Thoughts of a minibus traveller

  The conversation about Intimate Partner Violence in LGBTIQ+ relationships was held on 24 June, 2021. The conversation was held in collaboration with Guyana Rainbow Foundation(Guybow).  Dr Preity Kumar, Asst Professor, Hamilton College, New York  and Colleen McEwan, Executive Director, Guybow shared opening thoughts to lead the discussion.  Carlotta Boodie-Walcott and Vidyaratha Kissoon facilitated the conversation.  Preity shared from the research she had done as part of PhD. Her thesis "Women Lovin’ Women: An Exploration of Identities, Belonging, and Communities in Urban and Rural Guyana" includes a chapter  on the Culture of Violence experienced by the women who shared their stories.  The culture of violence experienced by the women was connected to experiences of early childhood abuse, suicidal thoughts and attempts, non suicidal self harm, sexual violence,  racialised sexual violence , psychological and economic violence. Colleen reflected on the findings of the Guyana

   Sanitising..  Wake up feeling tired and thinking of things left to be done. This was not the plan.. the 'taking the break' so that I could wake up with nothing to be done. Body and mind reacting to the no sleep and there is a restlessness in the tired body like tiny tiny twitches all over which are networked with the nerves in the pain. Twitches from the things I had to do, the flood, the vaccine uncertainty, the changes in body in mind which age, the income earning, the exhaustion from managing the diabetes without having to resort to meds.. and maybe it is the moon,.. Strange things in the week as I accept that I cannot do what I did before and cannot do the same things as before. Found myself rehearsing about five times for a 10 minute thing which I have done before many things but I no longer trust myself to wing it. And while sleep comes the night before, the sleep does not come the night after as another thing comes up. And that even the yoga routine does not really he

 The problems..  "My husband consumed alcohol to deal with problems. So he would go drink when he was upset/annoyed and behave like a crazy person, cursing, hitting, screaming throwing around food .."  "... alcohol only causes more problems in relationships as it does not solve anything.. " The woman who was waiting on electricity to join the conversation and sent a text to say why she wanted to come. The violence and abuse in the marriage, increased with alcohol. One of the problems related to alcohol consumption which is not talked about in Guyana.  The other problems which include the death and injuries caused to alcohol induced violence, including drunk driving, the chronic physical and mental health problems. Alcohol is a legal drug in Guyana, celebrated as part of the heritage and culture.  The two alcohol companies in Guyana reported increased profits of 11.7% and 15.9% during a bad year of pandemic and Elections 2020 - while other people were counting losses

  I am in the supermarket looking at the shelves of things I should not be eating and think heck yea, let me get the  two packs of the tortilla chips imported from Trinidad which I had been boycotting since I on sugar free and eating only the  plantain chips sold in small clear plastic bags by the cousin of the woman who makes them. Plantain chips sold by the woman who also offers a listening ear briefly to the 'how things question/" There are other things I could be thinking about in the supermarket , other plans to make and so on but planning joy in the tortilla chips imported from Trinidad. I could imagine that for some would be like buying condoms. I need to get the two packs of tortilla chips in anticipation that I will get  some more of the mango salsa that despite flood and the virus, the mango trees are bearing and so one of the beneficiaries of the trees has found a way to mix the mango with tomato, red onion, vinegar, shellot and so on  to make this salsa thing. And

By: Meshach Pierre and Vidyaratha Kissoon (Featured Image by Meshach Pierre Reblogged from Meshach Pierre's blog Guianensis ) The world continues to deal with the pandemic in different ways. In July 2020 , we convened an online conversation about mental health in the pandemic and Guyana’s 2020 elections limbo. We were glad to host another conversation on the afternoon of 30th May, 2021. People joined us from Guyana and around the world. “It’s okay not to be okay” It was clear from the discussion that we all had a variety of experiences with the pandemic, and dealt with them in very different ways. People reflected on the positives, negatives, and all shades in between, of the pandemic and all it brought with it, such as lockdowns, social isolation, and/or loss of loved ones. People had diverse experiences with mental health including: doing therapy and being prescribed medication to deal with mental illness; accessing therapy when it could be afforded; deci