Pepperpot 03 14 2016

Cassava Nation â–ş Page XXIV

- Maintaining an age-old tradition at Whitewater Story and photos by Alva Solomon

II

LIKE SOMEBODY SPRINKLE GUINEA (Part I) PEPPER?

HOPE you enjoyed Free as a Bird, the short story which concluded in this column last week.

I was experimenting with verbal rhythms and their musical connectivity in our Guyanese speech patterns ...am talking about the harmonics of our creolese; hence my use of hyphens.

I called up the accomplished Guyanese musician Marilyn Dewar to see if there’s a music metaphor for the hyphen in this context – “a walking note” she said.

So, except for those walking notes, I believe that to create/write Guyanese creolese, we should let it be fluid...absolute-

ly free in its lyrical expressions of the pulse of our nation and her people. We should let it slip “magically greased out of the locks and chains of definitions” (thank you, Julian) such as confine The English language which informs its base.

Because it’s a visual as well as an aural way of communicating, one must hear creolese as well as see it in the words on the page. When my husband, Julian Mayfield left us to join the ancestors, he was absorbed with this idea of “painting with words” – that’s the idea...”How To Write Creolese The Creolese Way” I returned to Guy-

ana circa 1985 to settle on Yukuriba Heights to finish the book Clarise Cumberbatch Want To Go Home. I hadn’t yet arrived at this point of thinking of The Creolese in terms of its harmonics with walking-note-hyphens et al. . How I wrote it then was sufficient to excite the imagination of my publishers. After reading the first chapter I’d submitted as a short story, Nolan Miller of The Antioch Review said: “... the first chapter of your novel is a delight... it’s been a long time since we received a short story that we knew we wanted to publish so eagerly...”; then he referred me to a his colleague in New

York. Cork Smith was an Editor at Ticknor & Fields; he gave me a hefty advance (for a first book) and sent me home to finish it.

Like Somebody Sprinkle Guinea Pepper? is fiction...the prologue to an unpublished novel that was conceived while I was overnighting in a porkknocker camp on the Ireng River, observing the “tek-ups”.

As I’ve said before, at that time creolese was to

Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

me, only The English as we spoke it in Guyana.

Here’s the first part.... hope you enjoy the reading, as I did the writing ...

Was she that night with the big squall, the one that blowaway all the tekups …?

That woman reach Rasta-man camp late afternoon. She say she walking to Kurupukari.

Walking to WHERE? Kurupukari? Anyway – she had a down-load warishi and she looking weary

bad. But she ain complaining. She say she just want to rest a little before she go long she way walking to Kurupurkari. Walking to Kurupukari? Is how far from here to Kurupukari? Is how much swamp and hirihiribali-hol’-mih-backplimpla-bush, loose-sand and…

► Continued

on page XVI

Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

Journey to ‘De IMPECCABLE’ T HE breeze blew softly on a moonlit Saturday night as a luxury yacht glided effortlessly across the Hudson Bay. It was a special occasion for two of the wealthiest families in New York: A glittering wedding reception that had attracted the cream of society and the media in full.

The serenity on the outside contrasted sharply with the frenzy of culinary activity inside, as guests, well schooled in the art of dining openly, abandoned decorum and literally shoved for ‘seconds’.

It could have been a scene from the ‘Titanic’: A kaleidoscopic backdrop as big as a theatre screen; priceless china; eye-popping haute couture designed only for the rich and famous; supper an unending odyssey that seemed to have no parameters.

The uninitiated would have looked for the team of experts coordinating such a massive exercise, but if only they had keen eyes, they would’ve noticed a consummate professional in long coat, unobtrusively gliding between tables, making mental notes and relaying wireless instructions to his well-schooled staff: “Refill champagne bucket on Table 24!”

“Clear Table 13!”

“Another glass of whisky for the officiating priest!”

His eyes missed nothing. It was a flawless operation.

And when the bridegroom spoke, the praise for the Chef De Cuisine was exhaustive. When he was asked to step forward to be acknowledged, it was no other than popular Guyanese “cook-man”, Clyde “Fat-Boy” Sampson, whose legendary “wild meat” and bar-bque preparations four decades before had made his name a household one in the place of his birth.

ONLY YESTERDAY It seemed like only yesterday when Sampson’s culinary prowess catapulted him to the top of the gastronomic ladder in New York, where he stayed for years.

But all the while, homeland beckoned. And, inexorably, fate took the wheel and steered its predestined course.

Enter first Shantel’s, and then De IMPECCABLE...

Shantel’s, at 25 Second Street, Alberttown caters for “People with a Passion for Fashion”.

Available are bridal dresses, suits, accessories, floral arrangements and so much more.

De IMPECCABLE... “The Place with a Difference”, at Brickdam and Sandeman Place, can handle banquets and events for up to 200 people. It’s immaculate and yet comfortable, with precision-like service as one of its

highlights.

The phone rings. A moment later, Sampson’s voice reverberates, like his Biblical namesake. “Madam, I am sorry I can’t accept your job. That day, I’ll be in Linden catering for 400 persons.

“Yes, I do remember you from the Ambassador’s party. Yes, I did the catering and coordinating of the entire event. “However, if you have your dinner and dance on another date, we can talk.

“Thank you very much.”

I was amazed at the ease with which my friend dealt with the myriad problems during our ‘rap’ and impromptu food-tasting exercise. I had a plethora of questions, and he had his ready answers.

One of my main questions was: “Where do you hope to take De IMPECCABLE?”

III

By Godfrey Wray

Without a pause, the answer came: “Wherever my sons want to go with it.”

As if on cue, his two boys burst through the doorway, a double whirlwind of energy.

They stopped in their tracks when they saw me, then singularly apologised. Their adoring mother, Shantel, followed, working hard to keep a straight face. But she couldn’t be constrained.

And why not?

The youngsters had just reported they had both gotten A’s in their Business classes.

Sampson’s reputation remains intact; he is fully in charge of the local culinary landscape, and his Banquet Hall is truly impeccable.

He really is a Sampson in the wedding and catering business.

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Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

By Subraj Singh

Lisa See’s ‘Snow Flower...’

P

EOPLE read because books have the ability to take them to places they have never been to before. Books show us locales we have never seen, cultures we have never experienced, and they also sink us into the personal histories of characters; of people we never knew existed.

Lisa See’s historical novel, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, is one such novel. It transports us completely back to China in the 1800s, and from the details about the lives of both Chinese aristocrats and Chinese common-folk that See offers to us, it is quite clear

that this is one of those novels that is only made more rich because of the large amount of research that the writer has done in order to be able to present to her readers a world that many of us will never have the opportunity to experience.

BEST FRIENDS The novel tells the story of two best friends, Lily and Snow Flower, who, according to Chinese tradition, are much more than mere best friends. They are what the Chinese refer to as “laotong”, a relationship built on the tenets of friendship and sisterhood that is supposed to be stronger than the marriage between a man and woman.

A good portion of the book investigates the relationship between this particular pair of laotong, chronicling how they met and came to be laotong; their communication with each other, using a secret women’s language called “Nu Shu”; their childhood experiences and, eventually, their individual marriages and separation from each other.

The novel is noted for its graphic presentation of the footbinding process, but, I suppose, this is all a part of that ability of books to introduce you to things you’ve never known about or experienced.

Footbinding is the process where young girls have

the gorgeous world of her novel tells us that even in the most beauteous of circumstances, there is always some pain and sadness lurking beneath.

However, See’s female characters manage to overcome the process of footbinding, as women in China have done for ages, and continue on with the story of their lives, footbinding receding to just another obstacle that the Chinese woman in those times simply had to deal with.

the bones in their feet broken, folded and strapped in order to make them smaller, as small feet were considered especially beautiful at the time in ancient China.

The ideal bound feet were called “Golden Lotuses”, and were around three inches in length.

See’s ability to present this horrific process in

SEPARATE WAYS If See’s scenes of footbinding are painful, though, then her scenes of the way the pair of laotong, Lily and Snow Flower, drift apart from each other, and the way their close relationship becomes frayed; tinged by misunderstanding, jealousy and hate, is even more painful to read.

Lily comes from a poor family, but because of her tiny feet, she is able to enter a marriage of wealth and prosperity. Contrastingly, Snow Flower, whose family was once wealthy and is now penniless, is forced to marry an abusive butcher.

It is from this point in the novel that the relationship between the pair of laotong changes, as Lily and Snow Flower depart on their respective pathways in life, moving further and further away from each other until fate eventually forces them on the same path once again.

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V

Shifting focus...

Caribbean women and the art profession

I

N the grand scheme of all things art-related, lists of women artists are few.

Lists of women artists of colour are even fewer. Lists of women artists of colour from the Caribbean and its Diaspora are almost non-existent.

However, through the continued efforts of regional art bodies operating within this space (in perhaps the past ten years), the focus has shifted significantly, and the spotlight has been placed firmly on the Caribbean space as much more than a tropical escape for “serious” Western artists.

THE PERIPHERY For quite a long time, the Caribbean was considered the periphery of the art world; a wild and unrefined space, rich with symbolism that the natives were far too simple to understand or even translate into meaningful works of art.

So, whenever these “serious” artists needed to refuel after exhausting all their sources of inspiration, they ran to the outskirts for that “exotic” touch that would set their own body of work apart from every other white male artist.

Although on a singular level, Caribbean artists have been fighting against those stereotypes (and

winning, to a very small degree), it wasn’t until recently that art collectives began making considerable progress, regarding their own representation.

This shift is, no doubt, a result of the realisation that it is dangerous to sit back and wait for “outsiders” to validate the production of artwork in a space that is completely disconnected from their own realities.

In my observation, the focus became less about trying to fit ourselves into conversations overseas, and more about establishing regional centres that operate in much the same way as the ones we were once so keen on infiltrating.

The establishment of these centres very often meant that the individuals rising to the challenge of stewardship would have to be willing to sacrifice their own practice, so that others would eventually have opportunities for sustainable careers in the creative field.

Things get a bit interesting here, since, more often than not, the individuals making those sacrifices and heading those collectives are usually women (Holly Bynoe of ARC Magazine; Annalee Davis of Fresh Milk Barbados; and Malaika Brooks-Smith-Lowe of Groundation Grenada just

to cherry pick a few).

harping on for a long time.

SEATS OF AUTHORITY Now, while I’m just as thrilled as the next person that women are the ones occupying those seats of authority, I can’t help but be saddened by the cost of those positions that men don’t necessarily share. The costs I’m referring to include the inevitable strain on the family unit, and the attacks on their working methods as primary caregivers; and, in the case of women who choose to forego having children and/or a husband, being labeled as deviant, flawed or cold.

