Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc.on-line Magazine

Jan..252013Vol 3Issue 1

Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc.on-line Magazine

Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc. on-line Magazine

Henry Muttoo John Agard

CONGRATULATIONS

HENRY MUTTOO HONORED WITH MBEFROM QUEEN JOHN AGARD RECEIVES

QUEEN’S GOLD MEDAL


2 HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS!

Welcome to our first online magazine issue for theyear 2013. In keeping with our Guyanese tradi-tion, we extend warm New Year greetings to you

all. We would like to give particular acknowledgement toall our writers and those who contributed to our onlinemagazine last year.

At the dawn of the New Year, the cultural community wasthrust into mourning the loss of four community stal-warts. We will pause to recognize, and celebrate the livesof Pamela Maynard, Trenton Mack, Jan Carew and MontyBurke, on February 24, 2013 at the St. Gabriel’s EpiscopalChurch on Hawthorne Street in Brooklyn. Their unselfishdedication in their respective fields of endeavor, havegiven us that drive to forge forward. In times like these,adequate vocabulary of words fails us and no matter howwell framed, do not give justice to the unshaken contribu-tion these icons demonstrated during their life span hereon planet earth. Yes! They are gone but not forgotten.

We have just concluded the end of a calendar year, andmany of us have transitioned effortlessly into 2013. Ourchosen 2012 theme “Masquerade Lives” was well receivedsupported and portrayed in every sector of our activities.The year end grand finale of our 10th Symposium of theGuyana Cultural Association of New York - the brainchildof our Secretary Dr. Juliet Emanuel was a tremendous suc-cess. We can safely state that Masquerade is alive and well.Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Ministry ofCulture, Youth and Sport in Guyana, as well as communitymovers and shakers worldwide, educators, the elders andartists who responded admirably to our call for papersand everyone that participated. The summary proceedingsof our visit, and the way forward is presented in this mag-azine by our President, Dr. Vibert Cambridge.

Last year we had preliminary discussions in deciding ourtheme for 2013 and recognized the richness of our cul-ture, coupled with the sacrifices made by our ancestorsand the legacy and hope for us to accomplish our objec-tives effectively. This year we will be observing someimportant and significant anniversaries in the history ofGuyana:-

February marks the 250th. anniversary of the 1763Berbice Slave Uprising, an event in which many lives weresacrificed in the pursuit of human dignity and hopes forsocial, economic, political, and cultural justice.

August 2013 will mark the 190th anniversary of theDemerara Rebellion. In 1823, enslaved Africans again roseup against an abusive system. Substantial sacrifices weremade in the quest for human dignity and the hope of cre-ating a society that was just and caring resulted.

On May 1838, two ships, the S.S Whitby and the S.SHesperus arrived in British Guiana with our ancestorsfrom Indian—a key moment in the creation of the con-temporary Guyanese society. They too sacrificed and hadhopes for human dignity and economic, social, cultural,and political development as free and authentic humanbeings. Hence the 175th anniversary of the arrivals ofIndians in Guyana;

Also 1838 coincide with the 175th.anniversary of the abo-lition of slavery, and the emancipation of enslavedAfricans.

The first batch of Chinese landed in Georgetown, British

Guiana in 1853, and for the next few years, all were menwhich marks the 160th, anniversary of their arrival.Chinese women began arriving in 1860, but in small num-bers. They too made significant adjustment and lifestylesacrifices resulting in transitional changes and adaptationcreating hope, dignity and cultural justice. A commontheme of the way our multiethnic ancestors were per-ceived and treated by their colonizers was the emphasison a human labor force devoid of any regard for humandignity, traditional culture and intellectual capacity.

Thus our proposed 2013 theme for the Guyana CulturalAssociation of New York:

250 + 190 + 175 + 160 = Sacrifices and Hopes

After the sacrifices … Accomplishing the Hopes!

Our executive Board will convene shortly to ratify our2013 theme. These anniversaries are significant to allGuyanese. They must be used as the foundation thatenables us to foster a greater understanding of ourselvesand a deeper appreciation for each other. At the sametime making our dear land of Guyana a peaceful, modernand prosperous society in which we can fully appreciateour motto of One People, One Nation, One Destiny.Challenges are inevitable, but we have the skills, talents,artifacts and technology to accomplish our collective mission.

During a recent GCA of New York board election, the cur-rent Executive Board Members were duly elected foranother term:-Dr. Vibert Cambridge, PresidentMs. Ave Brewster Haynes, Vice PresidentMs. Claire A. Patterson-Monah, TreasurerMr. Edgar Henry, Assistant to the TreasurerMs. Claire Goring, Cultural DirectorMr. Maurice Braithwaite, Assistant to the Cultural DirectorDr. Juliet Emanuel, SecretaryMs. Rose October-Rose, Assistant to the Secretary

This year we will also launch the annual Godfrey ChinPrize for Heritage Journalism, an initiative that was estab-lished in 2011 and is inspired by Godfrey Chin’s efforts topreserve, promote, and propagate Guyana’s rich culturalheritage and creativity. The prize has been established toencourage and reward writers whose published workspromote an understanding and appreciation of thediverse strands of Guyanese heritage and contributes tocelebration of the common histories that unite the peopleof Guyana. Further details, guidelines and deadlines arefound in this issue.

In this edition, for your interest, we include a number ofarticles with diverse topics ranging from the celebrationof Martin Luther King Jr. Day which fell on January 21, thesame date as the presidential inauguration of BarackObama, to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II who recog-nized two Guyanese, John Agard and Henry David Muttoo– a GCA awardee - in her 2013 New Year’s Honors List, tothe potential contributions the Guyanese Diaspora inNew York can make to the Guyana delegation to GCA,Carifesta XI and 2013.

We will continue to stimulate your interest as readerswith not only cultural programs, but also inspiring fea-tures on Guyanese and people who make us proud oftheir achievements.

Once more, a Happy New Year to all our readers

Edgar HenryJanuary Editor.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR


��

GCA MOURNS THE PASSINGOF DEDICATED BOARD MEMBERGODFREY CHIN

Jan 15, 2012Volume 2Issue 1

�� Feb 15, 201Volume 2Issue 2

MASHRAMANIBLACK HISTORY

MONTH� � � � � � �

CELEBRATING GUYANA’S CARNIVAL

�� Mar 15, 2012Volume 2Issue 3

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MAY YOUR LIFE

BE AS COLORFUL

AS HOLI COLORS!

��Celebrating Guyanese Women Who Inspire

HAPPY PHAGWAH!

�� APRIL 15, 2012Volume 2Issue 4

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HAPPY EASTER!

A salute to the annual EasterHat Show andGarden PartyA Guyana Easter tradition held at the Promenade Gardens for over 25 years, first hosted by the YWCA and then the Inner Wheel Club.The show is a throwback to the time when a woman’swardrobe was consideredincomplete without a hat.

Guyanese Easter Traditions:Palm Sunday, Hot Cross Buns,

Stations of the Cross,Sunrise Service, Kite Flying onthe Seawalls,

Regatta, RodeoOutings and a

kaleidoscope of locally blended Easter parades

�� MAY 15, 2012Volume 2Issue 5

� � � � � � � �

Happy

Mother’s Day!A SALUTE TOMOTHERS EVERYWHERE

Gertrude Dolphin��not out!

MAY 26, 2012

46TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARYMAY 5, 1838:ARRIVAL OF FIRST INDIAN INDENTURED

IMMIGRANTS IN GUYANA

June 152012Vol 2Issue 6

Traditions of the

Guyanese Wedding

HappyFather’s

Day

Philip Moore

CALL FOR NOMINATIONSGCA 2012 AWARDS

A HERO TRANSITIONSTO THE ANCESTORS

��2012 Folk Festival Theme

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Sept.252012Vol 2Issue 9

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AMERINDIAN HERITAGEMONTHEmbracing our Identity, Celebrating our Culture

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��Nov..202012Vol 2Issue 11

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BETTER DAYS NEW YORK

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WE STAND WITH YOU!

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Dec..252012Vol 2Issue 12

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CHRISTMAS GREETINGSFROM THE GUYANA CULTURAL

ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK, INC.

3THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

2012 ON-LINE MAGAZINE COVERS IN REVIEWIN THIS ISSUEPAGE 4: Sharing the DreamPAGE 6: Views from the Street - Obama’s Second TermPAGE 8: Youman Nabi GreetingsPAGE10-12: Henry Muttoo honored with MBEPAGE -13-15: John Agard honored with Queen’s Gold MedalPAGE 16-17: Bernadette Persaud inducted into Hall of FamePAGE 19: 22: Celebrating Chinese arrival in GuyanaPAGE 23: Remembering the Mighty KaieteurPAGE 24-26 Carfiesta X1 in SurinamePAGE 27: GCA Memorial ServicePAGE 28: Masquerade MusicPAGE 30-31: Guyana Art Exhibition: in New YorkPAGE 32-33: Bascomb Art Exhibition in GeorgiaPAGE 34: Guyana Prize submissionPAGE 35: National Song Festival, Guyana

Edgar HenryJanuary Editor

Cover Design - Claire GoringCopy Editors-

Edgar Henry & Lear Matthews

Layout and Design by Claire A. Goring & Ashton Franklin

Contributors:Edgar Henry, Ken Corsbie

Carl Hazlewood, Vibert Cambridge

Muriel Glasgow, Alex NeptuneMargaret Lawrence, Derry EtkinsAllison Skeete, Trev Sue-A.Quan

Maurice Braithwaite,Harold Bascomb, Ray Seales

PhotographsTrio shaman in Suriname.

Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. (Mongabay.com)Harold Bascomb

Henry Muttoo, Ken CorsbieAllison Skeete, Margaret Lawrence

Acknowlegementhttp://www.closeup.org/lib/CUF_Inaug_info.pdf)Chinese Meeting House - BCC Library Service

Arts Forum, Kaieteur News; Guyana Times

Oswald Bobb

GCA Media TeamAve Brewster-Haynes (Chairperson), Juliet Emanuel, Edgar Henry,Lear Matthews, Claire A. Goring,Muriel Glasgow, Ashton Franklin,

Margaret Lawrence, Francis Quamina Farrier.

Please join our Facebook group, Website: www.guyfolkfest.org

GCA Secretariat1368 E.89 Street, Suite 2, Brooklyn, NY 11236

Tel: 718 209 5207

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5


MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY & THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT BARAK OBAMA

President Barack Obama and Martin Luther King, Jr,shared the stage on 21 January 2013.

