a nation in solidarity with itsindigenous people...guyana cultural association of new york inc....

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

May 302017Vol 7Issue 5


A NATION IN SOLIDARITY WITH ITS INDIGENOUS

PEOPLE


IN THIS ISSUEPAGE 1-9: Hinterland Floods PAGE 12-14:Hilton Hemerding A.A.PAGE 16-17: John R. RickfordPAGE 18-22: Weaving & Knitting

in GuyanaPAGE 24-29: Derek WalcottPAGE 30-31: Tchaiko KwayanaPAGE 33-34: Calvary Mission

Food PantryPAGE 35-37: BHS: An affair

to rememberPAGE 38-39: Guyana at the UN-

51dt. anniversary celebration

Guest EditorPercy Haynes

Cover DesignClaire Goring & Ashton Franklin

Copy Editors-Edgar Henry, Lear Matthews

Layout and Design by Claire A. Goring & Ashton Franklin

Contributors:Dr. Vibert Cambridge

Gail NunesAl Creighton

Patricia Jordon-LangfordCalvary Missions

Photography:Dr. Vibert CambridgeDr. Patricia CambridgePat Jordon-LangfordCalvary Missions

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

Ashton Franklin,Margaret Lawrence Gail A. Nunes,

Francis Quamina Farrier.

Please join our Facebook group,

Website: www.guyfolkfest.org

GCA Secretariat -1368 E.89 Street,Brooklyn, NY 11236Tel: 800-774-5762

Guyana Cultural Association of NewYork Inc. on-line Magazine

EDITORIAL 2 3

THE HINTERLANDFLOODSOF 2017

Dr. Vibert C. Cambridge, A.A.

Guyana is facing a massiveenvironmental crisisin its hinterland.

Fifty one years ago, at the National Park when for the first time, the GoldenArrowhead ascended towards the sky at that midnight hour on May 26,1966, the hearts of Guyanese resounded in celebration of that historicmoment of our country’s entry on the world stage as an independentnation. The heightened heart beats were spontaneous stirred by the emo-tional outburst of the occasion: the road had been rough strewn withblood, sweat and tears. We had experienced weeping in the night, then joyhad come in the morning. High expectations had been released – highexpectations of a new day freed from the chains of body and mind imposedby colonialism. This year, at the midnight hour of Thursday, May 26 at thenewly carved D’Urban Park, the celebration may have been somewhatmuted – muted by the stark realization that building a nation out of theremnants of colonialism is no simple task. The postcolonial experience hasleft many new nations struggling in the dust. That affliction has not struckus. We, therefore, have good reason to revel in the pomp and ceremony ofthe celebration of the fifty-first anniversary of independence. We haveovercome the trials which had beset us in the perilous years after indepen-dence.Therefore, this year, as the Golden Arrowhead fluttered in the wind at theD’Urban Park, the crowds drew new heart and new courage from theachievement that Guyana and her people have prevailed as a nation defyingfierce challenges at home and abroad. The land and rich natural resourcesstill remain for transformation by the skills and the entrepreneurship ofGuyanese themselves. Perhaps, most important of all, Guyanese have takenthe first steps to make a reality of the vision of one people, one nation, onedestiny. In the pursuit of that vision, the leaders and the people of the nation havebeen weaving a mosaic out of the different segments of Guyanese culture.The significance of creating such unity out of diversity was stressed byPresident David Granger in his Independence Day address. Under thetheme “Diversity and Destiny”, the President emphasized the need torecommit to social cohesion by learning to accept and respect each citizen’svalues and beliefs as well as to share the common space we call our home-land. He observed that Independence Day celebrates the unique combina-tion of people who came to Guyana: the Africans, Chinese, Indians andPortuguese, who with the Amerindians have contributed to the creation ofa multi-racial and multi-religious stateOver the fifty one years of the celebration of Independence Day, we havereveled in a festival of our cultural heritage passed on to us by our ances-tors. It is this weaving of the various strands into our cultural tapestrywhich is the foundation stone of the building of the nation of Guyanaensuring equal respect and equal opportunity for all the people of Guyanaregardless of race, color or creed. That is the mission on which the GuyanaCultural Association of New York, Inc. is engaged through the recognition,preservation and promotion of our own myths, folk lore, stories, song anddance. Guyanese in the Diaspora and at home in Guyana have rallied tosupport us in the noble cause of recognizing and promoting our culturalheritage as the foundation stone for the building of our nation of Guyana.We take this opportunity to express our appreciation of their support. Percy Haynes, May Guest Editor

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

54This article, covering the period

(Tuesday, May 16 to Saturday, May 25)is an effort to chronicle the crisis, iden-

tify the cause(s), reflect on the nationalresponse, focus attention on current and pro-jected challenges, encourage our participa-tion in addressing those challenges, begin toidentify the lessons to be learned, and raiseconsciousness about Guyana CulturalAssociation of New York's upcoming 2017Folk Festival season under the theme“Celebrating Our Indigenous Heritage.”

Situation

Since Tuesday, May 16, communities inRegions 7 and 8 have been experiencing dev-astating floods.

According to Guyana’s Amerindian PeoplesAssociation, they became aware of the situa-tion on the morning of May 17 when Ms.Sherry Ann Balkaran alerted the associationabout very heavy rainfall in Region 8 (Potaro-Siparuni) and her concerns for the region.

By 2:53 pm on the same day, she reportedthat “Waipa is now 95 per cent under water.”This information was relayed to the Ministryof Indigenous Peoples Affairs and the CivilDefence Commission (CDC). This launchedthe nation’s response to a major environmen-tal crisis that will have consequences far intothe future.

Ms. Balkaran lost communication withGeorgetown on May 18 and did not regaincontact until May 20. On that day, sherevealed that the “Ireng River was very highand that several communities were beingimpacted.” Among them were Kopinang,Chiung Mouth, Itabac, and Kaibarupai.

The CDC’s Situation Report #7 issued on May22 confirmed this.

On the days that followed, photographs byMichael McGarrell and Johnson Cerdarevealed the nature and scope of the floods inRegion 8. Soon after, came photographs indi-cating that Region 7 (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) wasalso affected.

On May 23, CDC’s Deputy Director General,Major Kester Craig, provided an expanded list ofseverely affected communities on the agency’sFacebook page. His list included “Chenapau,Itabac, Kanapang, Kopinang and Sand Hill inRegion # 8 and “Kako, Kamarang, Jawalla,Imbaimadai, Philippai, Amokokopi, Quebenangand Paruima” in Region # 7.

Also on May 23, Imran Khan, Guyana’s Directorof Public Information, ruminated on the gravityof the crisis in a Facebook post:

“The gravity of what transpired in several vil-lages in Region 8 over the past few days has notreally registered with many of us here on thecoastland. Without exaggeration ENTIRE VIL-LAGES were completely under water, as in noth-ing was visible. Residents survived by quicklymoving to surrounding high grounds.”

He illustrated the gravity of the situation withAdrian Persaud’s photograph, including thisnow iconic image:

“Note the height of the brown water/mud stainson the leaves (towards top middle of photo) rela-tive to the height of the gentleman in the photo.The official report is that there was as much as25 feet of water. 25 FEET.

Unofficial reports are that there was as much as40 feet of water. The height of the average coast-land home is between 20-24 feet. Give that athink through. That no lives were lost is no smallmiracle and speaks volumes about the nature ofcommunity cooperation in this part of the coun-try.”

Dr. Vibert C. Cambridge, A.A.


76 On May 24, Major Craig provided the

following statistics:

• 56 houses have been washedaway with Waipa recording thehighest number of housesdestroyed—24;

• 3,274 residents have been affected;

• 266 farms have been destroyed; • The health post at Kaibarupai was flooded;

• the school at Itabac has shifted and is unstable;

• the school at Kanapang is beingused as temporary shelter but the kitchen at that school has been damaged.”

In his summary, Major Craig drew attention tothe consequences of the flooding, especially thelong-term impact on food production, shelter,health, education, and stewardship of the envi-ronment. Since then, photographs on social media, espe-cially on Facebook, have helped us visualize thescope of the flooding, the nature of the destruc-tion and suffering, the quiet resilience of the resi-dents, and the professionalism of the nation’sresponse to the crisis.

