Published by Buxton-Friendship Heritage Fund, Inc.

February 23rd

marked the 48th

Anniversary of the

birth of the Co-

operative Republic

of Guyana. The

occasion was cele-

brated under the

theme: “Let's Co-

operate and Cele-

brate Republic

48.” This year’s

MASH celebration

was seen as one

of the best in re-

cent years.

In performing

arts competitions,

students from the

New Friendship

N u r s e r y a n d

Friendship Prima-

ry Schools turned

out stellar perfor-

mances, winning

much admiration

and several prizes. Two students from

Friendship Primary

School pose with

their winning tro-

phy. See pages 10

and 11 for more

photos and stories.

BUXTON STARS AT MASH 48

F E B R U A R Y

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

ST. VALENTINE’S DAY

LENT BEGINS

GUYANA’S 48th RE-

PUBLIC ANNIVERSARY

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Youth Crisis? 2

Tchaiko Kwayana

Scholarship Awards

Black History Month

4

5

Wha dih Story Seh:

Miss Lady

6

Haynes Cite:

Bangarang in GT

8

Friendship Primary

Stars at MASH 48

10

New Friendship Nurse-

ry Shines at MASH 48

11

Thank You

General Information

12

Buxton-Friendship Express

BFE18-2

FEBRUARY 2018

Buxton Express randomly telephoned local residents to give them an opportunity to air their views on

matters of their choice. What has been revealed is that there is increasing concern about the unfortunate

situation surrounding our youths — A Youth Crisis, the consequences of which are not all minor. Residents

are very concerned about a high rate of school dropout, especially among boys; truancy, idleness and un-

employment. They worry that these misbehaviours often lead to vandalism, illegal gambling, substance

abuse, robbery and unwanted teenage pregnancy. Some of the suggestions offered to help overcome

these problems were: stronger parenting initiatives, broader skills/vocational training programme, more

extra-curricular activities and expanded job opportunities.

Karen T. of Winifred Gaskin Street is disheartened about high unemployment among youths

in the village. She observes, “There are a lot of young people - both boys and girls, who need jobs.

Some of them have certificates, and some don’t have, but they need jobs.” She also believes that

they need spiritual guidance and should be encouraged to go to church. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Shebiki J. of South Vigilance is a caregiver for children (daycare worker). She expressed dis-

appointment in the lack of adequate employment opportunities for youths who would have grad-

uated from secondary school or university. She is, however, very worried about a growing number

of school dropouts, many of whom are girls. She would like to see something done to get these

teenagers to return to school and continue their education. “We have a lot of limers in the village

all day. When I look around, I see many females who have dropped out of school for whatever

reason. And they are on the road all day, even into the night. They are very young!”

Shebiki would like to have street lighting restored across the

community. She says, “There are no street lights in many parts of

the village, even on the Public Road and Embankment Road (old

Railway Line), from Annandale to Strathspey. It is very dark.”

_____________________________________________________________

Mr. Miller of Public Road is disgusted over the number of young boys he sees dropping

out of secondary school. “More than 80% of the boys in this village are dropping out of school,

and they are doing nothing good for themselves,” he asserts. He noted that these young men

would come out to the Road at afternoon, with their “drop-down pants”, and wait for the girls

coming from school. “Next ting yuh know, de lil gyal belly big, [and] he gaan he way.” He indicat-

ed that there are many school-aged girls around the village becoming pregnant, and the situation

is placing undue financial strain on their families, especially those led by single mothers.

(Continued on page 3)

CO NSEQUE NCES NO T MI N O R

Buxton-Fr iendsh ip Expres s P a g e 2

C O N S E Q U E N C E S N O T M I N O R

P a g e 3

February 2018

Jenny D. of Friendship Middle Walk (Backdam Side) expressed concern about the direction

some young folks are heading, and calls for a return of the National Service programme among

other interventions.

“In this area, there are a lot of young men who have dropped out of school and they are not do-

ing anything. They are only idling. Next thing you see is the police come and pick them up for

gambling or other wrongdoing. They would pelt out the street bulbs, or shoot them with sling-

shot, to prevent police from seeing what they are doing [at night].”

She noted that while there may be a decline in narcotics abuse, house break-ins and robbery of

working people returning home at night remain major problems in the area. “I would like to see

something like the National Service re-established to put in these boys,” she urged.

Jenny is also worried about the number of adolescent girls who are getting pregnant too early.

“Some of the fathers abandon the pregnant girls and disown the babies. It is Ma who has to feed

the grandchild plus her own little ones.”