For the second time in its history, the celebration ofMartin Luther King Jr. Day fell on the same date as thepresidential inauguration: January 21.

MLK Breakfast Celebrations, 2013

This year heralded the 23rd Annual Dr. Martin LutherKing, Jr. Day and Holiday Breakfast, which was held inMinneapolis and around the country. The Breakfast usual-ly provides an opportunity to celebrate the legacy of ser-vice of Dr. King and creates an imperative to live out andexperience his legacy today in our homes, our communi-ties and our world. An advocate for disadvantagedAmericans, founder and president of the Children’sDefense Fund, Ms Marian Wright Edelman delivered theMLK breakfast keynote with the theme – The FierceUrgency of Now.

2013 inauguration of President Barack Obama

(Schedule: http://www.closeup.org/lib/CUF_Inaug_info.pdf)

The focus, however, was on President Barack Obama'ssecond inauguration (the 57th Presidential Inauguration)at the Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC.

To organize the event, there were 550 people whoworked for the Presidential Inaugural Committee; 1,300members of the military in support roles and countlesssecurity officials, including police from multiple agenciesand Secret Service provided security; some tens of mil-lions of dollars in donations were raised to pay for theparade and parties with more than $1 million is appropri-ated by Congress for the swearing-in ceremony.

President Obama revisited the historical context for hissecond inauguration, as evidenced by the Bibles he choseto take the oath of office – one owned by AbrahamLincoln, the great emancipator and one by Martin LutherKing Jr., the leader of the civil rights movement.

Their selection was especially symbolic because the sec-ond inauguration fell on the federal holiday markingKing's birthday and in a milestone anniversary yearinvolving both men.

Fifty years ago MLK delivered the “I Have a DreamSpeech” from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Thechoice of the Lincoln bible symbolized 150 years sinceLincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in1863.

President Obama invited Myrlie Evers-Williams, widow ofslain civil rights figure Medgar Evers to deliver the invoca-tion prayer. It was the first time a woman, and a layper-son rather than clergy, had done so.

The 2013 inaugural poet, Richard Blanco, joined a selectgroup that included Maya Angelou and the late RobertFrost. Blanco’s works is said to explore his family’s exilefrom Cuba and his cultural identity as a Cuban-Americangay man. Blanco, 44, is said to have been the youngest-ever inaugural poet and the first Hispanic or gay to recitea poem at the ceremonial swearing-in.

The inaugural theme, 2013, was "Our People. Our Future,"a reflection of the country’s diversity, strength ofAmericans and their ability to overcome challenges.Diversity had been a focus in choosing participantsthroughout the festivities, with performers and paradeparticipants from all demographics and 50 states.

The festivities began on Saturday with the National Day ofService, with a fair in the National Mall, a call forAmericans to serve their communities in all 50 states tohonor King's legacy.

Also on Saturday, first Lady Michelle Obama and Biden'swife, Jill, hosted a concert for America's children as theydid four years ago, with popular young artists. The con-cert paid special tribute to military families as part of thetwo women's focus on supporting their service and sacri-fice.

At noon on Sunday, Jan. 20, the time the Constitutionrequired the new term to begin, Obama took his officialoath in the Blue Room of the White House with somemedia coverage, with Biden’s officially swearing in at theNaval Observatory. The public ceremony was held thenext day because inaugurations historically have not beenheld on Sundays.

Civil rights leaders while at times enduring beatings andrisking lives to promote racial equality and who camealmost 50 years ago for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s March onWashington, were back in D.C. to witness this historicsecond inauguration of President Obama. Notably amongthem was Rev. Otis Moss Jr, who helped organize the bus-loads of whites and blacks to travel in 1963.

Rev. Moss delivered the opening prayer at the NationalPrayer Service, the traditional interfaith service at theWashington National Cathedral.

He said "We will feel the presence of Dr. Martin LutherKing Jr., himself, of the four little girls who died in the16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, of aThurgood Marshall; persons who have borne thy bur-dens in the heat of the day and worked sacrificially forthings to come, knowing that they would perhaps notlive to see the fruit of their labors but neverthelessknew that this day would come."

The Inauguration captured again President BarackObama’s unique role in America History and his worldvision, as he shared the Day and the Dream with MartinLuther King, Jr.

SHARING THE DREAMAND THE DAY

Muriel Glasgow

Four years ago, I had the oppor-tunity to travel to Washington,

D.C., for the first inauguration ofBarack Obama as president of theUnited States. I was able to travelalong as the President and Vice Presi-dent-elect rode the Abraham LincolnWhistle Stop tour down to thenation’s capitol.

Excitement was in the air every-where you looked and everywhereyou turned.

Four years later there was still excite-ment in the air as President Obamatook his oath of office for a secondand final term on January 21. Thistime, the crush of people, thoughoverjoyed at the making of history asthe first African-American presidentwas sworn in once again, was farsmaller and more cautious in theirviews on what was to come.

There was much concern aboutchanges that may or may not occurin the next four years. Elliott Stanley,a recent law school graduate, said hedidn’t anticipate major changes thatwould benefit him. The presidentspent the past four years workingthrough the fiscal morass he inheritedfrom the previous administration,Stanley said, and will continue to battlewith the stubbornly partisan legisla-tive before he could make significantprogress in other areas.

“I think he should be more decisive

in his push for administrativegain than conciliatory,” said Stan-ley, who hasn’t been able to find apermanent job since leavingschool.

Joycelin, a Washington D.C. resi-dent who declined to give her lastname, said the first-term sheen hasworn off for the president, addingthat he learned the hard way thatthere may well have been a deci-sion by Republicans in the parti-san House of Representatives to“just say no” to any, or many, of hispolicies and proposals.

He’s learned that whether he playsgolf or not with the Republicans

he can’t win them over with hisdemeanor,” Joycelin said. And whilePresident Obama, like all presidents,wants to leave a positive legacy, thelooming fights over the debt ceilingand spending cuts as House republi-cans continue to refuse to “playnice” may derail his attempt to do so,Joycelin said.

Others cited persistent unemploy-ment as a major worry. Many saidthey were pleased with the changesto healthcare engineered by thepresident, but fear this would be theonly legacy of his historic presidencyif the agenda of the republicanmajority in the House is to deliber-ately stymie progress.

A group of business owners whotraveled from Florida, Ohio, Mary-land and New York to attend theinauguration said President Obamahas already secured his legacy withhistoric healthcare reform. Theyinsisted, however, that in order tohave a broader legacy of success, hehas to ensure that the funding mech-anisms to carry through on thisreform are sustainable, and he has tomanage the economy for the nextgeneration, specifically by improvingthe nation’s aging infrastructure, fix-ing the weaknesses of our educationsystem and immigration policies, andreforming so-called entitlement pro-grams.

Obama’s Second Term:Views from the

Street onInauguration Day


MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY & THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT BARAK OBAMA

6

Allison Skeete


7

President Barack Obamaand Michelle Obama atthe Inauguration Paradeon January 21, 2013

8

Youman NabiGreetings

Mawlid Al Nabi or Ma'uled Al-Nabi

May Your LifeBe Blessed!


9YOUMAN NABI GREETINGS

CELEBRATING THE BIRTHDAY OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMED

The Youman Nabi, the word Mawlid, or Milad,depending on the method of transliterationused, comes from the Arabic word for birth

and usually refers to the anniversary ofMuhammed's birth. This observance is also knownas Mevlid Serif in Turkish, Mawlūd Sharīf in Urduand Maulidur-Rasūl in Malay.

The Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca afterthe death of his father Abdullah. He lived up tosixty-three years. It was this prophet that createdthe Holy Quran. He dedicated his life to the teach-ings of Islam. and showed through his life howwonderful it is to follow Islam.

During this time on Youman Nabi, Mulims inGuyana pay tribute to the mighty prophetMuhammad. This day is spent in prayers. A specialservice is kept or this occasion as well as religiousprogrammes is broadcast throughout the day. Onthis day as well they give alms to the poor and per-sons who are in need.

At a critical point in his life, Muhammad received avision of the angel Gabriel who called him into ser-vice as a prophet. He later received a second visionof Gabriel who told him to “magnify thy Lord.”Muhammad then began to preach publicly inMecca where he had lived for many years. Manypeople were receptive to his message but othersridiculed him.

Because of the opposition of many citizens ofMecca and threats against him, Muhammad fled toYathrib in AD 622. This journey of nearly 200 milesis known as the Hegira and is so important that theMuslim calendar begins with the year of the Hegira.

Youman Nabi was first observed around the thir-teenth century and was preceded by a month ofcelebration. The actual day of Muhammad’s birth-day included a sermon, recitation of litanies, hon-ouring of religious dignitaries, gift giving, and afeast. The festival spread throughout the Muslimworld and is celebrated in many countries today.However, some conservative sects (example, theWahhabiyah) consider the celebration to be anunacceptable ‘innovation’. In Guyana, this point ofview has never been widespread and when in the1970’s, the Muslim community was asked to sug-gest two of their holidays that would be placed onthe calendar as “National Holidays”, Youman Nabiwas one.

In his own lifetime Muhammad was not only a ‘reli-gious’ leader, focusing on the spiritual obligations ofman to God. He was also a leader of a state whodealt with the concrete challenges of the obliga-tions of man to man.

“excerpt from article in Guyana Times.


10 HENRY MUTTOO HONORED WITH MBE BY QUEEN FOR HIS SERVICE TO ART

AND CULTURAL HERITAGEIn addition to the groundings Henry received in Albouystown, he

maintains that he was ‘lucky’ to meet many people along the way who

helped and influenced him, and to be the recipient of the tremendous

body of work by many people around the region, who sacrificed much

to lay the foundation upon which he stands.

Complete joy, ecstasy and then pride overcame me onDecember 30, 2012, when I learned that my friend,Henry Muttoo - the lil, loud-mouth bannoh fromAlbouystown, - was being made a Member of The BritishEmpire, MBE, by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This, forhis services to Art and Cultural Heritage as the long timeArtistic Director of the Cayman National CulturalFoundation.

This award, followed within months of Henry receivingCayman’s second highest civilian honor - The Order OfThe Cayman Islands (Officer Class), and being inductedinto the Caribbean Theatre Hall of Fame in November2012. These, and many others, including being honoredin New York by the Guyana Cultural Association of NewYork Inc., go a small way towards recognizing his skill,standards, accomplishments, and the tremendous amountof work he has done in Cayman and the region during anartistic career that spans nearly fifty years, and counting.

