people. We project our own filtered perspective onto other people. However, there is a less heartwarming side: we also project how we feel about ourselves, usually negatively, onto others and then think and behave as if it’s actually fact. An important question follows: are these filters providing a clear or distorted view of yourself and others?
When we project, we displace our own feelings onto someone else due to our own insecurities, unhappiness, discomfort, or envy. Common examples I see almost daily are people who criticise other people about their appearance
because they feel insecure in their own skins, or insult single people because they are in a relationship that they aren’t happy in and can’t seem to leave.
Projection isn’t a new world idea of people becoming too sensitive; Sigmund Freud first spoke of it in 1895 and its inconveniences to both parties -- and boy, did we perfect it! He described a patient who felt some internal shame based on actions she had taken, so she was convinced her neighbours were gossiping about her and were, therefore, bad people. I feel as if some of us are going to relate to that one hard.
Like most things in the mental health stratosphere, it can be conscious or unconscious, but I debate that it is a more unconscious defence mechanism to observe our worst thoughts and feelings from a ‘safe’ distance. However, with some self-reflection, they can all surface at the conscious level, which allows for change.
For my avid readers, you know I believe the fun always begins with the Whys.
Projecting is typical -
ly done simply because the projector has difficult, unresolved feelings that become easier to deal with when cast onto someone else. It conserves their self-positive image rather than confronting negative traits -- the feelings are addressed and even managed, but just in a way where we don’t need to recognise it in ourselves. It can also be used as a control tactic, as projecting makes things more predictable. There is little fear of the known, but where there is fear that needs reducing, there is typically a search for evidence around us that will confirm or deny these feelings. It is an internal battle and one that I constantly reassure the people who are being projected on is not their fault. Even if someone decides that their own projected views are true, it still does not make it reality.
Projecting can be ‘good’ and ‘bad,’ but in my opinion, both have problematic outcomes. A bad outcome looks like when a partner is being unfaithful. They tend to be more jealous and distrustful of their partner due to their internal knowledge. A good example is when we have
healthy behaviours (attending the gym), and we assume others hold it as important as we do. This puts pressure on those around us and tends to make them feel inadequate if they do not possess the qualities we wish them to have. Neither of those results in a healthy relationship.
An easy way to tell if you are projecting in general is to notice if you are using “I” vs “You” statements. When you express your emotions using “I”, you are noticing something that is within yourself and taking accountability for those feelings. If “you” statements are being used, you are most likely shifting the blame onto someone else. This would look like “I feel annoyed” versus “You are making me feel annoyed.”
If by now you’ve realised that you are, in fact, guilty of projecting, congratulations, as you are ahead of the majority, and taking steps to make positive behavioural changes is not only possible, but it’s also easy.
First, acknowledge that a lot of the time, what bothers us the most about other people is actually what bothers us about ourselves. So, do you dislike people who seem overly confident, your friend who often talks
about what books they are reading or your neighbour who talks continuously about what fancy meal they are cooking next? The hard truth is this may bother you because you lack self-confidence, you often wish you read more, and you continuously wish that you prioritised your time better so you could complete housework on time.
Look inward rather than outward when having these emotions. Ask yourself, “What about this person or situation is truly upsetting me right now?”
“Does this person or situation remind me of anything?” The hardest but most important question you can ask yourself is, “Am I talking about myself?”. If you can answer that honestly, it will change your world.
The healthiest approach is to find a healthier coping skill, specifically, a way to express these displaced emotions- counselling, exercise, prayer- whatever suits you best because it is not only harmful to you but also to those around you. If you are giving someone a label just because you feel as though you are lacking it, it can have serious consequences for their mental health. For example, if you lack self-confidence
and dislike your friend’s amount, you are more likely to do/say things that will cause them to feel bad as well as question their own level of self-confidence. If someone is currently doing this to you, and you now recognise it, I hope you understand that you are not the core issue and silently give them grace, as many are not open to hearing that you may understand their behaviour even more than they do. However, if it’s affecting you and you feel as though you must say something, it’s helpful (without judgment) to use phrases such as “I understand that for you, it feels like this”, “seems like this” or “is your experience”- these allow you to distance yourself from their thoughts.
You can look at your projection as a negative thing, or you can realise that you are closer to self-awareness than you think. Projection only allows us to ignore the qualities we most want to change in ourselves and shift the blame to other people -- it is not a treatment or a cure for what we believe we are lacking. Continue to ask yourself not what you see in others, but rather what you don’t see in yourself.
In this country, my Lords, … the in- dividual subject … “has nothing to do with the laws but to obey them.”
BISHOP SAMUEL HORSLEY (1733-1806)
House of Lords, 13 Nov., 1795
Dear Student, Welcome dear reading friend. Finding out the relations between different parts of a text requires the skills of predicting and anticipat-
ing, summarising, and recognising markers of discourse and relations between parts of a text. Suppose the exercise requires you and others to present the facts necessary to solve a mystery. You will study your passage carefully and then ask questions of the other groups to find out relations and links between the various passages of the texts. Be wise.
Love you.
A.. Paraphrasing in reading
Note: Paraphrasing simply means creating a summary or recapitulation of a piece of literature and not with the intention to enhance it, but just putting an author’s idea into your own words. A good paraphrase includes the following elements:
totally different words and sentence structure from the original. The name of the original author and text.
Since you will not always be able or want to quote a source word for word, you will find that paraphrasing is a useful way to relay the author’s ideas to your audience without relying on the actual language. Please paraphrase the following verse.