What explains the crisis?

For many days, there was no clearexplanation for the devastating floods.This changed on May 26, when OvidWilliams responded to Nathan Lujan’squestion: “What happened toKaibarupai Ovid?”

To this, Ovid Williams, who was sta-tioned at CDC’s Forward OperationsCenter, Orinduik responded:

Kaibarupai completely flooded out.Where our camp ground was locatedwas inundated with approx. [20 ft.] ofwater. The two mountains in theNortheast direction had simultaneousland slide and caused the Ireng tooverflow. The residents are desperate-ly in need of tarps for temporary shel-ter on high ground. All their farmswe're destroyed by the flood. It's anemergency situation.

In the ensuing conversation, Williamsshared his findings:

All I was told is that the persistentovernight rain softened the earth onthe mountain s to cause the landslide.About 10 in the night the water quick-ly raised above knee height and bymorning, it was even higher.

Along the way to the village using theIreng river, one can see evidence ofsmaller landslides on the banks of theriver and the [trees] big and small fall-en into the river, making navigation inthe river channels together with thetreacherous rapids a very big chal-lenge to boat captains.

In response to Williams’ observations,Nathan Lujan posted aerial photo-graph of the location on his Facebookpage. The photograph has been takenin 2016. Lujan, a National ScienceFoundation International ResearchFellow at the University of Torontoresearch had led a team to conduct abiodiversity inventory in Kaibarupaiin January 2016.

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

8 9In his May 26 Facebook conversation with CDC’sMajor Craig, Guyana Defence Force engineer,Captain Daniel Seeram, Officer Commanding the42nd Engineering Company, provided the followingexplanation for the disaster at Kaibarupai:

“The water broke through the mountain, and made awaterfall. The pressure that broke through themountain cracked it and caused the landslides.Kaibarupai—it’s in a basin surrounded by moun-tains. That’s what made them suffer most. Watercame from all directions.”

Were the heavy rains of May 16 part of a seasonalaberration? Was it a function of climate change inAmazonia?

Guyana’s dry and wet seasons are a characteristic ofthe Amazonian region of South America. This is aregion whose weather patterns are influenced byboth the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. For example,according to The Guardian (March 17,2017), in mid-March, Peru experienced its worst floods in “recentmemory.” Sixty-seven people were killed and thou-sands more forced to evacuate by intense rains,which damaged 115,000 homes and destroyed morethan 100 bridges. This has been identified as ElNino-related.

Was the river carrying larger volumes of water priorto the landslide because of unseasonal rains in Peruand other conditions in the wider Amazoniadrainage system?

Situated between the Orinoco and the Amazon,Guyana’s Regions 7 and 8 are connected to thedrainage systems of the mighty rivers of Amazonia—Orinoco, Essequibo, and Amazon. The AmazonRiver Basin is the “world’s largest drainage basin.”The Ireng River is connected to this river basin.

Was the flooding in Regions 7 and 8 a consequenceof the practices of hinterland extractive industries,especially mining and logging?

These and other questions are still to be answereddefinitively. So far, efforts to find the names of thetwo mountains have not been successful.

The nation’s response to the crisis has been strategic.It involves many stakeholders. The Ministry of thePresidency, the Ministry of Indigenous PeoplesAffairs, the Ministry of Public Health, Guyana WaterIncorporated (GWI), and the Guyana Defence Forceare among the key stakeholders from the state sec-tor. The Amerindian Peoples Association is amongthe key stakeholders from civil society. The domes-tic airline industry, along with large and small enter-prises, represent private sector stakeholders. Privateindividuals are also involved. So is the internationalcommunity, through agencies such as the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO).Coordinating the overall response is Guyana’s Civil

Defence Commission with its Volunteer Corps.

It is probably too early to distill lessons learned.However, there are some positive aspects to theresponse.

Character of the responses

By May 24, there were images of resilience. It wasclear that Guyana has learned from the floods of2005. Clearly, the key task in 2017 is coordination,and the Civil Defence Commission has been effec-tive.

I conclude that the response to the floods in Regions7 and 8 is indicative of a maturation in Guyanesepolitics. So far, there has been little political parti-sanship and jockeying in this land of perpetual elec-tion campaigning.

The responses have also demonstrated the efficacy ofcitizen-generated photographs on social media. Theimages shared by Michael McGarrell, AnandHarrilall, Johnson Cerda, Adrian Persaud, LauraGeorge, and others demonstrate that photographsare important artifacts in telling the Guyanese story.They provide context and can help us to empathizewith the plights of our fellow humans.

Conclusion

We at GCA are preparing for our 2017 Folk Festivalseason with the theme “Celebrating our IndigenousHeritage.” The hinterland floods are a reality checkon the challenges facing Guyana’s indigenous peo-ples and others who live in the hinterland. Thisrecent environmental experience will be in our con-sciousness as we explore and discuss the themes forthe 2017 Symposium and Literary Hang:

• creation stories of Guyana’s indigenous peoples;

• the state of Guyanese archeology;

• science and technology in contemporary indige-nous communities in Guyana;

• conservation and stewardship of “Guyana verde”;

• innovations in contemporary Guyanese art; and

• visioning the future.

Please support the current calls fordonations and other requests.Our indigenous heritage is a legacy that all Guyanesemust treasure.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CALLS FOR DONATIONS AND OTHER REQUESTS

Our indigenousheritage is a legacy that allGuyanese must treasure.

11


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13

Hilton Hemerding, A.A.: Celebrator of Beautiful GuyanaDr. Vibert C. Cambridge, A.A.

This article was originally publishedin Stabroek News on June 26, 2005as the 48th article in the series“Celebrating our CreativePersonalities.” It has been updatedfor this magazine.

CONGRATULATIONS


12Hilton Hemerding is a member of a very specialgroup of Guyanese - the composers of Guyana'snational songs. These songs, sometimes calledpatriotic songs, have the ability to lift Guyaneseabove the impedimenta of racial and politicalcrassness. They help Guyanese to envision a won-derful future for "the land of the mighty Roraima."

The coastal floods of 2005 demonstrated thepower of Guyana's national songs to inspireGuyanese at home and in the diaspora.

When the waters threatened the "dear land,"Guyana's children demonstrated that they were

prepared to come together to move "onward andupward." The Song of Guiana's Children, MyNative Land, My Guiana, Eldorado, O BeautifulGuiana, and Beautiful Guyana were part of thesubconscious soundtrack that mobilized Guyaneseduring the crisis in 2005.

"The national songs were rallying points," saidClaire Goring, one of the leaders of the Guyanaflood relief network in New York. "They made youidentify with Guyana immediately. Whereverthose songs were played became a piece ofGuyanese soil."

Guyanese have reserved a spe-cial place in their hearts for thecompositions of Cecilene Baird,

Cecile Burgan-Nobrega, M. A.Cossou, Joan Gilkes, W. Hawley-Bryant, F. P. Loncke, WilliamPilgrim, R. C. G Potter, ValerieRodway, Betty Rowe, Hugh Sam,Horace Taitt, and HiltonHemerding.In addition to mobilizing, inspiring and motivat-ing, these songs have marked important moments

in the development of the nation. For example,The Song of Guiana's Children was composed byRev. W. Hawley-Bryant in 1937 for the Parade ofSchool Children, which was part of the Centenarycelebrations of the Georgetown Town Council.

Hemerding's Beautiful Guyana captured the spiritof the nation as it approached independence in1966. The song is also associated with importantmoments in foreign policy during the early post-independence era.

What motivated these compositions? Why havethey enjoyed such lasting popularity? Why havethey had such an influence on generations ofGuyanese at home and abroad?