Many Guyanese will remember Henry for his acting atthe Theatre Guild; particularly as a member of the famous'All Ah We' company founded by Ken Corsbie and MarcMatthews. 'All Ah We' entertained and educated audiencesin Guyana and all over the Caribbean, using all regionalmaterial – poetry, stories and music. They inspired manyyoung performers and today 36 years after the groupceased to exist, their work still reverberates, making usproud of our rich cultural heritage. Thus, by the time heleft Guyana in 1976, to study Theatre Design in the UK,he had already created a name for himself.

After graduating as a fully-fledged Theatre Designer,Henry was immediately called to join the staff of theJamaica School of Drama as Technical Director. He spentsix years in Jamaica establishing himself as an educatorand theatre practitioner, winning several awards for hiswork designing settings and costumes and directing.

Most importantly, while in Jamaica, he met the love of hislife, the beautiful, bright and talented Marcia King. I wasnot there, but a mutual friend who was, described it theway our iconic folklorist, Wordsworth McAndrews, wouldhave; "He immediately went into a state of ConfusiusRicaticks". For those new to this, that is Wordsworth's9th of his 10 stages of love. 28 years and three lovelysuccessful daughters later, they are still happily marriedand successfully running the Cayman National CulturalFoundation.

Henry has always maintained that his artistic sensibilitiesand understanding of human culture and behavior wereforged in the crucible of the Albouystown tenementyards, spaces he says, that are even now defined by sys-temic poverty, injustice and denigration; working class‘marketplaces’ of ribald contestations that taught him thelessons of survival and the necessity of knowledge, love,compassion, respect, forgiveness, and dignity.

In 1989, on the recommendation of Guyanese musicianand cultural icon, Dave Martins, Henry Muttoo moved tothe Cayman Islands after having been offered the oppor-tunity to manage the US $4 Million Harquail Theatre bythe board of the Cayman National Cultural Foundation(CNCF). In selecting Henry for the post, his new employ-ers had tapped into a wealth of cultural street sense,knowledge, theatre experience and creativity that wouldform the blueprint which would take the organizationwell on the path towards meeting the lofty goals pre-scribed by the CNCF Law, under which the organizationhad been established.

Muttoo drew upon every ounce of experience he culti-vated in Guyana, England and The Caribbean to under-stand and work with the Caymanian people and theirstruggles to re-establish their strong sense of identity, ofconfidence in who they were, the things they did andthe unique manner in which they did it.

CONGRATULATIONS FROM GCA & THE CULTURAL COMMUNITY OF GUYANA

Alex Neptune


11

HENRY MUTTOO AND “ALL AH WE” TEAMMany Guyanese will remember Henry for his acting atthe Theatre Guild; particularly as a member of thefamous 'All Ah We' company founded by Ken Corsbieand Marc Matthews. 'All Ah We' entertained and educatedaudiences in Guyana and all over the Caribbean, usingall regional material – poetry, stories and music.

Henry thanks his talented and patient wife Marcia, andthree intelligent and beautiful daughters Janelle, Maiaand Anjuli of whom they are proud.

12



His mission he says was to create a serious arts and cul-ture discourse and catapult it centre stage – in the publicdomain.

His work, especially in the Cayman Islands, he says, is farfrom over.

In addition to the groundings Henry received in theAlbouystown, he maintains that he was ‘lucky’ to meetmany people along the way who helped and influencedhim, and to be the recipient of the tremendous body ofwork by many people around the region, who sacrificedmuch to lay the foundation upon which he stands. Helists the work ethic of his late mother who sacrificedeverything she had and was to remain faithful to her chil-dren, his talented and patient wife, and three intelligentdaughters of whom they are proud, a host of teachers butin particular, Edgar Wilson, his secondary school headmas-ter, whose caring and generosity provided focus and nar-rowed the path of life, Ken Corsbie, who saw in himpotential for growth and mentored it along with DaveMartins, Michael Gilkes, Bill Carr, Eugene Williams,Wordsworth McAndrew, Marc Matthews, Quamina Farrier,Louise Bennett-Coverly, Christopher Laird, Derek Walcott,Peter Minshall. Importantly, his school friends, like yourstruly, Dinkey, Rampy, Seph, Bozun, Roy, Josey… people inJamaica, England and many more.

Today Henry is happy to be working in Cayman Islands,where the people have accepted him and have allowedhim the scope to do what he does best. He believes it hasmade a difference, but says only time will tell.

He would like to see the skills of more of the great

Guyanese ‘heroes’, both at home and overseas being uti-lized more for the development of the arts and culture inGuyana. According to him "It is a disgrace that some peo-ple at home still see these heroes as foreigners “comingback, after they ran. Now they want to come back andtell us what to do”.

HenryMuttoo...IN ADDITION TO THE LOVE AND SUPPORT FROMHIS MOTHER, WIFE AND CHILDREN, HENRYACKNOWLEDGES HIS SECONDARY SCHOOL HEADMASTER EDGAR WILSON WHOSECARING AND GENEROSITY PROVIDED FOCUS;KEN CORSBIE, DAVE MARTINS, MICHAEL GILKES, MARC MATTHEWS,WORDSWOTH MCANDREW, QUAMINA FARRIER,DEREK WALCOTT, PETER MINSHALL WHO SAW POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH IN HIM AND MENTORED IT, AND FRIENDS LIKE ALEX NEPTUNE AND OTHERSWHO WERE HIS CONSTANT SUPPORT.

Muttoo's Stage Setting_for “Moon_On_A_Rainbow_Shawl, Opening_Night,Nov._9th_2006; University of South Florida.

Alex Neptune


13CONGRATULATIONS FROM GCA & THE CULTURAL COMMUNITY OF GUYANA

John AgardReceives Queen's GoldMedal for PoetryThe second black poet to receive this medal,Agard, receives the 2012 prize on the basis of his body of work, with emphasis on hismost recent collections Alternative Anthem:Selected Poems and Goldilocks on CCTV (a collection for children)

“I am delighted as well as touched to be in the company of such names as CharlesCausley, Norman MacCaig, Gillian Clarke, Stevie Smith and Derek Walcott”.

John Agard, who currently resides in the UK, to which he migrated in 1977, is the author of several collections of poems for children and adults. His repertoire includes Laughter is an Egg, No Hickory, No Dickory, No Dock (with Grace Nichols), Eat a Poem, Wear a Poem, We Animals Would Like a Word With You, and Mangoes and Bullets: Selected and New Poems. His poem ‘Half Caste’ has been on the GCSE syllabus for numerous years.

“I’m a fll-blooded West Indian strereotypeYuh see mih straw hat? and mih hot shirt?I’m a full blooded West Indian stereotype.yuh ask if I have riddim in mih blood?Look man, beat de drumand don’t forget to pour de rumcause you seeI’m a full blooded west Indian stereotype”

Johnny is like a lot of my friends – half this and halfthat. I for one am one fifth this and one fifth that.

It’s 1981 in a small coffee shop somewhere inLondon, Johnny and I were meeting for the first timesince he’d left Guyana (and the ALL-AH-WE team) tolive in England in 1977. Coffee and cookies. Withoutme asking him, he launched into his latest poem,seemingly unaware that he was performing as if onstage in one of our ALL-AH-WE shows of the 70’s.

Tiger Batting Anancy Bowling

And is cricket Lovely CricketT

Cricket Lovely Cricket

“Hit It Hit It” Parrot telling Tiger

“Knock He ForR Four”

Tiger GiveE a Roar

“I Gun Show Anansy Who Is Forest Boss

Leh He Bowl One Full Toss

See If De Ball Don’ Loss”……And so the Anansi Cricket story goes. To this day, thatdelightful apparent children’s story with a sting in itstail that never ceases to “ketch the audience”, and sev-eral others, have been perennials in my poetry perfor-mance.(see http://youtu.be/1e3Z8Zna-ao ).

Who was I to think that one day one day soon (30years soon) our Johnny Agard would have written and

performed so much more poetry, so muchmore stories to receive the highest awardpossible in England and theCommonwealth. The Queen’s Gold Medalfor Poetry!

Johnny’s story is one of perpetual forwardmotion – from playing Capt. Hook in thechildren’s theatre production of Peter Pan,to A levels in English, French and Latin, twobooks of poems while still living in Guyanain the 70’s, joining us in the then popularALL-AH-WE team. In 1977 he immigrated toEngland and quickly establishing himself asa writer to be noticed and encouraged. Johnand his wife Grace Nichols (herself a well

respected writer/poet in the literary world) were cho-sen by the educational system to tour every yearthroughout the United Kingdom reading and talkingabout their writings to thousands of school children.

They are prolific and relentless writers – betweenthem they have published an astonishing number ofbooks – last count was 60plus. There is probably noth-ing like that anywhere else of the Caribbean. Just takea quick look at Amazon and be astonishedhttp://www.amazon.com/JohnAgard/e/B001HPPJBM?tag=yukko-20 . If you say you like Guyana and/orCaribbean poetry and literature, you then have to askyourself – “how come I never heard of these? Howcome I don’t hear of any of his poetry or plays or sto-ries being performed or produced? How come I’mnow hearing about this guy? How come the Queensrecognized acknowledged and awarded him top hon-ors, and that the only prestigious Caribbean awardthat I know of is the 1982 Casa de las Américas Prize(Cuba) for his book of poems Man to Pan?From his children’s theatre times, he displayed astrong stage presence with that indefinable gift offinding a unique characteristic ; it was the star qualitythat cannot be taught – Marc and Henry also had thatgift, so I suppose that’s why ALL-AH-WE was so one-of-a-kind in its time; not to mention the array of our ori-gins – truly six people one nation. John was, and stillis, the ultimate Anansi - clever, tricky, mesmerizing,witty and wise.

Don’t take my word for it ; that Johnny is nothing lessthan brilliant;

He was glorious as an embodiment of Georgetownstreetmen at our Umana Yana production when hewas stopped by the security guard at the entrancebecause he was so convincing as a crazy man – mymemory says it was Francis Farrier who had to inter-vene and convince the guard that Johnny was anactor in the show.

