Dear Orlando, Akeem, Keron, Toisha and the other children who missing out on Guyana's riches..


Dear Toisha (d. 13 October 2026), Orlando (d. 14 Oct, 2026), Akeem (d. 18 Oct 2026), (Keron d. 19 Oct 2026) and children who have died by suicide ; 

 the other children who have died with adults in the MV Barima disaster , 

the children who have died in preventable deaths in the fastest growing economy in the world. 

Om Sadgati. 

Family 

I do not know you but if I believe in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam that the world is one family, then you are my children and I failed to protect you . 

There is something sick about this country where people kill children in direct action and through neglect and in failing to address the violence which is flowing like oil through Guyana. 

And that all of us in Guyana are responsible for all children, especially those whose families cannot care for them. Bhagavad Gita says that death is part of the journey and our souls move. 

Gita though also talks about addressing the injustices and the values which create the violence which has resulted in your deaths.

Gita talks about challenging the circumstances which is attacking our mental health and wellness, and increasing physical illness. 

Killing the killers 

I feel sick that the leadership of Guyana thinks killing the man who killed one of you is apparently going to make things right again and to stop others who might kill again. 

I feel sick that instead of talking about killing those who kill, that the leadership is not serious about dealing with the growing rage and anger, the increased insecurity , fueled by the alcohol and drug abuse.  While is good that vaping get attention, vaping don't kill like how alcohol has killed and destroyed and it is a shame that the death penalty of alcohol is not addressed by the leadership. 

 I see how as you have died, that there are different reactions. Politicians have mourned some of you while some of you only got one news item and nothing more. 

Sacrifice , Blood Legacy, Development

I keep asking myself, is the price of oil for Guyana, the life of children, the stress of daily life? 

When I go to a Church for an event and a security guard has to scan me before going in, and there is a German Shepherd dog with a muzzle , this fear near God..

and that Saudi Arabia which has killed a Bangladeshi couple and wanted to kill a Sri Lankan man for blasphemy, that the killers of people who they think molest their God want to build housing and so in Guyana, and Israel who has unleashed its own death penalties on children and adults in Gaza also sowing in Guyana .. continuing the legacy of the colonisers whose violence 'developed Guyana'.  

And Guyana's leaders want to tie bundle with the American leader who want to livestream the killing of another man who killed others, I mean.. dear Children, were you ever meant to survive in a world where people near God unleash so much fear and anxeity ? 

I feel ashamed that none of you really had access to the protections which a rich country is supposed to give its children. 

And I hear from woman who is familiar with one  of your cases - well meaning people who do not have the resources, knowledge, ways of understanding to break from the legacy of Violence .. that while the Government knew that you were in danger, the Government did not have the will, understanding, the spirit to protect you and gave you over to your killer .

The Government of course elected by people who seem powerless to really implement things like ahimsa, care and other values which could create different legacies. 

New legacies

A young doctor tells me 'bad things happen, that is life' and yeah.. bad things happen but happening over and over and over again, in growing numbers.. life is also about unlearning, learning, nurturing, growing.

Dear children, you are the collateral damage of Guyana's development and progress, all of you. Some of us adults are also walking collateral damage with our illnesses, medicated bodies and minds trying ot muddle through.

In your memory though, I hope, I really hope that we name and address how the different kinds of violence exist in our society and contributed to your deaths, and that we do so so as to heal from that violence and learn new ways of living. 

Otherwise I will just have to keep writing more letters to dead children as a way of dealing with my shame and guilt. 

Yours

Vidya 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Turpentine mango madness

Image
Some of the mango was stuck on the stubble around my mouth. I looked at the mirror, a bit of shame because I had just collected an invitation from a well dressed guy and I wonder how I must have looked to him.. look at dis big man .. he cyan eat mango good . Thing is.. wiping off mango from stubble is difficult.. and the casual swipe with a hand which might have some juice is also useless. The turpentine mango is useless when it is green - it tastes awful, like turpentine.  Mother Nature works a miracle because the ripe one though, is sweet, juicy, no strings and no turpentine taste. And the colours on the skins are bright yellow/orange/pink/purple/red shades that are probably meant to draw all species of mango lovers. The trouble with turpentine is that you cannot pick it green or 'turnin' ' to ripen like say how they do it with Spice mangoes.  You have to leave on the tree until there is some point.. when there is no taste of turpentine. So you look at the m...
Read more

Dear Janelly David, I am sorry..

Image
  Dear Janelly David, I am sorry we , your nation,  your community, other men around you could not stop t he man from killing you. Y ou are 16 years old and many people hope that 16 years old would be close to completing school. I am sorry that we could not make things good for you to be in school. What dreams did you have? What did you like to do? What did you want for yourself? What did you want to be when you grew up?   I am sorry that if you were experiencing problems, that we did not do enough to make sure that you knew how to be in a good relationship, and where to get help if things went bad.   I am sorry, that even though you are living in a place with a lot of gold, and a lot of oil, that the man killed you.   Did you know about the One Guyana Ministerial Task Force which was set up to tackle the "social ills" , which resulted in the man killing you? Did you feel a part of President Ali's One Guyana, living in the mining camp?  The Village ...
Read more

The spider which drew me in..

Image
  Spider Go down in the yard , wondering if I should so something about the banana suckers which springing up all over, in my mind some story to spread them out and then others saying lef them  and then I look between the broad green leaves and see the large delicate web.   In the middle, the black and gold/yellow spider being very still.  I have not seen one of these before and I realise that I have not seen spiders for awhile in the yard or the house (maybe the lizards? ). And so I try to move under the banana leaves, in between them so as not to disturb the web and to check out the spider. And I check it every day that I go down. Other animals might move when they sense 'humans' but in the hot afternoon, the spider is still.  Bokeh I fiddle with camera, reading out about bokeh and trying to understand how I could catch cobweb on an image with the spider on it, much as I suspect the spider has me caught in a way.  I check for it every time I go down...
Read more