What are parents doing about the situation? She noted many of them are single women who

work long shifts (average 12 hours) as security guards to support their families. While they are

away, the children are tempted to engage in behaviour detrimental to their welfare. She said she

was very happy when the government intervened to restrict mothers from working the late-night

shift so they could be home to supervise their children, while noting that some of the wayward ju-

veniles come from two-parent homes. “They are uncontrollable,” she deplored. She begged, “You

all have to do something for this Backdam Side. They call here ‘The Ghetto’. Go house to house

and talk with the parents whose children have dropped out of school.”

_______________________________________________________

We conclude this report with a discussion we since had with Pastor Desmond Glasgow of Grace Assem-

blies of God Church, located on Friendship Middle Walk near Line Top. He is aware of the problems iden-

tified by the residents, but believes inadequate parental supervision is a major factor. He notes, “We

have a generation of young parents, and some of them are not an example - a role model - to their chil-

dren coming up. Also, parents need to come to grips with the behaviour patterns of their children. If that

can be tackled, we can solve some of the problems we are facing.”

The community leader, who is also a former teacher, however accepts that the problem has been ag-

gravated by an economic situation which has forced many mothers to access employment in the security

(guard) service, working very long and odd hours. “As a result of that, there is not that oversight from the

mother,” he concurred.

(Continued from page 2)

Reprinted from STABROEK NEWS * February 14, 2018

In observance of International Day for Women and Girls in Science, a scholarship programme estab-

lished in honour of the late Tchaiko Kwayana, the wife of politician and human rights activist Eusi

Kwayana, has awarded four scholarships to four young Buxtonians to pursue studies in science at the

University of Guyana. International Day for Women and Girls in Science is observed on February 11th

annually.

According to a press release from the Tchaiko Kwayana Scholarship (TKS), Kimelle Odonhue Wright

was awarded a scholarship to read for a degree in Medical Technology with the goal of a career in

forensic medicine; Rike Semple will read for a degree in Applied and Exploration Geology as she pre-

pares to work in the petroleum sector; Rhembie Adula Williams will read for an Associate of Science

degree with the aim of having a career in environmental science, biology or as a lab technician; and

Naisha Alleyia Gaime will read for a degree in Environmental Science. The awardees will also jointly

undertake a research project on the community work of the Kwayanas and present their findings at

the August 1st Emancipation Day event held annually in Buxton. The release noted that Mrs. Kwaya-

na, who was an educator by profession, was a relentless organiser and supporter of education pro-

grammes for the youth and women of the village.

It added that TKS is committed to supporting one full four-year tuition scholarship annually to a stu-

dent from Buxton-Friendship. Should more funds become available, other levels of support for eligible

students will be provided.

The release further explained that it was decided that in the inaugural year of the programme, three

one-year scholarships would also be granted in addition to the four four-year scholarships that have

been awarded. The scholarships would be awarded to young women who are ready to pursue studies

in science.

A steering committee to manage the TKS and to supervise and oversee applications, interviews, as-

sessments and final approvals of prospective awardees has been established. It is comprised of

Curbette Victorine, Grace Williams, Bonita Hope and Remona Sandy, who are all villagers of Buxton-

Friendship, as well as Andaiye, Vanda Radzik and Karen de Souza, three of the co-founders of Red

Thread who worked with Mrs. Kwayana during her years in Guyana.

The TKS programme is soon to have its official launch in Buxton, at which time its website will also

be launched and the four inaugural TKS students will each give a short update on their studies and

progress at UG and their own distinct goals as scientists in the making.

FOUR BUXTONIANS AWARDED

TCHAIKO KWAYANA SCHOLARSHIPS

P a g e 4 Buxton-Fr iendsh ip Expres s

The late Tchaiko Kwayana

P a g e 5 February 2018

The 2018 theme, “African Americans in

Times of War,” commemorates the cen-

tennial of the end of the First World

War in 1918, and explores the complex

meanings and implications of this inter-

national struggle and its aftermath. The

First World War was initially termed by

many as “The Great War,” “The War to

End All Wars,” and the war “to make

the world safe for democracy.”

-Association for the Study of African-American Life and History (ASALH)

Pauline Felicia Baird

Illustrations by Jumal Sam

IntellectStorm

GloBUNTU Books

Copyright © 2017 Pauline F. Baird

Although we have challenges, Buxton Village is not a place of

cultural deficit. To make visible how this is a reality I offer a sto-

ry of how I listened to learn how some oral traditions continue

and work to trouble our notions of the state of our valued village

practices, despite the hand wringing of some Buxtonians who insist

that “our traditions are dying and young people don’t care. They are

not learning them.” Further, these stories are counter narratives

intended to balance the discourses with those who might insist.

