Thoughts of a minibus traveller

by Vidyaratha Kissoon “Is Guyana..” the minibus driver said while lighting his cigarette. We were talking about police and traffic tickets. “Nuff people doan pay ticket, is only we bus drivers because we deh pun de road all de time” .. “So is true about de orderly at de court could fix it? “ “Yeah.. dey have tout near de court. You go and walk roun’ like you looking confused and aint know wha’ fuh do and dem gun come up to you and ask whuh yuh looking fuh’? The day before, in a full minibus, the driver told the conductor “If dem man aint want tek you money, is bes’ yuh give de orderly at de court a raise fuh duck de jacket.. dis road hard. Duh is what I had to do yesterday” Open conversation about the hustle all over. I asked how much he had to pay the orderly. “3,000 – is 10,000 for the ticket. “ It sounded positive on one hand, that some police now are issuing tickets instead of collecting the lesser penalties from the drivers. I should have gone to the co...

by Vidyaratha Kissoon The Georgetown City Constabulary officer killed Marlon Fredericks not far from the 24 hour Bourda market where fruits and other Guyana niceness are available. When people, especially from overseas, say ‘ow but not everyting bad in Guyana.. ow’.. and you say true true because Guyana is a place where mango, tangerine, watermelon, orange, passion fruit, banana, pawpaw are more easily available than any guarantees that the City Constabulary and other security officers have a consistent understanding of the humanity of those they arrest. According to the lawyer defending the officer, it was an ‘unfortunate incident’ executed during the course of duties. Does the City Constabulary have rules for when to use firearms? The same lawyer is representing the Town Clerk in the parking meters by laws cas e. Is the City Council paying the legal fees for the officer who killed Marlon Fredericks? A City Constabulary officer raped a child last y...

Turmeric harvested in a plant pot (L); Turmeric Juice from the Madray Family in Bourda Market (R) by Vidyaratha Kissoon “Duh turmeric, dat is what we call dye right?“ the minibus conductor asked me. We were talking about turmeric and things good for you. Dye is what people have mixed in curry powder. Dye makes dhal taste nice and gives dhal an extra golden colour. Dye is also used in Hindu rituals and to rub down to clean the skin of prospective brides and grooms from the dig dutty (maticore) night to the morning of the wedding. Curry as a cure? Turmeric has gained attention as more than just for curry and colour. Turmeric has a history of curing various ailments. Ayurvedic traditions and Chinese medicine have used turmeric in different ways. There is interest in the potential to deal with arthritis and other inflammation related diseases, and in treating skin conditions. Turmeric milk has been a home remedy for colds and coughs and stomach disorders...

by Vidyaratha Kissoon “I want to go home, I don’t want to go to the health centre” the woman told us. The rain was falling. The woman was talking to two women and me. We had seen her half sitting, half lying on the steps of the post office. It seemed no one had noticed her sitting there. The woman had a leatherette traveling bag, with an airline label, her hand bag and a plastic bag. She had put the traveling bag as a pillow and tried to rest on it. We went over and sat on the steps next to her. She wore a flowered blouse tucked neatly into a skirt. It was not easy to determine her age. Her hair was short, black with a few specks of grey. She tried to sit up a bit when she saw us. She said “I am not feeling well”. We were not sure if she wanted us there. One of the women asked her if she wanted some water. She said yes. The woman got some water and something to eat. Later on, the staff of the post office made some tea. “How much do I have fo...

by Vidyaratha Kissoon “You want sour pun it” the woman asked me. The plantain chips were in a clear plastic bag, knotted at the top. There were no labels, no made on date nor exp date. I said no to the sour because sour decreases the crunch. The chips were thin, almost transparent. The woman is selling on a spot which once had a funeral parlour. There is a food van behind her. Grilled food. The funeral parlour in those days only had freezers. No one bothers now. Some of the bags had small pieces, like shards of yellow glass, from the movement and packing and so. The chips crumbled in the mouth, easy on the misshapen teeth and gums. Fragility in plantain chips is good. Fragility in plantain chips is an art, a desired outcome. Fragility though, is not desired in governance. The Camp Street Avenue has a small arch near Middle Street. The Sustainable Development Goals form the arch. People are passing under the arch and not bothering to stop and read. ...