Music Appreciation session at GCA SummerHeritage Camp with Hilton Hemerding A.A


14


15Hemerding's Beautiful Guyana requires us to visualizea Guyana that is larger than Georgetown and the coastalpopulation centers. Reflect on the opening: "There's aland just off the Atlantic, land of jungles, waterfalls, andsweet scenery. Where poor people farm the land... andall live in peace and harmony. This is Guyana, beautifulGuyana."Hemerding does not dwell only on the nature andgrandeur of the landscape, but he immediately placesthe Guyanese worker in a harmonious relationship withthis environment. For him, the landscape with themighty Kaieteur "tumbling to the river" with "its foam-ing tide" and the "cheerful kiskadees” throwing "theiryellow breasts to the sky" are metaphors for the nation'spossibilities.In 2001, in the early days of the research for MusicalLife in Guyana, I met with Hemerding in New York andhad the opportunity to talk with him about BeautifulGuyana, his musical career, and his other compositionson the CD Dem Days. The CD contains eight songs withpatriotic themes:Beautiful Guyana,” “Sweet Land of Mine,”“Kurukubaru,” “Farmer Man,” “Tumatumari,” “Song ofthe Porknocker,” “Coming Down,” and “Long LongAgo.” The songs on the CD were composed between1965 and 1982. Beautiful Guyana was composed in 1965 in StAugustine's church yard in Buxton. He recalled sittingon an old Chinese tomb with his box guitar, composingthe lyrics and melody in about 15 minutes. ForHemerding, the quest was to help to refresh the pool ofnational songs by using melodies and rhythms thatwere more contemporary. He felt that the earliernational songs tended to be too hymn-like and did notreflect the spirit of emerging independence.How this composition gained its place in the nation'sconsciousness will also help to illuminate an aspect ofGuyana's diplomatic relations with Cuba.By 1975, Beautiful Guyana was part of the repertoire ofsongs performed for the many dignitaries who visitedthe newly independent nation that was shaping its ownforeign policy. Culture was a key element in this strategy.So, Hemerding was part of the delegation to Cuba ledby Minister of Culture Shirley Field-Ridley in 1975. Heperformed the song at a reception for the delegationhosted by Fidel Castro. The performance was wellreceived and an invitation was extended to have thesong recorded."The recording took about 3.5 to 4 hours to complete,"recalled Hemerding. "The recording engineers atEGREM, Cuba’s national recording label, were verymeticulous. They would start over if there was even theslightest error."The next chapter in the Cuban connection withBeautiful Guyana opened in 1977, when Vice-PresidentDesmond Hoyte paid an official visit to Cuba. Therecording was played during a reception hosted for him,and he immediately recognized the song and the per-former. Hoyte requested and was given six copies of the

record to take back to Guyana.According to Hemerding, on Hoyte's return, the copieswere handed over to Minister Field Ridley, who sentone copy to the Guyana Broadcasting Corporation. So itwas only in 1977 that the song was broadcast in Guyanafor the first time, and the rest is history.Hemerding's lyrical vision is a manifestation of his inti-mate relationship with the Guyanese landscape and areflection of the spirit of the nation in the approach toindependence and in the early post-independence era.In addition to writing Beautiful Guyana,Hemerdinghas composed several other national/patriotic songs.Some are on the above-mentioned CD.As a child, Hemerding travelled around Guyana. He wasborn in Berbice and spent important periods of hischildhood in Leguan, Buxton, and Georgetown. As ayoung school teacher, he taught at Bartica GovernmentSecondary School and was moved by the majesty of themighty rivers that meet in confluence at that point andby the poetry of Ivan “Farro” Forrester.His creative sensibilities were influenced by his institu-tional affiliations. Hemerding grew up in the home of aclergyman in which he learned the lvalues of service,faith, and justice. He attended Queen's College at a timewhen that school was preparing its students to deal witha different Guyana--one that was independent and free.Teachers encouraged original thinking and demandedservice to the nation.Hemerding's post-secondary education took place atthe Multilateral Teachers' Training Centre, an institu-tion developed to deliver a new paradigm in secondaryeducation in Guyana. Here, along with Lynette Dolphinand Marilyn Hunte, he formed the EMMEL Singers andproduced Bamboo Fire, the important LP of Guyanesefolk songs.Beautiful Guyana is only one aspect of Hemerding'screativity. The story of his work with the Department ofCulture and the innovative CARI Singers also needs tobe told, as well as that of his work with calypso inGuyana as Hilton “Hitman” Hemerding. The story ofhis continued work in the field of music, especially hiscontributions to preserving and promoting Guyanesefolk music in New York, must also be told.Hemerding's contributions to his nation were recog-nized by the Guyana Cultural Association of New Yorkin 2003 when he was awarded a WordsworthMcAndrew Award.

In 2017, we, the members of GCA, join with allGuyanese in extending our sincerest congratu-lations to Hilton Hemerding on his richlydeserved National Award—The Golden Arrow ofAchievement.

Thanks for everything, Hilton Hemerding, A.A.

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1716

Guyanese-American Professor John R. Rickford ofStanford University was recently notified that he hadbeen awarded one of the highest academic honors inthe United States: Election to the American Academy ofArts and Sciences.

Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts andSciences is one of the oldest and most prestigiouslearned societies and independent policy research cen-ters in the U.S., convening leaders from the academic,business, and government sectors to respond to thechallenges facing—and opportunities available to—thenation and the world.

The Academy’s work is advanced by its elected mem-bers, who are leaders in the academic disciplines, thearts, business, and public affairs from around theworld.

Current and former members of the Academy includeBenjamin Franklin, George Washington, Ralph WaldoEmerson, Margaret Mead, Martin Luther King, Jr.,John F. Kennedy, Georgia O’Keefe, John HopeFranklin, John Updike, Charles Darwin, AlbertEinstein, Winston Churchill, Laurence Olivier, NelsonMandela, and more than 250 Nobel and Pulitzer Prizewinners.

Academy research currently focuses on education, thehumanities and the arts; science, engineering, and tech-nology policy; global security and international affairs;and American institutions and the public good.

John R. Rickford is the J.E. Wallace Sterling Professorof Linguistics and the Humanities at StanfordUniversity. He is also professor, by courtesy, inEducation, and Bass University Fellow inUndergraduate Education. He has been at Stanfordsince 1980, after teaching Linguistics at the Universityof Guyana from 1974 to 1984 and serving as Vice Deanof the Faculty of Arts there. Prior to leaving Guyana forhis university education on a US scholarship in 1968, heattended Sacred Heart RC elementary school andQueen’s College, where he also taught English for a yearafter completing his GCE “A” levels.

Professor Rickford received his BA with highest honorsin Sociolinguistics from the University of California,Santa Cruz, in 1971, and his Ph.D. in Linguistics fromthe University of Pennsylvania in 1979. He won aDean's Award for distinguished teaching in 1984 and aBing Fellowship for excellence in teaching in 1992. Healso served as President of the Linguistic Society ofAmerica in 2015, and in 2016 won the award for theBest Paper in the journal Language—one of the leadingjournals in his field—for a paper he authored with agraduate student on the systematic vernacular ofRachel Jeantel, a close friend of Trayvon Martin, andthe reasons why her testimony was misunderstood anddisregarded in the 2013 trial of George Zimmerman forTrayvon’s murder.

The primary focus of John’s research and teaching isSociolinguistics: the relation between linguistic varia-tion and change and social structure. He is especiallyinterested in the relation between language and ethnici-ty, social class and style, language variation and change,pidgin and creole languages, African AmericanVernacular English, and the applications of linguisticsto educational and legal issues.

John R.RickfordAWARDED HIGHEST ACADEMIC HONOR IN THE U.S.A.

Professor Rickford is the author of numerous scholarlyarticles, and author or editor of several books, includingA Festival of Guyanese Words (ed., 1978); Dimensionsof a Creole Continuum (1987), Analyzing Variation inLanguage (co-ed., 1987), Sociolinguistics and PidginCreole Studies (ed., 1988); African American English:Structure, History and Use (co ed., 1998); AfricanAmerican Vernacular English: Features, Evolution,Educational Implications (1999); Creole Genesis,Attitudes and Discourse (co-ed., 2000); Spoken Soul:The Story of Black English (co-authored, 2000, winnerof an American Book Award); Style and SociolinguisticVariation (co-ed., 2001); Language in the USA: Themesfor the Twenty-First Century (co-ed., 2004); Language,Culture and Caribbean Identity (co-ed, 2012); AfricanAmerican, Creole and Other Vernacular Englishes: ABibliographic Resource (co-authored, 2012); andRaciolinguistics: How Language Shapes Our IdeasAbout Race (co-edited, 2015). A collection of his papersis scheduled for publication in 2018 by CambridgeUniversity Press in a book, entitled Variation andChange in Sociolinguistics and Creole Studies: Theoryand Analysis.