Continued on page 29


John AgardTHE SECOND BLACK WRITER TORECEIVE THE GOLD MEDAL FORPOETRY SINCE THE AWARD WASINSITUTED BY K ING GEORGE VIN 1933


Ken Corsbie



Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy says -‘John Agard has always made people sit up

and listen. He has done this with intelligence,humour and generosity. He has the ability to

temper anger with wit and difficult truthswith kindness. He levels the ground

beneath all our feet, whether he is presentingDante to children or introducing

his own (Guyana) culture to someone who hasn't encountered it before. In performance he is electrifying -

compelling, funny, moving and thought-provoking. His work in Education over years has

changed the way that readers, writers

and teachers think about poetry.’

John Agard 15

16


GUYANA ART INTERNATIONAL

Local Artist, Bernadette Indira Per-saud, has been inducted into theCaribbeanHall of Fame for Excel-

lence 2012. Mrs. Persaud received theAward for Excel lence at The JamaicaPegasus Hotel, Kingston, on November23, 2012.The award recognizes Persaud for heroutstanding contribution and achieve-ment in the field of Visual Arts. She wasselected by the Committee of theCaribbean Development for the Arts,Sports and Culture Foundation in asso-ciation with the Caribbean Community.The Foundation’s main aim is “to recog-nize the development of the Arts, Sportsand Culture in the Caribbean, and toencourage the natural genius of ourpeople to reach the highest level. Thisprestigious award, is made by the Foun-dation in recognition of the notablecontribution made by those who haveachieved excellence in Arts, Sports and

Culture, and is not influenced nor deter-mined by factors of race, colour, reli-gion, sex or political affiliation.”Persaud, who has participated in work-shops on art, as far off as Mauritius, hashad a number of regional and interna-tional exhibitions and has her pieces inprivate collections overseas, includingRussia, England and North America.Her previous awards and accoladesinclude:The Distinguished Visiting Artist’s Award– awarded by the Indian Council forCultural Relations with India, in 2005Guest Artist – International Women’smonth – Philip Sherlock Centre for theCreative Arts, UWI, Jamaica (1999) andthe Arrow of Achievement, AA, 1997(Guyana). Her regional and internation-al publications were featured in coun-tries that include Germany, New York,India and in major mainstream media

houses such as CNN and BBC.Previous inductee to the Caribbean Hallof Fame was National icon — Guyaneseartist, Philip Moore.About Bernadette Persaud:Bernadette Indira Persaud is one ofGuyana’s best-known artists, writersand educators. She was born in Berbicein 1946 and is a graduate of the Univer-sity of Guyana and of the BurrowsSchool of Art in Georgetown. Her paint-ing career began in the early 1980s,when she felt a need to express herideas through her creativity. In 1985,she became the first woman to win theGuyana National Visual Arts Competi-tion, and she continues to produce art-works that encourage a social, politicaland historical consciousness. Her mostfamous work from her series titled“Gentlemen in the Gardens”

continued on page 17

BERNADETTEPERSAUD AA INDUCTEDINTOCARIBBEAN HALL OFFAME



depicted camouflaged soldiers in a gardensetting between tropical foliage like that ofthe renown Botanical Gardens inGeorgetown.

Bernadette’s paintings have been exhibitedand her writings published in Canada, theCaribbean, the United Kingdom, the UnitedStates of America and Guyana. She has alsowritten about art for numerous Guyanesepublications.Bernadette was recently inductedinto the Caribbean Hall of Fame forExcellence in November, 2012. The award rec-ognizes her outstanding contribution andachievement in the field of Visual Arts. She wasselected by the Committee of the CaribbeanDevelopment for the Arts, Sports and CultureFoundation in association with theCaribbean Community. The Foundation’smain aim is “to recognize the development ofthe Arts, Sports and Culture in the Caribbean,and to encourage the natural genius of ourpeople to reach the highest level. This presti-gious award, is made by the Foundation inrecognition of the notable contribution madeby those who have achieved excellence in Arts,Sports and Culture.

Bernadette, who has participated in work-shops on art, as far off as the Republic ofMauritius, has had a number of regional andinternational exhibitions and has her piecesin private collections overseas, includingRussia, England and North America. Hernotable awards and accolades include: TheDistinguished Visiting Artist’s Award – award-ed by the Indian Council for CulturalRelations with India, in 2005 Guest Artist –International Women’s month – PhilipSherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, UWI,Jamaica (1999) and the Arrow ofAchievement, AA, 1997 (Guyana).Bernadette’s regional and international publi-cations were featured in countries thatinclude Germany, New York, India and inmajor mainstream media houses such asCNN and BBC.

In a 2004 interview, Bernadette talked aboutwhat movitated her and said ” In all of mywork, whether I’m dealing with the ancestralcultural aspect of it, or whether I’m dealingwith the man with the gun, I’m trying toshow everyone that here is beauty — which,though it may be close to you, you don’t see,you don’t notice, because of your own condi-tioned blindness and ignorance, your owncultural limitations. This is what motivatesme, this is what I try to take on in my art.”

17

BernadettePersaud

” In all of my work, whether I’m dealing with theancestral cultural aspect of it, or whether I’m deal-

ing with the man with the gun, I’m trying to showeveryone that here is beauty — which, though it

may be close to you, you don’t see, you don’t notice,because of your own conditioned blindness and

ignorance, your own cultural limitations. This is what motivates me, this is what I try to take on in my art.”

18


A REFLECTION: GCA SYMPOSIUM 2012 “MASQUERADE LIVES”IN GUYANA

One of GCA’s hallmarks is to establish an annualfocus and to organize our program of activitiesaround it. In 2012, our theme was Masquerade

Lives. The goal was to focus on a folk form and provide aspace for exploration, celebration, and continuation.

The spirit behind the masquerade tradition guided theannual awards. Among the 2012 awardees were Mr. LionelBlackett, Desmond “Putagee” Vivierios, and AndronAlphonso. These three individuals represented the tenaci-ty, the virtuosity, and civic engagement associated withGuyanese masquerade.

Central to GCA’s annual program is the symposium. Since2002, the symposium has been a day set aside to studyand reflect on some aspect of Guyana’s cultural life. In2012, the symposium took place in Guyana during theannual masquerade season and was a partnership withGuyana’s Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports.

The mission of the partnership was to organize an eventthat would contribute to public education and apprecia-tion of the history and direction of masquerade inGuyana. As a result of national and international responsesto the “Call for Participation” the symposium became afive-day event. Over the five days Guyanese and interna-tional scholars explored the origins and contemporarydynamics of the masquerade art form, artists developedmurals, new music inspired by the masquerade heritagewas premiered, and Victoria--Guyana’s first post-emancipa-tion village, hosted the Masquerade Flounce Off.

The national press and cultural commentators havedefined the symposium as a success. One day after theend of the symposium, the partners sat down for a frankreview and evaluation of the event. The strengths andweaknesses of the arrangements were addressed and thelessons to be learned were identified. Of special impor-tance were the next steps to be taken to support thepreservation and promotion of masquerade in Guyana. Itwas clear that masquerade is not dead in Guyana. It isclear that the passion for masquerade is alive inEssequibo, Linden, Demerara, and Berbice. It is also clearthat there is need for continued research and public edu-cation as there is need for the organization of the mas-

querade community. The latter cannot come from the gov-ernment. Organization has to be organic and rooted in thecommunity. There is abundant evidence that there is thecapacity to organize within the masquerade community.

The public and the private sector have to create theenabling environment. The decision to declare an annualmasquerade season is a welcomed step. This should allowfor better coordination among the state agencies and theprivate sector.

In 2013, all of the video footage shot during the sympo-sium (more than 25 hours) will be deposited in theNational Archives. The proceedings of the symposium willbe published by the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport.There will also be television programs, including theseven-part television documentary series on the sympo-sium and the related activities to be produced by the fac-ulty and students of the Center for CommunicationStudies, University of Guyana.

There is much wonderful work still to be done. GCAlooks forward to continuing its engagement withGuyana’s rich cultural heritage and creativity in 2013.

MISSION OF SYMPOSIUM 2012:To organize an event that would con-

tribute to public education and appreciation of the history and direction

of Masquerade in Guyana Vibert Cambridge

Over five days Guyanese and international scholars explored the originsand contemporary dynamics of the masquer-ade art form, artists developed murals, newmusic inspired by the masquerade heritagewas premiered, and Victoria--Guyana’s firstpost-emancipation village, hosted theMasquerade Flounce Off.GCA wishes to recognize the marvelousefforts of Julio Thijs -International StiltDancer from Canada, who danced as a stiltman with “Boysie” Sage back in the late 1980sand early 1970s. - His contribution and par-ticipation at the Symposium should not gounnoticed. Apart from a donation of $20,000to “top up” the cash prizes at the “FlounceOff” he also donated 12 pairs of “high tech”stilts, to the National School of Dance and toindividual dancers and troupes.

19

Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc. on-line Magazine Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc. on-line Magazine

OUR PEOPLE, OUR HISTORY

CELEBRATING THE 160TH ANNIVERSARYOF THE ARRIVAL OF CHINESEIN GUYANA

CHINESE MEETING HOUSE, PETERS HALL

CHINESE IN GUYANA 2013A walk down any business street or shopping center inGeorgetown would bring you into contact with "localChinese". These are the descendants of the originalChinese who came to British Guiana as indentured labor-ers between 1853 and 1879.

The Chinese brought with them the love of food and abilityto cook, so Chinese restaurants can be found on almostevery block in the capital and in most country districts.Most of these restaurants are now run by newcomers frommainland China. In transporting their culinary expertisethey transform national food found in Guyana by flavoringthem with rum and ginger. In the case of the 'Chinesecake', the original was the Chinese bean cake, towsa peng,but with its local incarnation it was made with black eyepeas. They made ham choy (preserved greens) with thelocal mustard plant that they grew here and salted eggwith the local duck's egg to replace the hundred year egg.Today, Chinese fare has been taken to new heights withthe establishment of high quality eateries. The NewThriving chain has become a place of choice for Guyanesecelebrations.

Over the years, the Chinese have adapted to the Englishcustoms through churches like St Saviour's Parish Church,originally know as the Chinese Church, when it was conse-crated in 1874 as part of the parish of St Phillip's inGeorgetown.

Through the Chinese Sports Club, which became theCosmos Sports Club, and later acquired by the GuyanaMotor Racing Club, Chinese boys and girls excelled at lawntennis and table tennis giving Guyana the West IndiesChampionship on several occasions. Hockey was anotherpopular sport and in the 1960s and 70s the National teamswere made up almost entirely of players of Chinese origin.

