CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM THE GUYANA ......2012/12/12 · CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM THE GUYANA...

Dec..252012Vol 2Issue 12

Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc.on-line Magazine

Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc. on-line Magazine

HAPPY MEMORIES OF A TRUE GUYANESE CHRISTMAS!CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

FROM THE GUYANA CULTURALASSOCIATION

OF NEW YORK, INC.


IN THIS ISSUEPAGE 3: Masquerade MuralPAGE 4: Dray Cyart and serious GyaffPAGE 6: Yesterday the EldersPAGE 8-9: Flounce Off at Victoria VillagePAGE -10-11:Masquerade Sweet SuitePAGE 12-13: Reviving the Maskarade TraditionPAGE 15: Christmas Masquerade at RosignolPAGE 16: Happy Holidays by The Four LordsPAGE 18-19: Caroling at ChristmasPAGE 20-21:Spencer RichardsPAGE 22-23: Shanice HodgePAGE 24-25: Trevin HuntePAGE -26: Tribute to past Guyanese TeachersPAGE 28: Coping in the aftermath of SandyPAGE 29-31: Pamela Maynard, Trenton Mack,

Jan Carew

Ave Brewster-Haynes -December Editor

Cover Design - Claire GoringCopy Editors-

Edgar Henry & Lear Matthews

Layout and Design by Claire A. Goring & Ashton Franklin

Contributors:Juliet Emanuel, Edgar Henry,Carl Hazlewood, Vibert Cambridge Lear Matthews, Muriel Glasgow,

Vidur Dindayal,Eusi Kwayana, al Creighton jr.

Margaret LawrenceAve Brewster-Haynes

Harold Bascomb, Claire A. Goring

PhotographsMargaret Lawrence,

Lear Matthews, Vibert CambridgeErrol Doris, Carl HazlewoodSylvia Parker-Maier

GCA Media TeamAve Brewster-Haynes (Chairperson), Juliet Emanuel, Edgar Henry,Lear Matthews, Claire A. Goring,Muriel Glasgow, Ashton Franklin,

Margaret Lawrence, Francis Quamina Farrier.

Please join our Facebook group, Website: www.guyfolkfest.org

GCA Secretariat1368 E.89 Street, Suite 2Brooklyn, NY 11236Tel: 718 209 5207

2 Enjoy the Christmas SeasonAs we close the door on Leap Year2012, we hope the next Leap Year –2016 -would be one of good tidingsand great joy.

What a bittersweet year it has been –a year when some of us had ourdreams fulfilled, but the creek didrise, in the form of superstorm Sandy,and wash away countless homes andbusinesses. As some sought higherground, their children were sweptfrom their arms. How devastating,and while we continue to grapplewith such loss and try to cope withthe efforts of rebuilding and restoring,the earth stood still, momentarily, onFriday, December 14. On that dreadfulday, the world watched the unfoldingof the unspeakable tragedy of theElementary School Massacre inNewtown, Connecticut. Twenty inno-cent lives were snuffed out without achance to blossom and bloom andtake their rightful place in the world.The six teachers who gave their livesso that their students could live, mustnow be hailed as martyrs for thatnoble profession of Teaching. Ourthoughts and prayers are with thefamilies who suffered any form of lossin both tragedies. We must now takethe lessons learnt from 2012 to pro-pel us forward into 2013.

Out of these tragedies has arisen astrong sense of community and bond-ing. As resilient people, we mustseize this opportunity to ensure thatwe bounce back stronger in our glob-al village. We must link our handsand our minds as “Aal bady, Waanbady.”

How prophetic was GCA’s 2011Theme “Aal bady,Waan bady” – whichreminded us of our common humani-ty. As we segue to 2012, we contin-ue to nurture and promote our cul-tural heritage, as reflected at our just

concluded highly successful 10thAnnual Symposium featuring thetheme “Masquerade Lives” inGeorgetown, Guyana, under the dis-tinguished patronage of the Ministryof Culture, Youth and Sport .

The Board of the Guyana CulturalAssociation and the Symposium com-mittee took a quantum leap with theoutside the box decision to take our“Masquerade Lives” Symposium to the“cradle of Masquerade revolution” ourhomeland Guyana.

Our entire year has been one of pro-moting our cultural heritage, as weutilized the multi-media platform ofFacebook, On-line Magazine, GuyanaFolk Magazine, Video Documentary,Blogging and Focus on Folk radio pro-duction to bolster our year roundactivities including our SummerCamp, Literary Hang, AwardsCeremony, Kwe Kwe and Family FunDay. Never before has so much beenachieved with so few. But it tells us,like the little grain of mustard seed,through an idea once conceived andproperly executed we can achieve.And WE DID ACHIEVE.

And we achieved, inspite of immensepersonal challenges by all members.With our heads held high and ourhearts and hands locked together, theGuyana Cultural Association is on acultural heritage journey that willmake us proud both at home andabroad. Our journey will also con-tribute to giving our young people inthe diaspora a sense of self-worth andbelonging.

Enjoy the Christmas Season and don’tforget to taste some good Rum Cakefrom Claire Ann.

Ave Brewster-HaynesDecember Editor.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR


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Mural “Masquerade Lives”Georgetown, Guyana

Irecently participated in the Guyana Cultural Associa-tion’s Symposium, Masquerade Lives, in our homeland.It was a classic example of the transnational connec-

tions and cultural retentions about which I often lament.The principal objective of the organizers of this unprece-dented event is to resuscitate the art form. The range oftopics discussed by panels of international experts inCaribbean and Guyanese folklore, history and culture, andthe engagement of elders, inheritors and other enthusi-asts, unequivocally articulated a passionate ownership oftheir craft and place in the cultural history of Guyana.

Following opening remarks by the Minister of Culture,Youth and Sport, the stage was set for a serious discus-sion, dissecting past practices, and illuminating ways tobreathe new life into what appears to be a criticallywounded traditional custom. Themes varied from the ori-gin of Masquerade to the involvement of the youth; thefinancial and personal challenges of the performer; therole of women; the fear factor and masks; regional differ-ences; symbols and their social significance; the spiritualdimension of Masquerade; marketability of a Creole identi-ty; rural vs. urban perceptions; embracing cultural identityand social awareness through masquerade; strategies ofpromotion; respect for, and acknowledgement of the mas-querader; class and ethnic issues; the need to resist thetemptation to abandon “original” practices; and Masquer-ade beyond Christmas.

One of the highlights was the “Dray Cyart” caravan to theunveiling ceremony of the Masquerade Mural on thegrounds of the National Museum. About 25 local and over-seas-based symposium participants mounted two flag-draped, horse drawn Dray Cyarts at the Umana Yanaunder the broiling mid-day sun on December 14th. Ledby a troop of youthful and elder masqueraders includingflouncers, Stilt Dancer, Bam Bam Sally and Bad Cow, werode down Main Street to the Museum, with feet ganglingat the side and flanked by police outriders. Some yieldingmotorists fretted, while others gave an accommodatingsmile. Perhaps they understood what we were trying todo. Downtown had a festive buzz – “Masquerade Band

comin”.

Onlookers from business establishments along the waywaved approvingly, and a few gyrated to the beat of thedrums. News correspondents trotted along, interviewing ridersin this historic, native masquerade caravan. Sweating pro-fusely, I opened my umbrella to get some relief from thetropical sun. I was a “small boy” the last time I jumped ona Donkey Cyart and I wasn’t going to miss this nostalgicopportunity for anything. I intermittently exchangedglances with a GCA official, who was holding on for dearlife, not only for safety, but as if to symbolically secure herfate in this fleeting moment of invigorating a cherished artform.

The unveiling ceremony, hosted by the Minister of Culture,Youth and Sport and the Prime Minister, attracted adiverse group of spectators, briefly distracted from theirChristmas shopping. My research interest in public reac-tion to cultural events led me to become an instant partic-ipant-observer, keeping my ears and eyes grounded.

One onlooker stated, “Christmas now start fo me, dis islike ol’time”.Another offered, “De days fo masqueradedone, Ya’ll only hambugin traffic”. These reactions pro-foundly sum up the significant crossroad of contemporarymasquerade as an indigenous practice, challenged by ele-ments of modernity.

Indeed if masquerade is to be revived, understanding thischallenge through the lens of such diametrically opposingviews is critical. More importantly as panelists noted, itrequires a serious commitment from the government ofGuyana to provide support and resources. NGOs andHome town Associations in the Diaspora can also help.The gyaff, rhetoric and accolades must be replaced by sus-tained action involving those who flounce, not just toentertain, but are purveyors of a rich unadulterated cul-ture. Only then the exalted Dray Cyart journey downMain Street with my compatriots on that sunny day inDecember would not have been in vain.

Masquerade Lives!

MASQUERADE DRAY CYART ANDSERIOUS GYAFF IN GT:

SOME OBSERVATIONS“Christmas now start fo me, dis is like ol’time”

The gyaff, rhetoric and accolades must be replaced by sustained action involving those who flounce, not only to entertain, but purveyors of a rich unadulterated culture.

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GCA SYMPOSIUM IN GUYANA: “Masquerade Lives” “YESTERDAY, THE ELDERS...TOMORROW, TODAY’S YOUNGSTERS!

Lear Matthews


BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO A WOUNDED ART FORM:Led by a troop of youthful and elder masqueraders including flouncers, StiltDancer, Bam Bam Sally and Bad Cow, withfeet hanging at the side, we rode downMain Street to the Museum...

5GCA SYMPOSIUM IN GUYANA: “Masquerade Lives” “YESTERDAY, THE ELDERS...TOMORROW, TODAY’S YOUNGSTERS!

6


My career as an artist in Guyana started at the ten-der age of 16. I had the opportunity to work asan artist in the printing and graphics industries.