Professor Rickford stated that he was both exhilaratedand humbled that the Academy had bestowed this sig-nature honor on him. Election to the AmericanAcademy of Arts and Sciences is the pinnacle of hislong, distinguished career. He will spend part of thissummer at the Rockefeller Foundation’s research centerin Bellagio, Italy, working to develop new ways toexpand linguistic versatility among vernacular speakerswhile reducing dialect prejudice and discriminationagainst them in schools, courtrooms, workplaces andother gatekeeping institutions.

John is married to Angela Rickford, née Marshall, whoattended Bishops’ High School (Guyana), and is nowProfessor of Education at San Jose State University.They have four children: Shiyama, Russell, Anakelaand Luke.

CONGRATULATIONS

St. Rose’s Alumni Association USA Inc.Anniversary Gala

Honoring Cathy Cholmondeley-Hughes

Guyana Minister of Public Telecommunications &

Fly Jamaica

Date: Thursday, August 31, 2017

Place: Russo’s on the Bay162-45 Cross Bay Boulevard, Howard Beach, NY, 11414

Cocktails: 7:30 p.m. ~ Dinner: 8:30 p.m.Dress: Formal

Donation: $125 (all inclusive)Ticket info: 917-553-4154 | 718-342-7046 | 917-617-0277 | 917-921-8660

RSVP: no later than June 30, 2017


1918

Michael Khan's Facebook May 28 post "My Sabbatical Weaving pieces,” re-energized my interest inGuyana’s weaving and knitting traditions. Michael Khan is a lecturer at the University of Guyana, hispost is another expression of his use of storytelling in his study and celebration of Guyana.

A SHORT REFLECTION ONWEAVING AND

KNITTING IN GUYANAVibert Cambridge, A.A., Ph.D.

My Sabbatical Weaving pieces: “Rumination I - Birth of a Nation.”

In the middle right, in white, on “Rumination I-Birth of a Nation” is what appears to be an embroidered petro-glyph. I read this as his homage to the traditions of our indigenous peoples. The weaving and knitting traditionsof Guyana’s indigenous peoples demonstrates the successful integration of design motifs in a range of functionaland decorative items:

My Sabbatical Weaving pieces: “Rumination II Economical Growth.” Michael Khan (2017)

Wai Wai pakára (double basket). From collection Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, Guyana.Photograph by Vibert Cambridge.

20 21


See Carl Brown’s 2008 YouTube video series"The Story of Our AmerindianBrothers and Sisters" for an explorationof the weaving and knitting arts amongGuyanese indigenous peoples.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lELh-pGM8cY

Magazine rack. Circa 1980s. Photograph by Dr. Patricia Cambridge

Contemporary Arawak (Lokono) quake.Photograph courtesy of Louisa Daggers, Amerindian

Research Unit, University of Guyana.

Table mat. (Guyana, circa 1980s). Photograph by Vibert Cambridge

“Crochet Workers”

From the LennieCambridge CollectionDetail from a tablecloth by LennieCambridge. (Minnesota, circa 1980s).Photograph by Dr. Patricia Cambridge.


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Once, it was the Guyanese knitter, invariably female(my mother was one) who used crochet, tatting,embroidery, and other knitting skills and techniquesto create the bed spreads, pillow cases, chair cush-ions, doilies that hold special places in the Guyanesehome. At one time, it was common to give cro-cheted bedspreads, tablecloths, and doilies, as wellas embroidered bed clothes—prestige knitted prod-ucts--as wedding gifts. Knitted articles were alsoassociated with other rites of passage, e.g. the babybootie at the baptism and christening.

Even though machine-made knitted bedspreads,tablecloths, and doilies are easier to obtain,Guyanese still recognize the artistry of hand-madeitems.

From the Lennie Cambridge Collection

My mother was a seamstress. She enjoyed what shedid. In addition to making clothing, she also didknitting and embroidery. Here are two examples ofher work.

Prior to seeing Khan’s Facebook post, I had paidattention to Guyana’s weaving and knitting tradi-tions a decade ago. Front Room, an exhibition inLondon by Michael McMillian ( https://www.gef-frye-museum.org.uk/aboutus/press/releases/westindi-an/ ) and his article “The West Indian Front Room:Reflections on a Diasporic Phenomenon.” (SmallAxe, 28, March 2009, pp. 135-156) explored theways West Indian diaspora households decorate thepublic spaces of their homes, especially their frontrooms. Knitted objects were part of the décor.McMillian traces the “chair backs” back to Victoriantimes.

Examples of Guyanese weaving and knitting traditionscan be found not only in front rooms but also in privatespaces.

In “Giant crocheted installation of urchins floatsabove city marina,” Kimberly Mok asserts, “Crochetand other forms of handmade crafts are making acomeback, thanks to renewed interest in DIY self-sufficiency.” She has shown examples of the cro-chet revival moving from the home to the street. Formore, please visit:https://www.treehugger.com/culture/urchins-cro-cheted-installation-choi-shine-architects.html

22 Crocheted Dress. Lennie Cambridge (Minnesota,early 1980s) Photograph by Patricia Cambridge

From the Sea Urchin installation by Choi+Stine Architectsat Singapore’s 2017 iLight Marina Bay Festival.

Photograph © Choi+Stine Architects.

Is Khan’s new series the announcement a revival inGuyana’s weaving and knitting arts?


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25Derek Walcott’s connections, however, would havebeen deep all around the Caribbean and he cameto be claimed by the world. His professed dedicationto the West Indies is well known, but by the settingof the final decade of the twentieth century, he hadadvanced to be regarded as the world’s best poet.He was the Caribbean’s greatest poet-playwright.He came to be called many things – the Homer ofthe West Indies – its most exceptional dramatist -a universal humanist. We are witnessing not theend of just “another life”, not of a man, but the endof an era, of a whole age in West Indian and worldliterature.

who, interestingly, was also an accomplished play-wright. Their parents, Warwick and Alix, weremixed race school teachers. Roddie Walcott pro-duced some of St Lucia’s best known, but mostlyone-act, plays, including Malfinis (his best),Shrove Tuesday March, The Trouble With AlbinoJoe, The Harrowing of Benjy and The Banjo Man(full length).

Of equal interest is that Derek started off in art as ateenager, setting down his first milestones at 18not as a writer but as a painter, which was hisambition. He first came to wide public attentionthrough a joint exhibition with his friend DunstanSt. Omer, reviewed by Harold Simmons, distin-guished man of the arts in St. Lucia, a mentor who

introduced Walcott and St. Omer to public andcritical attention. But it was St. Omer, notWalcott, who went on to be the island’s greatestpainter. Walcott, however published his first col-lection of poems – Twenty Five Poems in 1948and was also known in those fledgling years for“Epitaph for the Young”.

From there, the cliché goes, he never looked backon the road to making one of the greatest contributionsto the rise of West Indian literature. But it was notas the cliché would have it – his eventual successwas owed as much to perseverance as to genius,according to Edward Baugh, the greatest authorityon Walcott’s work (see West Indian Poetry 1900 –

1970). By 1970 Walcott had outstripped manyother promising poets of that time because of hissteadfast commitment to the craft . That he wasnot always buoyant and prosperous throughout hislong voyage was documented by another biograph-er, the critic Bruce King . His relationship withthe Trinidad Theatre Workshop grew stormy,erupting in an explosive blow-up in 1978, leavinghis domestic life in ruins. There have been toomany other very outstanding Caribbean writersduring the period to say it was dominated byWalcott, but he was certainly a most powerfulpresence and among the most consistently influen-tial in the making and shaping of the literature,

Sir Derek Walcott was knighted as the final crown,the power and the glory of a career that started asearly as 1948, and whose conquests along the wayincluded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992 andliterary prizes, almost fittingly, for his last book ofpoetry, White Egrets (2010) .

Dr Derek Walcott had many other honoursbestowed upon him for his elevation and decora-tion of West Indian poetry, drama and letters,including an Honorary Doctor of Letters from theUniversity of the West Indies Mona campus in1973 – quite fittingly, since that was his almamater, the place where he literally launched hisdramatic preoccupations.