by Vidyaratha Kissoon Dear President Granger A teacher beat a child on the Tuesday day before Diwali. The beating resulted in bruises on the child. The child cannot sit properly. There is a beautiful picture of some students sitting on the ground with you at the Diwali Utsav at State House . The child would not have been able to sit with you because eve though you had said t here is no place for corporal punishment in Guyana , nothing else has been done The school will not do anything though because the teacher, like so many other violent teachers, is “a good“ teacher. The parents who try to stop the beating often end up being penalised by those who think beating children is okay in a democratic society. It as though your good intentions are being undermined. The Minister of Education recently said there will no discrimination against LGBT persons . The Minister has not done anything to stop teachers from beating children. Guyana is proba...

by Vidyaratha Kissoon “What is the real date for Diwali?” the man on the phone asked. Guyana has been blessed with two dates for Diwali since Diwali 2015. There has not been much writing in the papers this year. Everybody seems resigned to the fact that Hindus are not ‘united’ in deciding their dates and will make do. The Government has declared the holiday as Wednesday 18 th October, 2017 based on the recommendations by some Hindu organisations. The Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha and others will celebrate on Thursday 19 th October, 2017. But why should it matter? According to one website about holidays in India , and talking about Diwali in India in 2017 “.. The most widespread holiday is 18 October, where Diwali is a holiday in Arunachal pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarah, Goa, Himachal pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Madhya pradesh, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand. Diwali is celebrated on 19 October in ...

by Vidyaratha Kissoon ‘Da luv her chirren.. she must have tripped out.. “ a woman from Bath, St Thomas, Jamaica said to the media. Da was arrested after some bystanders recorded her beating her daughter. The bystanders shared the video on social media. Da’s community asked for mercy for Da. The women talking to the media told stories of their own experience of violence as children. In this confusion over what is child abuse, what is violence and how to respond, children are expected to thrive. There is mostly agreement that touching a child sexually deserves punishment. There is strong belief that beating a child to cause marks and shame deserves mercy, counselling or maybe even no response, but no punishment. A previous blog looked suggested the following goals for child protection :- Accepting that the Child is a person deserving of special protections Accepting that you can’t beat children while thinking you can stop sexual and othe...

by Vidyaratha Kissoon “Good afternoon sir” one of the students said as they walked out from from the field to the school. There are two goals set up on the field. Some of the children have been kicking around a ball. Some of them had been looking at me looking at the goal posts. The goal posts are firm in the ground. There is a net on one of them. I wanted to swing on the crossbar like how six year old Gleansean Skeete must have done before the goalpost fell and killed him while he was in care of the school teachers. The goal post feels firm in the ground. Goals are usually good things, signs of achievement. Goal posts mark space out as goals. In 2017 Guyana, the broken goal post on the ground in Plaisance marks the site of the death of a six year old child. The broken goal post, in Child Protection Week, soon after the murder of Leonoard Archibald , marks the failure of not having the deep systemic committent to child protection. Oil and gas can...

by Vidyaratha Kissoon “The Heritage celebrations are watered down” Andrew Campbell told me. Andrew Campbell is a young Guyanese man who is actively interested in Indigenous and other cultures. Andrew was one of the presenters at a recent lecture event The Jaguar in the Patamona Culture. His presentation was about his recent studies around Paramakatoi in Region 8. This event was one of a series of events for Indigenous Heritage Month. September in Guyana is Indigenous ( Peoples’ ) Heritage Month. It used to be called Amerindian Heritage Month. This year the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs had invited the public to submit ideas for the month. The Government sponsors most of the events, including the beauty pageant. State sponsored sexism to honour the Indigenous peoples as part of culture. The Guyanese nation is made up people who have come from different places and who have taken different journeys in their liberation. The presenters at the lecture ta...