Posts

Masquerading in the Guyana struggles

Image
Image derived from one on Stabroek News Masquerading  Woman who sells in the market and is one of my therapists laughs "Eh eh, I see you been in de masquerade thing " and I laugh with her before we start to talk about the horror of Guyana in the last couple of weeks .. horror which is the legacy of past horrors. Morning after some citizens who also excluded from the prosperity (did they receive cash grant? What else do they need?) went on rampage in Georgetown and elsewhere, lighting fires and so I call to find out if the Masquerade Lives On Symposium was still on.  And so on the Tuesday when people decided to stay home after the madness of Monday night, we gather not far from where I was protesting with others, including others I had protested against for their own role in the legacy of violence, against the police. I stand in the room, a bit uncertain of my place and role here because I didn't know anything about masquerade beyond being an observer (and singing George...
Post a Comment
Read more

Painting, talking, hugging, healing around the Eco Fun-Fest

Image
  Painting  The Greenheart Movement held an Eco Fun-Fest two days after more the manifestation of the violence from the State in Guyana resulting in the deaths of 11 year old Adrianna Younge, and Maline LaCruz, SueAnn LaCruz and their mother Waveney LaCruz. Social media is full of the rage, shock, anger. People with children cannot imagine the horror. And all things being true where raging at protestors who blocking road while also raging with them at the bizarre hold which the police leadership seem to have on baba and papa prezzy.  One day I felt like I could not walk and had to keep moving. Another letter to the editor drafted, another appeal. I think I can do it, but I cannot really. Coping tools help. Eco Fun-Fest has face painting. And small canvas tiles , pick up and paint it .. looking for the blue which is calming for me. But artist Nigel Niix Butler had to get to some so I started with green, yellow, red on a dry leaf I had difficulty finding in the immaculate ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listening to Stanley Greaves in a time of violence

Image
Extract of NAILS by Stanley Greaves, 1984 available on Stabroek News   Listening to Stanley Greaves   On the morning after police killed Ronaldo Peters and on the morning when police killed Keon Fogenay called 'Dan' I was listening to Stanley Greaves respond to questions in his usual generous, warm way , explaining things in simple language that I could understand.   Moray House Trust had organised "Ask me anything … about the creative arts: Stanley Greaves, and that was the spirit of the discussion, that kind of open exchange which is nurturing. I liked Nails, which I saw for the first time , in the newspapers on the Sunday. Something about reusing bent nails, and using them not discarding. On the morning the police killed Ronaldo Peters and on the morning when citizens were enraged at the police explanation of why they killed Ronaldo Peters and when police then killed Keon Fogenay called 'Dan' I was in a nice online bubble, being in this other Guyana where peop...
Post a Comment
Read more

Women and girls who have to pick up knives ..

Image
  Knives Chaitra Navratra 2025 this week and people talking about how the man defend himself against the woman by killing the woman with nuff bullets who had to pick up a knife to defend herself after he slapped her .  Nothing new really as all the men who beat and abuse women are defending masculinity, their honour (she disrespect me'.. she mek me do it'.. ) , 'she look for it' - men who have raped children have said the 'children were seducing them' .   Durga is presented with weapons, all the weapons of all the Hindu male deities apparently and she and her other awatar Kali kill demons, male demons .  The weapons and demons are meant to be virtues and vices respectively.  First time in a TV show, woman is cutting up vegetables for Christmas Dinner. Quiet older white woman. Man knocks her down to the floor as he defends masculinity. Not the first time. She uses the knife and kills him. People are shocked that the man used to abuse her.  Fiction But ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dear fed up and frightened Hindus in OneGuyana...

Image
  Dear fed up and frightened Hindus in OneGuyana Seeta Ram. The morning after the OneGuyana Phagwah , one of you expressed your frustration about how the OneGuyana Phagwah thing at the stadium was very far away from what many Hindus would have been hearing in mandir the morning of Phagwah. While OneGuyana did have a line about 'no alcohol, no meat' , as with so many of the 'messages' is that you can talk one thing but don't really bother about any thing and from my timeline I realised that nuff people enjoyed the OneGuyana Phagwah and as they do with many other of the OneGuyana rules and laws, didn't bother.. Alcohol and Phagwah Yep, the alcohol and Phagwah thing, like the 2025 Ramnavami date, got different Hindus thinking different things. Some devout Hindus on my timeline ignored the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha's appeal for no alcohol and shared proudly their enjoyment of alcohol with the love and unity.  is controversial. Some of us acknowledge the history...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Orishas, the sea and the forest on a Saturday afternoon

Image
Microsoft Designer AI Image 'the sea and the jungle'   The Orishas Saturday afternoon and clouds have promise of rain. Minibus man asks if I going right down as he swing on Lamaha Street and I said yes no problem because I getting drop close to Fresh, the 'lil cafe shed place next to the bank ' as the taxi dispatcher later described. The woman in the painting looks at me , I am her equal. There are iron implements around her. She is young, strong and assertive - not fearsome.   I keep coming back to the painting as I am early and I can move around the room.  Later on, I am helping out a bit and in between helping, I feel as though Ogun as woman is looking at me, in a kind way.  Alyce Cameron's Ogun formed part of the Art Exhibition  hosted by the Alliance Française of Guyana and members of the Guyana Women Artists Association. The exhibition was curated by Pekahiah James. The artists who displayed their work are Alyce Cameron, Elodie Cage Smith, Jennifer G...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sacred and erotic and vulgar and Phagwah 2025

Image
Translation of Bhartal - Chalo Piya Soyi Rahi from "Chowtal Rang Bahar" done by Ramnarine Sasenarine and Peter Manuel(2010) Sacred and erotic The Pandit shouts at me "Do you know what kind of bollywood song they were dancing Diwali night, don't they read the translations before they decide.. the lyrics are vulgar" .    "Nah we not singing that" one of the devout Hindu men I know says as  we read the translation to my favourite bartaal. I was like what the hell.., somebody planning a night of passion with the 'beloved " and not wanting the husband, elder brother wife to hear anything.. and while beloved means 'Hari, possibly Krishna.. I mean yeah.. we Hindus sing about adultery with God and so as part of the sacred. And when at the end of a chowtaal/Holi programme in the mandir, and the Pandit sings Rang Baarse .. and I think of the context.. I mean is a man singing to he lover while her husband deh bout.. .. and the language is clear.. the...
Post a Comment
Read more