This laureate, this ex oriens occidente lux (lightshining out of the west) waxed to become the illu-mination of learning that the university saw itselfas. He was born on January 23, 1930, in Castries,St. Lucia, along with his twin brother Roderick,

‘Either I’m nobody, or I’m a nation’Shabine in “The Schooner, Flight”, Derek Walcott

Al Creighton

Derek Walcott (January 23, 1930 – March 17,2017) had a few areas and instances of verydirect contact with the Guyana Prize forLiterature and with Guyanese literature thatmay bear mention of any relevance or signifi-cance. The Guyana Prize has been engaged inworkshops for writers over many years. Walcottled one of these along with Caribbean writerDavid Dabydeen during Carifesta X inGeorgetown in August 2008 . At Carifesta hewas the main feature at the Symposia in whichhe repeated a theme he had been articulatingsince the 1970s – his charge that Caribbean gov-ernments have not been supporting the arts anddeveloping their artists (see “We Are Still BeingBetrayed” in Caribbean Contact, 1974) . Herepeated it in “Carifesta A Waste of Money” and“The Artist is Betrayed” (interview with AlCreighton, Stabroek News, 1990) .

At the Symposia he challenged the President ofGuyana to demonstrate commitment to the artsby dedicating more money. This led to directnegotiation with President (at the time) BharratJagdeo and with David Dabydeen for a substan-tial fund for the arts and the establishment of theCaribbean Press. This press published severalnew works and reprinted several titles in the lit-erature of Guyana including past winners of theGuyana Prize.

Long before that Walcott had a Guyanese pres-ence; in some of his early work – dedications toWilson Harris in his poetry in which he describesthe nation in The Gulf and refers to its capital,Georgetown, as a “white town” because of the

prevalence of its distinct architecture of woodenbuildings painted white. There is in the poem,“Guyana”, as Patricia Ismond analyses it, “a closeadaptation of Harris in the sequence” and“movement between the interior landscape andthe capital city” . In 1965 Walcott was theAdjudicator for a drama festival held at theTheatre Guild at which a number of West Indianand other one-act plays were performed in com-petition. But one of the most sustained factorsin Walcott’s Guyana Connection was in theTrinidad Theatre Workshop whose membersover the years included a leading Guyanese actorWilbert Holder, who created the role of JacksonPhillip in Pantomime, and foremost Guyaneseactor and playwright Slade Hopkinson.

Derek Walcott


26 27which he took with him to be rated as the finest in theworld.

Walcott went to the UCWI at Mona in Jamaica in 1950to read for a degree,. During that period at Mona heseriously launched his career in drama and the time oncampus – 1950 to 1954 properly set his foundation.This led straight into 1954 – 1957 when he wrote manyplays (mainly one-act) exploring themes, subjects andformal preoccupations that were to serve him well inlater years. Much of what he did in this early phasewas to work as experiments for things that concernedhim and that he revised and expanded in later plays.

Works such as Henri Christophe, Wine of the Country,The Sea at Dauphin, andMalcochon found themselvesrevisited in more ambitious drama on the same pursuits.These included full-length plays Franklin, Drums andColours (1960) and Ti Jean and His Brothers (1958).Walcott had embarked on a search for heroes,heroicstudies of the St Lucian peasantry, the folk and mythology.

At the same time he began to develop a tragic sensethat pervaded this study of the folk.

The Sea At Dauphin is an example that drew on theIrish tragedy Riders to the Sea by Sean O’Casey whereWalcott explored similarities between the west Indianislands and Ireland. There were similar comparisonswith the Japanese countryside in the tragic heroic post-colonial study of village peasants in Malcochon .There were two sides of his search for heroes. Helooked into the folk heroes of St. Lucian mythology inTi Jean and His Brothers and to heroes of Caribbeanhistory in Haiti, a place acknowledged by the play-wright as the producer of heroes such as ToussaintL’Ouverture. This carried over into his epic dramaDrums and Colours commissioned for the opening ofthe parliament of the West Indian Ferderation (1958 –

1962) in Trinidad in 1960.

His interest in mythology was not only local, since hestarted a lifelong preoccupation with the Classics in theway he tried to retell a story of St. Lucian peasants byadapting Greek mythology from Homer’s The Illiad inthe tragic play Ione. This experiment was to lead tosome of Walcott’s greatest achievements such as thelong poem Omeros (1990), the play The Odyssey(1992) and even the long autobiographical poemAnother Life (1969).

Haiti would have appealed to Walcott, much as it did toC.L.R. James , because of his interest in heroes andheroism, but just as much for the strong post-colonialresonance in its history and in its revolution. Equally,there is its appeal for dramatic study because of its verytragic circumstances. Walcott’s many revisits to Haitiarose from these and culminated in his major play onthose themes – Haytian Earth, which irked andoffended members of the Trinidadian left wing during

performances in 2003 at UWI, St. Augustine – the200th anniversary of the Haitian Revolution, largelybecause of his unsympathetic treatment of JeanJacques Dessalines.

Walcott’s “Jamaica Years”, critically examined by SamAsein , was a very important foundation period for thewriter, more than anything else, for his theatre. Mostof what he did there, set off crucial preoccupations thatdirected the way his career moved in the decades thatfollowed. At that time he had introduced a new depthto the Caribbean theatre’s treatment of the society. Theprevailing forms were the backyard theatre traditionand its descendants, and a number of one-act comediescollected by Errol Hill for the UCWI Extra Mural publi-cations .

Walcott settled down in Trinidad for a much longerperiod working as a newspaper writer at The Guardian(“a hack’s tired prose”) and was more rooted there thanhis time spent in Jamaica. His work was immersed inTrinidadian literature while he set down roots in thetheatre. It was during this time that his first major col-lection of poetry appeared – In A Green Night (1962)and he began to develop as a major poet. The mixedreviews accused him of echoing the influence of toomany other English poets. The great irony is that thebook truly set Walcott on course to greatness. It was abook with a vow sworn on the Bible – “as John toPatmos” by the poet to praise the beauty of the WestIndies; to give it a place in the eyes of the world; to“free” the inhabitants from “homeless ditties” by creating

verses they could call their own. Not only that, but tolearn as a poet to “suffer in accurate iambics”, to find astyle that empowered and identified.

I seek As climate seeks its style, to write Verse crisp as sand, clear as sunlight,Cold as the curled wave, ordinaryAs a tumbler of island water.

These were promises that the poet kept. He hardenedhis verse, and helped to give the Caribbean identity inits poetry. The books that followed included AnotherLife in which Walcott articulated much that informedhis writing. He turned what he described as a colonialcondition into a blueprint for creative engagement andthe imagination. A thoroughly British education led toimitation as he “saw autumn in a rusted leaf” , but

taught him Greek mythology that he used to infiniteadvantage in creativity. That was one artistic stance adopted by the poet thatserved him as a sustained metaphor. Another was thethorough identification of himself with the nations ofthe Caribbean. For example his ethnic mix of blackAfrica and white Europe – “divided to the vein”, whichhe used as a description of the Caribbean and its post-colonial condition. Ir emerged in drama as well aspoetry – Dream On Monkey Mountain (1970),Pantomime (1978) and poetic collections TheStarapple Kingdom and The Fortunate Traveller. Hispersona Shabine, captain of the schooner named“Flight”, a mulatto called “shabine” in French CreolePatois, who declares “I know these islands like the

black of my hand”. He famously declares “either I’mnobody or I’m a nation” . Shabine is Walcott himselfrecommitting to the West Indies.One of the most important developments of Walcott’scareer in Trinidad was in the theatre. His greatest con-tribution was the founding and development of theTrinidad Theatre Workshop in 1959. His work withthis professional company, paralleled in the Caribbeanonly by Rex Nettleford’s NDTC in Jamaica. Most of themajor plays were produced in and for this company,including his reinforced Ti Jean and His Brothers,Dream On Monkey Mountain, The Joker of Seville,Pantomime, The Last Carnival and A Branch of theBlue Nile which was actually about the company andreleased after he acrimoniously parted company withthem. The Last Carnival, too, was post TTW, but it wasa reworking of the original version titled In A FineCastle (1971).