Counter narratives flesh out knowledge from different points of

view. These stories disrupt people’s tendencies to believe what

“huge” voices say in 280 characters on Twitter and elsewhere in the

media about people in geographic spaces such as our village.

Hear this lil story: “Miss Lady, Miss Lady, dis boy knock yuh car,” a

young boy I did not know shouted to me pointing to another. He

was perhaps no more than 10 years old or so it seemed. His short-

cut hair, nice looking teeth, naked to the waist, holding on the han-

dle bars of his “Preggie” the seatless skeleton of a bicycle, took me

back to “small days” when we ran wild. The other boy, also shirt-

less, was the culprit who had just run his “Preggie,” into my bor-

rowed parked car, parked on the road in front of my sister’s house.

In this small incident, I recognized a couple of things that counter narratives of deficit and offer bal-

ance to our discourse. Firstly, our narratives conflate commonly held theories of socio-cultural wellness

and embodiment. The young boy’s partly naked state of (un)dress may appear to outsiders as a deficit.

In the perspectives of outsiders looking in on the village, country children are sometimes portrayed as

lacking in resources. Just watch movies and videos created by non-Guyanese (see YouTube’s Tin City

Ghetto). I would be the first to agree that this boy in the village is not from a wealthy background as we

do not have a significant upper class in the village,

based on western standards. Further, some Buxtoni-

ans would argue that we rise to our challenges be-

cause “Everybody struggles.”

What is not to be missed is that the boy is rich in his

performance of his home training — something Bux-

tonian mothers and other-mothers pride themselves

in — training the children. Thus he had just exercised

a deeply held Buxtonian-Guyanese cultural practice

of being respectful. He directly contradicted the no-

tion that “dese young people nah gat manners,” that

I hear a lot from complaining elders. They speak

truth because some of the youth are like “mannish

puppy.” But, this is not the whole truth. This incident

pushes back against the use of a wide brush to rele-

gate youthful behavior to boorishness.

(Continued on page 7)

W h a d i h S t o r y S e h ? “Miss Lady” :

C H I L D R E N C A R R Y I N G O U R C U LT U R E

P a g e 6

by Dr. Pauline F. Baird

Buxton-Fr iendsh ip Expres s

Two youths riding along the Railway Embankment Road, Buxton Photo by Arian Browne for Stabroek News, February 9, 2014

Wh a d i h S t o r y S e h ? “ M i s s L a d y ” : C H I L D R E N C A R R Y I N G O U R C U L T U R E

P a g e 7 February 2018

The phrase “Miss Lady” that I heard causes me to respond. My response is to resist buying into historic

and contemporary conditioning that is used to associate young black boys with brutish characterizations.

I resist to practice a way of listening to the young and talking about them in the wider world. I listen for

the good. Doing so, I (re) orient my inclination to (re) inscribe a more insidious thing: that of marking

young black males’ bodies, making them subjects for unabated brutality and disrespect by themselves,

their mothers, fathers, grandparents, neighbours, the government, and others. This boy’s words are

heartening. I hear him perform and see him display his mannerly clothing - those often hidden garbs that

can soften their images and redirect our gaze to their youth and humanity. Just listen and look with the

intent to learn.

At the same time I listened to his call, “Miss Lady, Miss Lady,” I apprehended his gaze on me—my body,

his subject. I put myself in his place and imagined how I appeared to him—an elder—perhaps one who is

on her way straight into the geriatric stage of life. So what he had just done was use a very Buxtonian–

Guyanese honorific “Miss Lady” to describe my human experience—growth and change.

As children, “Miss Lady” was the name we gave to grown-up women, who were not our relatives. These

were the people we generally understood as “ole’ people. As children, we had unarticulated methodolo-

gies of classifying people by age, perhaps, in ways besides greying and other age related physical attrib-

utes, as we understood them then. My friends and I “knew” old when we saw it! We knew an old person,

not by wrinkles. No. A lot of old people didn’t have facial cracks. I think of my cousin, ‘Vadne Talbot—I

saw her the other day-- not a crack on her 105-year-old face. Some of the people we called old were not

really “old”; some were just older than we were.

The human body, then, is subject for the marking of time. What’s more like a tablet that children use to

read us, adults, in similar ways they might read books or digital media.

Children’s speech-acts contain a rich reservoir of vernacular titles that may then be regarded as barom-

eters of change, of status within the village community. Children’s use of familiar oral monikers, such as

“Miss Lady” or “Mister,” “Mih ‘ole man” or “mih ole girl,” can mark change and time, especially if the lis-

tener had been away from the village for a while. In this regard, children too must be considered as cul-

tural bearers (not only ole people).

People from outside our community may not understand the deeper cultural frameworks of children in

the village. They might not remember that children’s language carry social markers and vernacular

meanings. A case in point is my First Form teacher from Barbados, at the former Buxton Government

Secondary School. I remember her scolding us for calling her “Miss Webster” (not the actual name); she

insisted that she was married. We did not know or care if she were married. We were being respectful.

Perhaps, she had not learned or refused to accept how children practised intergenerational codes of con-

duct. Perhaps, she saw us as very strange and possibly very dumb children.

What can be learned also is that in the return to a place where you were born, your place is reflected in

the attitudes of people who have remained there. Like a kind of mirror they show you in unbidden, bru-

tal, and matter-of-fact ways who we are, who we were, and who we have become or are becoming.

In some ways, children speech-acts and performances signal that respect for one’s elders is still in play

at the village level. In doing so, children whose roles are integral in village life help us listen to how we

contribute: they can peel back the layers of our foreign clothes and perfumes and remind us the state of

the community. Thus we can pause a little and confront the roles children play in cultural sustainability,

creativity, and dignity within and across generations, at the very least.

(Continued from page 6)

From time immemorial, colours have played a prominent

role in the functioning and development of human socie-

ties. It has been no different in the Guyanese society. Reli-

gious, cultural, civic, political and other organisations have

all been using colours to portray their beliefs/thrusts.

Colours have been used to depict purity, prosperity,

wellness, morality, spirituality among other motifs. At the

national level we have one of our symbols of nationhood, the Golden Arrow Head, repre-

sented by five colours. Each colour describes a certain facet of the independent Guyanese

Nation. Colours mean different things to different people at different times. For example,

one of our local telecommunications service providers, formerly GT&T, now rebranded GTT+

after 20 years, has moved from white and blue to blue and orange.

It was the PPP which said Guyana was open for business. From 1997 to 2015, they would

have branded the product – Guyana - corrupt, and camouflaged it with Cheddi Jagan. Inter-

nationally, Guyana was notorious for corruption and suicide. During those years, almost

every transaction, whether they were with the Police, the Hospital, Public School or Govern-

ment contracts/employment, they had some degree of corruption. Also, everything was in

the name of, or was named after, Cheddi Jagan - social and economic programmes, Dental

School, Research Centre, Airport, Street, et al.

In the run-up to National and Regional Elections in 2015, three colours featured promi-

nently. Red, portrayed by then Ruling PPP/C; Green, by the opposition APNU and Yellow by

the smaller parliamentary opposition party, the AFC. Those colours identified the camps of

the main political parties contesting those elections. With the merger and subsequent vic-

tory at the polls by the combined green and yellow over the red, those three colours have

suddenly become despicable by most Guyanese. For the 2016 Christmas dinner hosted by

the Regional Administration, Region #4, held at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown,

I wore a red shirt with black pants. I was surprised at the reception I got from my col-

leagues. I was branded a PPP/C representative.

(Continued on page 9)

BANGARANG IN G/T: POT HOLES ON THE ROAD TO THE GOOD LIFE

P a g e 8 Buxton-Fr iendsh ip Expres s

Anthony Haynes’

Rebranded GT&T Outlet

Office of The President of Guyana, Georgetown

BANGARANG IN G/T: POT HOLES ON THE ROAD TO THE GOOD LIFE

P a g e 9 February 2018

On his ascension to Office, President Granger

initiated a social programme to aid students in

communities which researchers in the educa-

tion sector deemed to have a high truancy

rate. The programme, now called the Bs initia-

tive, provides breakfast, boats, bicycles, bus-

es, boots and books to students all over Guy-

ana. At its initiation, the boats and the busses

donated were painted green and yellow. The

leaders and supporters of the PPP/C have a

major problem with the colour scheme of those

gifts provided for the less fortunate children in

Guyana. It should be noted though, that most of the items for the Bs initiative are provided by peo-

ple who were known to be very strong supporters of the PPP/C administration; they were the ones

who painted their donations green and yellow.

The PPP/C would have launched the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) in June of 2009.

In 2016, the Granger Administration decided to upgrade and brand the LCDS. It is now called the

Green Development Strategy, a 50-year plan which will usher in the GOOD LIFE via the trajectory

of sustainable, clean energy, environmental security, ecological services and green enterprises. It

is branded with the colour green.