Line:
1. Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
2. Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
3. While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
4. As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door,
5. “‘Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door –
6. Only this, and nothing more.”
(from “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe)
1. If you read this verse according to punctuation, where would you come to a complete stop?
(A) after lines 1 and 3. (B) after lines 2 and 5.
(C) after lines 4 and 6. (D) at the end of every line.
2. Select the best paraphrase of the first two lines.
(A) The speaker is tired and weak.
(B) The speaker is bored by his reading.
(C) One midnight, the tired speaker was up reading.
(D) One midnight, the tired speaker was dealing with quaint and curious volumes of forgotten lore.
3. In line 3, the reader should
(A) pause after each comma. (B) pause after the end comma.
(C) pause after the 1st. and 3rd. comma.
(D) pause after the 2nd. And 3rd. comma. 4. Which best paraphrases the entire verse?
(A) A tapping sound wakes the speaker, but he is not concerned.
(B) A scared speaker is roused from his sleep by a tapping.
(C) A weary speaker imagined he hears a tapping.
(D) A speaker reads about someone tapping on a bedroom door in an old folk tale.
IMPROVING READING
B.. Reading comprehension
Note: Reading comprehension is the ability to read a text at your level, process it and understand its meaning. It relies on two, well-connected reading abilities: (1) word reading (being able to decode the symbols on the page) and (2), language comprehension (being able to understand the meaning of the words and sentences). Reading comprehension is essential for language and literature, as well as developing a student’s critical thinking and memory skills, focus and his ability to solve problems — all necessary for every kind of student or professional.
Read the following extract carefully and then answer the questions below it based on what is stated or implied.
Times change. Some years ago, if you asked an Antillan about graduation ceremonies, he knew you were referring to annual events at the university, when those who had been successful in passing their exams and earning a university degree were presented with an important document which qualified them to work as doctors or engineers, or to take on special responsibilities in other fields of work.
This, of course, was what the word ’graduation’ meant according to the educational tradition we had been following for ages: the British system. In North America, however, the word had developed a different significance. Elaborate graduation exercises were used to mark the end of any school course or training programme. Recently, a grandmother was invited to travel from Antilla to the United States to attend the graduation ceremony of her six-year-old grandchild who had completed the kindergarten stage of education, and would be wearing full; academic garb for the occasion: suit, gown and mortarboard, if you please!
Maybe we won’t go to quite this extreme in Antilla, but sometimes I’m not so sure. Last year we saw pictures in the newspapers of people in mortarboards and gowns who were graduating from a six-week training programme somewhere in the city!
1. Why does the writer put the word graduation in the first sentence in the second paragraph in inverted commas?
(A) To indicate that the writer is not using the term in its traditional sense.
(B) To imply that what the Antillan have been practising is not ‘graduation’ in the true sense of the word.
(C) To show that the word has now changed the meaning in the British system.
(D) To emphasise that it is graduation which will be the subject of his article.
2. What is the MAIN intention of the writer in paragraph two of this extract?
(A) To give the reader a clear picture of what graduation is like in Britain
(B) To show how graduation has been extended in the United States
(C) To show how gullible the older people of Antilla are
(D) To define, by example, what he (the author) means by ‘graduation’
3. What is the writer’s feeling in the last sentence of the second paragraph: “Recently, a grandmother … suit, gown and mortarboard, if you please!”
THE first comprehensive study on the nation’s oral health called oral diseases in children a “silent epidemic.” Thousands of school hours are lost each year to dental-related illnesses. In fact, it was for that reason that the first comprehensive study on the nation’s oral health called oral diseases in children a “silent epidemic.” Statistics indicate that dental care is the most prevalent unmet health need among Guyanese children, although, in recent years, much has been done to prevent it. A major part of the Dental Health Service’s strategy is launching the effort to educate children and parents about the prevention of dental diseases, including periodontal diseases in children. The Community Dental Therapist programme was launched around 2005 by the Government of Guyana specifically to help bolster oral health among the population, especially in the hinterland. Remember that oral problems can impact children’s self-esteem and lead to problems with eating, speaking, and attending to learning.
When Dr Joanes Jean and I came up with the idea to begin celebrating Oral Health Month in Guyana in 2004, we decided that October was a better month, and so the first year we celebrated it in October. After that, we joined the world trend, shifting it to November. Dental health education, however, is critical every day to everyone.
Common dental problems seen in children are cavities and gingivitis. When these problems are not caught early and treated, they can develop into more severe problems and cause unnecessary suffering. However, much of the time, oral problems are avoidable problems.
It is estimated that 40 percent of children have not had a dental visit before starting school. When children don’t see dental professionals, they miss the opportunity to have problems caught before they escalate into larger, more expensive problems to treat, and parents miss the opportunity to learn how to promote good oral habits in their children.
In addition to advising regular dental visits that include a periodontal examination, the Health Ministry offers these tips to parents to help ensure good oral health in children:
1. Establish good oral health habits early. When your child is 12 months old, you can begin using toothpaste when brushing his or her teeth. However, use only a pea-sized portion on the brush and press it into the bristles so your child won’t eat it. And, when the gaps between your child’s teeth close, it’s important to start flossing.
2. Serve as a good role model by practising good oral health care habits yourself.
3. Check your child’s mouth for any signs of gum disease, including bleeding gums, swollen and bright red gums, gums that are receding away from the teeth and bad breath.
4. Make sure your child consumes a balanced diet. Studies have shown that insufficient levels of calcium and vitamin C make people more susceptible to periodontal disease.
5. Educate your child regarding the health risks of using tobacco products. Smoking is the number one preventable risk factor for periodontal disease.