28 29A criticism of Walcott has been that while his work hasthrived on the black/white conflict, post-colonialismand even the concerns of the white French Creole classin Trinidad society, he has failed to treat the everimportant East Indian presence in the Caribbean,which is surprising given his long residence in multi-ethnic Trinidad. Walcott was ever aware of theTrinidadian socio-political demographics, but his con-sciousness has always been strongly St. Lucian. Yet hedid not forget the East Indian presence, and surprising-ly, he treats it quite strongly in a St. Lucian play. The reworked version of Franklyn (most recently producedin Barbados by Michael Gilkes) , has an Indian heroinewho departed from her family tradition. A vivid elementin the play is the response of her father who curses and

denounces her, ending his interview of rebuke by pre-senting her with a small vial of poison, which shedrinks by the end of the play.Yet he did remember to address Indian cultural issuesin Trinidad. Truly, such instances are rare, but a goodexample is the poem – the dramatic monologue “TheSadhu of Couva” in which an old man steeped in traditionand religion laments the waning of belief, understand-ing and respect for Hinduism in contemporaryTrinidad. Another example is in the play Beef, NoChicken, which is however, a farce. He gives humorous,satirical treatment to the kind of shallowness withwhich some aspects of culture borrowed and some-times mimicked from India are treated in contempo-rary Trinidad. However, Walcott’;s most powerful statement on thissubject was reserved for his Nobel Lecture delivered inStockholm before the Swedish Academy when heaccepted the Nobel Prize. Unlike the lament of theSadhu, it is centred on belief. Walcott describes theRam-lila performance that he saw in Felicity a villagein Chaguanas, Central Trinidad, making the point that,

for the participants, it is far more than theatre – it isbelief. He marvels at the high level of production doneby village people and peasants performing a play thatteach about the principles of the Hindu religion.After Trinidad, Walcott had a long career as a lecturerat the University of Boston, USA (1981 – 2007), butinterspersed by extensive travel, phenomenal writingsand some controversy. During that time he also re-established with St. Lucia where he eventually re-set-tled his roots. He developed close friendships withRussian poet Joseph Brodsky and the British poetSeamus Heaney of Northern Ireland, to form a trio ofthe world’s best poets, all Nobel Prize Winners. Thisperiod of extensive travel surely influenced another ofhis most outstanding works of poetry The Prodigal

(2004), praised by Edward Baugh for the maturity andCaribbeanness of its language. Baugh, the foremostWalcott scholar, also edited the most recent collectionsof Walcott’s poetry, an anthology personally authorisedby the poet .These Homeric travels/voyages/excursions also tookthe poet-dramatist to his zenith. The 300 page poem ofHomeric epic proportions Omeros (1990) convincedthe Swedish Academy in his favour in 1992, but thatcannot even be regarded as the very peak of his writingcareer, considering the volumes that came afterwards.Walcott was quite conscious of his Homeric reputation(it was his ambition) since “Omeros” is Greek forHomer. He has compared the Greek coastal islands,their closeness to the sea and history of the sea to theWest Indian islands, not least of all St. Lucia, the set-ting of the epic poem where Homer’s Illiad is translat-ed into a conflict between humble working men andCaribbean history. He had already tried this out in theplay Ione (1957).

The English language is nobody’s special property.

It is the property of the imagination: it is the property of the language itself.

(Derek Walcott)

Homer’s other epic, The Odyssey, was adapted for thestage by Walcott, commissioned by the RoyalShakespeare Company. This was the second timeWalcott was engaged by the RSC, who found it impossibleto perform the results of their first commission – TheJoker of Seville (1974), one of the author’s truly greatplays. The poet transformed the Don Juan story into aCaribbean post-colonial adventure with Caribbeanrhythms, flavor and theatre which must have been toodaunting for the RSC. However, by the time of TheOdyssey, they were much warmer to the task and per-formed it to perfection. That was significant sinceWalcott’s stage adaptation is nearly as Caribbean asJoker. The RSC had successful sold out hits with it inStratford and at the Barbican in London in 1993.Walcott’s poetry after the Nobel also included the veryelegiac The Bounty (1997), Tiepolo’s Hound (2000),The Prodigal and White Egrets, in addition to the col-lection edited by Baugh. His drama includes Moon-Child (2011) an extremely poetic revisit of the Ti Jeantheatre and theme.Yet Walcott’s early ambition was to be a painter, and hecontinued to dabble as a water colourist, never havingreally stopped, before also venturing into oil. It is amoot point how much interest would have been takenof his paintings were he not a master writer. There hascertainly been fairly little really serious critical atten-tion to them. But his art work is of some merit andgains from the fact that his drawings and paintingshave long been companions to his writings. Plays havebeen illustrated, sketches have been used to enhance,clarify and even influence drama. Documents in files in Castries show exploratory sketchesof the Japanese countryside with bamboos akin to theCaribbean and used in Malcochon. There have beenserious exhibitions of his art work, including one in hishonour at the UWI in St. Augustine. These reveal apreoccupation with landscape, with the sea and some-times the folk. He is a realist.Walcott has also had a mixed association withCarifesta, which he declared in 1990 to be an excessivewaste of money, since it was a grand fete which doesnot develop the artists and leaves them in poverty athome (Stabroek News Interview). At the same time helambasted Caribbean governments for their “betrayalof art” and artists. Yet he has had famous episodes ofparticipation in Carifesta. For example, his play aboutRastafari, Oh Babylon, played at Carifesta in Jamaica1976, and he was feature speaker at Guyana in 2008when he challenged then President Bharrat Jagdeo toput money into the arts.His prose writings have gone the spectrum from news-paper work for Public Opinion in Jamaica and theTrinidad Guardian to deep critical writings in theatre,literature and language. Among the best known,“What the Twilight Says” is mainly about his longendeavor with the Trinidad Theatre Workshop . hispreoccupations with the sea and with history arereflected in “The Muse of History” and “The Sea IsHistory”. He marvels at the folk theatre of the street

when Flavier the White Devil called Papa Djab used toperform at Christmas in Castries . He takes on thedebate about the English language in the Caribbean,rejecting the quarrel with it as colonial imposition,instead valuing it, as George Lamming does, as “a WestIndian language” with great gains for himself as awriter.Critical attention to Walcott is too voluminous and variedfor any attempt here at coverage, however brief. Baughfirst focused Walcott’s own essays in Critics onCaribbean Literature (1978), after having published hisresearch in Derek Walcott, Another Life: Memory AsVision (1976). These were followed by Derek Walcott(2006). Another scholar on Caribbean literature,Stewart Brown pulled together much of the disparateworks about Walcott when he edited The Art of DerekWalcott (1992) . Bruce King’s two large volumes provideextensive history – the personal and the professional inDerek Walcott and West Indian Drama (1995), andDerek Walcott A Caribbean Life (2000).

NOTES / REFERENCESCastellani House, Georgetown, Carifesta X, 2008.Caribbean Contact, Ed. Ricky Singh, Caribbean Council of Churches,Barbados, 1974.Al Creighton, Interview with Derek Walcott, Stabroek News, 1990.Grand Opening Symposium, Carifesta X, Chaired by Al Creighton, PanelH.E. Bharrat Jagdeo, President of Guyana, Derek Walcott, Edward Baugh,David Dabydeen, Ken Ramchand. Georgetown, August, 2008.Derek Walcott, “Guyana”, in The Gulf and Other Poems, London, Cape,

1969.Patricia Ismond, “Abandoning Dead Metaphors : The Caribbean Phase ofDerek Walcott’s Poetry”, 2001.Walcott, White Egrets, 2010. Winner of The T.S. Eliot Prize 2011; theOCM Bocas Caribbean Prize for Literature 2011.The motto of the UWI.HAROLD Simmons, “A West Indian Poet Fulfills His Promise”, TheSunday Gleaner, Kingston, February 27, 1949. Edward Baugh, West Indian Poetry 1900 – 1970, UWI, Mona, Savacou,n.d. Bruce King, Derek Walcott, A Caribbean Life, London, Oxford University

Press, 2000.See drawings of Japanese landscape and countryside, particularly the bam-boos, in Folk Research Centre, Castries St. Lucia.C.L.R. James, Black Jacobins, 1936.Samuel O. Asein, “Walcott’s Jamaica Years”Walcott, “As John to Patmos”, In A Green Night, London, Cape, 1962.Walcott, “Islands”, In A Green NightWalcott, Another Life, 1973Walcott, “The Schooner, Flight”Franklin, directed by Michael Gilkes, Queens Park Theatre, Bridgetown,Barbados, 1991.Edward Baugh (ed.), The Poetry of Derek Walcott 1948 – 2013, 2014.Walcott, “What the Twilight Says”, Dream on Monkey Mountain andOther Plays, Farrar, Strauss, Giroux, 1970.Edward Baugh (ed), Critics on Caribbean Literature, 1978.Undated newspaper clipping in the Folk research Centre, Castries,St Lucia.George Lamming, The Pleasures of Exile, 1960.Stewart Brown, The Art of Derek Walcott, Bridgend, Seren Press,1992.