And these are labels that I am also fighting against as a “not-so-young”, unmarried and childless female artist (but this is an entirely different article in the making).

In spite of those costs, women continue to flourish in leadership roles within the arts community. My only contention is that creative practitioners shouldn’t have to abandon their individual practice for the sake of carving out a space for everyone else.

This points to a lack of art managers, which, in turn, points to the even bigger issue of a failed system regarding art education and art management. And this is something I’ve been

COMPLETE OVERHAUL Art education in the Caribbean needs to be completely overhauled.

We need to change the way we educate our future practitioners, and also keep in mind that we are equally dependent on persons pursuing art education and art management (and that these courses must be offered). They shouldn’t have to function as both artist

and art administrator out of necessity. It is absurd to expect these persons to perform at peak capacities in both roles, without compromising one or the other.

It puzzles me that we don’t see anything wrong with having 500 practising artists, two art critics, and zero professional art managers/administrators.

But, maybe, nothing has changed in that regard, because we’ve managed to make it work, in spite of all the challenges.

Regardless, it’s unfair to expect persons to willingly run themselves through the mill of trial and error for the sake of everyone else, simply because there is no infrastructure to support the development and furtherance of our own creative narratives.

Dominique Hunter is an independent visual artist who recently graduated from the Barbados Community College with a Bachelor of Fine Art (First Class Honours).

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Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

Don’t smoke?

Don’t start now!

Cruel and unusual W

I

NEED help to do something I know I need to do. Scripture is clear: Honour your parents and forgive. But I am still so angry after all these years; and the Bible tells parents not to provoke their children to anger.

So, my mom is not blameless.

Growing up, I thought my single-parent mom was the best parent my little sister and I could have asked for. She was nurturing, high-energy and always had time.

Discipline was rare, but fair and consistently applied.

But just short of my 10th birthday, I got spanked for breaking a house rule and not leaving a note when I was down the street watching a movie.

Thinking I was missing, mom was in a panic.

But, I’d left a note!

Somehow, it ended up in the middle of the garbage. It was found five minutes after I got spanked.

No taking my word; no investigative work; no fact-finding; no due diligence. Just shoot first and ask questions later.

She was so sorry, apologizing and crying afterwards. But how could I have been so wrong about her? I mean, if a 10-year-old could find the truth in five minutes, what could a 32-year-old have done if she'd been willing to try? The happiness of my childhood ended that day.

Here I was, innocent, but with a bright red butt to show for it. This made me feel like I was nothing to my mom, and totally worthless. I moved in with my dad a year later, though he was unbearable.

I am a 19-year-old college freshman now. My mom made contact through my sister about us being mother and daughter again. I know it's probably for the best. By the way, my little sister accidentally threw the note away, and blames herself, though I don't.

But how do I forgive my mother's incompetence and unfit parenting?

Renee

Renee, Imagine a child running towards the road with a car coming. Mom gains on the kid and barely gets to her before the car.

Guess what? That kid is going to get swatted. And what do you think the swat imparts to the kid? Never, ever, ever do that again!

And what is it for the mom? It is the release of terror.

Consider your mother. In your own words, she was nurturing, supportive and high-energy. But one day she came home, and you were not there. She went into a panic.

Kidnapping! Sexual assault! Murder! She was, for good reason, in fear.

She apologised, but at the time, how was she supposed to park her panic and worry?

She acted from what she knew. Don't you allow for someone to make a mistake out of love?

Your sister threw the note away, and you don't blame her, but you hold your mother to an unattainable standard. Do you hold your friends to that standard? One mistake and they are out.

The court system makes mistakes. Do we throw out the court system?

Isn't a nine-year sentence enough?

Your mother apologised when the facts caught up with her reality. It's time for you to do the same, and understand this incident as the 19-year-old you are now, not as the 10-year-old you once were.

Wayne & Tamara

HILE studying in Cuba, I was considered a “chain smoker”. When I departed Cuba on July 10, 1980, that was the last time a cigarette ever touched my lips. Quitting, for me, was easy, and I am no different from anyone.

Now, there are currently about 275,000 persons in Guyana who smoke cigarettes. Statistics show that about one-quarter of all dental patients use tobacco.

It is scientifically recognised that smoking is among the nation’s leading preventable health problem, and that it is responsible for one in every six deaths.

It is common knowledge also that there’s a link between smoking, lung cancer and heart disease. Smoking also contributes to cancer of the kidneys, cervix, pancreas, bladder and stomach.

Dr. BERTRAND R. STUART, DDS.

ORAL HEALTH From the standpoint of oral health, smoking (cigarette, pipe and cigar) is linked to cancer of the mouth, pharynx, oesophagus and larynx. Chronic use of smokeless tobacco has been directly linked to cancer of the larynx, mouth, throat and eosophagus. Chronic smokeless tobacco users are 50 more times more likely to develop oral cancer than non-users, and the risks are greatest in intra-oral locations where the tobacco is usually stored.

Oral cancer is usually treated with a combination of radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgery. If it is not diagnosed early, oral cancer may require extensive, disfiguring surgery; or worse, it may be fatal.

The overall five-year survival rate for oral cancer patients is about 50 per cent, with only 23 per cent of those with regional lymph node involvement surviving.

Leukoplakia is a soft-tissue lesion that is characterised by a white patch or plaque. It is usually a localised condition that is related to irritation from a badly fitting denture, broken teeth, or tobacco.

High-risk sites include the floor of the mouth and the underside of the tongue. Although leukoplakia is not extensively seen in tobacco users, it is definitely associated with both smoking and smokeless tobacco use.

The tobacco/leukoplakia association is related to the frequency, amount, and duration of the tobacco use. It has been reported that two to six per cent of leuoplakia will become malignant. Further, the lesions often heal when tobacco use is stopped.

GUM DISEASE Overwhelming scientific evidence shows periodontal (gum) disease is more likely to occur in smokers than non-smokers, and is usually more severe, often resulting in tooth loss.

It is interesting to note that smokers usually have higher levels of dental plaque, but the tendency for their gums to bleed is lower.

The diagnosis and treatment of periodontal disease for this group may be delayed because they don’t usually have bleeding gums.

The oral effects of smoking are stains on teeth, tooth restorations, and the tongue; calculus buildup on the teeth and bad breath.

Smoking dulls a person’s ability to taste and smell; irritates tissues in the mouth; and delays healing after a tooth has been extracted (including a dry socket) or after

oral surgery.

Several studies have shown that smoking is the greatest barrier to tissue healing after periodontal therapy, especially when soft tissue is grafted and/or surgery is performed.

Periodontal therapy is more likely to fail if the patient continues to smoke.

There is a positive association between smokeless tobacco use and gingival (gum) tissue recession at the site where the tobacco is usually stored in the mouth. Smoking cessation is usually associated with a reduction in the formation of calculus.

ORGANISED INTERVENTION The American Dental Association has launched an all-out effort to involve dentists in an organised intervention programme to provide tobacco-cessation services to patients.

If we in Guyana should adopt such a programme, it would be especially important for allied dental practitioners to be active in this programme because periodontal disease, oral cancer, and wound healing are so closely linked to cigarette smoking.

Trained oral health professionals are able to offer tobacco cessation counselling, with minimal interruptions in patients’ daily routines. They are the most logical health professionals to provide this information to patients, because they already see patients on a regular basis. ► Continued on page VIII

Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

VII

Appellate Court affirms Full Court decision IN 2005, Appellant Rajkarran Ramkissoon brought an action against the Respondents claiming damages for , inter alia, trespass to lands.

He obtained an interlocutory injunction restraining the Respondents from entering on the lands.

The trial judge , in granting the injunction , stated that he was satisfied that the Plaintiff could at trial obtain the final injunction which he sought.

He also referred to the lack of evidence of the defendants ability to pay damages.

The respondents appealed to the Full Court against the decision of the trial judge.

The Full Court allowed the Respondent’s appeal and discharged the interlocutory injunction on the ground that the trial judge fell into error when he went on to express satisfaction that the Respondent could obtain at the trial the final injunction he sought, and in failing to address his mind to the financial position of both parties in relation to the payment of damages and where the balance of convenience lies.

The Appellate Court Held: The application for the interlocutory injunction was wrongly granted and should be discharged. The trial judge fell into error in

granting the injunction on the sole premise that the Respondents were silent in their affidavits on the issue of the Appellant’s ability to pay damages.

Appeal dismissed- Decision of the Full Court affirmed.

Mr. R. N. Poonai, represented the Appellant.

Mr. Ashton Chase, S.C., for the Respondents.

Justice of Appeal Chang who delivered the judgment said: The Appellants and the Respondents are brothers and sons of the late Ramkishun who was the lessee of lands situated on the left bank of the Abary River from the Government. On the 15th of July, 1958 after the demise of Ramkishun, The appellant brought an action in the High Court against the

Respondents in which he claimed damages for trespass and breach of quiet occupation of the lands, an injunction restraining the Respondents from entering and remaining thereon and a declaration that he was the lessee thereof.

On the 28th July, 1998, the Appellant applied to and, on the 24th March, 2000 obtained from a High Court judge an interlocutory injunction restraining the Respondents from entering, remaining or continuing to trespass on the said lands.

The trial judge in granting the interlocutory injunction against the interlocutory injunction against the Respondents , made the following n statements: “On the evidence before me, I am satisfied that the Plaintiff could at the trial

obtain the final injunction” “The Plaintiff at paragraph 15 of his affidavit gives an undertaking as to damages but says nothing about the Defendant’s capacity in this regard. It is not without significance that the Defendant in his affidavit in answer is silent on this issue . With no evidence as to the Defendant’s capacity to pay, I will continue the injunction.’

“The Respondents appealed to the Full Court against the decision of the trial judge. The Full Court allowed the Respondents’ appeal discharged the interlocutory injunction and held that the trial judge fell into error when he went on to express satisfaction that the Respondents could obtain at the trial the final injunction he seeks “.

The Full Court further found that in considering the issue as to whether damages would be an adequate reme-

By George Barclay dy, the trial judge : “(…) did not address his mind as to the financial position of both parties in relation to the payment of damages and where the balance of convenience lies. He rested his decision to continue the injunction solely on the fact that the Appellant was silent in his Affidavit in answer on his capacity to pay damages even though he observed that the Respondent had also not made mention of this.

Despite the disagreement

of this court with the approach taken by the Full Court in deciding whether the interlocutory injunction ought to have granted or refused , this Court is nevertheless in firm agreement with the ultimate decision of the Full Court that the trial judge was in error in granting to the Appellant his application for the interlocutory injunction and that it should be discharged .