My success in life started around Carifesta 1972. By thetime I was 18, I sold many paintings door-to-door andlater successfully executed a one-man art show at theprestigious Guyana Society and published a very nice col-lection of poetry embellished with my art by Guyana’sleading literary giants that sold successfully during thefestival. None of this would ever have occurred withoutmentorship from my family, friends and associates.

In 1972, I left the shores of Guyana to expand my careeras an artist in America. Though I returned to Guyananumerous times over the years, this year was a poignantreminder of the past forty years since my original depar-ture, just to celebrate “Masquerade Lives”.

Masquerade is one of those celebrations in the firmamentof our thoughts, minds and spirits that will always bethere. I tramped behind the Masquerade bands throughAlbouystown, Kitty, Campbelville and La Penitence wher-ever we were living at the time. It was time to celebrateMasquerade again in the old native land. The time hadcome to open the doors to welcome in new, fresh talentand to give them an opportunity to experience publicexposure as I had by inviting them to paint Masquerademurals.

The students of the E.R. Burrowes School of Art executedtwo fantastic pieces of art. They possess raw talent wait-ing to explode on to the public art scene. The only andpermanent missing link in this equation is encourage-ment, a little money to help pay for materials and mentor-ship. The entire school supported the effort of“Masquerade Lives”. They poured their hearts and soulsinto painting the masquerade murals, with profoundthought, discussion and unified execution over a five dayperiod that I was there, and in the week prior. One muralis a permanent fixture on a newly constructed concretewall placed on the lawns of the National Museum and theother a display used at the venues to mark the occasion.

E. R. Burrowes School of Art named after the iconic Mr.Burrowes of the original Working People’s Art Group ofthe 50’s and 60’s, is a part of the Ministry of Culture,

Youth and Sport and is supported and encouraged by theHon. Dr. Frank Anthony every step of the way. Mentorshipof the arts lives at all levels…Music, Dance, Costume,Painting, Documentary Film, Literature, etc…. Masqueradeis like the motion picture of our times. Always welcome. Iencourage everyone at every level to mentor the youngartists in Guyana. I am the living proof of artistic success.And, by the way, this was the most fun I have had with artthroughout all my years. All the rest of it, was just business.

Masquerade Lives!“YESTERDAY, THE ELDERS...

TOMORROW, TODAY’S YOUNGSTERS!Errol Doris


The students of the E.R.Burrowes School of Art executed two fantasticpieces of art. They possessraw talent waiting toexplode on to the public artscene.



NEW, FRESH TALENT...POURED THEIRHEARTS AND SOULSINTO PAINTING THEMASQUERADEMURALS

STUDENTS OF E.R. BURROWESSCHOOL OF ART

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MASQUERADE “Flounce Off”AT VICTORIAVILLAGE

Margaret Lawrence

GCA SYMPOSIUM IN GUYANA: “Masquerade Lives” “YESTERDAY, THE ELDERS...TOMORROW, TODAY’S YOUNGSTERS!The first ever “Flounce Off” was held onSaturday, December 15,2012 in the villageof Victoria, the first village purchased byfreed slaves.

This exhilarating event was organised byThe Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sportand The Guyana Cultural Association ofNew York as part of the “MasqueradeLives” Symposium and was witnessed byseveral hundred villagers at the VictoriaCommunity Centre.

Four Bands from Regions 2, 4 & 10"flounced off" for cash prizes sponsoredby Golden Brook Cooking Oil/PomeroonOil Mills. The Best Band prize was won by"Fire in the Land" with "Joker Is Wildand "Fire Red" in second & third posi-tions respectively.

"Fire in The Land" also won the BestOver 15 flouncer, Stilt Dancer, Mad Cow& Bass Drum while "Torch" won the BesUnder 15 Flouncer and Bam Bam Sally."Joker Is Wild" won Best Kittle.

The Judges were International musicianDave Martins, Andrea Mentore, GuyanaMusic Teachers Association, Julio Thijs,International Stilt Dancer, Rose October,GCA member & Dance Instructor andClaire Patterson-Monah, Chief Judge &Treasurer, GCA.

Prior to the judging , the bands dancedthrough the village, much to the excite-ment of the youth, who tried out themasquerade steps of “Lady Go ToMarket”, “ Donkey Parade” and “ ScottishHighlander”.

Guest artistes included Teacher Raghuand his Lusignan Band and TrevorBlackette, Leader & Stilt Dancer of TheGolden Arrowhead MasqueradeBand of Region 3.

President of the Guyana CulturalAssociation, Prof. Vibert Cambridge wasloud in his praise for the participation ofthe bands and their leaders. The “FlounceOff” was such a success that there areplans to make this an annual activity moving across the regions.

9


GCA SYMPOSIUM IN GUYANA: “Masquerade Lives” “YESTERDAY, THE ELDERS...TOMORROW, TODAY’S YOUNGSTERS! n

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Masquerade “Flounce-Off” at Victoria VillageMargaret Lawrence

10 GCA SYMPOSIUM IN GUYANA: “Masquerade Lives” “YESTERDAY, THE ELDERS...TOMORROW, TODAY’S YOUNGSTERS!


AMasquerade musical evolution stage has been set.After a long silence where the progression ofMasquerade development was somewhat dormant

and stagnated, a premiere launching to rehabilitate andresuscitate the art form thrust its best foot forward with aquantum leap. This exercise was exhibited during therecent Masquerade Lives Symposium activities experienceat the Guyana National School of Music sponsored by theGuyana Cultural Association of New York in conjunctionwith the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport in Guyana.

Professor Vibert Cambridge – President of GCA New York,in his opening remarks outlined a synopsis of changes thatoccurred over the years and paid homage to past contribu-tors in the likes of the Dolphins, Hugh Sam, Billy Pilgrim,Tom Charles, Pat Clarke, Terry Nelson and many others.This was a preamble to set the stage for music educator,music arranger, music journalist and musician extraordi-naire - for over four decades Derry Etkins. He launched abrilliant seven minute premiere video contribution addingvarious categories of style and creativity bringing the artform to the fore and his originality profoundly displayed.Derry comes from a family of musicians emanating fromPlaisance, on the East Coast of Demerara, a village that pro-duced musicians of the ilk of The Profits’, Edmond Wills,Rudy and Eddy Grant, his mom Joyce Etkins and manyothers.

The famed musician from the yester year Guyana“Telstars” string orchestra skillfully demonstrated and crafteda new composition, unique to masquerade with a flair thatdefines masquerade as “Sweet Suite.” He eloquentlyenunciatedhis structured piece to the capacity crowd which included“Fire In The Land” masquerade band, the winners of the“Flounce Off competition”which was held the previousday at Victoria village.

Surely, a metamorphosis of Masquerade is poised to propelinto a newdimension. Derry claims that his vision, crossover or augmentation would not take away from thesteady basic rhythmical passages of masquerade, butwould rather enhance the rudimentary structure into adimensional art form we can call our own. In EuropeanArt Music, commonly referred to as “Classical” music, asuite is loosely defined as, a collection of pieces written fordancing, often in related keys. “Masquerade Sweet Suite”is a small collection of reflections, suggesting possible sce-narios where Guyana’s Masquerade groove can beapplied.

MasqueradeSweet,Suite Edgar Henry



However, he is quick to admit that the format is open to con-structive criticism similar to other established Caribbean for-mats and invites musicians in the Guyana Diaspora to be partof the journey. Just as Reggae transitioned via differentchanges in Jamaica from Sca and Rock Steady, and in Trinidadand Tobago from Calypso to Soca, Derry hopes that hisembryonic original masterpiece will not fall on deaf ears, butwill bear fruit, once other practitioners embrace his efforts; hispresentation will continue its upward mobility toward perfec-tion.

His classical and jazz background helped him shape hisinfluence and application of his genius in his extraordi-nary composition. The serenity portrayed in the intro-ductory passage set the motif for the rhythmical up-tempo masquerade drum format in the second move-ment, followed by the various improvisational stylesutilizing its melodic fodder, to one of our folk songs –Missy Lass She Gold Ring, taking it through a few rhyth-mic and harmonic displacements and at the same timecapturing the individuality of the flute, guitar, bass clar-inet and vibro-harp (marimba) as they produce pur-poseful variations of melodic hierarchy.

Mr. Etkins envisages a forty (40) piece band somewhatsimilar to a classical orchestra setting, which could bethe epitome of the masquerade evolution. He cau-tioned however that the current status of playersshould exhibit nimbleness among themselves accom-modating and complementing each other and other

bands as well, to establish unity, unification of energy,professionalism, camaraderie and respect.

Out of the question and answer segment arose anintense interactive dialogue including the need formusicians to learn musical notation to enhance theirinnate skills. Dave Martin of the Tradewinds Band madethe observation that it is important for every band tocreate individual signature themes that would be pecu-liar to each band for recognition and identification pur-poses.It was recommended that the National School of Musicshould be used to facilitate similar conversations ofvaried topics to stimulate interest, interaction and feed-back as we move forward.

In summary, the premier rendition was well receivedby all in attendance. Everyone left with the confidencethat Derry’s efforts were not in vain once all stakehold-ers embrace this new evolutional paradigm and workarduously as an enterprise and for sustainability.

The moderator, yours truly, in his closing remarks ofthe historic evening, praised and complimented DerryEtkins for his invaluable premiere presentation launchand coined the opening words from WilliamShakespeare’s Twelfth Night. “If Masquerade Music BeThe Food Of Love, Play On… Masquerade Sweet Suite.”

Masquerade Sweet, SuiteEdgar Henry

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One of the grandest and most important indigenousChristmas time performances in the Caribbeanand Guyana is the masquerade tradition. One part

of this great tradition may be seen every Christmas on thestreets of Georgetown: small bands of youths dressed insome costuming, prancing among the motorists to thesound of a drum. But this is a mere relic of this ancientstreet performance, which exhibits more about its mori-bund state than about the tradition itself. What is worse,the motorists and the citizenry of the city barely toleratethem with a sense of annoyance which, in another year ortwo, is guaranteed to see these bands disappear altogether.