30CELEBRATING

Sister TchaikoKwayana:An Original Educatorof the African World“Educator and popular historianSister Tchaiko R. Kwayana(1937-2017) taught in Africa,Guyana, South America and theUS. A forerunner of the BlackPower and Black studies movementsof the late 1960s and early1970s, she also challenged post-civil rights, post-colonial inde-pendence black-led regimeswhere they emerged as authoritarian and oppressive,betraying the goals of national”

Dr. Matthew Quest

Tchaiko Kwayana, the third child ofReverend John James Cook and Dorothula T. CoanCook, was born on June 24, as Annie FlorenceElizabeth Cook. As an adult she changed her nameto Tchaiko Kwayana. Her senior sister, Mary AliceCook Wilcher and her parents preceded her intransition. Tchaiko had many experiences with hersisters as they often traveled with their mother andfather due to their father’s requirement as a pastor.She and her sisters grew up in Buena Vista,Georgia, where her parents settled after her fatherwas appointed as pastor to the local ChristianMethodist Episcopal church. Her parents madesure they traveled to visit schools and other institu-tions that enhanced her and her sister’s growth.

Tchaiko and her sister, Dorothy Lee, went to schoolat the ages 3 & 4 respectively because their mothercould not find a caregiver for them while workingas a teacher at an elementary school. This was withthe consent of the superintendent of the schoolfrom Marion County. During the same year, whileconducting his teaching evaluation visit, the super-intendent requested that Tchaiko read from thepre-primer book used in class. To his surprise shedid so successfully. In elementary and high school,Tchaiko maintained excellent grades and wasengaged in many school activities. Because shewas such a gifted student, she was invited to recitethe “Night Before Christmas” every year duringprimary school. Tchaiko was the winner of severalcontest both in academics and in school socialactivities. As Tchaiko developed into a young lady,she was an inspiration in church activities thatshowed her leadership skills, communication skillsand caring for others. Graduating from high schoolat an early age, she was the valedictorian of herclass at Buena Vista High School in Buena Vista,Georgia. After high school Tchaiko’s sights were seton obtaining a secondary education.

She headed off to Paine College, where she not onlyengaged in her chosen field of study, but was activein campus activates which included Concert Choir,NAACP, Christian Youth Fellowship and Sundayschool. She also volunteered at BethahlamCommunity Center in Augusta, Georgia. Aftergraduating with a B.S. in English, she taught in theAugusta Public school system for several years.

The next position she accepted was in SanFrancisco. Tchaiko then became connected withthe institute of International

Education, through which she was appointed to theposition of teaching English at the University ofNigeria in Ibadan, West Africa. After she hadcompleted the three year appointment, Tchaikotravelled throughout West and Central Africabefore returning to the states.

Tchaiko’s African experiences had a revolutionaryaffect upon her outlook on life. Over the years, shehas identified with and been involved in movements for the liberation of brown and black skinindividuals in America and abroad, from oppres-sion and injustice.

Tchaiko received her Masters from ColumbiaUniversity. Her areas of concentrations wereEnglish as a second language and Linguistics. Aftershe completed her degree, she worked with the fol-lowing organizations: Harlem Teams for Self Help,the Manpower Development Program, and theSearch for Education, Elevation and KnowledgeProgram or (SEEK), in New York City.

Tchaiko’s focused her post Master’s Program onAfro-Cultural and Linguistics research whichresulted in her traveling worldwide to examineAfro-American dialects in Georgia and the SouthAmerican countries: Suriname, Guyana and Brazil,where she discovered resources for the support ofher project. While engaged in research in Guyana,where she met her future husband of 46 years, thePan African and independent socialist EusiKwayana, now 92 years old.

31


32


33GUYANA CULTURAL ASSOCIATION OF NEWYORK SUPPORTS THEWORK OF CALVARY MISSION PANTRY


3534Calvary’s Mission has its origin in the CalvaryAssembly of God Church in Richmond Hill, QueensNY. This church draws its membership from the largeCaribbean community of mainly Guyanese,Trinidadians, and Barbadians residing in Queens, NY.In 1999, some members at a cell meeting, at the homeof the then Deacon Dev Raghoo, proposed the idea ofstarting a food pantry as a tangible expression of thechurch’s outreach to the poor in the community. Thisidea was further developed by Mr. Shiv Singh, Mr. DevRaghoo, and Mr. Tony Miranda of the ElohimCommunity Development. They were the architects of

the Calvary Assembly of God Food Pantry.The food pantry began operations at the CalvaryAssembly of God Church in 2000. At that location theprincipals of the pantry distributed thousands ofpounds of food, clothing and other necessities to mem-bers of the church and community at large. In 2003Tony Singh proposed expanding the role of the foodpantry from just serving the needs of the people inQueens to a national and international outreach to also

impact peoples of the Caribbean. However after aboutsix years, the pantry was forced to close its operation atits first location, the Calvary church, on February 27,2005. On May 28, 2005 the pantry recommenced operationsat a new location, The Community Bible EvangelicalFree Church under the following board members.Messrs. Shiv Singh, Robert Percival, SookramRamoutar, Tony Singh, and Khemraj Singh, and with anew name, Calvary’s Mission. In 2008 the organizationobtained its own 501c (3) status; officially becoming anautonomous entity with full not-for-profit branding.With a new beginning; Calvary’s Mission successfullybroadened its scope by extending aide to the impover-ished nations of Guyana, Trinidad, Haiti, and thePhilippines. While the organization’s internationalendeavors were being realized, Calvary’s Mission sawan increase in the amount of New Yorkers seekingassistant. It is no coincidence that this increase coin-cided with the last financial crisis. Calvary’s Mission’s

lines exceeded at times one thousand individuals look-ing to feed themselves and their families. During thoseyears; the organization distribution jumped from sev-eral thousand pounds of food to a million plus. Andthough economist might tout the country’s fiscal resur-gence, the organization has not seen the need amongstits clients lessen. Last year Calvary’s Mission distrib-uted close to 3 million pounds of food. With a consis-tent stream of clients seeking assistance, Calvary’sMission plans to extend its reaches by creating newprograms directed at combating poverty in New York.Those programs will include; rèsumè building, comput-er literacy, and English proficiency classes. As we growwe look towards the public for assistance. We ask any-one that is willing or able to donate their time as a vol-unteer, or for any monetary contributions please stopby our website (www.calvarysmission.org) to get intouch with us.

CALVARY MISSION FOOD PANTRY

Calvary’s Mission plans to createnew programs directed at

combating poverty in New York. Last year Calvary’s Missiondistributed close to 3 million

pounds of food.


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37

BISHOPS’ HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK TRI-STATE CHAPTER

International JazzEvening Under the Stars

Gail Nunes

We conceptualized an idea; our team of ingeniousplanners created a showstopper, and the firstInternational Jazz Evening Under the Stars whichbecame our most talked-about event this year.Tucked away near the tip of a cul-de-sac in a quietMount Vernon suburb, and with the complimentsof our gracious hostess, the Bishops’ High SchoolAlumni Association New York Tri-State Chapterheld its Jazz Evening with toast to Internationalfare at this beautiful home. Lights, décor, music,food, drinks and good company all commingled toachieve the success of the event.Promotion of the evening carried promises of stel-lar entertainment. Our patrons got this and more.The jazz group headed by alto Saxophonist andGrammy Award winner Mark Grosshttp://www.markgrossmusic.com/ featuringvocalist Monica Harris, engaged us with superbmusic interspersed with Gross’s good-naturedhumor and engaging conversation with his appre-ciative audience. There was a dizzying array of food that drewappreciative nods from the guests. Culinary con-

tributions from our homegrown talent were sup-plemented by Ridgewells Catering Executive SousChef and sometime White House caterer, BHSalumnus Kashif Browne, assisted by MatthewCampion, himself a sous-chef.Our pick of fine fare spanned various countries.Latin American quesadillas, Chinese dim sum,Japanese sushi, Italian shrimp scampi, Indiantika, Kashif’s pig roast, and unquestionably, ourCaribbean Jerk Pit. Our mouthwatering dessertswon appreciative appeal.An injection of Caribbean spice with sounds byGuyanese Steel Pan Player Michael Williams,more familiarly known as Jah Pan-Man, success-fully provided a music mix and supported theevening’s theme of a medley of international fla-vor.In keeping with our ongoing efforts to support theBishops’ High School of Guyana, funds raisedfrom the Jazz Evening will be used to benefit theschool. The Tri-State Association extends its gratitude toour friends and supporters.