Accordingly, this appeal is dismissed and the decision of the Full Court is affirmed.

VIII

Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

Don’t smoke? Don’t start now! ► From page VIII

Whatever the reason people give for continuing to smoke, the reality is that nicotine, a drug found in tobacco, is addictive. It is a stimulant that increases the heart rate and blood pressure, and it acts on the pleasure centres deep within the brain. It causes both physical and emotional addiction.

As smokers develop a tolerance to nicotine, they need more to get the same physiological/ psychological effect. This makes their addiction very difficult to overcome.

The FDA has approved prescriptive agents such as nicotine-containing gum and transdermal patches) to be used in conjunction with tobacco-cessation programmes.

The American Dental Association (of which I am a member) has also recently created a new code for oral health professionals to use to bill insurance companies for their counselling services.

If you don’t smoke, don’t start! If you want to stop, here are some techniques listed in a recent brochure from the ADA: * Make a list of reasons you want to quit * Set a date you will quit, and then do it * Join a formal smoking-cessation support group ( there is one at PHG) * Exercise * Keep your mouth occupied with sugarless gum etc. * Keep your hands occupied with needlepoint, woodworking etc. * Choose a low-stress time such as your vacation to stop smoking * Stop all at once and give yourself a reward if you succeed * Don’t let setbacks discourage you – keep trying * Use all available resources (audio and video tapes, books, and self help materials).

Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

IX

Plagiarism and piracy

P

... Two sides of the same coin

UBLIC conversations must have a clear understanding of the sameness and subtle differences that exist when the twin terms, plagiarism and piracy are used.

The latter we are more familiar with; the former and more sinister of the twins, ‘plagiarism’, may require some illustration as to why it is the more destructive of the two.

I want to use two common historical references that might require a little research, all in good ‘need-to-further-clarify’ faith.

When, around 528 B.C, Cambyses, son of Cyrus, King of Persia, entered Egypt during its decline, this Persian Prince burned the temples of Egypt, then forced the craftsmen of Egypt -- under the yoke to Persia, now in its rise -- to build his famous city of Persepolis, built on the ruins of Susa, which was the capital of Elam, the original Ethiopic civilization that the nomadic Aryan tribes met and fused with, to become Persia.

This was an act of ‘cultural plagiarism’ common to that age. But more profound are the events described in the book, ‘THE MOSES MYSTERY: The African Origin of the Jewish People’, by Gary Greenberg, President of the Biblical Archaeology Society of New York.

In this book, the author outlines the Egyptian prototype that was used to construct the chronology of the Bible by the former priest, Moses of Osarseph, presenting to us a course of plagiarism that bred further plagiarism, birthing the Judeo-Christian world with over 3,000 years of bitter contentions, misrepresentations, group racist defamation, God-given rights to murder, enslave and plunder and continuous academic debate.

truth, and define it without seeking a language of pretensions.

LOOK WHO’S TALKING I was embarrassed recently when the government was accused of plagiarism by the Opposition; the very Opposition who had authorised the piracy of schoolbooks for years, and whose president had journeyed to the UN to implore the ridiculous; that of a waiver of the human right of Intellectual Property Rights.

Now, the question is asked by a member of this government: “What’s wrong with cut-and-paste?”

Frightening! The saving chapter in all of this is the legal movement by the State to shape cultural policy, which will and must constitute decrees against plagiarism. When the Commercial and Land Registries Building was commissioned, that movement was initiated.

SAM’S FAUX PAS

OTHER PARALLELS There also exist other parallels of devastating cut-andpaste and piracy among other groups of the human family, even in the halls of modern science.

Today, however, intellectual piracy and plagiarism are criminal acts; intellectuals are frowned upon and dismissed for plagiarism, because plagiarism permits imposters to present other people’s work as their own, with the intent to ascend to opinion-making levels which they retrogress rather than enhance.

Piracy is more obvious: The pirate doesn’t pretend to own; he merely steals and resells, even with the owners name inscribed. The pirate takes your book, CD, painting, recipe, t-shirt design, makes cheap copies, and sells it as their original.

The plagiarist hurts more; that character extracts four lines from your column, letter or essay and inserts it, awkwardly, in his book or letter, without the credit of quote.

A FAMILIAR PARAGRAPH Some years ago, a student whose parent I knew asked me to read some writing he had done on genetics and culture.

I promised him a layman’s view. Then I came to a familiar

paragraph, “We are survival machines...”

When, on returning, I asked this student why was the author not credited, the student was surprised that I had read the book, and could identify the source of his theft.

The response from the student, to my alarm, was: “I felt the same way, so it was okay to use that explanation.”

I explained that the source book might have been a dusty hardcover on a shelf in 2008, but in the 70s, Richard Dawkins’ ‘The Selfish Gene’ was conversation among many of us, from laymen to academics, who paid interest in certain streams of thought.

We debated for quite a while that there is no safe act of plagiarism; no ‘old books’ that someone else is not familiar with, or smart line in a movie that someone isn’t going to pin down.

You have got to talk to the world from your own experiences; in its language. Sure, someone is going to be thinking similar thoughts somewhere else in the world, but say your

I was infuriated by an incident that occurred some years ago, when I was invited to the US Ambassador’s home to view an exhibition of American Art. I ended up joining Dr. Paloma Mohamed and Malcolm De Freitas, both accomplished theatre artists, who were in the company of then Prime Minister, Sam Hinds.

I seized the opportunity to explore the then government’s position on Copyright. To this question, Mr. Hinds responded: “Too many of our constituents depend on selling CDs and other things for us to bother with that at this time.”

I lost it! I was just about to get disrespectful when Malcolm held my arm and pulled me away.

I later explored what Mr. Hinds had said. Somewhere in the dismal minds of he and his colleagues, they must have known that copyright is not only about books, art and CDs; that it includes science, furniture, ceramics, jewellery, I.T design and commodity formulas.

But if a regime has friends like the now famous ‘Jet Pilot’ with large caches of undocumented monies, then too many laws would spoil that pot; there, plagiarism, cut- and-paste and piracy would neatly fit.

NO CREDIT Last but certainly not the least, I was recently invited to a release of local short films. There was also some reworking of national songs that were commendable.

What alarmed me, however, were the credits: None were attributed to the original writers and composers; no RCG Potter; no Frank Pilgrim; no Valerie Rodway.

There should be a legal consensus that in the reworking of national songs, the credits for original lyrics and music must be included.

I close by sharing my experience on the subject discussed: Be inspired by the profound in another’s language, but if you truly explore your own position, you would indeed word it differently.

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Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

Grieving and its benefits I Hello everyone,

HOPE this week has treated you well. I’d like to speak about grieving and its benefits this week, as we recently had a situation where at least 20 families lost a loved one. Despite what anyone says, any life lost is a tragedy, and we should grieve for our Guyanese people.

The feeling of loss is very painful, and some of us feel like it will never end. But, as is the old saying, ‘time heals all wounds’.

However, giving it time is not all; we must accept the new situation; the loss, and accept the full range of emotions that will come along with it. We need to adjust to a new life, and saying goodbye.

Accept that you are hurting and let yourself hurt; grief has the power to heal.

Many believe that grief is a sign of weakness; that one must always be composed in front of company, and cry when everyone else is gone. We should never run from sadness. There is a measure of dishonestly in that; to yourself and those around you.

Loss can be sudden, or it can be predictable; if someone is suffering from a long-term illness for example. They say that sudden losses are more difficult, as there is no way to prepare. However, with predictable losses, even though you know what’s going to happen, you are never prepared for how it feels.

There is no right or wrong way to grieve, but there is something known as healthy grieving.

WHAT IS GRIEF? Grief is a process with multiple stages that allows us to feel the situation; really feel it, in order to move past our sadness over time. Without it, sadness is repressed, and it is very difficult to get over the loss. It allows us to let go of the negative and sad energy we are feeling, and put it into something else.

This is a normal and completely natural response to any loss. We do not only grieve death, but also the end of relationships; a past home or country; a job and even a pet.

There is also a difference between grief and depression.

Just because you are grieving does not mean you are depressed. Grief can be a roller coaster of emotions, where you have good and bad days. Depression is constant low days for a prolonged period of time, and includes inability to function at home, work or school, loss of interest in activities, prolonged issues with sleep and eating, and thoughts of suicide.

There are five stages of grief. These are: 1. DENIAL: “This can’t be/isn’t happening to me.”

2. ANGER: “Why is this happening to me?”

3. BARGAINING: “If this doesn’t happen, in return, I will…”

4. DEPRESSION: “I’m too low or lack motivation to do anything.”

5. ACCEPTANCE: “I’m at peace with what is happening/has happened.”

However, it is important to point out that you do not need to go through all these stages in order to heal properly.

Denial helps us to deal with the loss; it is a protection mechanism that allows us to pace ourselves while grieving. Anger is a necessary stage, as it’s an essential emotion for pain and healing. There are also healthy ways to express anger. Aristotle once said, "Anyone can become angry; that is easy. But be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way. That is not easy.”

Bargaining encompasses a lot of ‘what ifs’, ‘if onlys’ and guilt. At the end of this stage is the realisation that what happened is not your fault, and the beginning stages of acceptance of the situation. The depression stage will feel never-ending; we will feel intense sadness, and withdraw from others. It isn’t necessarily clinical depression; it’s our body’s natural response to a loss, and also a necessary one for healing.

The final stage: Acceptance, does not mean that you are no longer sad; it just means you accept that time will help to heal the pain, and it’s a further understanding that you are not to blame for what happened.

Now, everyone grieves differently. But there are some common signs and symptoms of grieving. A few of these are: 1. Shock and disbelief 2. Physical symptoms such as nausea, headaches, pains and insomnia.

3. Difficultly concentrating 4. Often crying and sadness 5. Changes in sleep patterns 6. Changes in appetite 7. Guilt and anger 8. Withdrawal from others and loneliness 9. Numbness and loss of life’s meaning 10. Lack of energy and motivation HOW CAN WE GRIEVE HEALTHILY? Firstly, take all the time you need. Do not let anyone tell you when you should be ‘over it’. Accept that you may have some low motivation and reduction in the want and need to do activities that you once loved. Knowing this, it’s okay to not take on any new responsibilities.

Accept support when offered; there’s no need to put on a brave face. Talk regularly about the loss with those closest to you. It is also important that you keep track of your eating and sleeping patterns, as they can easily be disturbed during this time.

Get more exercise. Finally, join a support group.