Through the British Educational system, members ofGuyana's Chinese community were able to make theirmark as scholars, teachers, university professors, lawyers,doctors, dentists, farmers, shopkeepers, business leadersand political leaders.

The only Chinese customs that have withstood the test oftime are practiced by individual families; wedding cus-toms, the hospitality of the people and the celebration ofany event whatsoever, by a feast of Chinese foods.

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In 1834, the slaves who had been taken from Africa tothe colonies of Britain were set free. In British Guianaa significant proportion of the freed men chose to live

off the fertile land and sought paid employment on anirregular basis. The resulting reduction in the labour forcecaused the sugar plantation owners to search for replace-ment workers. They obtained large numbers of labourersfrom Madeira (Portugal), India and China each bound by acontract of indenture. The Chinese were the smallestgroup of these indentured workers. When they came: The first batch of Chinese landed inGeorgetown, British Guiana in 1853, and for the next fewyears all were men, most being taken forcibly. To curb theexcesses of this trade in human cargo the British andChinese authorities in Canton agreed to a formal super-vised recruitment process and families were encouragedto emigrate. Chinese women began arriving in 1860, butin small numbers. The period from 1860 to 1866 saw arelatively large influx of immigrants, bringing the localChinese population to a peak of 10,022 in 1866.Subsequently only two boats arrived with Chinese immi-grants, one in 1874 and the other in 1879. After thisChinese immigrants came of their own free will and attheir own expense. How they came: The 39 ships that brought theChinese labourers were chartered by recruiting agentsbased in Canton, China, with the cost of shipping sharedbetween the colony's Immigration Fund and the planta-tion owners. The ships travelled by way of Singapore andCape Town, arriving at Georgetown after a journey ofbetween 70 and 177 days.Where they went: The distribution of Chinese laborersto the sugar plantations in the three counties of Berbice,Demerara, and Essequebo was made by the ImmigrationAgent-General who based his decision on the quotas sub-mitted by the plantation owners several months previous-ly. Families were kept together in the distribution. Who came: Passenger lists were maintained by theImmigration Office in Georgetown and an ongoing searchis in progress to locate these and other relevant docu-ments that give the names of the Chinese immigrants. Thenames of some indivduals are presented in this compilationand further names will be added as they become known.Their descendants: By 1900 the Chinese populationin British Guiana had dwindled to 2,919 since the majori-ty of Chinese at that time preferred to marry people fromtheir own country but there were too few Chinesewomen available. Many also left the colony to seek theirdestiny in other countries; French Guiana, Surinam andTrinidad.

Celebrating 160th anniversary ofthe arrivals of Chinese in Guyana(From writings by Trev Sue-a-Quan: Chinese in Guyana -Their Roots)

OUR PEOPLE: OUR HISTORY: 1853 THE CHINESE ARRIVE IN GUIANA



21

Trevelyan A. Sue-A-Quanwas born in November1943 in Georgetown,

Guyana. He is the great-grand-son of an indentured labourer.Trev attended Queen's Collegein Georgetown and attainedB.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees inChemical Engineering at theUniversity of Birmingham,England. He immigrated toCanada in 1969. He is the great-grandson of an indenturedlabourer who had embarkedwith his wife and son aboard the ship Corona at Canton.They arrived at Georgetown in February 1874 after 78days at sea. The family was allotted to La Grange sugarcane plantation on the West Bank of the Demerara River.Many of the Chinese immigrants and their second genera-tion descendants became shopkeepers, including SooSam-kuan the author's grandfather. In the process of cul-tural assimilation his name became transformed intoHenry Sue-A-Quan thus initiating the distinctive familysurname.

Trev Sue-A-Quan's generation was the one that typifiedthe transition from shopkeeping to professions based onhigher education. His brother and sister both graduatedfrom Edinburgh, Scotland and became chief surgeon andmathematician/computer specialist, respectively.

Trev attended Queen's College in Georgetown andattained B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineeringat the University of Birmingham, England. He immigratedto Canada in 1969 but then pursued a career opportunitywith a major oil company in Chicago where he wasengaged in research in petroleum processing and fossilfuel utilization.

Eight years later Trev headed East - to Beijing, China,becoming Senior Research Engineer at the Coal ScienceResearch Center. He spent 5 years there and in 1984returned to Canada with his wife and son, both acquiredin Beijing. They now make their home in Vancouver.

The interest in Trev's family history came from a curiosityabout the circumstances that caused his great-grandfatherto leave his native land. Almost 20 years after obtaining acopy of his ancestor's contract of indentureship Trev hasapplied his training in analytical research to compile thiscomprehensive account of the experiences of the first

Chinese immigrantsin Guyana.

Trev Sue-A-Quan isthe Author of CaneReapers and CaneRipples

Cane Reapers is thestory about theChinese who wereprocured to replacethe emancipatedslaves on the sugarplantations ofGuyana (then BritishGuiana). FollowingChina's defeat byBritain in the OpiumWars in the 1840s

the European powers, and Spain in particular, began arecruitment drive to obtain Chinese labourers for theircolonies. This was executed using all manner of methodsranging from subtle inducement to kidnapping.Numerous abuses arose from this trade in human cargoand Britain later set up local emigration depots aimed atenlisting willing emigrants, with some degree of success.Between 1853 and 1879 a total of 13,541 indenturedlabourers arrived in British Guiana from China but by1900 the resident Chinese population was down to 3,000mainly because only 15% of the Chinese immigrants werefemales. The Chinese endured many tribulations both inthe journey and after arrival in the new land. In theprocess of assimilation into Western culture some uniquenames have evolved for Chinese families, creating both amystery and a topic of fascination for their descendantsand for genealogists.

Cane Ripples is an integrated work that expresses the joyand pains experienced by a vital sector of Guyanese soci-ety during the 20th century. . . It uses oral histories, per-sonal recollections, photographs, and archival materials toilluminate an important aspect of Guyana’s complex his-tory. . . We can see the names and the faces that influ-enced Guyana’s social, economic, political, cultural, andscientific life. Contributors take us into their homes, sharefamily histories, and tell us about the creation of some ofGuyana’s most successful institutions and enterprises . . .Dr. Trev Sue-A-Quan must be congratulated for a mostvaluable and accessible contribution.

CELEBRATING OUTSTANDING GUYANESE

Trev Sue-a-Quan

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PIANIST RAY LUCK has performed in concertand recital in several music capitals of theworld. His performances in New York's Alice Tul-ly Hall, in London's Queen Elizabeth & RoyalAlbert Halls, in Paris's Théâtre des ChampsElysées and other major concert venues havewon public and critical acclaim. He hasappeared as soloist with the Paris Conserva-toire Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and City ofLondon Sinfonia, and has collaborated in cham-ber music performances with the New World andLark String Quartets. Concert tours haveextended through East and West Europe, Northand South America, the Caribbean, Asia, andAustralia. In 1992 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Service of Guyana and awardedthe Cacique's Crown of Honor for outstandingmusical achievement.

AFTER GAINING the Licentiate and Fellowshiprainforest in Guyana, S. America performingdiplomas from the Royal Schools of Music andTrinity College, London, in Georgetown, Guyana,Ray Luck studied at the Royal College of Music inLondon, and later with Yvonne Lefébure at theParis Conservatoire. He had the distinction ofwinning First Prizes in Piano and ChamberMusic in his first year of study. As a recipient ofa scholarship from the Countess of Munster

Musical Trust, he specialized in music from theClassical period with the British pianist, Denis Matthews, while gaining a Bachelor ofMusic degree with Honors from London Universi-ty. In the USA he entered the graduate programas a student of György Sebok at Indiana Universi-ty, and graduated with the D. Mus degree withHigh Distinction.

APPOINTED professor emeritus, Ray Luck atthe Suzhou School of the Arts was the Charles A.Dana Professor of Music at Randolph Collegein Lynchburg, Virginia, until 2002. During histenure he garnered a number of professionalawards including the Katherine Graves Davidson

distinguished faculty award, the MasterTeacher Certificate from the Music TeachersNational Association, and three Senior Fulbrightfellowships to the Caribbean, Greece, and Cana-da.

Dr. Ray Luck International Concert Pianist:Music Educator, FestivalAdjudicator, FulbrightSpecialist, Member of theOrder of Service of Guyana,Alumnus of IndianaUniversity, ConservatoireNational Supérieur deMusique, Paris; University ofLondon and Royal College ofMusic, London; Queen'sCollege, Guyana; Lauréat duConcours International dePiano, Genève; MasterTeacher

CELEBRATING OUTSTANDINGGUYANESE


23

Composer and singer of“A Drunk Man in a Grave Yard”

WE REMEMBER AND CELEBRATE THE LIFE AND CONTRIBUTION OF

“The Mighty Kaieteur”

IN MEMORY

A drunk man walk in a grave yard,And to de top of his voice, start balling out hardA drunk man walk in a grave yard,And to de top of his voice, start balling out hard.My friend I come, long time no seeI choose today to keep yuh companyI ain’t come alone, I walk wid de tingHe put down a lil bag and started to sing.

Why did you answer when Mr. Death called you?Why didn’t you hide round de bend?Why didn’t you smart him, de way you does smart me?Long ropes do have an end.

Sit down on a grave and start to laugh,Put he han’ in de bag and tek out a half.Well my friend, I must ask you how you how feel,Cause it is my turn to break de seal.I always use to warn you about yuh brain,He open de liquor and start sing again.

You were a friend when others failed,You were a friend who always near,You were a friend who never spend, but always blind drunk in de end.

He tek a big drink and call he friend name,Tek out another drink and drink again.Meh boy ah can’t tell you how I am happy,Since you dead an gone I never outa money.He up wid de bottle and done de rum,Then lay down on de grave and start to hum.

I do not know, I cannot tell,What pains you had to bear, But I do know that one of these days,That we will be lying here.

He get up crying, my friend it is trueYou done me plenty wrong, but I still miss you.Is I alone at nights now lef to roam,So I taking a new road that will keep me home.So mek right wid yuh Maker and please mention meAnd he walk out of de ground wid a strang melody.

Deep in my soul, I hear my Savior voiceOh, calling me, Oh calling me.Deep from my soulNo more rum for me!No rum for me!No rum for me!

Rest in peace Kaieteur!