An Affair to remember


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A Happy 51st. Independence Anniversary Guyana

A diverse crowd of Guyanese gathered on May 26th, onthe Anniversary of The 51st Independence of Guyanaat The United Nations to commemorate and celebrateour Golden Arrowhead with great respect in our heartsand to give thanks to all the great freedom fighterswho sacrificed so much to make our homeland free.We must never forget those brave soldiers of freedom,our Flag does not fly because the wind blows, it flieswith the breath of perseverance and the sacrifice of allthose who valiantly fought with the impatience ofoppression and the hope of deliverance. A host ofDignitaries, Ambassadors, Consul Generals , ElectedOfficials, Judges ,well wishers and proud Guyanesewere in attendance to celebrate and commemorateGuyana's Independence Day

HIS EXCELLENCY RUDOLPH TEN-POW, PermanentRepresentative of Guyana to the United Nations, andThe HONORABLE BARBARA ATHERLY ConsulGeneral of Guyana in New York hosted a sumptuousand impressive reception in the N.E. space of theUnited Nations General Assembly. Pan music,Guyanese Cuisine, a flushed Bar with Guyanese DDLRum, a variety of wines, and the preverbal Rum Punchhad the crowd "happy" with the raising of glasses to

Independence. A great meet up with old friends, newfriends, great conversation that spread throughout thecrowd with a glow of friendship and a feeling of home,pride and togetherness.

Patricia Jordon-LangfordPhotographs compliments of Patricia Jordon-Langford and Tangerine Clarke

12 year old Kamayyah Parchmant , Guyana's singingprodigy opened the proceedings with the Guyana'sNational Anthem, as I looked around the room I sawPride and Happiness as the crowd listened intently."Your children salute you, dear land of the free" We alldid on that memorable evening. The Hon BarbaraAtherly welcomed all with a rousing and emotive speechthat set the tone of Independence excitement . HisExcellency Rudolph Ten -Pow gave the key note addressemphasizing our oneness in our diversity, and mutualrespect for each other's cultural and religious differ-ences therefore forming a cohesive and amalgamatedGuyana. He reminded all about our commitment onMay 26th 1966 ,our values our hopes and aspirations,our freedom from discrimination and oppression andour responsibility for the principles and our heritage.He also accentuated that the 51st anniversary ofIndependence should inspire us all to continue to worktowards preserving and guarding our birthright andinheritance and legacy for the next generation; Ourbeautiful and bountiful Guyana, its many lakes andrivers, waterfalls, rainforests, its ecosystems, and hin-terland should be safeguarded and in doing thisGuyana can flourish and can endow a good, happy andprosperous life in unity and accord for generations tocome . His Excellency extended congratulations to all– at home and in our Diaspora – as we celebrate ourfreedom, our statehood and our beloved Guyana

" Dear land of Guyana, of rivers and plainsMade rich by the sunshine, and lush by therains, Set gem-like and fair, between moun-

tains and seas" -

A powerful veneration of our homeland. Ouruniqueness our being hospitable and kind-hearted are our traditions that should beguarded and practiced every day so that it is away of life for the next generation. In everyhuman breast God has implanted a principlecall love of freedom ,therefore in order to real-ly be free we all have to make the commit-ment to remove the flame of divisiveness,and to join hands- by uniting we stand bydividing we fall.

A big Thank You to the Guyana Mission, TheGuyana Consulate, The IndependenceCommittee and to all those who made thisevent possible.

A Happy 51st Independence to All.


4140 THSAA 13th Triennial ReunionJuly 30, 2017 – August 6, 2017

New York, New York

Sunday, July 30, 2017...................................Church Service - St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church331 Hawthorne Street, Brooklyn, NY 11225 @ 3:00 pmKick Off Dance - Afrika House2265 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, New York 112266:00 pm – 12:00 pmMonday, July 31, 2017 .................................Registration/Package - St. Gabriel’s Parish Hall331 Hawthorne Street, Brooklyn, NY 1122510:00 am – 5:00 pmTuesday, August 1, 2017.............................Bus Ride - Foxwoods Resort Casino/Shops, Connecticut Leaving at 8:00 am from Eastern Parkway & UticaWednesday, August 2, 2017......................Boat Ride - Brooklyn Army Terminal 140 58th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11220Boarding at 6:30 pmThursday, August 3, 2017 ..........................Business Meeting - St. Gabriel’s Parish Hall331 Hawthorne Street, Brooklyn, NY @ 11:00 amFriday, August 4, 2017.................................Oldies - Tropical Paradise Banquet Hall 1367 Utica Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 112039:00 pm – 3:00 amSaturday, August 5, 2017 ...........................Grand Gala Ball - Terrace on the Park52-11 111th Street, Flushing, NY 113688:00 pmSunday, August 6, 2017...............................Family Day – Det. Keith Williams Park, Liberty Av, Queens, NYPlease send all payments by JUNE 15, 2017 DEADLINE to:The New York Tutorial Support Group Inc.P.O. Box 511New York, New York 10014Telephone: (877) 576-3052Email: [email protected] payment details contact: Website: www.thsny.org

2017 SYMPOSIUM CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc.2017 SYMPOSIUM & LITERARY HANG

We Bridgin … Celebrating our Indigenous Culture”

MISSION AND RATIONALEThe goal of the Symposium and Literary Hang is to improve knowledge about Guyana. Specifically, the organiz-ers hope to make information about Guyana’s indigenous heritage and culture accessible and to undermine nega-tive stereotypes. The Guyana Cultural Association of New York invite papers, panels, displays, exhibitions,dances, papers, lectures, talks, and posters, to support the exploration of:• creation stories of Guyana’s indigenous peoples. • the state of Guyanese archeology• science and technology in contemporary indigenous communities in Guyana• Conservation and stewardship of “Guyana verde.”• Innovations in contemporary Guyanese art• Representation of the indigenous in Guyana’s creative imagination• Visioning the future: Implementing Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs’ sustainable development strategic plan• Visioning the future: Implementing Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs’ sustainable development strategic plan

OBJECTIVESThe organizers of the symposium anticipate the following outcomes:• Contribute to the eradication of persistent negative racial and ethnic stereotypes in Guyanese society• Contribute to the building of trust among Guyanese• Contribute to the reinforcement of the bonds of solidarity and friendship• Encourage and sustain creativity and achievement• Support the visualization of an inclusive and caring Guyanese society• Facilitate collecting of materials for dissemination in Guyana Folk, GCA’s monthly online magazine• Support scholarly research. Materials from the symposium will be deposited at the Guyana Arts & Cultural Center, Brooklyn, and the Amerindian Research Unit, University of Guyana. The materials collected will also be used as content in GCA’s radio, television, and on-line programming.

THE PROCESSPersons interested in participating in the Symposium & Literary Hang are invited to register by proposing a provisional topic by May 30, 2017. Abstracts are due by June 30, 2017. Abstracts should not exceed 300words and should be sent in electronic files to -

Dr. Vibert Cambridge - [email protected] Dr. Juliet Emanuel - [email protected]

The Symposium & Literary Hang is scheduled for Thursday, August 31, and Saturday, September 2, 2017

Presentations will be limited to 15 minutes. Specially invited presenters will be accorded more time.

For further information, contact:Dr. Vibert Cambridge, President - [email protected] Dr. Juliet Emanuel, Secretary - [email protected]

Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc.


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