HOW TO SUPPORT OTHERS WHO ARE GRIEVING? This is very important, and there are many things we can do for others.

We can ask about how they are doing, about their feelings, and be present; be good listeners. You can ask them to share good memories about the loss they experienced. Allow them to feel sad. If they do not want to speak, just sit with them. Accompany them to support groups.

Of course, everyone is busy and have their own lives, so, if you can’t be with them daily, make simple phone calls.

HOW LONG DOES GRIEF LAST? What you have to make sure to do during time of grief is to take care of yourself. You need to look after your physical and emotional needs, as your body and mind are connected.

Some people feel like it’s not fair, or they do not have time to grieve. This is common with people who have dependents; who are now single parents with grieving children to look after; a funeral to organise, and a house to run etc.

There is no answer to this question. Everyone grieves in their own way, and in their own time. Sometimes, our culture will decide this for us. For example, some rituals consist of a week of wakes to grieve, while others have none at all.

If you feel that your grief has surpassed your idea of normal, and it may be leading to depression, please go to your nearest health centre.

Thank you for reading, and please send in any topics to: caitlinvieira@gmail.com. Also, remember the group meetings you can attend.

WOODLANDS HOSPITAL: Outpatient Department Drug and Alcohol group meetings: Mondays: 4:30 - 5:30pm Good mental health group meetings: Wednesdays: 4:30- 5:50pm Say Yes to Life, and No to Drugs! Always!

Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

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Ann Baker: Matriarch, Cultural Activist, DJ

I

By Jasmaine Payne

N her native village of Mocha, there is hardly a person who has not heard, or does not know of Ann Baker.

The 46-year-old mother of six has, for most of her life, been a driving force behind the promotion of cultural activities in the area; and, through her advocacy, has provided a wide range of activities to keep the village youth involved.

Ann believes that participation in cultural activities is an important part of youth development, and, as a lover of all things cultural, over time, it became natural that she should take up the mantle to be the driving force for cultural development in her beloved community.

“From since I know myself, growing up and going to school, I was always taking part in cultural activities: Dancing, singing and all sorts of things,” Baker said during an interview at her home.

As she got older, she became active in teaching dance to younger people in the community, and having her students participate in various cultural shows and activities.

Ann admits that if it weren’t for encouragement from her own teachers and other elders in the closeknit village, she would not have had the confidence to proceed with her work with youth.

“People like Elaine Thom, Doreen Garden; these are people who gave me the breakthrough; they were the ones who helped me growing up,” she said.

As a young girl, she admitted that persons were not always in favour of her being in the spotlight, but encouragement from these elders, and even her school teacher helped her to shine.

“People would sometimes ask my teacher, ‘Why you always putting this little fat girl in front of the dance?’

Ann Baker standing by the Mocha Big Tree, a famous landmark in the community But my teacher knew I was brave enough, and she would always stand up for me,” Ann said.

By helping her to continue in her love for these things, Ann grew into the woman who felt responsible for continuing cultural opportunities for the younger generation.

Ann showing off several trophies awarded to the Mocha Dynamic Group and the Mocha Culture Group (Photos by Samuel Maughn)

CULTURAL AGENDA Ann’s agenda for cultural development has been achieved through the formation of the Mocha Dynamic Group (MDG) and the Mocha Culture Group (MCG), both of which she founded at the age of 20.

The MDG is a youth-oriented group. Its registered with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, and has, over the years, allowed young people attached to it to participate in numerous activities across the country, including Mashramani and Emancipation Day activities, through the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA).

Ann has seen many children grow up and go on to become successful adults through this group, and is proud of what it has done for the children in the community.

To date, the MDG has 25 active members. “The group helps young people to go places that they’ve never expected to go, because we are invited to many activities by the Ministry,” Ann said.

Both groups meet on a monthly basis to discuss upcoming events, and the members are currently preparing for the 50th Anniversary Celebrations, which Ann admits they are all excited to be included on.

She says that she feels like a mother to the children she teaches, and is certain that by providing these activities, it helps to keep them out of trouble.

“We try to keep the youth involved; keep them occupied, so that they wouldn’t get into mischief,” she said.

Ann wishes, however, that the community would be able to develop a new training centre for youth, so as to help provide them with skills that would aid in their development, and help them to be employed.

She said that there was once such an establishment in Mocha, but it was demolished years ago. “It would be good to have these different opportunities for the youth, because you know when they aren’t working other things come to their head,” she said.

MULTI-TALENTED As a woman, Ann is proud of her achievements and the contributions she has been able to make to her community. She believes that women should not be limited in the things that they want to do. It therefore comes as no surprise that, apart from her community involvement, Ann has taken up some less than traditional occupations in her life, having served as a trained welder just after graduating the Guyana Technical Institute, and a Disc Jockey.

Over the past 12 years, Ann has been DJ-ing at bars and clubs in different parts of the country. “My husband was always into music,” she said. “And as time passed, I became a lover of Karaoke. So I did DJ work for Karaoke at first, but then I moved on to a full-time DJ.” All her work and her busy lifestyle has caused Ann to be recently recognised for her exceptional performance in her community at a conference held last week in honour of International Women’s Day; an honour which Ann said warmed her heart.

To women who are struggling to let their voice be heard, she advises that they stay focused on whatever it is they want to do, since people WILL talk; regardless.

The most important thing to do in those times, she says, is to just be positive, and overcome the words of the naysayers.

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Eight reasons why women should lift weights

Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

1. YOU’LL BURN MORE CALORIES

If you lift heavy weights and increase your muscle mass, you'll burn more calories at everything you do.

Although ‘cardio’ burns more calories than strength training during your 30-minute sweat session, lifting weights burns more, overall.

It all goes back to building muscle. It takes more energy (calories) for your body to maintain muscle cells than it does fat cells. So, by lifting weights to add more muscle mass, you’ll boost your metabolism, and turn your body into a more efficient fat-burning machine.

2. YOU’LL MAINTAIN MUSCLE Research has shown that between the ages of 30 and 70,, women lose an average of 22 per cent of their total muscle. What’s even more upsetting is that over time, the muscle void is often filled with fat. One pound of fat takes up 18 per cent more space than one pound of muscle; so, even if the number on the scale goes down, your pants size might go up.

THE BEST WAY TO STAY TIGHTLY PACKED? Keep strength training! For best results, I would recommended two to three total-body strength workouts per week for 30 minutes each session. Include three to four days of cardiovascular exercise, either on the same days or alternate days.

3. YOU’LL BUILD STRONGER BONES Lifting weights can be your best defense against osteoporosis — a disease affecting 10 million Americans, 80 percent of which are women, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. "When you lift weights, you engage muscles that pull on the tendons which, in turn, pull on the bones," says Holland. "This added stress makes bones stronger."

4. YOUR HEART WILL BE HEALTHIER ► Continued on page XIII

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XIII

► From page XII Weight lifting may lower your blood pressure in the long run.

It may seem counterintuitive that weight lifting can help lower blood pressure, since blood pressure actually goes up during and immediately after your strength session.

But research shows it can be a powerful way to protect your ticker in the long run.

“As muscles contract, blood is pushed back up to the heart,” says Irv Rubenstein, PhD, exercise physiologist and founder of S.T.E.P.S., a fitness facility in Nashville, TN. "The heart then re-circulates this oxygenated blood back to the muscles, which keeps the cardiovascular system in better working order." Plus, maintaining lean muscle mass enables you to do more work overall, further enhancing this effect, Rubenstein says 5. YOU’LL STRENGTHEN YOUR BRAIN, TOO Without strength training, this simple act can feel more like a circus trick over time.

The reason: fast-twitch muscle fibers we use for strength training deteriorate with age. (Aerobic exercises use mostly slow-twitch fibers.) "The fast-twitch

Building muscles may also strengthen both your body and your brain.

According to a new study published in the May 2012 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a combination of mentally stimulating activities like using a computer and exercise (which included walking and other cardio as well as strength training and sports activities) helped protect brain functioning in older adults. The combination of computer use with moderate exercise can decrease the risk of memory loss more than either one activity on its own.

6. YOU’LL BE HAPPIER AND LESS STRESSED Move over, runner’s high! Weight training also has the power to induce pleasure by releasing endorphins, the “feel-good” chemical in your brain.

Research shows that resistance training can help beat the blues. One Australian study found that people who did three strength workouts a week (chest presses, lat pull-downs, and biceps curls) reported an 18 percent drop in depression after 10 weeks. In addition, exercise reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol, potentially relieving feelings of anxiety and agitation.

7. YOU MAY REDUCE YOUR DIABETES RISK (or improve quality of life if you have it) Lifting weights helps improve the way your body processes sugar, which can help prevent diabetes. And if you already have diabetes, research shows that extended periods of strength training improve blood sugar control as well as taking a diabetes drug. In fact, the combination of strength training and aerobic exercise may be even more beneficial than drugs.

8. YOU’LL BOOST YOUR BALANCE Ever try to put on one sock while standing on the other leg?

fibers assist in speed and power movements and contract quickly and with sufficient force to catch yourself when you lose your balance,” Rubenstein says. “Resistance training maintains the ability of these fibers to activate."

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Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

After pampering it for three decades The 1959 Humber Hawk up for sale

- he now wants to sell prized ‘59 Humber Hawk’

Desmond McLaren Pemberton

By Rabindra Rooplall IN A well-organised city garage, an 83-year-old retired mechanical engineer, who has a passion for restoring antique cars, stands looking over his 1959 Humber Hawk, which he purchased for the princely sum of $5,000 back then from the Anglican Diocese in Guyana.

“I have it in my garage all the time. I am a collector of cars; I love auto cars,” said Desmond McLaren Pemberton, who proudly boasted that he kept the car, because he was part of the Anglican Diocese.

The vehicle he couldn’t take his eyes off was manufactured by DeRousse Motor Company in London, England.

He took ownership of it on July 17, 1980.

Pemberton gleefully reflected that the previous owner of the vehicle was the late Archbishop of the West Indies, Sir Alan John Knight. The vehicle has a gasoline four-cylinder 1922cc horsepower engine, with a manual four-speed gear box that has a carburetor and standard ignition system.

A SMALL FORTUNE The rear-wheel-drive four-door sedan was purchased

by Pemberton for what could have been considered a small fortune in those days.

With grey hairs sprouting from all angles of his head and face, Pemberton related that he took two years to restore the Humber Hawk, finally completing it in November 1982.

Still working in his garage in Alberttown, Georgetown, Pemberton, who comes from a long line of engineers, was taught to be a mechanic by his father, Rupert Deeny McLaren Pemberton, from the age of 12.

The junior Pemberton showed a drive and passion for mechanics and engineering, which caused him to ► Continued on page XVI

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Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

LIKE SOMEBODY ...

► From page II

Whatever! …is nuff mad people trodding this backdam, so nobody not taking her on.

She could walk to the Brazil border if she want – is she dead. They just give her lill food; some farine with steam pakou just ketch fresh from the seine that same afternoon, and a cup of coffee. Then they show her a jackass nobody using and Blackie say: “Welcome sister…t’row-back…rest yuh physical.” Then they all forget d woman. Cause? Is a tekups going on in every corner d camp this night; is sheer confusion all round.

Eh-eh! Is like if SOMEBODY SPRINKLE GUINEA-PEPPER PON D GROUND? ...is before seven o’clock…parrot done-pass, but Burnham-bee didn’t holler yet; neither d last maam in d bush didn’t hail-out that long, lonely call before darkness fall; only dem rain-bee screeching…signifying d weather for tomorrow.

“Ow lawd! More rain? Is rain again? No mo please!”

Is so dem man dem poke-knocker-man bawling, they groaning, they moaning: “Ow, stop d water now, Lawd! No mo rain again tomorrow please?”

Cause not too long ago, they come back from the pit where whole live-long day they bailing-bailing water with bucket, cause the pump steady-steady brukking down; they barely avoid a cave-in. Now they just chilling after a hard hard day.

Some of them playing dominoes; some of them bathing by the riverside; some stooping-down pon d takuba over a hole in d ground in d bush. That is they toilet.

And is a tekups over here…another tekups over there. Is everywhere it got tekups, pon this camp ground tonight – Is just like if somebody sprinkle guinea-pepper pon d ground.

Eh-eh! Watch! Look! Look! Hear!

FAWBS! FAWBS! FAWBS! Is that big-voice crappo that sounding like if he saying: FAWBS! Is he cranking-up for his night-time bass-session. He make poor Endsaman nearly fall off d takuba he stooping-down pon and drop-in the pit like that PLOP! that just hit – “Shit! Is that damn frog again!”

Is Endsaman say so…he vex baaad.

FAWBS! FAWBS! FAWBS! FAWBS! Is Fawbs croaking and Endsaman cussing and hopping and tripping in the bush trying to pull up his shorts, forgetting to clean he-self…he mean to shut up Fawbs mouth now-now, once and fuh-all. He busing: “After man wuk like a damn jackass whole day…this heah is too much RASS to bear! I showing ayuh! But tonight-tonight Ah gon KILLY! I AM GOING TO FIND THAT DAMN FROG AND KILL IT! Tonight-tonight! AH GON KILLEEEEEEE! Eh-eh! Watch Endsaman with he lill runty self…listen how he screaming and pulling up his shorts...running to the ‘paulin. Now Look! he coming back with a torchlight, he picking-up a big-wood…plunging in d bush, shining the torch, whacking and cussing and – he searching fuh Fawbs.

“Is what that poor toad do you Endsaman? Why you can’t leave that frog let him do his work and you go do yours? You know is your turn to cook our dinner? My belly hungry here and you chasing-down crappo in d bush?”

Endsaman vex baaad. He screaming: “Buckman! Buckman! Is why you doan mine you own damn business eh? “ “Ow Endsaman, but you-self-too, is not Buckman relative you chasing-down so? How you know that FAWBS is a frog and not a P-I-man – “ “I warning you one more last-time Coolie-man! And you too Ends-a-man! Don’t call me Buck-man! My name is Simon. Do not call me Buck-man!”

Coolie-man start laughing. He pulling up his shorts and calling out to the camp: “Haye! Blackie, Rasta-man! You hearing dis ting baye?

Buck-man say he ain name Buck-man no more. He name Mister Simon. You better chant dat poem you mek-up d other day by d pit. Chant it again fuh he Blackie.”

“Coolie-man, doan call Mister Simon Buck-man,.

You don’t understand that that is not P.C. these days?

You have to call Buck-man, Amerindian Man! or Mister Simon, right Mister Simon?”

“Nah! Is since-when Buck-man ain name, Buckman? Is since d bush turn rainforest or wuh? And what d hell is P.C., Blackie?”

But instead of answering, Rasta-man start chanting: “if you ever come to Guyana’s rain-forest said to be pristine-est – take a tip from us...avoid d pests – is a rich house-nigger and a buck-foreman is a coolie police-man – a putagee dredge owner or a deh-bad white-man and a, and a – Then Blackie holler out – “Haaaye yall decide yet what we going to say bout Chinee?”

And somebody else say: “All I know is that dema ring-ding a-Beijing and that Chinee never had a V.J. Day…but you tell we Chinee…

But Chinee not taking nobody on. He aint pick he teeth He sit down pon his jackass picking chigga out his big-toe – but even-so, before he could answer, is one big-blast in a corner over there. Hear! Is another tekups again!

Is how come dese ’oman-drawers get pon my jackass eh?

You see what I telling you? MUSTBE...Somebody sprinkle guinea-pepper pon this camp-ground!

Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

XVII

After pampering it ... ► From

page XIV purchase his first car at the age of 14.

It was a Series III Morris Oxford (PE 571).

“I bought it from a man named Narine Doobay from Leguan. After that, I took it in my father’s garage, and took about three years to restore it. I sprayed it in Madras Red and Regency Cream, and sold it to a gentleman who was a shop owner on Regent Street in the 1960s.”

He had bought it for $550, and sold it for $1,800 after restoration.

From there on, he kept buying cars and restoring them for sale.

“I loved to work on the Series III Oxford, the Series III Hillman Minx, and the Vauxhall Victor, which were the going cars in those years,” Pemberton said, adding: “Right now I do bodywork and spray- painting still; and I love working on the classical cars.”

FOR THE LOVE OF IT The father of four, who

resides on Forshaw Street, said his passion and love for his job had given him a comfortable life.

His one advice over the years to youths seeking out mechanical and engineering work has always been to join the field for the love of it, and the money would come.

Quoting his old man, he said: “My late father said that any profession you decide to take, you must love it, so your life will be a joy.

“Even if women want to get into a workshop, they

must have proper training.

Any part of the world, the skills of a mechanical engineer is always needed.

“Do whatever it takes to get yourself into a position to love what you do.

There are lots of opportunities in the world, and a lot of people who hate their jobs.

“Do what you will be proud of- if you work at it,

money will come to you.”

VERY CHALLENGING Being a mechanic, he said, can be very challenging at times. For one, there are the physical demands: You have to spend long periods of time with your body bent in an awkward position, which can be stressful and tiring. Then there’s the mental demand.

“Sometimes you encounter a problem you’ve never seen, or your repairs don’t work as you expected. Plus, communicating with customers can be hard. It’s difficult to put auto-talk into everyday terms for people who aren’t familiar with the technical aspects.”

But in spite of all this, he wouldn’t trade what he does for the world.

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Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

Tiffany tosses disability to live positively

A

By Akola Thompson T the age of three, now 32-year-old Tiffany Latoya Anansa Ward was diagnosed with rheumatic fever.

This disease, which causes inflammation and pain in the joints, plagued Tiffany throughout her life. Her discomfort and pain was eased only by frequent injections.

At the time she had not yet started school, which was troubling as the disease hardly ever presented itself in children so young. With the aid of injections, however, she had a relatively normal childhood, which she described as being fun-filled. â–ş Contiuned on page XIX

The various moods of Tiffany Ward

Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016 ► From page XVIII It was not until her fifteenth year while she was a student at Bladen Hall Multilateral that Tiffany began to feel the throes of depression creeping in. It was the year she became confined to a wheelchair.

The absence of proper facilities for disabled persons in the school saw Tiffany dropping out and becoming more and more withdrawn as the weeks went by.

“It was hard in the beginning,” she said, “moving from being a child that ran around and played with my brothers and cousins to not being able to walk on my own.”

OPEN DOORS Time spent at home, she said, became more and more frustrating, and after constantly being encouraged by others to join a school, which would cater for her new needs, she enrolled at Open Doors Centre. Shortly after, she did her attachment at the National Commission on Disability. It was at NCD that Tiffany would later obtain her first job.

Tiffany started off as an assistant to a VSO volunteer who had been conducting a survey on persons living with disabilities. Her main duties for that period had been inputting data but shortly after she was hired as a fulltime receptionist-clerk.

During her time at NCD, Tiffany became exposed to many persons struggling with disabilities and as a result of several interactions, she became a secretary of the Disabled People International, North America and Caribbean region.

Later, she would become a secretary in the Young Voices Guyana chapter, a position she served for two years.

While Tiffany’s life, however, seemed to be moving upwards, her confinement to her wheelchair was a constant source of pain. At 18 she said, “I was still to come to grips with my confinement,” and memories of running and “climbing trees” with her family seemed taunting.

One day, however, which seemed much like any other, Tiffany said she suddenly realized that while she still had a life to live, “there are people who cannot do anything for themselves.”

POSITIVE LIVING It was then that she made a conscious decision to always think positively and encouraged others to do so also.

“I have dreams and goals in life, and I always believe that life goes on and to dwell on things that happen isn't healthy,” she said.

Making peace with both herself and her disability, Tiffany through a drive unmatched by many, set out on a path to gain her independence.

Leaving the shores of Guyana, Tiffany travelled to the Netherlands, where she attended the Gwendolyn Van Putten School and studied Dutch. A year later, in 2014, she returned to Guyana due to personal reasons.

GRAPHIC DESIGNING Back home, Tiffany sought to cement her independence and began working towards her dream of owning her own graphic designing business. Currently she is a freelancer under the name “Phoenix Flight Graphic Design” and while it has been very challenging for an “up and comer” like herself, her clientele has been growing steadily.

“I love graphic designing, I love creating things through visual arts and I have taught myself everything.” A person having a disability, she stressed, does not mean “that they are incapable of having goals and going after them.”

She no longer looks at her disability as being something negative, but is thankful for the help she was able to provide to others with disabilities like herself and being able to advocate for them. All in all, Tiffany is proud of everything she has accomplished and has set new goals for herself. She said that while it is often very difficult living in a world where “men tend to dominate the scene, we should continue to be strong and proud while continuing to do as much as our male counterparts.”

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World consumer rights day activities

L

ast week this column touched on the theme o f Wo r l d Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) which was "ANTIBIOTICS OFF THE MENU". World Consumer Rights Day is one of the most important events in the Consumer Community's calendar and it has many facets. We would again be highlighting WCRD this week but

showing a different facet.