As part of the green state strategy, initially, some government buildings are being repainted with

the brand colours. Now the Leaders of the PPP/C, their followers and some coalition supporters

are livid about the repainting/branding. I suppose the reason why there is rancor over the new col-

ours on State buildings is because the government did not see it as FIT AND PROPPER to inform

the citizenry of the reason for the change or

they simply don’t care what the people think. It should be noted that the GRANGER GREEN

that deck the chairs in the Parliament Cham-

bers, the GRANGER (G$ 5,000.00 bill), the cur-

rent yellow and green of Tipperary Hall, Buxton

Middle Walk and the red on RED HOUSE were

all the handy work of the PPP/C administration.

As we cooperate and celebrate Mash 48, I shall

like to extend HAPPY MASHRAMANI 2018 greet-

ings to all readers.

“All shut eye na sleep.”

Until the next time, to God be the Glory!

...Anthony Haynes

(Continued from page 8)

Government-Owned KAMANA COURT (RED HOUSE)

STATE HOUSE

Students at Friendship Pri-

mary School showed their all-

round excellence as they

copped a number of top plac-

es at this year’s MASH compe-

tition in the primary school

category. The school’s calypso

group outperformed their

competitors for the 1st prize,

while the choir and dramatic

poetry performer each placed

2nd in their events. In the

dancing competition, the

school clinched third.

The former St. Anthony’s

R.C. School also turns out top

performances at the National

Grade Six Assessment. In the

last two years, two students

made the top one percent list,

while several more qualified

for top secondary schools.

Congratulations!

Above, the Calypso champions pose

with their 1st place trophy.

At left, the 2nd place winner in Dra-

matic Poetry breaks a humble smile.

FR IE NDSH IP P R IMARY S TARS AT MASH 48

P a g e 1 0 Buxton-Fr iendsh ip Expres s

Above, choir members celebrate their 2nd place finish, while at right,

this performer shows off her trophy for clinching 3rd place in the dancing completion.

At left is the “dramatic poem princess”, while at right are the proud members of New Friendship Nursery School’s choir

Above, budding Calypsonians, while at right are the danc-

ers from New Friendship Nursery School at the Mash

2018 Nursery Competition

NE W FR IE NDSH IP

N U R S E R Y S C H O O L S H I N E S A T M A S H 2 0 1 8

P a g e 1 1 February 2018

Pupils from the Line Top school staged

impressive performances in this year’s

MASH Calypso, Dance, Dramatic Poetry

and Singing competitions. Kudos to all of

the performers, their trainers/teachers,

and everyone else who assisted. Thanks

for continuing to make Buxton proud!

Congratulations as you celebrate the 22nd

Anniversary of your school. Continue to

shine!

If you have any prices of standard

products or services, you can include a

listing of those here. You may want to

refer your readers to any other forms

of communication that you’ve created

for your organization.

You can also use this space to remind

readers to mark their calendars for a

regular event, such as a breakfast

meeting for vendors every third Tues-

day of the month, or a biannual charity

auction.

If space is available, this is a good

place to insert a clip art image or some

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This story can fit 175-225 words.

If your newsletter is folded and mailed,

this story will appear on the back. So,

it’s a good idea to make it easy to read

at a glance.

A question and answer session is a

good way to quickly capture the atten-

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A listing of names and titles of manag-

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P u b l i s h e d b y B u x t o n - F r i e n d s h i p H e r i t a g e F u n d , I n c .

B a c k P a g e S t o r y H e a d l i n e

Caption describing picture or graphic.

BUXTON: Guyana’s Premier Village

B u x t o n - F r i e n d s h i p E x p r e s s

POSTAL ADDRESS

454 Vermont Street, Brooklyn, NY USA

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Lorna Campbell

Anthony Haynes

Dr. Pauline Baird

EDITORS Dr. Quintin Bacchus

Lorna Campbell

Thank You We are extremely grateful for the kindness and sup-

port received from you, which help in sponsoring edu-

cational and social outreach projects in Buxton/

Friendship. This month, we would like to thank:

CLONEL AULDER

THANDI DRAKES-MUNO

JOAN EMANUEL

ELEANOR KING

We wish to extend a special note of appreciation to

Thandi Drakes-Muno for making it possible for Buxton

-Friendship Heritage to benefit from a $1,500 dona-

tion from Bright Funds Foundation.

Once again, Thank You!

E-mail US

BuxtonExpress@aol.com

FEBRUARY 2018