In stark contrast to this is another part of the varied andcolourful tradition to be found every Christmas season onBay Street in the city of Nassau. That is the Jonkanoo fes-tival in the Bahamas, which is the most vibrant, lively andspectacular of the Caribbean masquerades which stillexist. In fact, it is surpassed in the region only by carnival.

Masquerades have been highlighted here in Arts onSunday a number of times, but it is revisited now becauseof its importance, because of the derelict state of the per-formance in Guyana, and because of the efforts to reviveinterest in it through a symposium which is now inprogress in Georgetown. This is an event titled theMasquerade Lives Symposium being staged by theGuyana Cultural Association (GCA) and the Ministry ofCulture Youth and Sport. The GCA is based in New Yorkand headed by Prof Vibert Cambridge of the University ofOhio; they link with the Ministry to offer academicpapers by international scholars, workshops and perfor-mances in a gesture to promote the masquerade traditionand revive interest in Guyana where it is moribund.

This folk performance is a form of street theatre and agenre of the varied traditions known in Jamaica andBelize as Jonkunnu or Maskarade, and in Guyana asMaskarade. Dating back to the 17th Century in Jamaica itevolved to be (in the 19th and early 20th Centuries) thelargest of these festivals in the Caribbean outside of theTrinidad Carnival. The Guyanese maskarade when it wasactive and vibrant was very similar to Jamaica and Belize,and also shared characteristics with the Tuk Band ofBarbados.

The masked, costumed performers dance along thestreets at Christmas time accompanied by a small ensem-ble of musicians. Foremost in the dance are the flouncerswho perform the steps and maneuvres peculiar to themaskarade flounce. They are largely dressed in colourfulcostumes somewhat like jesters and are joined by the tallstilt dancers or stiltsmen towering above the band. Alongwith them is a cast of stock characters. These include thelong lady, effigies of white Europeans, Mother Sally andBam-bam Sally a female figure played by a male in

European fancy dress with an exaggerated ‘bumper’ (rear-end), who dance to show off her assets to the amusementof the spectators. The Bad Cow or Mad Cow is a cos-tumed figure in the form of a bull with large horns leap-ing about dangerously and threateningly. The perfor-mance includes a “doctor play” in which a man with amalady (often an oversized “goady”) seeks to be cured bya doctor to the amusement of the crowd.

There are “toasts” recited at intervals – four-lined versesin iambic metre (septametre or octametre) on varied sub-jects, such as

“Christmus comes but once a year / and every manmust have his share

But poor Brother Willy in the jail / drinking sour gingerbeer (ale)”

Or

“My name is John Devour / I eat no fish nor flour

But send those young girls one by one / I devour themby the hour”

Reviving the “Maskarade” Tradition al Creighton jnr.Arts on Sunday, Stabroek News



13

Each recitation is followed by the shout of “Ban !”, whichis a signal to the band to resume playing the music whichusually stops to allow the vocal performance. The musicis a very fast-paced rhythm played by a Boom or bassdrum, a Kettle or Kittle drum played with sticks and aflute (a folk instrument called a “fife” in Jamaica) whichimprovises, but often plays the melodies of known songs,including Christmas carols. The Jamaican jonkunnu is amuch larger and more elaborate affair, and there are varia-tions in Belize and in the Bajan Tuk Band.

It is highly unlikely, however, that any of these perfor-mances will be witnessed today in Guyana where the par-ticipants who are seen today never learnt the skills. Inthe past spectators would throw coins to the band andthe art of Flouncing includes the dexterity of pickingthem up off the ground in fluent movements which mustbe executed without breaking the rhythm or flow of thesteps and the dance. The stiltsmen dance with high skillsand balancing acts, while the mad cow (bad cow) chargesand frightens the crowd. One East Coast village, Victoria,is known for its knowledge of maskarade skills, while theonly worthwhile performances at present are to be foundon the Essequibo Coast.

The Caribbean masquerades have their origins mainly inWest Africa but there are also European roots and influ-ences as well as forms and characteristics that evolved inthe Caribbean, including several that developed out of thelocal social environment. Several African roots have beenidentified by Sylvia Wynter, Kamau Brathwaite, MarthaBeckwith and Judith Bettelheim who provide thoroughaccounts of Jamaica’s jonkunnu and its various roots. Itwas first described by Sir Hans Sloane as an African deriv-ative in the 17th Century, but by the 19th Century it hadaccumulated several influences from the literature, leg-ends and politics of Europe, in addition to elements aris-ing from contact with the local society.

These various causal combinations resulted in the evolu-tion of different forms within the tradition, some of themremarkable in their appropriation of European literaryand cultural performance integrated with African theatri-cal form or religious ritual and Caribbean performance.

English naval/military factors, for example, gave rise toBarbados’ Land Ship, while English theatricals, legendsand literature accounted for the Mummies of St Kitts andthe Speech Bands of Tobago. These combined with localtraditions to form the Shakespeare Mas of Carriacou(Grenada) and Papa Jab or Flavier the White Devil of StLucia. Social factors rendered the folk forms much moreintricate and sophisticated and it is possible to sort themout according to their form, content and the drivingforces behind them.

These characteristics include spectacle, language, satire,themes of education and elements of rivalry, violence andfear. Spectacle, for instance is the most striking feature ofjonkanoo in the Bahamas and in Jamaica; satire is strongin the Bahamas, English literature is recited in Jamaica, inthe mummies, the speech band and in Shakespeare Maswhere the theme of education may be discerned, whilethis theme is very strong in Trinidad’s Pierrot Grenade. Atthe same time rivalry, violence and fear have been preva-lent in most of them because of what they have takenfrom Europe, such as the dramatic conflicts of St George,the Turkish Knight and pretenders to the throne that findtheir way into maskarade, junkannu and the mummies.Papa Jab (Flavier)’s sons fight among themselves and killeach other, with similar battles occurring in variousMaskarade Doctor Plays, all followed by resurrections per-formed by the “doctors”.

Yet many of these may also be attributed to the Africanorigins – the killings and revivals, the satire, the rivalry,violence and the fear that they generate. This is becausethey may be traced back to their African forebears, partic-ularly in the Kalabari and Rivers area and Yoruba-land inNigeria, since maskarade was based on religious and spiri-tual ritual from the 17th Century and for at least two cen-turies after.

These and many other powerful factors were dramaticcharacteristics of the masquerade tradition, including thatof Guyana which these symposia, workshops and exhibi-tions are seeking to revive.

Reviving The“Maskarade” Tradition al Creighton jnr.


14HAPPY MEMORIES OF A TRUE GUYANESE CHRISTMAS

Long Lady in Christmas MasqueradeRosignol, Guyana

by Vidur Dindayal, 1944


15

I liked to spend Christmas in my oldvillage though Christmas in the citywas exciting too.

In the city of Georgetown in Guyana,stores vied to have the best shop win-dow display. There in the tropics yousaw live Christmas trees, shipped inspecially from England. There to gazeat was the latest in seasonal craze tohit London or New York. You felt withpeople everywhere the joyous feelingsof Christmas

There was frenzied rushing around tobuy presents and things for the home.Everything about home must be spickand span, fresh and clean, even new;nothing but your very best for rela-tions and friends dropping in forcheer at Christmas time.

But for me as a boy Christmas in thevillage was the best - the Masquerade,the most exciting part, a music groupdressed up in fancy costumes. Somewore masks. They made a larger thanlife puppet of a lady - 'long lady', ahorse or chicken, got inside it anddanced to the lilting tunes of a fluteplayer and his band playing bugle,trumpet saxophone, mandolin, guitar,kettle drum and big base drum.

You first hear the drums beating inthe distance. You catch a glimpse of'long lady' dancing and that was thepromise of enjoyment to come. The

troupe draws near and music beckonsfrom whistle and flute. You cannotkeep still wherever you are. Helplesslyyou head for the dancing troupe.

The main dancers, usually two inbright coloured costumes, a joy to seeare dancing away, jumping up, jig-ging, swaying, shaking, completelytaken over by the rhythmic music.That's when you get caught up in thedancing too.

There are no steps to learn. Right stepscome naturally. Letting yourself go, themusic takes over. Whatever its nameyou are dancing to it. You move withthe troupe, you and your friends. Youdance and you jig, you sway and youshake, you catch your breath so whenthey come back you are ready todance again and again.

Christmas for us children was neverdull, with plenty to do. You played withyour toys, you danced with the mas-querade in the street. You played withyour friends, had your fill of christmascake and christmas drink- cool gingerbeer.

When night time came, after a hecticday and a happy one too, you got intobed and slept like a top. With BestWishes! Happy Christmas!

HAPPY MEMORIES OF A TRUE GUYANESE CHRISTMAS

ChristmasMasquerade at

RosignolYou catch a glimpse of 'long lady' dancing and that was the

promise of enjoyment to come. There are no steps to learn. Rightsteps come naturally. Letting yourself go, the music takes over.Vidur Dindayal,

HAPPY MEMORIES OF A TRUE GUYANESECHRISTMASYou would only know for sureThat Christmas was almost thereWhen the garlic pork was madeAnd the sorrel and ginger beerAnd the house was full of flavorsWhen mom began to bakeThat juicy clove spiced hamAnd lots of good black cake

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“Church bells are ringing,Santa Claus on his way,Happy Christmas to you dear,Happy Holiday.”“Happy Holiday.” Lord Melody & The Four Lords (1956)

Aconfident bass, a wailing saxophone, and a sensitivepiano introduce “Happy Holiday.” When that quintessen-tial Christmas song is heard, Guyanese at home and

abroad feel the spirit of the season. What is so special aboutthis song?

“Happy Holiday” was first issued as a 78 rpm record in 1956.During the middle to late 1950s, a shift was taking place inhome entertainment. There was a movement away fromVictrolas and other brands of 78 rpm record players to thesmaller and lower cost 45 rpm players that could be “plugged”into the radio—the Eckos, KBs, Mullards, Normendies, Pyes,and Phillips.

The 1950s brought political changes to British Guiana andthey also brought changes in the way Guyanese consumedmusic. The lower cost record players and the widespread useof “hire purchase” encouraged the proliferation of juke boxes.It also increased access to recorded music by Guyanese work-ing class people.

This shift in the technologies for listening to music had otherconsequences, including the emergence of a recording indus-try and increased demand for more recorded music byGuyanese. By 1959, “Happy Holiday” was re-released as a45rpm record.

The late Al Seales is intimately associated with the recording of“Happy Holiday” and the start of a recording industry inGuyana. He led Al Seales and the Washboards and later estab-lished the GEMS and the Caribbean GEMS record labels.Seales’ studio was well respected.

Important Caribbean musicians such as Lord Melody pre-ferred to record their music at the studio at 40 Robb Street.The Mighty Sparrow’s first recording was also done there.Seales assembled a powerful studio band, The Caribbean AllStars, which included Bassie Thomas (pianist/arranger), HarryWhittaker (Alto sax), Sydney Prince (Tenor sax), Sabu Lall(bass), Simpson (bass), Messiah (Drums), Charlie Agard(Bongos), Rector Schultz (Guitar). He and his arranger BassieThomas experimented with a beat that reflected the intermin-

gling of Guyana’s West Indian and Latin American heritage—the “Bion.”

It was in this environment that Lord Melody (FitzroyAlexander) approached Seales with the lyrics for “HappyHoliday.” He wanted to produce a seasonal calypso to competewith Lord Kitchener’s “Drink a Rum,” which was the dominantChristmas calypso among West Indians at home and abroad.He was advised against going the calypso route but encour-aged to use the “Bion” beat. Further, it was agreed that the FourLords, which included Neville Rose and Billy Moore, wouldrecord the song. Rose was the lead singer and Billy Moorearranged the harmonies. Lord Melody’s is the voice of thefamous spoken solo: “My darling, wishing you the best. Youknow that my love for you did last and will last for many moreChristmases.”

The technology available to Al Seals in 1956 did not allow himto record multiple tracks and then mix a final product. Heused one microphone—one of the best available at thattime—an RCA Noiman. The recording required a completeperformance by the musicians and the singers. This requiredcoordination and professionalism. The recording has stood thetest of time. Almost 50 years later, “Happy Holiday” remains notonly one of the most popular Christmas songs in Guyana butalso one of the best recorded pieces of music from Guyana.

“Happy Holiday” has been recorded and performed by severalother artists. Neville Rose, who migrated to Brazil, is reportedto have done a version with solo guitar there. Mark Holder dida reggae version. Ted E. Jones did a soul version, and RaySeales, along with Trinidadian vocalist Cleo Hart, released anR&B version in 1995. For many, including this writer, the origi-nal is still the “boss.”

As we celebrate the season and reflect on the longevity of“Happy Holiday,” we must spend some time thinking aboutthe creativity that produced it. Seales started his working lifeas a sailor on the Demerara River and was given a quatro by anAmerindian man. From the quatro he graduated to the banjoand joined the Washboard Orchestra in the 1920s.

As he acquired seniority and became a leader in the band,he took up the saxophone. His tutor was Gun Fernandez.Seales’ love for music was multidimensional. One of his first entrepreneurial ventures was a beer gardenthat featured a record player and a collection of contem-porary jazz and pop records “which he got

“Happy Holidays”AL SEALES, BILLY MOORE AND

MUSIC AT CHRISTMASVibert Cambridge

17


ALSEALESThe late Al Seales is intimately associated with the recording of“Happy Holiday” and the start of a recordingindustry in Guyana.Happy Holiday” remains not only one ofthe most popular Christmas songs inGuyana but also one of the best recordedpieces of music from Guyana.

from old friends who were still working on shipscoming from North America and Europe.” This feature attracted a loyal clientele who constantlyoffered to buy the record player and the records.Seales, the entrepreneur who never drank or smoked,saw a business opportunity and a way to get out ofselling alcohol. He opened General Electrical MusicalSupplies (GEMS) at 40 Robb Street. After a few years,he purchased the property, which has remained inthe Seales family since. Over the years the businessgrew from selling records and musical instruments toinclude a recording studio. Seales never established apressing plant, so, his recordings were pressed byMelodisc in the United Kingdom. The GEMS studio made many of the seminalGuyanese and West Indian recordings. Among thesewas Doreen Gravesande’s “Ting a ling,” which is con-sidered the first recording of a ping pong and voicein the West Indies. “Ting a ling” is another example ofthe “Biaon” beat developed by Seales and his arranger,pianist Bassie Thomas. Seales recorded Norman Beaton of the influentialgroup the Four Bees. Their recording of “Melvina,” like“Happy Holiday,” remains popular after almost 50years. It was the first song by a Guyanese to top theTrinidad and Tobago charts during a carnival season.The Gabby/Eddy Grant rearrangement put it back onthe charts in the 1990s.Before recording “Happy Holiday,” GEMS had releasedKing Fighter’s “My Xmas Card,” the studio’s first origi-nal Christmas song. After “Happy Holiday,” it released“Xmas Season” by The Four Bees, featuring GloriaBeaton, wife of the late Norman Beaton. Al Seales’ recording studio was a magnet forGuyanese and Caribbean artists. Seales was knownand respected for his innovation and his quest forperfection. These qualities attracted Billy Moore andthe Four Lords to the studio. Moore was trying todevelop tight harmonies in Guyanese popular music.His success is evident in “Happy Holiday.” Seales’ work caught the attention of other musicrecording pioneers in the West Indies. He is reportedto have advised Mr. Khouri who was then setting upFederal Records in Jamaica. He also gave advice toMr. Harrison when he was establishing WIRL inBarbados and Mr. Cook who established the COOKLabel in Trinidad and Tobago.The exploration of the recordings of GEMS has onlyjust started. Seales’ role in bringing Indo-Guyaneseinto the mainstream of Guyanese popular music dur-ing the 1960s and 1970s will be the subject of a sepa-rate feature in the future.Although Seales passed away in 1995, his spirit liveson. At the symposium on Guyana’s musical heritageduring Folk Festival 2003, GEMS Music, Seales’ musicpublishing company awarded the first GEMS MusicalAppreciation Award to the Folk Festival OrganizingCommittee. The award will now be an annual featureof the Folk Festival, recognizing innovation and thequest for perfection by Guyana’s musicians at homeand abroad.



Christmas carols are basically songs in whichthe lyrics reflect the theme of Christmas. Theyare traditionally sung at Advent - the periodbefore Christmas during the winter season.

No holiday celebration is complete withoutthe stunning sights of twinkling decorationsand sounds of carols reverberating in several

corners and corridors during the yuletide season. This surely bringsabout the spirit of the season as the very popular “once ayear” tunes are constantly heard in a variety of traditionaland contemporary Christmas holiday classics. These arenormally heard while shopping at department stores, onthe radio, at parties, on television and in almost everyadvertised commercial, as background music.

Carols became popular after the Reformation in countrieswhere Protestant churches gained prominence. Today, car-ols are regularly sung at Christian religious services. Somecompositions include lyrics which are evidently not of areligious topic, but are nevertheless referred to as "carols"such as “Silver Bells”, “Blue Christmas” or “I Saw ThreeShips.”

However, carols such as Adeste Fideles (O Come all ye faith-ful) “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and Hark The Herald Angels Sing” andadditionally Arthur Sullivan’s “Good King Wenceslas” and “It Came UponThe Midnight Clear” clearly have a religious origin and connotation. Timeshave certainly changed since many carol compositions are sung regularlyin both sacred and secular settings, and are among the better-known mod-ern Christmas renditions.

It is often difficult to draw a distinction between a Christmas carol and aChristmas Song. The style, rhythm and intended purpose of Christmasmusic depend on the venue and participants. Performed by a churchchoir, the songs would be somber in keeping with Christian ambience.However, the Masquerader’s interpretation would contain a rapid,‘flounce off’ beat, which would exclude a meandering crooning song suchas “White Christmas.” In Guyana, Masquerade bands, performed andplayed their special brand of music which includes many carols played inan upbeat rhythmical format. This was a common sight on the streets oftowns and villages. Mother Sally, Long Lady, mad cow and other costumedcaricatures, performed to the delight of onlookers. During the perfor-mances one or more of the members of the band would approach thosebeing entertained in order to collect money, now and then food and some-times alcohol. The spectators generally encouraged the dancers by prod-ding and cajoling them to perform their best acrobatic dance steps. InGuyana, it is common to hear the lookers-on shouting “Blow, Man, Blow”,thereby requesting another carol from the flautist.

It is important to acknowledge that masquerade bands are not as prominentas before, and to revive this historic tradition, this month the GuyanaCultural Association of NY in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture,Youth and Sport in Guyana will be showcasing a Symposium in Guyanaunder our slogan “Masquerade Lives.”

Caroling atChristmasEdgar Henry



Edgar Henry

Several different Christmas episodes, apart from the birth ofJesus, are described in Christmas carols, including “The Starof Bethlehem” and “The Annunciation.” Carol selectionshave come a far way from a memorized repertoire, rangingfrom traditional classics to contemporary favorites,arranged in a variety of styles. I dare say that almost every5year old kid associate a familiarity to the words or themelody of the famed carol “Jingle Bells.”

The joyous themes for many traditional Christmas carolswere banned in England by the staunch Protestant OliverCromwell and many of the very old Christmas carols andsongs were subsequently lost. Christmas carols were onlyfully popularized again during the Victorian era when theyagain expressed joyful and merry themes in their carollyrics as opposed to the normal, more solemn, Christianlyrics found in hymns. As religious observances in theUnited States and England were closely linked, the populari-ty of Christmas carols grew in both countries in the 19thcentury. Many Christmas traditions and characters such as“Santa Claus” and “reindeer” bear no relation to Christmasper se, but artists utilized these images to produce relativelypopular and recognized carols worldwide.Not withstanding, there are certain classical musical selec-tions that are not really considered carols, but are widelyplayed and performed throughout every year as well as atChristmas. These selections include “Ave Maria”, “The HolyCity” “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring and the “HallelujahChorus..”

Caroling at Christmas Guyana Style involved the ancient tra-dition of traveling from house to house to wish neighborsgood cheer. This gesture didn't only involve singing, but alsowishes of good health and good fortune to neighbors. Noone is quite sure when the custom began, but the customdid give us the song, "Here We Come-A-Wassailing" — sungas carolers wished good cheer to their neighbors in hopesof getting a gift in return, often followed by "We Wish You aMerry Christmas." This spirit of camaraderie brought aboutsolace, comfort and peace to neighbors who had previousdisputes. This reconciliation produced a neighborly resolu-tion lease for the New Year ahead.Get into the mode and mood of Christmas. Enjoy singingthe wonderful words and lyrics of the Christmas carols andChristmas songs which will surely capture those nostalgicmemories of bygone days.

A very Merry Christmas to all!

Caroling atChristmas

20


Spencer Richards has been a con-stant presence in Guyana-Americancultural life for a while now. An enter-taining and informed raconteur onmany subjects—sports, politics, litera-ture, he is also a respected aficionadoof art and music. When I met Spencerfor the first time early in 1980s NewYork, he was co-host with violinistRamsey Ameen of a show originallyentitled, Unholy Missions, and later, Evi-dence, broadcast on New York’s Pacifi-ca community-oriented radio stationWBAI. In that forum he presented aregular disquisition on the intricaciesof classic jazz, among other subjects.Spencer grew up in Georgetown,where his dad, E.A. Richards was a civilservant who rose to the rank of DeputyCommissioner of Labor before retiring.He went on to work at Bookers SugarEstates before establishing his ownmanagement firm, Richards Associates.Spencer’s mother, Mildred E. Richards,was deputy headmistress at St AmbroseAnglican School. With a 1970 degree inEconomics from the Inter-AmericanUniversity of Puerto Rico, Spencereventually settled in Brooklyn, NewYork. In the city he became part of anetwork of creatives, which includedwriters, musicians, and artists of allsorts. On the move within this vibrantmilieu, he kept coming across paint-ings and sculpture that grabbed hisattention. This nascent interest in visualart intensified over time. Some art (andartists) intrigued or puzzled him. Buthe found there was much to love andmany pieces he wanted to live with—especially those produced byGuyanese and artists from the Africandiaspora. In addition to his various cultural activi-

ties, and working as personal assistant[and Keeper of the Archives] forGuyana-born Royal Academician andpainter, Frank Bowling, OBE, SpencerRichards also happens to be a talentedphotographer. His images of Jazz iconMiles Davis in action have been pub-lished in a major book by QuincyTroupe, entitled, ‘Miles Davis the Auto-biography’. Spencer’s also written linernotes for albums by Cecil Taylor, Kala-purusha, and Sun Ra.Over time, he’s gathered an intimate,personal, but respectable collection ofartworks by Guyanese artists such asDudley Charles, Frank Bowling, PhilipMoore, Winston Strick, Leo Panar Whit-large, Arlington Weithers, the lateOmowale Lumumba, and DonaldLocke. There are pieces by other artists,such as the fine Trinidadian painterLeRoy Clarke, Malik Cisse [The Gam-bia], among others. Spencer continuesto frequent exhibitions and events inthe region and abroad. Apart frommajor museums and galleries he’s visit-ed around the world, he has foundinspiration and challenges to his con-ceptual and aesthetic processes duringregular trips to such independent artvenues as Skoto Gallery of Contempo-rary African Art in Chelsea, New York,and the New Jersey organization, Aljira,A Center for Contemporary Art, wherehe was once a board member.CH- One wonders where this obses-sion with art begins. For a Guyanesethe question is even more intriguinggiven the lack of ‘formal’ venues suchas art galleries and museums when youwere growing up...and even now. Orwere your interests mainly literarythen?

SR: Actually, it took until 1997, whenI saw Sir John Everett Millais’ Opheliahanging in one of the galleries of TateBritain that I realized I’d encounteredthis and other master paintings asreproductions in books very early inmy life, particularly in successive vol-umes of The West Indian Reader, thecompulsory ‘reading’ book in formerBritish Guiana. And I remember inprimary school, several classes weremarched down to see Denis Williams’‘Human World,’ which had recentlybeen brought to Guyana as the firstwork in Guyana’s National Art Collec-tion.CH- Music is a huge interest to you, jazzin particular, tell me something aboutthat and how you came to do theWBAI show.SR: in the late 50s while still inGuyana, Leo Whitlarge introduced meto Better get it in your soul, a CharlesMingus composition.

LOOKING FOR THE AESTHETIC SURPRISE

SPENCERRICHARDS:

Carl E. Hazlewood

GUYANA ART INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA ART INTERNATIONAL


SR: After that, ‘Just Jazz’, Basil Hinds’ Radio Demer-ara program, fed my craving for the magic of thatmusic. But years of working for a record store inNew York provided my real music education. In thelate seventies, Ramsey Ameen who held the violinchair in the Cecil Taylor Unit, came into KingKarol on 42nd street. We struck up a conversationand several days later he invited me to write theliner essay for Taylor’s New World album. Shortlythereafter I began to co-host the WBAI show at hisrequest.

CH- How did you come to focus on art byGuyanese, and whose work did you acquire first?

SR: I visited Guyana in 1984. I’d gone to theRSCPA building to see the Porknocker effigy;he’d always terrified me as a child and I sup-pose I was trying to prove to myself that Ihad grown up. There was an art exhibition inone of the galleries, and I was quite drawn tothe work of one painter who turned out to beDudley Charles. I ended up buying one of hispaintings and my enthusiasm for his work hasnot diminished in the intervening years.

CH: You’ve spent some time in London recentlyin your capacity as Frank Bowling’s assistant...how was that experience?

SR: You know I’m leery about that word ‘assis-tant’ as descriptive of what being in the studiowith Frank is like; I always emerge from thatexperience in both NY and London feeling like aspecial witness to his way of proceeding withthe creative act of making art.

CH: I know you just returned from viewing thebig art fairs in Florida…what’s your personalimpression of the state of art right now, in general...and in relation to the Caribbean diaspora?

SR: There was an omnipresent vibrant energy inWynwood Gallery district where the gloriouslyspray painted walls set up an interestingdynamic for what one found inside the gal-leries. Art Basel at the Convention Center hadmore ‘masterpieces’ per square inch that I’veseen anywhere outside museums. One of thethings that continues to impress me about thesefairs, several of which I’ve seen in NY, London,and now Miami, is how they continue toexpand the museum viewing experience.

I thought Venezuelan painter, Oswald Vigas, wasa great find. Then in the consortium of galleriescalling themselves “7”, was the work of FrankBowling, Aubrey Williams, and Hew Locke—allfrom Guyana, and all represented by HalesGallery of London. To corrupt Duke Orsino: “Ifmusic be the food of love/Give me an excess ofit;/that surfeiting, the appetite may feed, and sothrive.” Now, substitute the word ‘art’ for ‘music’and you get an idea of the joy derived from theintensity of continuous visual stimulation, andfinding the occasional aesthetic surprise.

21

Spencer RichardsCarl E. Hazlewood


22 SHANICEA. HODGE

YOUNG GUYANESE SINGER EXCELLING ON THE MUSIC SCENE

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCEIN MUSICAL PRODUCTION OF

“HAIRSPRAY.”


Shanice Hodge started singing even as she waslearning to talk. Now the 20 year old is cen-ter stage, playing the dynamic and charismat-

ic role of “Motormouth Maybelle” in the musicalproduction of Hairspray on the campus ofBinghamton University. Hairspray was Shanice'sfirst main stage production on BinghamtonUniversity's Campus.

This past summer Shanice took part in the produc-tion of Chicago at Cider Mill Playhouse playing therole of "June" and an Ensemble member. Shanicesays “I am grateful for his opportunity because ithas opened my eyes to the wonders of acting andhas made performing an integral part of my life."

A junior at Binghamton University majoring inMusical Theatre and minoring in Chemistry,Shanice Hodge is on the pre-med track and plans onattending Medical School after her graduation inMay 2014.

A soloist in her church choir at Vanderveer UnitedMethodist Church, Brooklyn, New York, Shanice hasperformed at countless church concerts and as thenew Vice President and Director of theBinghamton University Gospel Choir, she has per-formed for various banquets and shows on campus.She is the Activities Coordinator of an HIV and Selfesteem Awareness organization called WE SPEAKBU, and the Corresponding Secretary of the Pi EtaChapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,Incorporated.

Shanice is the daughter of popular singer Compton“Coody” Hodge. She lives with her mother FayCholmondeley-Browne, stepfather MauriceBrowne and brother Lutha Hodge in Brooklyn,New York and remains active in her church choir atVanderveer UMC.

SHANICE HODGEWows audience with dynamic performanceas “Motormouth Maybelle” in the musicalproduction of “Hairspray” on the campusof Binghamton University

YOUNG GUYANESE SINGER EXCELLING ON THE MUSIC SCENE

Claire Ann Goring

23

24


DUE TO LACK OF VOTER SUPPORT...

TREVIN HUNTELOST OPPORTUNITY TO BE IN THE FINALS

OF THE VOICE

BEST WISHES FOR A

SUCCESSFULMUSICALCAREER


On the night of December 10,2012, we sat before our TVsand we saw Trevin Hunte’s

homecoming as a contestant on ‘TheVoice’. He was excited, emotional,and his family was tearful. Then wesaw him at the Lithonia MiddleSchool in Georgia where there wasan outpouring of pride and joy—theimplied inspiration from an ex-stu-dent on the way to stardom was aheartfelt. But there was no organizedcity-wide turn-out in support ofTrevin Hunte’s bid for winning ‘TheVoice’ outright. No… Trevin—thehumble, talented Black kid that heis—came simply and left simply.

Compare his homecoming with thatfor Terry McDermott, Nicholas David,and Casadee Pope. Ms. Pope was anhonored guest on a local radio sta-tion. Later, she stood with a band toperform before a live audience ofthousands. And man did she make anentrance: She arrived with a motor-cade complete with police outriders.The Mayor of Palm Beach City alsopresented Casadee Pope a goldenkey to the city. Mr.David’s homecom-ing to Minnesota was also veryimpressive: There was a massive wel-come hosted in Minnesota Mall ofAmerica for Nicholas, and there he

received a golden microphone fromthe Mayor. And Terry McDermottwould not be undone. He was heavi-ly supported by Scottish Americansin New Orleans.

My people, THAT is what organizedcommunity power looks like. Now,translate those numbers that cameout to see Pope, David, andMcDermott in terms of raw votesand I-Tune-downloads; and then com-pare it to Hunte’s home-coming sup-port. … I’m sure that for many, it wasa foregone conclusion: that TrevinHunte, despite his enormous talent,was going to be eliminated.

Is there a lesson here for Guyaneseand other Caribbean immigrants inthe U.S.A? You bet there is. Here it is:Never mind how talented we are—how skillful we are, if we continue tobe a disorganized Caribbean commu-nity here in the United States ofAmerica, our chances of real successare slim. It is only when Guyanese,Jamaicans, Bajans, Trinidadians, andall other Caribbean people see our-selves as part of one community, willwe rise above the rim of the crabbarrel and be the winners we trulyare.

THE IMPORTANCEOF AN ORGANIZED

COMMUNITY

25TREVIN HUNTE’S LOSS AND

IN THE COMMUNITY

HAPPY MEMORIES OF A TRUE GUYANESECHRISTMASAnd finally on Christmas EveWhen the Christmas treewas littOur home transformed itselfInto such a magical sightWith small change in my pocketAnd my cap guns in my handI strolled along Camp StreetEating nuts and apples“Carbon tins” are firingAnd guns are popping loudAnd last minute shoppersAre hustling among thecrowd

Harold A. Bascom


26 BACK TO SCHOOL

Continuing the Tribute to Past Guyanese TeachersHistory is not was, but reflected in what is (Anonymous)

My introduction to for-mal education atSuschamachar’s, a

kindergarten church school atthe corner of South Road andLight Street, Georgetown includ-ed writing with a slate pencil,repeatedly “rubbing out” mis-takes, sometimes with spit onmy finger tips, mostly due tolack of confidence. My brotherattended Teacher Georgie School on Princess Street. Ithen went on to Primary School, where I was introducedto the lead pencil and eraser, exercise book, big cursive(“join-up”) writing in a tracing book, and the “wild cane.”Discipline re-enforced. By Third Standard I was using afountain pen with a fine-tip “nib”, and doing plentysums, although my penmanship left much to be desired.The well-worn, but sturdy wooden benches and match-ing desks appeared to have been built a century earlier.Wearing khaki short pants, brown Bata “yatin” boots andlugging a home-made cloth book-bag, I sat next to mybuddy Michael (whom I overheard promising his “gyrl”friend a bottle of “Cush Cush perfume”). Confidenceregained.

Here we are – from slate and pencil to mouse and key-board. As we continue to honor the memory of teacherswho were instrumental in giving meaning to the aboveschool environment, let us be reminded of how we pro-gressed from there to here- through them.

Carlos R: Mr. James K. Marks, former Head Master,Queenstown R.C. School (Lonkey), at age 90, resides inCanada with his wife Mary. There is a saying “those whodared to teach will never cease learning”. This is so truefor Mr. Marks, a very patient man, who allowed his stu-dents to learn from their mistakes. He touched manylives and all that he asked in return was that studentsdevelop academically and contribute to society.Everyone who fell under his wings became a better per-son. He did not want us to be perfect, but accepted usfor what we were. A model of honesty and integrity, hisacts of kindness created a ripple with us in our ownlives. He was a disciplinarian, but fair. He took a ferryfrom LaGrange daily and was always punctual. Very

resourceful, he created anexam environment by typingexam questions and printingthem on a manual printer withliquid ink solution. The paperswere all blotched, but veryprofessionally done in thosedays. He challenged his stu-dents, teaching us that it iswhat we do with our life thatcounts and it will be based on

how well we use what we learn. Queenstown RC beinga Catholic School was under pressure to focus on reli-gious teaching, but Mr. Marks was adamant to have agreater balance, insisting that all subjects be allottedequal time. Looking back with gratitude, I think that weloved Mr. Marks because he treated us equally well,although he was a staunch disciplinarian.

T. Eric M: At Smith Church Primary in the late 40s andearly 50s Mr. Harold Jackson (H.M.) and Mrs. Pollard inScholarship class were the two teachers I remembermost vividly. At the new Queens College building(opened 1951), I remember Carl Browne, who taughtGeography; E.R. Burrowes, our Art Master; H.R. Persaud(Bats), who taught English in the Fourths; JoshuaRamsammy, Archie Lee, Josgua Ng Chung, Jerry Niles,Richard Alsopp, Pryor Jonas, and M.T. Lowe. These weremen of substance who made learning enjoyable andwho exerted great positives on the boys who cameunder their influence and tutelage. Later, as classroomteacher, I was greatly influenced by George N. Cave(“never turn your back on a class”), Basil Hines (“aschool must have a tone”), Edgar M. Wilson (“we areonly playing around the fringes of knowledge”), and Ms.Celeste Jaundoo (“we have to keep trying”). These weregreat mentors, leaders and educators who loved chil-dren and also loved learning. Their efforts, contribu-tions, and sacrifices remain immeasurable and are indeli-bly imprinted in the memories of many.

The genius, dedication, commitment, work ethic andproducts of this often underappreciated and unheraldedlegion of teachers must be retold. Their story is our his-tory.


Lear Matthews

E.R. Burrowes Richard Alsopp


27CHUCKLES CORNERON THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE

with Muriel Glasgow A Day To Be RememberedThere I was sitting at the bar staring at my drink when alarge, trouble-making biker steps up next to me, grabs mydrink and gulps it down in one swig. "Well, whatcha'gonna do about it?" he says, menacingly, as I burst intotears.

"Come on, man," the biker says, "I didn't think you'd CRY. Ican't stand to see a big man crying."

"This is the worst day of my life," I said. "I'm a completefailure. I was late to a meeting and my boss fired me.When I went to the parking lot, I found my car had beenstolen and I don't have any insurance. I also left my walletin the car. I walked home and then my dog bit me.

Recapping what transpired:

I came to this bar to work up the courage to put an endto it all, I buy a drink, I dropped the cyanide capsule inand sit here watching the poison dissolve; and then youshow up and drink the whole damn thing! But, hell,enough about me, how are you feeling? Hope you madeyour will?"

Guyanese ain’t stupidy!Their Last Meal.Three prisoners are waiting to be executed and they areasked what they wish to have for their last meal. The Triniresponds “A Chicken Roti.” The Warden gave him his Rotiand then escorts him to his execution.

The Jamaican requests Jerk Pork. He is given his Jerk Porkand then escorte to his execution.

The Guyanese prisoner requests a bog of plums. TheWarden asks “Plums?” “Yes, Plums” says the Guyanese. TheWarden replied “but them outa season!”

“So?” replies the Guyanese “I gwine wait.”

Baptism Good for the Soul!A drunken man gu to the seawall and he butt up with apreacher baptizing people in de Atlantic. He walk in dewater and bump into the preacher. The preacher turnround and nearly get lick down by the alchohol pun hebreath, so he ask the drunk “You ready to find Jesus??” Thedrunk shouted “Yessss.”

Sp the preacher grab he and dunk he in de water. He pullhe out and ask he “Brother, have you found Jesus?” Thedrunk replies “Noooooooo” The preacher dunk he in thewater again for a little longer. He pull he out again and askagain “Have you found Jesus my brother?” The drunk againanswers “I tell you Nooo”

By this time the preacher don’t know what to do so hedunk he again... but this time he hold he down for about30 seconds, till he start kicking, then he pull he out.

The preacher abain ask the drunk “For the love of God,have you found Jesus?” The drunk man wipe he eyes andcatch he breath and ask the preacher “You sure dis iswhich part he fall in?”

World Aids Day is commemorated on December 1.The theme this year: GETTING TO ZERO. This year’sreport showed a more than 50 per cent drop in new HIVinfections across 25 countries. December 2 - marks International Day for theAbolition of Slavery - the date the General Assemblyadopted the United Nations Convention for theSuppression of the Traffic in Persons and of theExploitation of the Prostitution of Others (resolution317(IV) of 2 December 1949). The Secretary-General’smessage implored all to do our utmost for the millions ofpeople around the world still held in slavery whosehuman rights and dignity are deprived.December 2 also marks World Computer LiteracyDay - Launched in 2001 to redress the gap that exists inthe world as regards unequal access to informationaltechnology - the digital divide.The 20th anniversary of the first text message -Short Messaging Service (SMS) was observed onDecember 3. This date also marks the International Yearfor Persons with Disabilities - “the world’s largest minori-ty”, one billion or 15% of the world’s population. Theme:Removing barriers to create an inclusive and accessiblesociety for them.Since December 5,1985, International VolunteerDay (IVD)- is being observed as the Day that offers anopportunity for volunteers and organizations to con-tribute at all levels. Superstorm Sandy unleashed the vol-unteering spirit in many. 2012 theme is: awareness ofand recognition for volunteers and volunteer organiza-tions.December 7 is known as - International CivilAviation Day – the occasion raises awareness of therole of the International Civil Aviation Organization(ICAO) the UN Body which is involved in internationalair transport and developing international standards foraviation safety. December 7, also marked the end of the UnitedNations meeting in Doha, Qatar at the ClimateConvention. Some 200 nations participated. AThe meet-ing began on November 26.International Anti-Corruption Day - was observedon December 9, to raise awareness of corruption and ofthe role of the Convention in combating and preventingit. 2012 Theme: Act Against Corruption Today December 10 - Human Rights Day - an opportunity tocelebrate human rights, highlight a specific issue, andadvocate for the full enjoyment of all human rights byeveryone, everywhere.International Migrants Day - UN General Assembly,proclaimed December 18, as International MigrantsDay, which, when supported by the right policies andhuman rights protections, migration can be a force forgood for individuals as well as for countries of origin,transit and destination.

The devastation caused by natural disasters in theCaribbean, the Gulf and Eastern Coasts of the U.S.has exposed the vulnerability of both economically

advanced and impoverished nations. The unprecedentedhavoc wrecked by Hurricane Sandy and the merciless “lasslick” from a Nor’easter, tested the will and faith of thou-sands. The capacity of survivors to cope is not only deter-mined by their resilience, but intricately connected to theresponse of the community, and mitigating efforts by gov-ernment and relief organizations. For many Caribbeanimmigrants, this Monster Storm has transformed theAmerican Dream into an American nightmare.

There has been escalating scrutiny of the policies andactions of public officials regarding appropriate disasterplanning and response to the needs of survivors. Thepoignancy of lessons learned in its wake is clear. For exam-ple, the non-existence or collapse of water control systems,the questionable “Zoning System”, the capability of utilitycompanies, the contentious debate about global warming,preferential treatment of certain communities and the tac-itly demeaning sentiment: “Like a Third World country”, allmark new realities in assessing cause and effect of a disas-ter of this magnitude.

As City and State officials grapple with explanations andpossible solutions, factors such as geopolitics, socioeco-nomic exigencies, the influence of the media on publicconsciousness, and the intersection of the disaster withexisting inequities, feature prominently in decisions aboutresource allocation for recovery and reconstruction. Someof the hardest hit communities, including those with largeCaribbean immigrant populations appeared not to havebeen given as much media coverage. Clearly this signalsthe importance of establishing Caribbean media outlets inthe Diaspora.

Likewise, there is an urgent need to respond to theinevitable psychological impact, particularly as it relates tolosses incurred. Coming to the North America to establisha ‘better life’, many immigrants sacrificially relinquishedpride possessions, including homes, land and career in thehome country to start a new life devoid of what some maydescribe as dire conditions. Unfortunately, HurricaneSandy made that road unexpectedly treacherous for some.Human adaptation to stressful experiences becomesimportant in crisis situations. People build and sustainresources such as a home and other assets to enhance

their life circumstances and for immigrants, asevidence that they have “made it” in America.Owing to lifelong investment in these resources,psychological distress occurs when there is athreat of loss, damage or destruction of posses-sions.

The human cost manifested in death, displace-ment and untold suffering, has given rise to mul-tifaceted risks to the affected populations.Undoubtedly, this experience shatters commonbeliefs about safety and security, especially forimmigrants from countries that have a history of

natural disasters or spiraling social problems. “Ah neverexpected this to happen here”; “What can we do, start overagain?”.

The assistance provided by Hometown Associations andDiplomatic Corps was creditable. Immigrants have bondedwith their American counterparts to mourn, reciprocatehelp and reassure one another. Such interactions provideda good source of immediate comfort and an opportunity togain from cross-cultural perspectives of coping with stressand bereavement. However, in some instances there is like-ly to be prolonged feelings of fear, anxiety, hyper vigilanceand depression, especially among those who do not have astrong supportive network of relatives in the U.S. Feelingsof helplessness and vulnerability will be common, particu-larly among the undocumented and those awaiting adjust-ment of immigration status, who tend not to readily reachout for assistance.

As is common in the aftermath of disasters, people will suf-fer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but the onset ofcritical incident stress, i.e. the worrying produced by atraumatic event that affects emotional lives and ability tocope, is to be expected. Many households, including chil-dren and the differently abled will experience some levelof distress. Such projections include a sizable EnglishCaribbean population. However, amid sadness, frustrationand anger, there was camaraderie and lasting friendshipsamong diverse neighbors who shared the same fate.

Expressions of mental distress and the perceived role ofHelping Professionals will determine the extent to whichsurvivors benefit from or seek counseling. Both receivingand giving help can be therapeutic and central to copingand recovery. Some people exhibit stark fatalism, whileothers demonstrate complacency or deny the pain causedby personal loss. Among Caribbean immigrants, such reac-tions tend to be congruent with culturally defined copingbehaviors. Having relatively modest pre-migratoryresources, immigrants develop an attitude of “making dowith what we have”, which can either enhance or retardthe recovery process. Proven resilience among Caribbeanimmigrants in crisis situations makes it less likely that manywill experience long-term adverse psychological effects.However, this depends on organized community support,which is needed to help us “get back on we feet”.

28IN THE DIASPORA

COPING IN THE AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE “SANDY”AN IMMIGRANT PERSPECTIVE


Lear Matthews

29


As decades rol by and generations age: as old habits,behaviors, customs and circumstances give way tomodern practices and as the old becomes the new,becomes the old then another new again, older folkswho have survived, recall with nostalgia, sometimeslonging, the past they faced, lived and loved.

Guyanese now past fifty reading this and who havelived a significant portion of their lives in Guyana,will have mixed memories of the triumphs, thepains, the plain joy, the bitter sweet. In town or vil-lage on street or savannah, in restaurant or on four-corner bridge, he or she remembers:

EATING:

DRINKING

WEARING

USING

PLAYING

GOING

SAYING

SINGING

DIS TIME NAH LANG TIME!HAPPY MEMORIES OF A TRUE GUYANESE CHRISTMAS

Black-pudding, Potato Pudding; Jillabee,Foo-Foo, Coo-Coo, Conkie, Chip-ChipSugar Cake.

Mauby, Mango Fly, Sorrel Drink, Pep-me-up, Jamoon Wine, Rice Wine, Castor Oil,Glover salts, Billious Wash, Ginger Beer.

Flannel “Siinglets”, Rescue-the-Naked,Serge, Sharkskin, Sebo, Bulldog.

Glamma Cherry, Carbon, Flour-Paste,Asafoetita, Congo Pump, Daisy, Neem,Coconut Oil, Coalpot and Coals, Black Sage.

Deal O, Police-and-Thief, Jumming, Litty,Cush, Cock-Fight, Bun-House.

To treats, Excursions, Queh-Quehs, BushCooks, Sixty-Three Beach, Kissing Bridge.

Trans-p, Sky-Juice, Binnee, Banna, Putta-Putta, Lammata, Thickness, Chubang,Mook, Putax, Throw-up and Clap, Boo-leggeh.

Oh my Dear, Down on the Bottom Floor,Passing Memories, Dig Me, Where areyour Friends Now, It Burns Inside, Sookie,SahaniRaat, AUntie Bess, Itannami, So Longfor Now.

OIL LAMPS:An oil lamps are aform of lighting usingan oil-based fuelsource. They wereused as an alternativeto candles before theuse of electric lights.

WASHBOARD is a tool designed for handwashing clothing. Clothes are soaked in soapywater in a washtub, then squeezed and rubbedagainst the ridged surface of the washboard toforce the cleansing fluid through the cloth to carryaway dirt.

GENIPSIt grows duringthe summer:June toSeptember. Ittastes like acombination ofa lime and apeach.

PRESSINGCOMB is ametal comb usedto straightenmoderate orcoarse hair andcreate a smootherhair texture. It isheated and usedto straighten thehair from the roots.


Guyana Cultural Associationwill celebrate the life of

Pamela Maynardand other cultural and literary icons

Trenton Mack and Jan Carew at a service of

celebration on Janaury 27, 2013St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church,

Hawthorne Street, Brooklyn, NY4.00 p.m.

30WE REMEMBER & CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF A GUYANESE CULTURAL ICON

Pamela Maynard was one of Guyana’s singingicons who charmed global audiences with herdynamic personality, compelling charisma andexpansive voice.

The golden voice, whose hits included the socamedley “One Day at a Time” and “Misty Blue”, wassilenced in November, succumbing to breast cancerin a city hospital at age 58.

Pamela Maynard’s musical career was deeply influ-enced by her parents. Her father operated a soundsystem and her mother, Mavis, wrote the lyrics forher daughter’s debut hit, “Lost, Lonely & Helpless”,and shared the stage with her and Eddy Grant at ashow in Georgetown.

After leaving school, Maynard joined the GuyanaDefence Force and performed at state receptionsfor several visiting dignitaries, including FidelCastro. She also sang with some of Guyana’s topbands at the time, including the Yoruba Singersand Sid & the Slickers.

Maynard made history in the film industry. Shereceived awards in for (4) genres of music includ-ing Best Reggae, Country and Western, Soul andR&B from SurfNoir Inc in the USA. In the UK shereceived the prestigious JetStar Award, the MusicVolks Award in Germany and the Reggae Award,best Calypso and best Gospel Awards in Canada toname a few.


31WE REMEMBER & CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF A GUYANESE LITERARY ICON

After Mittleholzer in 1841 Jan Carew was the firstGuyanese to burst upon the world of fiction with apublished novel This is according to KennethRamchand in the West Indian Novel and itsBackground.. It was Black Midas (1958). It is the pork-knocker tale of Shark.

