Weed; and the word of God - Groundings - 4 August, 2023

 

Main Street

Hot afternoon with gray clouds in the South. Main Street Avenue has some stalls selling items related to Emancipation. Some people are working on the Main and Quamina Street part, big speakers going up.

They are using winches and chains to put the speakers on the racks. It will be a big event. Watching the hoist and the chains and speakers , and thinking of Quamina, in 1823. The white men murdered him, and hung his body in chains to silence other rebels. They would have had to raise the body with the technology. 

Lay out some of the books on the nice bench. Two men watch from over the avenue, nice Shade still.

I start with the 'free books' and the older man comes over. Picks up a book. I tell him the price, to answer the question 'What do you know about the 1823 rebellion?" The man said he doesn't know anything. He from Kwakwani (the road side) and knows , like most of us, about the 1763 rebellion.

He tells the other man to come over and pick up a book.. 'is good to read'.

The younger man comes, picks up a poetry book. He says he reads from his phone mostly, has two real books at home. He works as a security guard and reads at work , where it is quieter than home. He also reads the Quran. He opens the app on his phone to show me that he listens to the sura and then he can read in English. He does not know about the 1823 rebellion.

I brought my phone with book and so on it but then I somehow darkened the screen and could not figure out how to restore it.  

Another man with beer in hand comes over to say that Guyanese would want ration, not books. He does not take any books.

Heads on a pole

People pass, look at us, ignore us.  Some stop, look.

One woman asks for Louis L'amour books. Another woman takes some books, and says yes she knows about the 1823 rebellion and that her village will be having a symposium... and that she hopes the two elderly speakers 'know when fuh done talk because dem got plenty knowledge and dem doan done"

A young woman said she had gone to an Emancipation event.. "is this the one with the 'heads on the pole' , the picture of the atrocity the white man had committed in putting the heads of the men they murdered on poles on the roadside. Another young man who lived all over Guyana and who likes romance and thriller books said he had a vague idea of the 1823, and the same thing.. 'the heads on the pole'. A different event from the one which the young woman spoke about.

We talked about the Rupununi Uprising and he felt that if people want, they could rise up still.

Weed; and the word of God

 Young man stopped and asked if we had any books about the Bible. We did not. He said he was interested in the Bible, and would be happy to talk about the History of Jesus. Lina said yeah.. you know they had history before Jesus, but he would have none of it. I asked him to tell us of his history, hoping we could get back to 1823.

He used to drink, smoke weed and do other drugs. He had three accidents. While recovering from the last accident, he smoke a joint and then heard a voice calling him and he realise it was the word of God. His face lit up as he talked about what knowing Jesus has done for him. Things are going good.

He went on youtube to learn more about Jesus,the Lion of Judah. He stopped drinking . 'Yes, I still smoke weed.. I cut my own though.. so nothing mix with it'. He is working.

He took two books for his children.

Freedom

 Rain drizzles and we shelter under a tent put up for barbecue later that night. Lina has some genip to give away as well. 

Another price for the free books and free genip was to answer the question 'how free do you feel?" A  young man under contract to the Government said he felt free to speak up and to live his life. A young woman said no, she does not speak out if she thinks there will be more conflict. 

Another man said that the 'one guyana' thing not working as people still have to come to Georgetown to study and so, and leave home and family.  

Another woman said she curtails her freedom to be a role model for her daughter. Other women spoke about feeling free after divorce. 

History

Three cheerful teenagers said they were not doing history so did not know about the 1823 rebellion.  One of the picked up the book of gay short stories to take - one man had said 'gay shit' and others had picked up and put down. I have a feeling she would be using this book as her way of being rebellious.

Another young woman said she did not always feel free and did not speak out. I told her about Amba walking with a gun in Enterprise and said don't let nobody keep you down. She laughed.

A young man said ' I am 23 years old and I want any book to improve myself'. He took a call and went to a car without looking for any books.

I took some Beano Comics and an Asterix, not really interested in improving myself.