Merry Christmas To Everyone

One of the great things about Guyana is how unified it is about its festivals and cultural activities. Christmas is something celebrated by everyone regardless of race, class, creed, religion or whatever differences one comes up with. Everyone has their time of decorating, buying toys for the kids and man, cooking. Christmas Eve night was always filled with the sound of preparation with the new window blinds going up, the smell of pepper pot, curry, cook-up and fruit cake being made was intoxicating. Everyone celebrated. As soon as the season started, in the affluent areas there was the race to see which house would have the biggest and often most bizarre Christmas decoration. In the cities would be the masquerade bands with the young and old men flouncing to the kettle drums and fifes, dressed in Vaudevillian outfits. Occasionally one would see the tall Mother Sally dancing along with the Mad Cow occasionally dashing into the crowds making the kids scream with both fear and glee.

Today, at this time Guyana is always filled with folks returning. This is the season when flights to there are almost impossible to come by. On the streets are lots of "foreign". Foreign clothes, foreign food, foreigners and of course foreign currency. Its always good to see the hustle bustle of the markets, Bourda Market, Stabroek "Big" Market and all the others all over the country teem with life as everyone consumes Christmas.


I was home last Christmas time and even though it was not on Christmas day, I was still relieved to see that despite all the nasty politics, all the racial tensions, all the stuff that would make one think that Guyana is going nowhere, it was good to see that Christmast, despite all the fluff and stuff, really hasn't changed. This brings to mind the very essence and message of the holiday -- hope, peace and joy to all mankind. This must be maintained as in our hearts still reside one place called home which for me is Guyana. Whether or not you're in Guyana, lets reminisce and celebrate this wonderful time called Christmas.

From my family to yours,


Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year!


Iain

Rule of Lawlessness

Recent events in Guyana have made a political party there, The Working People's Alliance (WPA) coin the phrase "the rule of lawnessness". This incident point to why some governments start out with great intentions but when situations get in the way what can happen. Already the current regime in Guyana has been shown that they are in charge and can call all the shots. When the PNC, the main opposition party there refused to enter parliament, it was greeted with disdain but essentially the issue was there. We had a government that had carte blanche authority to do whatever it wanted and it was up to their discretion to make changes to whatever they wanted to do. If they come up with a bill today, there is nothing that can stop it from becoming law other than their own resolve. When one looks at Guyana's political history, this type of government is all that it has ever had. The results for the country has been essentially completely destructive, so much so that even today, the embassies of the world are full of applications from people in this very small country on the north coast of the South American continent. To the world, such countries are basically dictatorships and one of the features of this type of government is the penchant for its members to be above the law.

The recent incident with the Minister of Local Government, