Category: Features

By Lakhram Bhagirat The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 1 in every 3 women will experience some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime. This number is staggering and calls for a comprehensive plan of action in addressing the global epidemic. However, as conversations surrounding domestic violence roar on, one woman, Camille Cox is using her status as a former victim to reach out and empower other women who are in situations where they are subjected to violence at the hands of their partners. WHO reports that violence…

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By Lakhram Bhagirat Just over a week ago, on October 29, Malenie Pierre and her 15-year-old son were sitting in the Juvenile Court as Magistrate Dylon Bess delivered what they think is a proverbial slap in the face of justice. Magistrate Bess sentenced the two boys who punctured Pierre’s son’s lungs with a pair of scissors to two years for their crime, but instantaneously suspended that sentence and left his bench while the victim sobbed as he realised that justice was not served. “When I saw my son there in…

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The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day. It was started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and continues to be coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership. It is used as an organizing strategy by individuals and organizations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women…

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By Lakhram Bhagirat Knowing that you are different from everyone else can be one of the most intimidatingly beautiful things to happen to someone. However, being different can also lead to isolation and feelings of dejection. So when Chandradatt Jagdeo realised that he was different from most of the males around him, he began a process of self-isolation. He never interacted with anyone beyond what was necessary. He kept himself glued to the television set watching shows about embracing the diversity. It would be safe to say that at age…

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Guyanese born Beatrice Ann Edmondson who goes by the authors’ name B.A.Eddie is about to launch her first book called “When you see the light”. The book, that was published in August 2015, is the first of many novels that the author has been inspired to write; but however, it is her first publication. The novel is about domestic violence/spousal abuse and its prevalence around the world even in religious families. It focuses on stories of everyday people in villages like Mocha on the East Bank of Demerara, the capital…

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By Lakhram Bhagirat In January of 1994, then President, the late Cheddi Jagan called a meeting with Yvonne Hinds, the wife of his Prime Minister, where he flouted the idea of her taking over the realms of the Guyana Relief Council (GRC). That meeting happened on January 10, 1994, and though she felt that it was just a discussion, Hinds would later find out that rather it was already decided that she would be in charge for the affairs of the GRC. On January 17, 1994, Hinds was given her…

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By Safraz Hamid As I drove down Guyana’s Corentyne Public Road towards the capital city of Georgetown, I could not help but admire the beauty of the small South American country that I was visiting. The tall coconut palm trees lining the side of the road and the occasional meandering lake off in the distance reminded me of why I always felt at peace in Guyana. Yet, I was aware that behind this picturesque tropical landscape lied an unsettling reality. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), in…

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Our health is perhaps the most important thing and quite often we take it for granted. We have conditioned ourselves to believe we are healthy until we fall sick and that should be the only time we go to the doctor. However, we need to be constantly checking on our health not only for our own benefit but for also those around us. For 33-year-old Shirlean Alexander, it was this idea of checking up on herself that led her to the discovery of cancer. Like many people, when Shirlean got…

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Diwali is celebrated throughout the world to ward off the darkness and welcome the light into our lives. Celebrating the triumph of good over evil and spanning five days each autumn, Diwali is considered by some to be the start of the New Year. In 2017, Diwali will be celebrated on October 27. In Guyana, this “festival of lights” is believed to have been brought to Guyana in the 1800s by the first indentured people from India. The celebrations hold special significance: wearing new clothes is a symbol of healthy…

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By Lakhram Bhagirat On what is described as the darkest night in the year, Hindus celebrate the auspicious occasion of Diwali, and the epic that goes with this festival states that it was the night Shree Ram, along with his wife, Sita, and brother Lakshman returned home to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. It goes on to say that as the people in the Kingdom of Ayodhya prepared for the arrival of their beloved Shree Ram, they lit the pathways with little earthen lamps so as to illuminate the…

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