The Ministry of Business under whose aegis the Consumer Affairs Division falls has arranged a number of impacting programs to commemorate the Day-15th March and Ms Muriel Tinnis, Director of Consumer Affairs, ably assisted by Ms Kushana Archer have been engaged in perfecting arrangements over the last few weeks. We of the Guyana Consumers Association have always offered our

cooperation and support and we are confident that the events will be as successful as they have been in previous years.

The Day will begin with a Symposium starting at 9.00 a.m. which will be held at the Arthur Chung National Convention Centre. The presenters and discussion leaders are all very knowledgeable persons in their respective fields. The President of the Guyana Consumers Association will

speak on Consumerism in general and the place of WCRD in it. The Representative of the Ministry of Health will speak on the threat to human health caused by the feeding of antibiotics to farm animals to stimulate growth and increase their weight. The Representative of the Ministry of Agriculture will speak on the increasing resistance to antibiotics and the policy options of the Government of Guyana to reduce this

Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

CONSUMER CONCERNS: emerging threat. The WHO /PAHO Representative will speak on Antibiotic Resistance: What the Agricultural Sector can do. The discussion session promises to be fruitful and lively.

The Day will conclude in the evening with a Consumer Excellence Appreciation ceremony where some consumer advocates will be honoured followed by a Dinner. The Honourable Minister of Business, Mr

Pat Dial â–ş Contiuned

on page XXII

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Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016

World consumer rights day activities â—„ From page XX Dominic Gaskin will be the Speaker at this final session.

There would be wide media coverage on Television, radio and the Press of the main presentations. The Consumer Division of the Ministry of Business, the Guyana Consumers Association and the Consumer and Competition Commission will continue to pursue the goal abolishing or at least minimising the serving of antibiotic fed meats in restaurants and the sale of such meats in the supermarkets.

Before we end this offering we would briefly recap for the benefit of readers some of the ground we have already covered: (I) Existing antibiotics should be used strictly

according to a doctor's prescription or advice. Quite often, sick persons underuse or overuse antibiotics and if they do so, they could develop immunities to those antibiotics or similar types. Curing their future ailments becomes more difficult or impossible. (ii) Farm animals such as chicken, pigs, sheep and cows are widely fed on antibiotics to increase their growth and weight. When humans consume the meat of such animals, they are ingesting such antibiotics, eventually developing antibiotic immunity. (iii) With antibiotic immunities, important medicines stop working and many simple ailments or surgical operations now become much more difficult to treat or become life-threatening or deadly.

The way of dealing with this problem is (a) To have the

international fast foods chains such as McDonald's, Subway and KFC cease serving antibiotic raised meats. And in Guyana this would include Banks DIH and Royal Castle. (b) National Legislation banning the use of antibiotics to increase the growth of farm animals. The European Union has already done so. (c) Widespread public education on the dangers of consuming antibiotic-raised meats. The Media and School system must be involved. The Guyana Consumers Association has written the four main fast food chains in Guyana asking them to come on board as McDonald's and Subway have done in the United States. We have also written the Ministry of Education to have knowledge of the dangers of the consumption of antibiotic raised meats propagated in the School System.

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DJ Stress to marry soon -to also take up teaching math

By Telesha Vidya Ramnarine ALTHOUGH numerous arrangements must be put in place to pull off one of his parties or local cricket matches, he often resorts to organising most of the details himself.

Of course, delegation is necessary in some instances, but DJ Stress wants things done in a certain way and according to a particular timeline.

Maybe this explains why he has often been told that he is always a step ahead in the entertainment industry, and why fans and party goers often meet him to let him know how much they enjoyed his events.

But it is not only those with positive comments who draw Stress’ attention; he prefers to listen to the man with complaints so that he can better organize his event the next time.

“You must be close to your fans. If they have a complaint, listen. Many people come and say they had a great time, but the persons who have something negative

to say, I listen more. People need to listen to their patrons and not feel they are above them,” the television host/ events entertainer told Chronicle Pepperpot.

The talented Paul Adrian Hunter Sanjeev Bonar, well known as DJ Stress, during his interview at the Chronicle, disclosed how he will be celebrating the 14th anniversary of his 30 birthday this year, as he puts it.

DJ Stress spent some of his childhood years in a number of villages in Linden and he believes that his experiences there are responsible to a large degree for the person he has turned out to be.

For instance, he said it was not until later in his life that he realized there was something called race among people. As a boy, he spent his time playing football on the fields and often eating from the pot of the Rastafarians who hung out together.

The only contribution he could recall making to the pot was some salt he stole from his kitchen at home, only to be scolded by the Rastafarians who used no salt in their cooking.

Paul Adrian Hunter Sanjeev Bonar DJ Stress returned to live in McDoom, East Bank Demerara, and he attended Winfer Gardens Primary before pressing on to the prestigious Queen’s College.

He later attended the Government Technical Institute (GTI) where he secured a diploma in mechanical and electrical engineering.

In an effort to pursue his career in mechanical engineering, DJ Stress enrolled at the University of Guyana.

Things, however, changed when he became heavily involved with rock music at age 19. “I wanted to be a rock guitarist. I went to UG to further my career…but I found out that’s not what I really wanted. I really had a passion for music. I was obsessed so I dropped out.”

At this point, he formed ‘From Pearls to Swine,’ a rock band. After this one went out of existence, he next formed ‘Tech 21’ which became popular. He will always be grateful to the owners of Sidewalk Café who embraced music and showed their support by allowing the band to perform there for free.

“I fell in love with music when I was given an album called ‘Love at first sting’ by Scorpions by a good friend in Queens College. After that I fell in love with rock.

People think that you should grow out of rock, but rock

music is the biggest money making music in the world and I would love Guyana to be more accepting to rock music. Rock can actually pay you,” DJ Stress expressed.

In organising his events, DJ Stress said it is not always as easy as it looks. Many arrangements have to be put in place in order to ensure a smooth running show, including inter alia, providing security through the police, scanning people for firearms, providing parking space and vehicle security, having floodlights in place, DJs, cleaners, special lighting effects, and a temporary medical outpost. “I do all of the organization and then I delegate to others. Sometimes I prefer to do everything on my own,” he said.

Asked how and why he came up with the alias DJ Stress, he explained: “Back in the days of Pearls to

Swine, a girl called me stress puppy because we rehearsed every day and couldn’t get free time to hang out with her. That name I placed on my bass guitar. When I started pairs, I wanted a name but DJ Paul would be cliche and timid; DJ Stress, although funny, would be memorable with Yahoo. com. And it has worked memorably for haters and fans.”

DJ Stress said he is a movie fanatic. “I am a fan of great directors and a huge fan of TV Series House MD and Law and Order. It would be great to see Steven Spielberg direct a Bollywood movie with Shahrukh and Kajol.”

DJ Stress believes that unlike many people who think he is unapproachable, he is very down-to-earth ► Contiuned

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Cassava Nation

- Maintaining an age-old tradition at Whitewater

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RIVING through the community on a Monday morning recently, one thing was evident about the people of Whitewater Village: Cassava and its by-products are the economic providers of every household.

Whitewater is an Amerindian village located at the north-western tip of the Mabaruma sub-region, less than an hour by road from the Amacuro River on the Venezuelan border.

In fact, there is active cross-border trade in this part of Guyana, an age-old economic exchange, where goods such as dried fish, Spanish beverages and cigarettes and oil are traded at the creeks adjacent to Whitewater.

But the people of this community are self-sufficient, as evidenced by the many women and men with their woven backpacks (called the “Warashi”) and even rice bags tied to their backs, walking home from the farms with loads of cassava.

Locals reported the presence of a small creek at the bottom of a hilly section of the community nearby. It is from here that the community took its name.

Whitewater, with a population of some 1200 persons, lies west of the more populated Wauna Hill, in Region One (Barima-Waini).

WELCOME BY NAME AND NATURE During a visit there, dozens of cassava bread could be seen on roof tops, and during a stop at the home of the Welcomes, where the roof was covered with the staple, the family explained how they came by their surname. They were eager to tell of their family tradition, being in the business of cultivating the cassava root and making cassava bread and the “cassava water”, a liquid solvent used for making the famous “pepper-pot”.

“This is what we do for a living,” Moreen Welcome said as she spread the cassava melee -- dusty particles from the processed root which are made into the cassava bread after a lengthy process -- over the fire.

“Just that we get blows sometimes, but we have to prepare for tomorrow,” she said. By tomorrow, she meant Tuesday’s market day at Kumaka, the sub-region’s business hub, located approximately 10 miles away.

Bernard Welcome scraped the cassava root, as did his daughter, dressed in her school uniform, but at a quicker rate over in a corner.

The school bell was expected to ring two hours later, hence

Story and photos by Alva Solomon she had at least an hour-and-a-half of scraping the roots.

“We sell the cassava at Kumaka. Sometimes we sell out the cassava bread and the melee; and sometimes we does sell out all the cassava water, because we find it does be in demand,” Moreen said.

Each cake of cassava, she said, sells for $300, while an entire hamper, consisting of 10 to 12 cakes of cassava bread, sells for $2400, or sometimes $2000 at a discount price.

Sekomaka Hill, a hill less than a mile from the river.

The trail ends at a small, cleared-out section of the ► Continued on page XXXVIII

A WAY OF LIFE The family plants the cassava root nearby, close to the family house, but they also cultivate the root on their farmlands, located within miles of their home.

“This is what we know, and this is what I do for a living,” Bernard said, as he scraped the roots vigorously.

Further up the road, men and women can be seen walking to and fro with loads of cassava in their backpacks, in and out of farms.

Minibus driver, Damien, who provided transportation around Whitewater during this newspaper’s visit, said that farming is the way of life of the residents of the community.

He said he has been driving around the community for years, providing critical transportation linkages between Whitewater and the busier parts of the sub- region, such as Mabaruma, the administrative capital.

“Well, here is where you see real manual life; the people here live satisfied and comfortable, because they know somebody go buy the cassava or the melee, and even the bush fish,” he said.

GUIDED TOUR Damien drove all the way to a connecting community named “Blackwater”, a sparsely populated commune with acres and acres of cassava trees under cultivation.

Along the way, fires could be seen burning, as farmers busied themselves clearing the lands adjacent to the burnt-out lands to prepare for the next crop.

“This crop takes months to grow; as much as 10 to 12 months. So, what you find is people would plant more than one crop,” Damien noted.

He drove until the road ended, and further up, he pointed to a small trail which leads to a creek connecting the area to the Amacuro River, the river which separates Guyana from Brazil.