24


In addition to the several signifi-cant commemorative moments inGuyana during 2013—there will

be Carifesta XI in Suriname fromAugust 16 -23.

The commemorative moments(250th anniversary of the Berbice1763 Uprising; the 190th anniversaryof the 1823 East Coast Uprising; the175th anniversary of the emancipa-tion of our enslaved Africans ances-tors; and the 175th anniversary ofthe arrival of our indentured Indianancestors) provide an opportunity toreflect on important moments in ourcollective history and identify paths forward for theconstruction of an equitable society and nationalcohesiveness. Carifesta XI provides Guyana with aplatform to engage in the celebration of itsCaribbean heritage.

Carifesta XI is being organized according to a newmodel---a model that is anchored on the propositionthat national development is impossible without cul-tural development. For the organizers of CarifestaXI, cultural development is more than the showcas-ing of the arts. For the organizers, cultural develop-ment includes the way things are done. Specifically,the organizers are emphasizing participation, trans-parency, and accountability as key elements in theplanning and organization of the festival which hadits start 31 years ago in Guyana.

Satisfying the participation objective requires theengagement of the multiple dimensions of contem-porary Caribbean society—the public sector, the pri-vate sector, civil society, the First Peoples, the send-ing societies that contributed to the populating ofthe Caribbean, and the diaspora with all of its geo-graphies.

The ambitions of Carifesta XI are summed up in the

tag-line-“Our Cultures: theessence of our Future.” Thisdemands the recognition andcelebration of the region’s richdiversity. Accountability notonly calls for prudent manage-ment of scare resources (theGovernment of Suriname hasapproved a budget of $US5million for Carifesta XI) andethical approaches to costrecovery; it also demandsensuring that the festival isdelivered in a responsiblemanner. To this end, specialemphasis is being placed on

ensuring that the young, seniors, and persons livingin remote areas have an opportunity to participatein and enjoy the festival. The planners are also mak-ing arrangements to organize the program in a waythat will provide the visiting artists, entrepreneurs,and audiences with opportunities to interact andexchange ideas and experiences. This is a deliberateeffort and recognition of a perennial problem.

Carifesta XI will feature and celebrate the range ofCaribbean expressive culture--the performing arts—theatre, music, dance, storytelling; the visual arts,including film; the culinary arts; book fairs; fashionfestivals; industrial creativity--craft and trade fair; andsymposia. In addition, special attention will beplaced on knowledge transfer through master class-es, workshops, and a daily reading program.

A conversation is just starting on the potential con-tributions the Guyanese diaspora in New York canmake to the Guyana delegation to Carifesta XI. TheGuyana Cultural Association of New York will behappy to contribute to that conversation. For fur-ther information on Carifesta XI, please visit:http://www.carifesta.net/

The potential contributions the Guyanese diaspora in NewYork can make to the Guyana delegation to Carifesta XI

GCA, CARIFESTA AND 2013Vibert Cambridge

CARIFESTA X1: CELEBRATING OUR CARIBBEAN HERITAGE


CARIFESTA X1- AUGUST 16-23, 2013: CELEBRATING OUR CARIBBEAN HERITAGE

THE DIASPORA AS PART OFCARIFESTA X1 IN SURINAME

The theme for CARIFESTA XI: “Culture for Development: Celebrating our diversity andpromoting the central role of culture in economic, social and human development”,encompasses all aspects of sustainable human development, while at the same time revealing

an inherent respect for human rights by paying equal attention to diversity.“Since culture is one of the mainsprings of development, the cultural aspects of development

are as important as its economic aspects, which individuals and peoples have the fundamental right to participate in and enjoy.”

25

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CARIFESTA X1: CELEBRATING OUR CARIBBEAN HERITAGE

AUGUST 16-23. 2013:

NEW FORMAT OFCARIFESTAINCLUDES PARTICIPATION BYDIASPORA ARTISTS

Dr. Humphrey Hasrat, a retired army medicaldoctor and Suriname’s former ambassador toGuyana, serves as Secretary in the

Management Team that is charged with organizing the11th staging of the Caribbean Festival of Arts inParamaribo from August 16 to 23 2013.

Carifesta was first held in 1972 in Georgetown,Guyana, as the Caribbean Community’s premier festivalof creative and performing arts. This will be the secondtime Suriname is hosting the event, but the first time inaccordance with the new model prescribed in thestrategic plan developed in 2004. The new approachprovides more opportunities for professional and artis-tic development for the region’s artists, “but,” saidHasrat, “Carifesta 11 is also very much geared towardinclusion and creating legacy. Including the region’sDiasporas is but one of the changes that have beenbrought to the format of Carifesta.”

Aside from the European overseas territories in theCaribbean –the Dutch Caribbean, the FrenchDepartments and the British territories- and countrieswhere most Caribbean people are rooted from –India,Africa, Indonesia-, the event is now including theDiasporas, as well as the countries of the Union ofSouth American Nations UNASUR.

Carifesta 11, he said, would be centered in the woodeninner city of Paramaribo. “From the IndependenceSquare and the Presidential Palace, down to the heartof town, people are supposed to feel that Carifesta is intown. Paramaribo is going to be a Festival City thatweek,” he said.

As host country, Suriname proposed in December2011 at the Twenty-First Meeting of the RCC inParamaribo, Suriname, the overall theme of CARIFESTAXI to be “Culture for Development: Celebrating our

diversity and promoting the central role of culture ineconomic, social and human development”.

CARIFESTA XI WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM ELEMENTS: 1. Opening and closing ceremonies

2. Extended Grand Cultural Market and Trade Fair

(incl. Fashion Focus, Culinary Arts, Visual Arts,

Symposia)

3. Performing Arts: theater, dance, music and storytelling

4. Youth Focus

5. Children in Carifesta

6. Community Festivals

7. Super Concerts

8. Film Festival

9. Capacity building: Workshops, meetings and networking events

10. Traditional/Folk Village incl. Indigenous and Maroons

11. Signal Events

12. Showcases


Guyana Cultural Association to celebrate the contributions of cultural and literary icons

Pamela MaynardTrenton Mack,

Montague Burke,Jan Carew and

The Mighty Kaieteur

JOIN US AT A MEMORIAL SERVICE

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MEMORIAL CELEBRATION SERVICE

POSTPONED FROM JANUARY 27, 2012 TOSUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2013St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church,

Hawthorne Street, Brooklyn, NY4.00 P.M.

28MASQUERADE REFLECTIONS: GCA SYMPOSIUM IN GUYANA


When I first read about the Symposium on Masquerade, “MasqueradeLives!”, orgnised by the Guyana Cultural Association of New York, I missedChristmas in GT all over again.

In early September, Dr. Vibert Cambridge asked if and how I could con-tribute. We explored the possibility of a Skype call, then, he asked if I coulddo a piece of music based on the Masquerade tradition. I told him, that I hadalready started throwing ideas around in my head. It was established, at thatpoint, that there would be a piece of music coming from me, as my contri-bution to the symposium.

I had always been passionate about Masquerademusic coming into the mainstream of the Guyanasoundscape:-1) as part of a commercial “GT Sound”;2) as part of “GT Art Music”, for the concert stage;3) as a contribution to a “GT Jazz sound”, and by

extension to Caribbean Jazz.I was very excited! Dis t’ing could wuk! I decided to call it, “MasqueradeSweet Suite!”

The ideas for piece were distilled over the ensuing weeks, and “production”,the studio aspect, took place in the last two weeks of the school term.

I will NEVER forget Sunday, December 16!

As the invited guests arrived at the Guyana School Of Music, there was anatmosphere of excited support. There seemed to be a foregone conclusionthat they would enjoy what they heard.

The response at the end of the piece was moving. I cried! I felt like I hadreceived a Grammy! I ws flattered too, that a piece of MY music could gen-erate the level of passion that was displayed during the question and answersession which followed. Everyone there respected it. Some “strongly dis-agreed” with the naming of it, and stated, in no uncertain terms, that they“did not hear Masquerade in it”, at which point others, equally passionate,sprang to defend. It was a warming experience. THANK YOU!

I take this opportunity to thank Dr. Cambridge for the unconditional confi-dence he placed in me, and in my ability to deliver. I mean, without hearingit, he and his team set about building an entire event around “MasqueradeSweet Suite!”

While in GT, I heard about a competition where some participants arerequired to perform an original composition. Remembering my longing tohear more original compositions of a non-commercial nature, coming out ofGT, I asked Mr. Andrew Tyndall to help me invite a cross section of musiciansand artists to a “Conversation on Composition”.

I hoped to: -

1) get a feel of how my fellow artists feel about original music;

2) engage in a conversation where we share ideas, techniques and perspec-tives on original non-commercial music in GT.

Given the short time between the idea and the event, and the Christmas sea-son, the response was reasonable. Those who attended contributed to avibrant, though sometimes side tracked conversation. Everyone left theevent energized. So much so, that I wouldn’t be surprised if I heard a fewMasquerade-based offerings for MASH this year.

Masquerademusic cominginto the mainstream of the Guyanasoundscape

Derry EtkinsAs a parting shot, I would like to see a forty-pieceMasquerade Band tramping on the street for MASH, aswell as at Christmas, as I feel Masquerade needs to betaken out of the “Christmas time box” that it has beenin, over the years.



One of his strengths is the rewrite of well known stories andgive them new life altogether, often in an understandable ver-sion of Guyanese and Caribbean dialect. His “The Emperor’snew Dan Dan” is an excellent example of this particular skill.It’s also a delight to perform.

It’s strange how one phrase or one line someone said a life-time ago can resonate in your memory, and pops up at unex-pected times. A Johnny Agard one liner of nearly 40 years ago,as near as I can remember - ”Socialism is a wonderful thing, ittakes away the headache of dilemma – one newspaper, onecheese, one choice – beautiful “, with his particularchuckle/laugh telling another story.

About eight years ago, Elizabeth and I spent a delightful daywith Johnny and Grace at their narrow housing row apart-ment in the intimate village of Lewes. You just cannot imaginehow they were able to fit so many books into the restrictedspace – every nook, cranny and whatever held books. He hadbuilt a narrow extension to the apartment (luckily it was atthe end of a row of attached homes) into which they linedevery square inch of walls with more books. Even up in thetiny attic he somehow fitted a hammock and what? Morebooks. That so much production could emanate from so com-pact a home is almost a miracle of organization and method.What seemed even more amazing to us was that their

postage stamp size backyard was a flourishing garden com-plete with a miniature pear laden fruit tree. At the same time,Johnny’s mother was living with them. She and I hit it offimmediately – at last someone of my age. Johnny and Gracehave mastered the extreme skill of making the very most oftheir environment. Johnny and Grace have mastered theextreme skill of making the very most of what they have, both

practically and artisti-cally.

