Thoughts of a minibus traveller

  Community archives are those archives which are maintained by individuals or groups outside of the State/National archives. These archives are vital in understanding different aspects of our humanity.  This conversation was held to discuss community archives related to the Caribbean.   These notes reflect some of the discussions in the conversation. (The conversation was not recorded) The need for community archives in the Caribbean The need for community archives is based on :- the gaps in information about marginalised peoples in the Caribbean and in the diaspora. This is an issue especially with regards to indigenous peoples and cultures, where the historical records are kept by colonisers and others with similar interests.   to improve access to untold stories and histories related to Caribbean peoples The nature of Community archives related to the Caribbean and its diasporas.  Ego shared some of the archive projects where she worked. Olive Morris ...

  A man who speaks English sits in a speedboat and watches a child who tries to squash black water and brown water together. The man oncludes that it seems as though black and brown water would never mix. The speedboat is stranded out in the ocean. This from the story "Yuh waan to crass de riv-vah" in Daryll Goodchild's collection of poems and stories about 'experiences of Caribbean people, particularly those of Guyanese.' I read this collection at the end of that Guyanese experience of the elections 2020 in a time of Covid. Black and coolie .. black and brown ,  rich and vibrant and dominant colours, so  reading how the man in the boat wonders about black water and brown water never mixing, and seeing how in an article by another man who speaks English,that others have observed that Guyanese thing "While Guyanese of Asian and African descent have lived side by side for centuries, “they mix but they do not combine,” True true story... . One place where the b...

Image of Nina Simone from Feeling Good video on youtube . (Commonwealth Writers launched the book We Mark your Memory : Writings from the descendants of Indenture in Guyana at Moray House Trust on 7 May, 2019 ) Nina Simone and Tabla Alana Warde strummed her guitar and started the beautiful words of Feeling Good. Amar Ramessar was on harmonium.  They started the musical interlude while waiting on the tabla player, Tarun Daodat. I started singing along in my own way at the back of the room. I was feeling out of place as I didn't really want to come. Invitations had arrived from different people so I thought I should come. Tarun came in quietly , set up the table.  And just started playing some beats on the tabla. Feeling Good sounded even more good ..  And I didn't feel too bad to be there . Relieved that Indus Voices was going to be playing music at the Guyana launch of the book. Music in the Caribbean on my mind , musician descendants of indenture. ...

[Spoiler alert] Jamaican Tanya Batson-Savage read her story Ruth about a God fearing woman who had to deal with rude questions from 'that girl' her daughter .. about whether she had an orgasm. I muttered to the prize winning Guyanese writer sitting next to me that it is such a relief to hear about people who have orgasms and not about death and murder. Felene Cayetano from Belize read a poem and a story linked to the poem. Garifuna words and a place called Dangriga. Richard Georges from the BVI read a couple of poems, one about Prosper.. the slave who was murdered by Arthur Hodge. Arthur Hodge was the first West Indian slave owner who was hanged for the murder of a slave. Another poem, about Bush tea was interesting. I think for many Guyanese, BVI is a place to go and get work, and then to come back to Guyana  The poet's grandfather had lived in Guyana. Joanne Hillhouse read from The Boy from Willow Bend - a bit about a funeral and no death. Naijah Imojah...

dis tek pun de Internet.. ah know ah should tek me own but.. De customs man at Piarco tell me dat de only ting dey does tek from Guyana is pineapple an' plantain. Ah' meh had  to trow weh de sourie an' de peppah dat ah bring from Guyana fuh me fren because ah de tink ah should ah been straight up pun de customs farm an' seh yes, yes.. ah was bringing food into de twin island republic. But ah shut me mout bout de tennis roll an de chinee cake at de time.. ah tink nuff ah we know how fuh lie fuh de greater good. I aint know why dis deh in meh  head.. pineapple and plantain only... like is how some people mo' wanted dan odders as we move aroun' de Caribbean an' how customs and immigration does mek sure dat we know dat we aint know damn 'one Caribbean' an' how when we talk Caribbean it doan always reflect de whole Caribbean because it does depend pun who talkin' wedder is tourism people or whuh. Ah mean.. we need visa fuh Sint Maarten ...