Geographically, Damien had actually driven west of Whitewater, and when he ran out of road, he stopped near the

One of two playgrounds at Whitewater Village. Sporting events such as cricket and football are played in the community, and teams would travel from various locations to part-take in competitions

Small canoes used by traders in cross-border trade near just outside Whitewater Willage

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Farmers trekking home with cassava roots at Whitewater Village The red circle at the bottom left indicates where Whitewater is on the map in the Barima/Waini region

Blackwater Landing, also known as “Bamboo Landing”,

Land that has been made ready for the plough, using the old ‘slash-and-burn’ method of farm preparation.

In the distance is the Sekomaka Hill, near the Venezuelan border

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At his first ever Halloween Shockwave Party in 2001 at Woodbine Hotel

DJ Stress with his daughters and Pamela

DJ Stress to marry soon and open-minded. One of his dreams was to engage in sky diving and he did so some two years ago. Together with a professional sky diver, he jumped out of an aircraft 14,000 feet up.

FAMILY-ORIENTED “People would believe that DJ Stress is at every event, partying at every corner; at any drinking spree you’ll find me. Well who know me will find it’s hard to get me to get there. I’m someone who’s at home a lot and I’m very close to my daughters. Very family- oriented.”

He credits his parents Andrew and Rohini for molding him into the individual he has become today.

“My dad is like a big brother, a father, the person who scolds you, the mentor; he is one person I admire so much… I have two sisters, Christina and Miriam.”

DJ Stress, whose parents sent him to music lessons as a child, believes that more parents and the government should place an increased emphasis on entertainment and music for children. “This is my firm belief. All of the developed countries have a huge input into music. These things help educate the brain.

Every developed country holds on to their music and entertainment. Music and entertainment is actually a huge part of one’s character.

By not allowing them (children) to be opened to music, it is robbing them.”

MATHEMATICS DJ Stress has found that one of his gifts has to do with his love for Mathemat-

ics, and so he is hoping to soon get into teaching it. In fact, he received a trophy for ‘Best Maths Student’ at the University of Guyana a few years ago.

“Opening a Maths institution is my main goal. I want to teach Maths under my own wing. It will happen,” he posited. He doesn’t plan on giving up on the entertainment industry though.

“Music is part of my DNA.” Regarding his personal philosophies, he said: “Be

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honest as possible. Do not, regardless of what, get into anything illegal. It’s not worth it. It’s easy to try and get money but it’s not worth it in the long run. And if you are poor and uneducated, make sure you try your best to get an education for your kids. It’s the only way out that has worked.”

DJ Stress plans to soon marry his girlfriend Pamela and he has three daughters Amy, Alanis, and Anna.

DJ Stress did skydiving some years ago

DJ Stress

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Hip hop artiste

Keysha Freshh

making waves in Canada

By Frederick Halley HER father is well-known Canadian-Guyanese award-winning journalist Ron Fanfair, a long-time contributor to Share – Canada’s largest ethnic weekly newspaper -- and former sports reporter with the Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) in the early 1980s, while her mother Dessie Fanfair is equally popular as a Logistics Associate with Telus in Ontario, Canada.

Keysha Freshh is however bent on establishing herself in the music industry as a hip hop artiste of quality. Born and raised in Toronto to the Guyanese combination, Keysha has already made a name for herself in a predominantly male domain.

At the tender age of five, Keysha had already penned her first song which received publication in the newspapers. There was no turning back after that initial start as she has been singing at events across the Greater Toronto

Keysha Freshh is bent on establishing herself in the music industry Area (GTA) ever since, performing the Canadian anthem at several community events and was a member of the popular Toronto Children’s choir (TC3).

With the encouragement of Canadian hip-hop and R & B producer T-Minus, Keysha’s first full-length rap song, Pardon my Swag, was released on August 8, 2008 (ironically, 8 is Keysha’s favorite number).

The following year, Keysha – who enjoys writing – wrote several songs and in 2010, released her first single, Hollywood Fresh, which received significant airplay on commercial radio stations.

A few months later, the video and remix for Hollywood Fresh was released, both of which featured a cameo and verse from popular American hip-hop artist MIMS. Another single, Make it Look Easy, featuring Bassline & JB (a ► Contiuned on page XXIX

Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016 ► From page XXVIII project put together by P-Reign) was instantly picked up by commercial radio stations, making Keysha the youngest Canadian female artists to have three songs in 12 months on the airwaves.

In the past, Keysha has collaborated with several top artistes, including Doug E Fresh who is considered the pioneer of 20th century American beatboxing, Mims, P-Reign, Darryl Riley, The Rezza Brothers and Ray Robinson.

With two mix tapes, one Demo, 3 EP’s and four frontpage magazine covers, accumulated in just six years, Keysha is well on her way to stardom.

She recently started an awareness outreach initiative – KeysFORAutism — which uses social media to raise awareness about kids living with autism and an online blog – SpottedFreshh — which is an urban site that showcases events, videos, music, albums and youth talent.

Prior to that, her previous campaign, initiated in 2013, was titled "BELIEVE" which sought to empower youth to believe in themselves and to believe in their dreams and achieve it by any means. “I thought long and hard for a video concept, I wanted it to directly relate to folks everywhere, especially the ones who are close to me, so I decided to use the people around me to promote the project and get my point across...Shout out to all of the people who let me use their pics and pics of their kids…”

Speaking candidly on her website, Keysha disclosed that “hip-hop for me is the glue that binds ties. You know when people are put in a room full of people, with nothing to say, they make some obvious, cliché comment about the weather, hip-hop is that conversation waiting to be had. It’s that never ending R.H King novel that I never ever got to finish, because every time you think it’s over, it evolves. Hip-Hop is that never ending conversation, that bridges the gap between entities that may have nothing else in common, except their favourite song happens to be from Common… that’s why I love hip-hop, it’s the longest story ever told, and has no indications of ending. Something so simple like words over a beat carries the strongest emotions […] that for me describes Hip-hop.”

Also known as ‘Princess of the North,’ Keysha is more interested in artist such as KRS 1, Slick Rick and Bahamadia. “The style, beat, rhythm and the many attributes that come with hip-hop isn’t something that you just live in for the moment. It becomes embedded in your style.”

Keysha has a strong following and it’s only a matter of her blowing up. Her hopes and aspirations are attainable.

She says she’d like to not only work with the likes of Dr. Dre, Andre 3000 and Missy, she’s thinking bigger in terms of branding with Sony, Adidas or NIKE . But, first she’s going to take it back to New York, the birthplace of her career.

During a visit to Guyana in 2014 for a family reunion, her first trip to her parents’ birth place, Keysha was invited to bring her latest single “Rewind, Undo” off her latest EP “Vanity” to BOOM 94.1fm.

Keysha also did one radio interview and received so much love, tweets and requests, that she was requested to others and also met with the then Minister of Tourism to perform at the annual Emancipation Day festival which attracted more than 45,000 patrons yearly but unfortunately could not attend.

A proud product of Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology (2010 – 2011), Keysha graduated with a Diploma in Independent Music Production, featuring Audio and Studio, Sound and Recording, Songwriting, Music Theory / History, Industry Overview, Business, Introduction to MIDI, Songwriting 2, Business, Photography, Production Mastering, Sound and Recording 2, Mentoring I, Live Sound , Artist Development, Marketing Promo, Copyrights Contracts, Legal Merchandising, Duplication and Distribution, Small Business. (With contributions from iLive Radio and Music Biz, Toronto).

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Guyana Speakers and Leadership Academy - nurturing the next generation of global thinkers

PROJECT developer of the Guyana Speakers and Leadership Academy, Gary Thompson believes that Guyana will soon see the development of young minds in a way that will empower them to become world class teachers, speakers, debaters and leaders.

The programme was launched on February 17 by the Pyramid Networks Consultancy Firm, under Thompson’s leadership, with the intention to “nurture the next generation of global thinkers, who will be passionate about positively influence our world.”

The idea for the Academy was 12 years in the making, and came from Thompson’s many years in teaching, mentorship and coaching, and the realisation, through his experience, of the need to enhance the leadership capabilities of young people through training and mentorship.

“In Guyana, we have seen a major deficit in the area of leadership,” Thompson said, adding: “And in the private sector, we have been discussing this issue for many years, but we haven’t done anything to significantly address it.”

MAIN AIMS One of the main aims of the Academy, therefore, is to produce leaders who can speak and debate effectively, with special focus on teaching young people, using methods that will help them to have a clear vision of what they want to achieve in the future.

“The programme is designed to help teachers to understand they are interfacing with a human capital that has untapped potential. And they need to first recognise that, and that as teachers, they have to become motivators, so that they can nurture young people’s development,” Thompson said.

The teachers will, therefore, have access to a system of monitoring, evaluating and controlling the learning environment so that they will be able to lay the foundation in the minds of young people about their importance in building a better future.

“We believe that, once the teachers are laying that foundation; having young people to inculcate early in their lives that they are the ones who will be the

great entrepreneurs, the children grow, through school and into the world of work, with a mindset to move the private and public sectors forward so we can grow,” he said.

TWO COMPONENTS The programme will be rolled out in two components. On the one hand, candidates will be introduced to a Toastmasters Programme, which will provide them competent communication and leadership training. This component is aimed at helping candidtes become better speakers, debaters and leaders.

The second component, which involves transformational leadership and includes 13 business modules, will teach them to become global thinkers, social actors and transformational leaders.

“A lot of people,” Thompson said, “are bright, but being bright doesn’t make you a leader. So, through these components, you will learn self-knowledge, self-confidence and self-application.”

He admits that he’s spent lots of time on researching for this programme, so as to come up with a suitable structure, aimed at promoting a new generation of global leaders.

“It took me about 12 years of research, both primary and secondary, about issues being raised, and I think this is the opportune time to bring it out,” he said.

He added that the programme is intended to open up opportunities not being utilised by young people that could help them to reach their highest potential.

“Guyana has a lot of partial-scope agreements with several countries, but my belief is that Guyanese are not utilising those opportunities effectively,” Thompson said.

As such, he feels that the Guyana Speakers and Leadership Academy will start to help the “human factors” to understand these opportunities, which will, in turn, ensure that human development in the areas of employment opportunities, product diversification, growth of economy and other aspects are increased.

Since the Academy’s launch in February, Thompson has been in discussion with institutions such as the Cyril Potter College and

other bodies, so as to enlist its first set of recruits.

Each programme runs for a year, and includes 196 contact hours, 700 mentorship hours, and 288 project hours.

