Category: Features

It was Shimron Hetmyer who led the West Indies Under-19 team to their first World Cup victory in 2016 and on Wednesday last it was Shimron Hetmyer who once again led the West Indies to victory against Bangladesh at the Providence National Stadium. But will it be Shimron Hetmyer who leads the Guyana Amazon Warriors to their first ever Caribbean Premier League trophy? The 21-year-old top order batsman hails from the ancient country of Berbice and has been in love with the game from a young age. He started playing…

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Santa Rosa is considered to be the largest Amerindian village in Guyana with a population of 7000 plus people. The village is inhabited predominantly by the Arawak people and located in Region One (Barima-Waini) on the Moruca River some 29 kilometres from the mouth. However, despite being the largest and most populated Indigenous settlement, Santa Rosa has its issues, which can be fixed with the right type of leadership and according to the newly-elected Toshao, Whanita Phillips, that is her main mission. Phillips is a mother of six, and the…

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By Jarryl Bryan Under the cool night breeze, the gathering crowd of laughing and chattering patrons at local bars could be mistaken for partygoers. But they have a more sober purpose. They are there at a “Spanglish Night” event, a fast-growing new initiative, to learn to speak a foreign language. The organisers of the event are Guyanese education administrator Gordon Roberts; English anthropologist Charlie Tokeley and Chilean engineer Christian Vargas. These three may hail from different countries, but they are united in their desire to help Guyanese get more in…

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By Ravi Dev It’s the run-up to Emancipation Day, and sure as the sun rises in the East, there will be the claim made by folks from the African Guyanese community that Indian indentured labourers “undercut” the bargaining power of the freed slaves after 1838, and that is what pushed them off the plantations. “It’s like déjà vu all over again,” as Yogi Berra was alleged to have quipped. In vain I’ve pointed out over the years that it’s futile to play the “blame game” when, in the development of…

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….Designer Nelsion Nurse By Lakhram Bhagirat Nelsion Nurse, a name you must have heard while watching the live broadcasts of the annual Mashramani Costume and Float Parade since he is more than often responsible for the extravagant pieces on display. However, Nelsion is not only a costume designer rather he is involved in every aspect of the fashion industry. Nevertheless, according to Nelsion he never had his eyes set on being a part of the creative industry rather he has and still does have his eyes on a career in…

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Children’s rights activist Marian Wright Edelman famously said, “Education is for improving the lives of others and leaving your community and world better than you found it,” and it is on this foundation that Baramita’s first female Toshao intends to reshape the lives of villagers. The small village of Baramita is located in the Barima-Waini region some 20 miles west of Matthews Ridge, and it is one of the most populated Amerindian settlements in Guyana. The village is predominantly occupied by the Carib tribe and recently they broke away from…

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There are certain traits of our parents we emulate without even trying and according to Loretta Fiedtkou, it is the leadership skills of her father that landed her in the Toshao’s chair. Fiedtkou is the Toshao of Muritaro Village located some 25 miles from the mining town of Linden in Region 10. She hails from a large family and explains that among her 12 siblings she always stood out as the one who would lead them into every task. It was a trait that her father took special notice of,…

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It was Martin Luther King Jr, who said, “The supreme task is to organise and unite people so that their anger becomes a transforming force.” While the emotion is not quite the same, newly-elected Toshao Beverly Clenkian is quite keen on uniting and transforming the people of St Cuthbert’s Mission (Pakuri). Clenkian was recently elected as Toshao of St Cuthbert’s Mission, replacing the outspoken Lennox Schuman. She tells me that she has served a collective nine years in the Village Council so being a Toshao is not strange. She intends…

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Not everyone can say that while in school they were afforded the opportunity to create something unique and invent something that could possibly position them on the frontline of greatness, but for a few students of the Bartica Secondary School that opportunity has presented itself and they are taking full advantage of it. Bartica is being touted as the “Green Town” of Guyana and with that in mind, the Bartica Secondary School’s STEM Club invented the Roco163A. The Roco163A was created to aid the Town to promote the green agenda…

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By Rupadai Seenaraine Music is an art that is used to determine the cultural identity of many people and it has evolved throughout the centuries since its existence. In fact, we see changes every day in the way it is portrayed to suit varying audiences. Tassa drumming is one such musical art form that has nestled its way into Guyana via the indentured immigrants and has evolved throughout the region. While the practice is something that many enjoy on celebrative occasions, it is something that is also appreciated by all…

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