Thoughts of a minibus traveller

First time making New Year's Resolutions. The times though seem to call for them. The pandemic continues. The PNC and PPP will intensify divisions in the oil rich democracy as their way of survival is to  destroy each other while the oil exploiters take the oil away and leave debt and inequality behind. 1. Breathing like a corpse  The Savasana pose - the corpse pose- looks like the easiest yoga one.. lie down and breathe while scanning the body to release the tensions. But it is not so easy. The the mind is taken away from things which might seem important to focus on the breath and the body. And so breathing as a corpse, being a corpse is a way of grounding and also being away and detached. And encouraging others to do the same. 2. Sankalp सङ्कल्प) Morning is rough , moon is moving. Feet are sluggish. Deep inside I think as soon as I get home, I need to do the yoga routine. Most outside thinking nah.. go chill out, eat, take a break, place cold. The sankalp, the intention th...

    Beyond the mask "You think I would not recognise you with the mask" the woman said and I could imagine her smiling behind her mask as her eyes were bright and face relaxed as faces do when people smile. I had been shuffling down the pavement, tripping over the bumps and so and at some point I thought to lift my shoulders and look ahead and walk purposefully and so on.. The woman walked passed me and turned back. Bright red turban, armless dress. Back straight and smooth quick movements. "I can never forget yall" she said.   The late 1990s in Guyana. The man who married her was abusive to her, burn her with hot water. Her church did not believe in divorce. Help & Shelter and Legal Aid had just started up. The legislation was being tested. "I was depressed for a long time.. grateful for everyone who helped .." she said, remembering counsellors,  lawyers, people who had to walk with her. "I surrendered to Yahweh." she said.. "in the nas...

  Rivers The woman laughed as she held my hand. She was helping me to climb out of the boat on the fairly steady river. She said it is the first time she had to help a man and every time I saw her, she laughed. She and her husband were kind to hold my hand in and out of the boat. As man, I don't ask for help normally but my balance is bad and if I had to get to work, then.. It was nice to be on the river, once I got in the boat. Kamarang and Mazaruni Rivers - for a couple of days I had to use to get some work done.   Nice breeze blowing, pulling down the mask and hoping that no Covid-19 virus blowing anywhere across the water. I saw children paddling canoes. A pensioner paddling her canoe with a child, and I remember the last time I tried to row a boat in a river and nearly capsized it. Another woman who was from the river said that more than drowning, be careful because the waters are polluted with the mining. She would not use water from the rivers.  All the surfac...

  (This blog was corrected and updated on 10 Jan, 2022. It has been published in the Diaspora Column of Stabroek News ) Stopping Violence against Women and Girls without Gender Equality? The Government of Guyana and its donor partners launched a pledge on 8 December 2021 for the Community Advocates Network to end violence against women and girls.   The pledge is intended to engage people in breaking the cycle of violence against women and girls, and to encourage people to speak up. Recognition of the endemic nature of this violence is an important step. However, the pledge does not talk about gender equality, or accountability for the Government, or any of the other issues which create the environment which enables  violence against women and girls and other forms of gender-based violence. Furthermore, it seems the Government has adopted approaches which can cause more harm and trap survivors of gender-based violence. The pledge removes any responsibility for dealing...

All talk... "It is all talk talk, no real action,," one survivor said before the conversation on "What do the 16 days of activism against gender based violence mean to survivors ?". The conversation was held on the 2 December, 2021 and was facilitated by Carlotta Boodie-Walcott. The participants reflected on the recent case in which an 18 year old who survived rape tried to report to a police station i n Guyana. Tonika Calder's family went to the media after she died by suicide.  We talked about the needs of survivors, and how these needs are not always met:- Freedom from fear - especially when the justice system allows the perpetrators to go free or do not act to be Believed A way out support and follow up We talked that survivorship is not just 16 days, but every day and that it was important to keep the conversation going as there were so many beliefs and myths which continue the cycle. There was discussion that while laws might be in place, implementation w...