Thoughts of a minibus traveller

Image by Anja🤗#helpinghands #solidarity#stays healthy🙏 from Pixabay Healing in Community: People need People was the theme of the third online conversation about preventing domestic violence. The conversation was held on Thursday 25 June, 2020. Participants joined from Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Canada and the USA. Some persons identified themselves as survivors, many of whom are also working as advocates and helpers. The lead facilitator was Carlotta Boodie- Walcott – a therapist - and the moderator was Vidyaratha Kissoon. The online space was created as a ‘brave space’, for persons to share as they feel. We invoked Melissa Soman, 17 years old. A man who was supposed to love her, killed her. The police have charged the man. We invoked Rehanna Rahaman, 18 years old. A man who was supposed to love her, beat her, threw her down on the ground. She died soon after. The police have not charged him. These notes reflect some of points made in the...

"We applaud Prime Minister Mottley’s leadership, stewardship and partnership with Caribbean states. We commend her, on her assumption of the office of Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, for her long-established commitment to Caribbean integration,” President David Granger of Guyana on giving the Order of Roraima to Prime Minister Mia Mottley in February 2020 "“I firstly simply want to say thank you, because I accept this honour, not on my own behalf but on behalf of the people of Barbados. I am conscious that it is the people of our country in Barbados over the course of centuries that have worked with the people of Guyana.” … “The path of our two countries is inseparable and I look forward to our being able to build Mr. President, on that relationship,” P rime Minister Mia Mottley receiving the Order of Roraima from President Granger in February, 2020 Burnham Forbes Burnham was President for life of Guyana ...

Man asks me nicely.. so what have you been doing , are you working? And I am kind of stumped because he has been working hard even with COVID and elections , and I have been in limbo. But thinking that nah man, be creative with something.  Gratitude for the breadfruit which comes my way, discover that the breadfruit is bountiful. The boil breadfruit taste nice.. but sometimes I think it could be stodgy. Hundreds of recipes out there.. baking, frying and so.  Coconut milk, curry.. all nice. Mash and make pie and so. I go looking to see if there is a thing like hash breadfruit.  Find Chef John from Samoa making 'Ulu hasb brown' Boil the breadfruit, grate it, mix it with other things and fry it. Grating the boil breadfruit is not difficult. It is different from mashing the breadfruit.  I grate it, mix it loosely with  some seasoning, and chip up a tomato. The breadfruit is soft enough, it does not need any other 'moisture'.  Vegan style! ...

Using madness to survive the madness of Guyana 2020 - elections, Covid, and re-writing a National Pledge even though I am not a patriot and don't love Guyana I pledge myself to honor always the Flag of Guyana , the struggles and celebrations of my ancestors - all of them , not just the ones on my family tree and to be loyal to my country, accountable to everybody , and to hold them accountable to be obedient to the laws of Guyana, of the Universe, to sustain the Earth, to recognise that I am part of a Universal whole to love  understand  - my fellow citizens, to work with them to overcome the fears at the root of their prejudices , to create connections with them and to dedicate my energies towards the happiness and prosperity of Guyana."   working for justice and equality while taking care of my mental and spiritual health and well being. ( AntivirusGy is a collection of ramblings on things which have changed since Covid 19 entered our vo...

Still taken from  Walter Rodney - Race and Class Video I started writing this at 8pm on 13 June, 2020 , forty years to the moment almost when a bomb exploded and killed Walter Rodney in Georgetown. Sherlina and I decided to go online for our version of Groundings., Groundings without the free books,seedlings and the banner on the road side. Theme was 'Let us take direct action to end racism in Guyana'. Idea was to get people to brainstorm some 'direct actions by the people' to quote Rodney, to end racism in Guyana. To say now we see the problem, experience problem , are hurt by the problem.. to move on from the hurt and anger.  One woman joined from Trinidad.  Others from Guyana, and the USA. One woman was in front of St John's Episcopal Church in Washington DC. She and others were providing food to the protesters there. These are some of my impressions and learning from the conversation. There was much more. How do y'all remember Rodney? T...

Image shared by Valini Leitch Citizens of Antigua &Barbuda, Barbados, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago , the USA and the UK joined in an online conversation on Wednesday 10 June, 2020 to discuss the prevention of domestic violence by changing the culture of violence The lead facilitators were Alexandrina Wong – Gender and Health Consultant and Salima Hinds – Gender and Development Specialist The moderator was Vidyaratha Kissoon This conversation follows one previously held on Healing for Survivors of Domestic violence These notes reflect some of the discussion. Change Change is difficult but necessary. Changing self is needed before community or family or culture could change. We have to change how we view power, power in the family and in the community. We have to understand how people see power as something to abuse. We have to look at how power intersects with gender in the home ; in the work place, in the country. We  have to look...

Image by Niek Verlaan from Pixabay "You could come. We here" - firm and confident voice of my co-conspirator. I was fed up. My head is heavy.  Every time I look in the mirror , I see the image of a man with the heavy head. I can't ease the burden alone. I know the risk. The place I will meet with the man on the phone and other people might be under surveillance. It is a place that is illegal to open But freedom and liberation require risk taking. I tie the cloth on my face to mask and go down to the place. Feeling anxious, scared, hopeful that I could be free from the burden. I open the door of the place. People there.  Everyone in masks. I am the only one with a cloth on my face. Shoots.. I am standing out.  Hearing the curses of the health officials in my head about the men especially who not taking cautions. 'Aye taliban, come and spray your hand' a man shouts.    I reach out the hand, first ritual of solidarity, the clean...

Still from Nearest Neighbours (L), Still from Yves & Variation (R) The girl plays a slow tune on her violin in the film Nearest Neighbours . She is from Venezuela, migrated to Trinidad & Tobago and living in an uncertain place. She probably brought her violin with her. In the film Yves & Variation ,  a young girl shows her sister how to play the violin. Their father, Yves, from Haiti, teaches them. They live in the USA. The Timehri Film Festival 2020 is online via Youtube and Facebook Live.  A woman asked 'why so many documentaries' and one of the festival founders said this is what the film makers are making. Maybe some Caribbean true stories are better than fiction... I don't know that I have ever heard of the violin featuring in any stories real or otherwise of migration in the Caribbean. The 'Guyana' films screened on the opening feature one film shot in Guyana and three others created through the Guyanese diaspora. They are not yet Grown...

"... your silence will not protect you.. "  Audre Lorde  " One who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equiposed in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy, who is always free from contamination, always silent and satisfied with anything, who doesn't care for any residence, who is fixed in knowledge and engaged in devotional service, is very dear to Me ." Bhagvad Gita, Chapter 12 V 18-19 "“In order to rise from its own ashes, a Phoenix first must burn.." Octavia E Butler, Parable of the Sower Mixed, coolie "Man Vidya, you aint easy" the 2012 census enumerator tells me after I tell her to put Mixed for me on the census form after indicating my parents are both "East Indian". I use the word 'coolie'. I know it is loaded with hate , contempt, used to enforce division. But black and coolie when talking about Guyana's 'major ethnic groups' is easier for me to...