My boast, is thatJohnny Agard is amongmy personal Band ofBrothers, that several ofhis poems and storiesare perennials in myperformance reper-toire, and that I have adozen of their booksand have beenpromised their latest.Here is one that is anextensively viewedyoutube favourite..

“Half-caste”

a few lines

Excuse me

standing on one leg

I’m half-caste.

explain yuself

wha yu mean

when yu say half-caste

yu mean tchaikovsky

sit down at dah piano

an mix a black key

wid a white key

is a half-caste symphony?

(See http://youtu.be/5KqyVpMJ1gI )

ANANSI CRICKET http://youtu.be/1e3Z8Zna-ao

AMAZON http://www.amazon.com/John-Agard/e/B001HPPJBM?tag=yukko-20

Now there is something that could be progressive in theCaribbean. I lived for 17 years in Barbados and only oneschool ever requested me to visit and perform Caribbean folk-tales, and was totally ignored by the CXC or local Dept. ofEducation. I expect and hope things have progressed with theCaribbean Exams Council’s (CXC) long time mandate ofCaribbeanizing the curriculum.

John Agardcontinued from page 14

Ken Corsbie


30

TIMEHRI TRANSITIONS:EXPANDING CONCEPTS IN GUYANA ART

January 23 - March 9, 2013

Reception: Sunday, January 27, 2013. 3 - 6 pmGallery Talk: Sunday, February 17, 2013. 3 - 5 pmHours: Wednesday - Saturday, 11 am - 6 pm

Wilmer Jennings Gallery at Kenkeleba219 East 2nd Street (at Avenue B)New York, New York 10009(212) 674-3939

Kenkeleba programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and many generous friends.

Image: Arlington Weithers


Sponsored in part by The Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc.


The Wilmer Jennings Gallery at KenkelebaHouse, presents, TIMEHRI TRANSITIONS:EXPANDING CONCEPTS IN GUYANA ART.

This exhibition introduces ten international artistsof Guyana heritage. Curator, Carl E. Hazelwoodsays, “I’ve chosen artists whose practice addresseverything from contemporary abstraction to workthat bear a subtle political or cultural critique. Forthese artists it’s no longer about periphery andcenter. Practically everyone has access to the tech-nological means of engaging with the borderlesspossibilities of visual knowledge.”

The artists included are: damali abrams, CarlAnderson, Dudley Charles, Victor Davson, MarlonForrester, Gregory A. Henry, Siddiq Khan, DonaldLocke, Andrew Lyght, Bernadette Persaud, KeishaScarville, and Arlington Weithers.

Known less for serious art and culture than for itslush physical presence, its paradoxical beauty andpoverty, the Caribbean has lately been receivingfocused attention as possible undiscovered territo-ry for new art and fresh aesthetic approaches.Several books published in the last few years haveadded in various degrees to scholarship surround-ing the idea of an art peculiar to the region.Organizers of major exhibitions recently on viewin New York and elsewhere, seek to define thenature and historical sources of art and artists origi-nating from within the archipelago. While the newexhibitions are beginning to provide a wider con-text for art created in the area, an English-speakingcountry like Guyana, situated on the Latin main-land of South America, receives scant attention inthese visual extravaganzas—thus the need for exhi-bitions such as this one.

The word ‘Timehri’ in the title, TIMEHRI TRANSI-TIONS: EXPANDING CONCEPTS IN GUYANA ART,

symbolically connects our endeavor to the firstartists of Guyana, who produced the ancient NativeAmerican rock engravings and drawings of thesame name (meaning either ‘mark of the hand ofman’, or simply, drawings on rock) found in thedeep interior of Guyana. Art in the show includesmural-sized work on paper and canvas, weldedsteel sculpture, photo-based artwork as well asvideo. There are works included of purely aestheticvalue as well as some that hint of political and evenreligious expression.

The exhibition opens January 23, 2013 and runsthrough March 9, 2013. An opening reception willbe held on Sunday, January 27, 2013.

THE GUYANA CULTURAL ASSOCIATION OFNEW YORK is sponsoring a gallery ‘walk andtalk’ with the artists plus musical perfor-mances by Guyanese. This will be held onSunday, February 17, 2013 from 3 to 5 pm.

About the Wilmer Jennings Gallery atKenkeleba - Kenkeleba House has a long his-tory of mounting exceptional historical sur-vey of American art. Kenkeleba programsare made possible by the New York StateCouncil on the Arts with the support ofGovernor Andrew Cuomo and the New YorkState Legislature, in part, by public fundsfrom the New York City Department ofCultural Affairs in Partnership with the CityCouncil, and many generous friends.

The Wilmer Jennings Gallery is located at219 East 2nd Street (at Avenue B) NY, NY10009; 212-674-3939; public hours areWednesdays - Saturdays 11 am - 6 pm.Corrine Jennings is the Gallery Director.

SPONSORED IN PART BY THE GUYANA CULTURAL ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK, INCTIMEHRI TRANSITIONS: EXPANDING

CONCEPTS IN GUYANA ARTWILMER JENNINGS GALLERY at KENKELEBA HOUSE

January 23, 2013 - March 9, 2013

31GUYANA ART INTERNATIONAL


32GUYANA ART INTERNATIONAL

Nature as Terrified Bird in the Face of Man: IncubationIn this piece my aim was to say that there will always be the hope of nature re-hatching itself in all of its beauty,and that its long night shall pass. This painting was especially challenging to create—though in an exciting way.The inverted tree, composed of tracing paper glued onto the canvas presented a unique hurdle: to fuse the almostgraphic design elements of it into the other parts of the composition that are traditionally, painterly. To make thedesign work with the overall composition I created the wave-like sweeps of monochromatic blues just about theseparation line for the silhouetted tree and the reflection design. This was a joy to create.


33

On April 12, 2012, The Patch of Loganville, Georgia(an online newspaper) published a little story ofLoganville artist, Harold A. Bascom, who, inspired bythe demise of wildlife's natural habitat, painted aseries of bug-eyed red birds representing a personifi-cation of a terrified earth in the face of what we,man, is doing to nature. From that time to now,Bascom has continued to paint to the point where,after completing three series of artwork, he is thefeatured solo artist of an exhibition of paintings atthe Grayson Branch library at 700 Grayson Parkway,Grayson, GA 30017.

His exhibition, entitled, Red Birds, Brownstones, andEarth Eggs, opened on January 19, 2013. The art lovingpublic is invited to view this solo exhibition whereartwork will be available for purchase.

Harold Bascom—Guyanese novelist, artist, and three-time Guyana Prize winning playwright—moved toGeorgia from New Jersey in 2010. That is when hebegan setting up a studio in an effort to rekindle hisartistic career. In 2011 he completed hisBrownstone Series and began work on his PetrifiedBirds which he completed in 2012, and is nowworking on his New-Earth Incubation (Earth Eggpaintings). Pieces from each of the latter series areon exhibit, hence the exhibition’s title.

The exhibit will continue through February 22,2013.

Grayson Branch library hours are:

Mondays: 12 pm – 8 pm; Tuesdays: 10 am –6 pm; Wednesdays: 12 pm – 8 pm; Thursdays & Fridays: 10 am – 3 pm; andSaturdays & Sundays: 12 pm – 5 pm.

Admission to the exhibition is free.


Red Birds,Brownstones, and

Earth EggsFirst Solo Art Exhibition in the USA for Guyanese Artist Harold A. Bascom

Brick wall Slice of Life from aBrownstone Place: Madonna

This piece personifies the struggle and pain of thesingle mother so often left by errant male partnersto fend for herself and children alone in the oftenharsh environment of urban America. This is a trib-ute to urban motherhood.


I thank Messrs Andrew Tyndall and Russell Lancasterand team of the first ever National Song Festival (forChoral Groups) for a delightful afternoon of gloriousmusic held at the National Cultural Centre.

I was transported to my days at the Bishop’s HighSchool when the indomitable Ms. Edith Peters mademe appreciate music by having me learn to play therecorder and violin ( to some extent) and allowingme to sing ( be it thirds) in the school choir.

Those who missed the Festival did themselves a graveinjustice and I was disappointed that the audiencefilled half of Auditorium Front. However we all

enjoyed the presenta-tions, judging from thethunderous applauseand standing ovations.

The Groups, whethersmall or large, deliveredour National Songswith great aplomb andthe open selections var-ied from Folk Songs toNegro Spirituals withinnovations that includ-ed the Doo wop styleand excellent Acapellatechniques.

I was heartened by themixture of ages, maturi-ty and experience, anew National Songfrom St. Mary’s MusicalAcademy of BV, won-derful young soloistsfrom The Children’sChoir of Region 10 andSophia SDA, the exu-berance of Imani (just

3 weeks old) and the professionalism and attire of allthe participants.

Congratulations to the winners: The Messengers, J 4Inspiration, Circle of Love, Sasca Heraldiers ,Brickdam Cathedral and New Amsterdam SecondarySchool who won their seniors by 12 points.

I trust that this event heralds the serious (re) intro-duction of music in schools and choirs in ourBeautiful Guyana.

NATIONAL SONGFESTIVAL FOR

CHORAL GROUPS

34 IT WAS NOSTALGIA

WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE CULTURAL SCENE IN GUYANA

Margaret Lawrence

35


REMEMBER THIS?

SOCIAL PASTIME IN GUYANA

ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AND THE STAGES OF DRUNKENESSSTAGES OF DRUNKENESS• Ahhhh [first drink]• Feeling Nice [after 3 drinks]• Tipsy [laugh a lot & personality change]• Political [arguing]• Lil High [talking sh@t][slurring words]• Hunger [order another large][order food][shark, cook up, black pudding etc.]