Gary Thompson (centre) with team members of the Guyana Speakers and Leadership Academy

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International Day of Forests

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VERY part of the environment is interconnected. Take, for example, forests: Just a little thought will quickly make you realise that they are needed for the steady supply of good quality water, good air quality, climate stability, support healthy wildlife populations, etc. Because of the high value of forests to the quality of the environment and human life, the UN has designated March 21 as International Day of Forests, to celebrate forests and to focus on actions to better manage and sustain them. On this Day, people around the world organise activities to raise awareness about a particular importance of forests to people and the environment. Covering one third of earth’s land surface, forests shelter, nurture and inspire over one

billion people providing them with livelihoods, medicine, fuel and food.

For 2016, the international theme, “Forests and Water” puts the spotlight on the connection between forests and water.

Forests help to maintain the health of aquatic ecosystems and provide reliable supplies of clean freshwater. But not only do they filter and clean water, forests also help prevent soil erosion, reduce sedimentation in reservoirs and mitigate the risks of mudslides and floods, all problems that can threaten downstream water supplies. And while forests themselves consume water, they also improve infiltration rates, thereby helping recharge underground aquifers.

Here are some important facts about the forest-water connection.

• Forested watersheds and wetlands supply three quarters of the world’s accessible fresh water for domestic, agricultural, industrial and ecological needs.

• By maintaining and providing high-quality freshwater, forests play a pivotal role in the earth’s ecology and contribute significantly to the wealth and welfare of human societies. ► Continued on page XXXVII

Chronicle Pepperpot March 13, 2016 ► From page XXXVI • About one-third of the world’s largest cities obtain a significant proportion of their drinking water directly from forested protected areas e.g. Mumbai; Bogota; New York.

• Forests act as natural water filters Forests minimise soil erosion on site, reduce sediment in water bodies, such as, wetlands, ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, and trap or filter water pollutants in the forest litter.

Because of their importance in providing and filtering water, forests need to be managed to ensure that they continue to provide these services. As such, people must choose to use forests wisely, to enable then to retain their ability to regenerate quickly enough to continue to their important water-related functions. Sustainable management of the forests also contributes to the reduction of natural disasters which can disrupt the source and supply of freshwater such as soil erosion and landslides. Forests also protect and rehabilitate

areas that are prone to soil degradation.

Clearing of forests accelerate the rate of water discharge, which increases the risk of flooding during rainy season and drought in dry season. Additionally, trees play an important role in climate regulation through evapotranspiration and the provision of shade which aids in cooling. By cutting down trees indiscriminately we contribute to climate change and availability of water resources since large-scale deforestation has an impact on precipitation patterns.

According to the FAO, by 2030, the world is projected to face a 40 percent global water deficit under the business-as-usual scenario. However, every US$1 invested in watershed protection can save anywhere from US$7.5 to almost US$200 in costs of a new water treatment and filtration facility. In developing countries, a US$15 to US$30 billion investment in improved water resources management could have direct annual income returns in the range of US$60 billion.

The EPA, collaborates with such organisations as the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), Guyana Geology

XXXVII and Mines Commission (GGMC) and Ministry of Agriculture towards sound management of our forests. As International Day of Forests 2016, approaches let us all remember the importance of forests in maintaining our water supply and do all we can to maintain the integrity of our forests.

Sources: http://www.un.org/en/events/forestsday/background. shtml http://www.fao.org/forestry/international-day-of-forests/en/ Share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O EIT Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail. com or you can contact the Agency on 225-5467-9.

Also check out our Facebook page, Environmental Protection Agency-Guyana.

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Cassava... ► From page XXIV forested area called “Bamboo Landing”, or “Blackwater Landing”, by some. Small sheds, covered by troolie leaves, stood around, while large canoes were moored nearby. The canoes were hauled up and left by traders, since the level in the nearby Blackwater Creek was low.

Locals reported that it is at this point where the people of Whitewater would trade their cassava and other farm produce for oil, the famous ‘Morocut fish’ and confectionery items with the Spanish-speaking traders.

They said there are two other locations nearby where trade occurs; but nearby in their words and in the actual distances were different in reality.

OLD OIL FACTORY On the way back to Whitewater, Damien stopped along the small road network. Dozens of palm trees were evident; all were neatly lined along the trails. The area was used by the NEOCOL (National Edible Oil Company Limited) oil palm factory which once operated near Wauna Hill.

The plantation was one of many operated by NEOCOL, and it provided jobs for dozens of locals. Its oil was even promoted on the Coastland as part of the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) programme agenda, where the bio-diesel fuel was being sourced from this part of Guyana.

The company has since been sold, and the news took a toll on those who were employed there, since job cuts took place over a period. The company which currently runs the factory has cut down its scale of operations, and the once neatly-pruned oil palm trees are only a memory in the minds of persons such as Damien.

“It used to employ about 300 people from this side, but

Whitewater schoolchildren filling their bottles at a village well now it got a few only on staff, if so much,” he said. He noted that the residents have always been good at farming, and this, he said, is what drives the community.

AGRICULTURAL POTENTIAL Government officials over the years have pointed to the large agricultural potential of this section of Guyana, and recently, President David Granger reminded the residents of the sub-region of this fact when he visited Mabaruma.

Business Minister, Dominic Gaskin also pointed to this characteristic of the region, and he was told by businessmen and members of the sub-region recently of the lack of marketing opportunities in the region as one of the bugbears facing farmers.

Whitewater Village leader, Cleveland De Sousa told this newspaper that the village relies heavily on farming, but that it also has other areas of development, which he and the village is pursuing. This includes eco-tourism and sports.

“But farming is what most people do here,” he added during a brief chat.

For Bernard Welcome, he and his family members will continue farming; and according to his wife, Moreen, the family elders will pass down its rich tradition of farming.

This passing down was surely evident, since their daughter was still scraping the cassava root when this publication was leaving Whitewater Village as the 9 O’clock bell neared.

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Guyanese Ken Corsbie awarded in Barbados

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- for outstanding contribution to Caribbean Theatre

GUYANESE Ken Corsbie was awarded the Earl Warner Trust 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to Caribbean Theatre.

The presentation was made on Monday, February 29 by Ms Karen Ford-Warner, widow of Earl Warner at the Walcott Warner Theatre, UWI Cave Hill Campus.

The 85-year-old Corsbie gave a packed theatre audience, which included many Barbadian cultural personalities, interim Counsul-General of the Guyana Consulate, Ms. Monique Jackman, Corsbie's wife, Elizabeth, and family, a vintage performance. Also present was previous winner, Guyanese Clairmont Taitt.

The Earl Warner Trust is a charitable, non-profit entity established to honour the work of noted Barbadian director, actor and dramaturge Earl McDonald Warner, and to facilitate the development of the theatre arts in the Caribbean through scholarships, endowments, archiving and productions.

Since the inception in 1999, the Trust has awarded several scholarships and bursaries to theatre arts students of the Barbados Community College, the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts and the University of the West Indies.

T h e Tr u s t , t h r o u g h the Earl Warner Lifetime Achievement Award, recognises and honours the work of outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of the performing and theatre arts in the Caribbean.

FIRST SOLO Forty years ago, Ken Corsbie gave his first solo performance in a community theatre in Georgetown. The piece, entitled "Caribbean Voices", was a reading of selected poetry from across the English-speaking Caribbean.

Out of this reading, he developed a one-man show called "HE-ONE", which included folk songs and a dramatised selection of the then rapidly evolving bibliography of Caribbean Literature.

Already known in Georgetown as an athlete, radio announcer, actor, the-

atre director and designer, Ken's show, "HE-ONE", was an instant hit.

Within a year, the production grew to include his friend, poet/actor Marc Matthews, and was renamed "DEM-TWO". The success of "DEM-TWO" led to the legendary performances across the English-speaking Caribbean, but still searching for an ever more profound performance, "Dem Two" evolved into "ALL-AH-WE", with the inclusion of actor/ stage designer, Henry Muttoo, and poet, John Agard.

“ALL-AH-WE” continued to tour the Caribbean until 1979, when all the members of the brief but remarkable group emigrated from Guyana. Matthews and Agard went to the U.K.; Muttoo went to Jamaica and then on to the Cayman Islands; and Ken went to Barbados, where he developed a project for UWI Cave Hill called, Theatre Information Exchange (TIE).

Ken continued to design and direct theatre productions while in Barbados, and to tour the English-speaking Caribbean with a reinvented version of his show, “HE'ONE”. He also continued to work in broadcast media, teaming up with film-maker, Christopher Laird to become the host of the ground-breaking documentary series, "Caribbean Eye".

“GIMISTORY” After 17 years in Barbados, he migrated to the USA, where he continues to perform as a storyteller throughout North America and the English-speaking Caribbean, including an annual appearance at the “Gimistory Festival” in the Cayman Islands, which he helped create with his friend, Henry Muttoo.

Ken has received numerous awards from the Cayman Islands, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, New York and Barbados. He is also one of the Caribbean's foremost storytellers of folk, literary and personal stories.

Previous awardees of the Earl Warner Trust Lifetime Achievement are Dr. Cynthia Wilson of Barbados; Mr. Errol Jones of Trinidad and Tobago; Pro-

fessor Emeritus Errol Hill, also of Trinidad and Tobago; Dr. Michael Gilkes of Guyana; Mr. Kendel Hippolyte of St. Lucia; and Mr. Clairmont Taitt of Guyana.

Ken Corsbie, third right, and his family after receiving the award last month

Easter Chic I

AM totally excited about Easter. Go on! Admit it! You are too!

The trend in clothing at Eastertime has always leant towards bright clothing, particularly on Easter Monday when the girls and boys come out to play.

But Easter Sunday is a different story altogether, in that it differs somewhat from the regular Sunday service.

Some tend to go traditional; some formal; while others are more casual.

I personally choose modest styles in remembrance of the purpose of attending an Easter Sunday church service, which is to worship God and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

With this aforethought, in this week’s Fashion Trend, we bring you some simple styles you may want to consider using this Easter Sunday.

The sharp lines of the three-button vest refine any look.

The black trousers with plaid shirt is a perfect fit, so let’s redefine Sunday School

This lovely pleated number will ensure your little princess makes a splash at church or any event

The combination of pink and black is a modern match that will give your dressy look an extra note of distinction. The trim jacket pairs perfectly and makes this suit look fabulous.

To accessorise a sleeveless dress, a cardigan or jacket works wonders

From its soft blankety feel, to the cool Caribbean colour, you're going to fall in love with this three-piece skirt suit. Red blazer paired beautifully with ‘cami’ top and tribal patterned skirt for a polished look