Years earlier, Carew was bicycling from Georgetownto Buxton to Friday nights to have conversation, lectureand close chatter with ordinary people. One of the fewstill alive remembers him. Higher up the coast, BertandAbrams, Oswald Bland, Una Weatherspoon, Prakash, theBaynes sisters, Merle Grenada and others met weekly tograpple with new things in an effort to understand thechanging world. Naming names is important so that thepast has a personality. In his discourses Jan Carewspoke with conviction of the need to encourage “ apoetry that smells of our earth and represents moretruly the dreams of our people. ”

Ramchand does not miss this element in Carew’s writ-ing. He reproduces a conversation between Rhodiusand Shark (Black Midas) as they travel the turbulentriver in the silence of the night. Shark knows that thedrowned men talk because he is up and down theriver, “when the star bright, when the moon hang “ andwhen it is too dark for him to spit through it.

Ramchand finds that Carew intends to show that thepork knockers have the “jungle in their veins.” Jungleor not he really see the human as wired to the environ-ment. Twenty, thirty, nearly forty years go by and heproduces another work of fiction after lining inEurope, Africa and the Americas. It is The GuyaneseWanderer. in 2007. It is a package of ten tales, eight ofwhich are set in Guyana. The other two have Guyanaon their mind.

Carew in his writing took on huge issues, as Caribbeanpeople tend to do. Williams linked the enslavementsystem with capitalism, its offspring. Amy JacquesGarvey took on Mussolini’s seedling of world fascism,James took on Stalinism from outside. ,Jagan wished tohitch his wagon to a new civilization. Carew took onits human failings from within. Rodney revealed ruth-less mode of the extension of Europe extraction intoAfrica

Carew sought with much sweat to find the what theimperial narrative wanted to hide. Grenada :The HourWill Strike Again recalls the self- government, the socialnet-working. transport systems and the freedom strug-gles of the indigenous peoples the Caribbean, and theseveral links between them and the rebellious Africans.

Jan Carew visited Guyana about the mid nineties andmay have recharged for The Guyanese Wanderer allow-ing it to be so authentic. It spared neither himself norother males. The head cockerel boasted a lover at thevery top of the social stairway and another at the verybottom. As mayor of a town he is presiding over ameeting a sex worker blows in to demand her dues.The Mayor wins handsomely at the next general elec-tions. It is in Ghosts in Our Blood That Jan Carew afterconversations with Malcolm X reveals his rich com-plex liberating thought and the personality his mar-velous Grenadian mother, Louise Little.

Carew in his writing took onhuge issues... spoke withconviction of the need toencourage “a poetry thatsmells of our earth and represents more truly thedreams of our people.”

Jan Carew died on December 5 at his home in Louisville, Kentucky,United States of America at the age of 92. Carew was born in Agricola,East Bank Demerara on September 24, 1920 and also had very strongties to Berbice.

He has led a rich and varied life as writer, educator, philosopher andadvisor to several nation states. After his initial education in Guyana)in South America, he studied at universities in the U.S.,Czechoslovakia, and France. In London, he worked as a broadcasterand writer with the BBC and lectured in race relations at London

University’s Extra-mural department. He also lived in Spain, Ghana, Canada and Mexico. He has taught atmany universities in the U.S., including Princeton, Rutgers, George Mason, Lincoln University inPennsylvania, and the University of Louisville.

EUSI KWAYANA PAYS TRIBUTE TO

Jan Carew

Jan Carew and friend Dr Runoko Rashidi

32


Trenton Mack:Acknowledged in the Caribbean Diaspora and as amember of several Guyanese based choirs, the high-ly respected Trenton Mack, whose powerful voicewas legendarypassed away earli-er this month.Trenton Mack startedhis singing careerin his hometown,in Essequibo,Guyana and wasrecognized at theBritish MusicFestival with hon-ors.In the UnitedStates, TrentonMack was hon-ored by the Guyana Cultural Association for his out-standing contribution to music in Guyana, and hasperformed and toured with the United NationsChoir to Germany, Japan and throughout the UnitedStates. He was also a member of the Guyana Ex-Police Association of the United States and a mem-ber of their choir.

WE ALSO REMEMBEROTHERS WHO HAVE LEFT US IN 2012:Designer and Historian Godfrey Chin,.Artist and Sculpter Phillip MooreMusician Denis De SouzaBroadcaster Hugh CholmondeleyActress Elizabeth WellsMovie and record Producer Vivian LeeRandolph Kirton Photographer Ken Moore

GCA HONOREE & GUYANESE CULTURAL ICON

WE REMEMBER & CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF A GUYANESE LITERARY ICON

THANK YOU TO THEPOMEROON OIL MILLS FOR ITSSPONSORSHIP OF THE “MASQUERADE LIVES” SYMPOSIUM IN GUYANA

“The GuyanaCulturalAssociation ofNew York, Inc.,extends its sin-cerest thanks tothe PomeroonOil Mills for itssupport to theMasqueradeLivesSymposium,especially the

Flounce Off at Victoria. Through the Bad CowMasquerade Competition in Charity, Essequibo,the Pomeroon Oil Mills is in the forefront of ini-tiatives to revitalize masquerade in Guyana. Thecompany freely shared information on organiza-tion and judging criteria which guided the orga-nization of the Flounce Off at Victoria. In addi-tion, the financial contributions of thePomeroon Oil Mills, Inc., provided the prizes forthe Flounce Off. With continued passionatesupport from Andron Alphonso, Pomeroon OilMill’s Chief Executive Officer, Masquerade willlive on in Guyana. Thank you, Andron andPomeroon Oil Mills!”

33

Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc. on-line Magazine Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc. on-line Magazine

Merundoi wishes you andyours a blessed and enjoyable holiday!

May the Blessings of the Season be yours to enjoy and share.You have supported us throughout 2012 with your sponsor-ship, listenership and advocacy and we look forward to

collaborating with you in 2013. Together we will make Guyana a wonderful country!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND BEST WISHES FOR 2013


34POETRY

ABOUT THE POETDerrick “John” JeffreyDerrick “John” Jeffrey, is a

Guyanese writer, journalist, andretired United Nations Staff member, a former General-Secretary of the

Guyana National SteelbandAssociation and winner of the Dr.Cheddi Jagan Medal for Literature

(Stand Pipe 1970)

SUBMIT YOUR POEMS FOR CONSIDERATION TO:[email protected]

Sugar Foot JoeThe Masquerade Dancerby Derrick “John” Jeffrey

Slowly lifting his head off a pillow on a hospice cotWhere stars are born and the salt brown Atlantic

chases the jumbee crabs from the mud-flatPeople say, “he mudda wash he foot wid white rum

in a trench near de burial ground”That is why he can’t resist the sound of the kettle drum Sitting up straight in a bed where he is given up for deadThe kling kata-kang klic-ka-tang, klee-tag-tan rid-inn-dang Sticks on the rim of a kettle drum swirled around in his head

Slowly climbing down one foot touches the groundSteading himself and holding the bedRevisiting an art some say is dead

Peep-peeee pope-pee peep-pee-dep pedle-e-leep -peep-pedeeeee-peep

peedle-eeee-peeep, peeeeeee-pieap pie-peeeThe tin flute rekindles the days of his youth

Two feet down and ready to go “Blow man blooooo.” Old age kept saying, “Please Joe––don’t go.”

The thump, the boom, de boom de boom-boom of the base drum was too much to resistThe flute, the kettle, and a base drum player name

“Bicycle Man” The shack-shack shaker introduces the band“A wo fo happen les he happen one-time”

“A rachie-bachie boom-boom”Sugar Foot waves his hand. The rhythm is fast

Bam-Bam Sally shaking her ass stomping on Mad-Cow’s grassThis is for Christmases now and passNurses and doctors gather around

as Joe moves to the rhythm of the kettle drum.Glittering sequence tingling bells Buck-beads

move around in a shack-shack One step forward and two steps back

The kettle drum rattles and the tin flute shrillsSomeone throws a Big Gil

One brass penny is plenty money buy a Flutee or a maubyFlouncing to the ground in a split like James Brown

The Big Gil is tin-cup bound. Wishing it was a shilling insteadHe continued to flounce to the music in his head

The gathering grows larger around his hospice bedKicking another coin with his big-toe––

up and into his pocket it go.Ka-lit-e-tang kee-tang-tang reek-e-boom chee-ke-boom

chak-a-shk shak-ka- shakBam-Bam Sally leads the band—Mad Cow with tin-cup in hand

“What a performance JoeNext time you should come out of bed

and really give us a show.”Time for your medication….Uncle Joe


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THE NEW YORK TUTORIALSUPPORT GROUP INC.VALENTINE BALLFriday, February 08, 2013;Time: 10:00 pm – 3.00 a.m.; DJ HannahSt. Gabriel’s Anglican Church Hall, 331 Hawthorne Street, Brooklyn, NY 11225SPRING FLING DANCEFriday, June 21, 2013;10:00 pm – 3.00 a.m.; DJ HannahSt. Gabriel’s Anglican Church Hall, 331 Hawthorne Street, Brooklyn, NY 11225

PROGRESSIVEDEMOCRATSHold the date for our 21st anniversary of Women Celebrating WomenPALM SUNDAY -March 24th, 2013when we will honor a distinguished group ofwomen who have excelled atservice to the community.Nominations are under consideration for womenentrepreneurs who havedistinguished themselves.

Many happy returns forthe Christmas Season!Warmest RegardsDr. Una S.T. Clarke, C.D.(REPLY TO [email protected])

SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY EVENTS

TO HAVE YOUR EVENT PROMOTED INFUTURE GCA NEWSLETTERS:Contact Claire Goring [email protected] Edgar Henry [email protected]

COMMUNITY CALENDAR OF EVENTS

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM THE GUYANA ......2012/12/12 · CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM THE GUYANA...

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