• Feeling High [you are in a different place]• Drunk - anything could happen [fighting][staggering]• Totally Drunk [can’t walk straight or ride your bike]]• Pi@@ing Drunk [baby stage]• Blind Drunk [cannot see where you are going][walking sideways][walk into a tree]

• Dead Drunk [out cold in a gutter]• Stale drunk [next day hang over]Do you remember your first drink? I was about 7or 8 years oldwhen my father while entertaining some friends at home decided tointroduce my brothers and me to the evil/pleasure of rum drinking.He took a schnapp glass, pour some rum in it and gave us to drink.After our initial reaction to the burning in our mouth and stomachhe said “Tek dat fo yo fasness” then gave us some water to chase itdown. Later on you start to feel niceee, niceee and had something tobrag about to your friends the next day.

For everyone the reaction to that first drink differs from person toperson. As you become a seasoned drinker that first drink is usually:“Ahhh, clear the throat, the sinus or just open up the appetite to eator to start the first round of weekend drinking.

After 2 or 3 drinks: YOU FEELING NICE, NICE. At this stage everypart of your body starts to loosen up especially your mouth, if youare generally a talkative person you begin to dominate the conserva-tion talking about things that you would not talk about when youare sober. If you were not a talkative person you giggle and agreewith everything.

As you approach stage three: YOU FEELING TIPSY. At this stage somepersonality changes are noticed, you become louder, laugh a lot andconversation shift to you and your ability to function as a man oryou start to cuss your boss and anyone who at one time or another“mek da eye pass yo” [disrespect you].Stage four the argument slide into POLITICS: Everyone is now anauthority on politics and have a better idea how the President/Mayor should run the Country /City and how the president and theMayor is a country boo boo and don’t know nothing.

Maurice Braithwaite

Stage five you LIL HIGH. Your words are slur-ring and you are accused of talking [email protected] are now a free for all and all sub-ject is debatable, no one is making any sensebut you are holding your ground becauseyou believe “the dam cricket federation is fullof old man who can’t even play bat un ball”As the last drop of rum is squeezed from therum bottle a money pool quickly hits thetable and a demand for another large withice and chaser reaches the ear of the waitervia the clicking of the two fingers, Thumband middle finger, followed by, “mis, misover here”. Then the order is placed: Onelarge bottle of rum and some cutters: thisincludes shark, fishcake, salted nuts, andsome black pudding and souse, this is thesixth stage where “AH FEELING HUNGRY”As the eating of the ‘cutters’ disappear thedrinking continue until you hit a HIGH. Theseventh stage. At this point you are in a differ-ent place, your mind is in an uproar, yourmood starts to change, cussing and swearinghas becomes a thing of beauty, trying tostand up becomes a challenge, life is beauti-ful.

36


REMEMBER THIS?SOCIAL PASTIME

IN GUYANADRUNK. Yes, you have finally reached that point of noreturn. Anything could happen, depend on your personali-ty. Singing, becoming the world’s greatest orator, the urgeto beat up somebody who disagreed with you earlier or topinch the waiter’s backside which could result with a slapon your head. As you fire one for the road you are now…

TOTALLY DRUNK: Time to go home but you can’t walkstraight or ride your bike. You can’t depend on yourfriends to take you home because, like you, they are in thesame predicament. You set off for home using your bike asa brace to keep you upright. As you try to ride your bal-ance is out of whack and you end up in the gutter orsmack into a tree or lamp post.

PI@@ING DRUNK: This is the baby stage. You have no con-trol of your limbs; in fact you have no control. You arenow lying on the grass, in the gutter or brace up against atree or lamp post, your imagination is the only thing thatfunction. You imagine you are sitting on your posy/toiletand you want to we we so you let it go with a groan andyou end up pi@@ing in your pants. Eventually you carrythe mark of a man who is pi@@ing drunk. A big ring isform in front of your crutch this is the tell-tale sign thatthe local kids refer to you as pi@@-a-pants Josie

BLIND DRUNK: At this stage you can’t see anything, youcan’t hear nothing and you don’t know nothing. You driftalong aimlessly and somehow or other you end up infront of your house mumbling to yourself or singing thestandard drunk song to the embarrassment of your wifeand neighbors. Of course the neighborhood kids find thisvery entertaining and you end up with the typical falsename “bount-to-drunk”.

DEAD DRUNK: If you did not make it home blind drunkyou end up in a gutter or somewhere out cold lying inyour vomit. At this point the local stray dogs are having afeast licking the vomit off the grass around you and get-ting drunk themselves and fighting over the remnants ofvomit left on your clothes and face.

STALE DRUNK: This is the hangover you feel the next dayfrom all the run drinking. In order to get over a hangoveryou need one drink to clear your head. So off you go tothe rum shop, order a shot of rum, down the hatch andyou ready for the day.

Guyanese BeggarEvery morning John would drive by BourdaMarket and every morning he would stop andgive the resident beggar G$200.00.

After a while John started to give the beggarG$100.00.

The Beggar noticing that his money has beenreduced was not too pleased, but said nothing.

John then dropped to G$80.00.

The Beggar noticing this further decreasebecame noticeably upset and decided to speakto John about it.

He stopped John one morning after acceptingthe G$80.00 and said,

'Wah happening man'.. yuh use to give me$200.00, den yuh cut it down to $100.00, now is$80.00 whuh goin on?'

John replied, 'Boy, times get hard. Meh eldestboy just start UG and meh daughter now inHigh School...so you know how it is.'

The now irate beggar asked in a tone of disbe-lief,

'So wait nah... yuh mean fuh tell me that is outaMY money yuh sending YOUR chirren toschool?'

Maurice Braithwaite CHUCKLESCORNER


37

CaribbeanBallroomers inConcertDate:Mar. 7, - 10, 2013 -Four Show sFiveMyles Gallery,558 St John’s P lace,Crow n Heights,Brook lynPerform ers: The Barbershop, EleganceDance Studio, L&K SocialBallroom Dance Group,Oneal’s Dance Class,P leasures Ballroom DanceClub, Rising Starz Dance School. All led byGuyanese nationals.Mark eting Partners:FiveMyles, caribBEING,PelpaFeatures: Performances,DJ Set, Dancing

Fee: $10 in advanceInformation andTick ets: www.ballroomers.eventbrite.com, 718-502-9870

Guyana CyclingAssociation of NorthAmericaThird Annual Reunionand FundraiserSaturday March 9th 2013Woodbine Ballroom2281 Church AvenueBrooklynMusic; Supreme Soundswith DJ HannahTickets $20.00Meet the current and formernational cyclistsInfo:Randy Toussaint 718-947-6279; Monty Davis 347-528-5244Neville Hunte 925-457-6804

SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY EVENTS

TO HAVE YOUR EVENT PROMOTED INFUTURE GCA NEWSLETTERS:Contact Claire Goring [email protected] Edgar Henry [email protected]

COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS

BOOKS, FILMS & MUSIC

NEW BOOK BY RAY SEALESFOR SUMMER LAUNCH

QUIET, STANDBY, YOU’RE ONThese were the words uttered by AlSeales before a recording session. A ses-sion at GEMS was an all day event.

The first session I witnessed as a youngboy was done by Billy Moore and theFour Lords singing “Barney di FowlThief”. I accidentally stumbled into therecording while playing hide-and-go-seekwith my sisters. I opened the door to thestore and attempted to hide under one ofthe counters but did not realize that theyhad been moved to accommodate themusicians and the instruments.

Before each session, GEMS was actually-transformed into a recording studio withheavy blankets on all four walls and athick carpet on the floor.

In my childish manner, I had disrupted agood take of the recording which mademy father angry as this had been the fifthattempt and possibly the best. I was onthe verge of being on the receiving end ofmy father’s belt but the musicians savedme and suggested that a better form ofpunishment would be to have me sit andlisten all day to the sessions. Funnilyenough, I began to enjoy my time in thestudio and I found it very stimulating andfor the first time I saw a different side ofmy father—a man in total control, a pro-fessional. I was amazed at his talent, disci-pline and commitment to perfection.

38


The Guyana Prize forLiterature was establishedin 1987

• To provide encouragement for thedevelopment of good creative writingamong Guyanese in particular andCaribbean writers in general.During the Awards Presentation on the TwentiethAnniversary of the Prize it was declared that after con-tributing to the advancement of the literature through therecognition of Guyanese writers, the pledge to Caribbeanwriting should now be honoured in a specific and directway. This need was further felt since there was still no lit-erary prize offered within the region for Caribbean litera-ture.

The pledge became a reality when it was announced inGeorgetown on November 2, 2010, that the Governmentof Guyana had provided funds to the ManagementCommittee of the Guyana Prize for the first Guyana Prizefor Literature Caribbean Award, starting with the Prize for2010.

There will be three Awards in the categories of Fiction,Poetry and Drama, with a prize of US$ 5,000 for the winnerin each category.

ELIGIBILITYThe Prize is for published books and is open to works bycitizens of Caribbean countries : CARICOM States, theCommonwealth Caribbean, the Netherland Antilles.

To be eligible for entry, a book must have been

• originally written and published in English

• published in the calendar years 2010/2011; i.e.

between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011;

for Drama, entries must

• be full-length plays, first published/performed between

January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2012.

Each publisher may enter a maximum of 5

works in each category.

No more than one work by any author may be entered ineach category.

It is the responsibility of the publisher to verify the nation-ality of the authors where necessary

SUBMISSIONS

Entries should be submitted to

The Management Committee

Guyana Prize for Literature Caribbean Award

School of Education and Humanities

University of Guyana

Turkeyen Campus

Greater Georgetown, Guyana

Closing date for entries is February 14, 2013.

Entries must be accompanied by a separate sheet with thefollowing information for each author

• name, date and place of birth, citizenship

• address, telephone number, Fax number, e-mail address

• title of work

• date and place of publication

• date(s) and place of performance or publication for plays

• brief bio-sketch/career resume of author

• photograph of author

Four copies of each entry must be submitted

Winners in the three categories will be decided by a Juryof eminent persons in the field. A shortlist of finalists willbe announced approximately one month before theAwards Ceremony, and may be used as a part of promotionfor the Prize.

The winners, as a condition of entry, are expected toattend the Prize Awards Ceremony to be held inGeorgetown, Guyana in May, 2013, on a date to beannounced, and should also be prepared to give publicreading(s) from their works as organised by the GuyanaPrize Management Committee. Airline tickets and expensesfor the visit to Georgetown will be provided where necessary.

Al Creighton

Secretary, Management Committee

THE GUYANA PRIZE FOR LITERATURE CARIBBEAN AWARD

SUBMISSION DEADLINEFEBRUARY 14, 2013

Documents

Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc.on-line Magazine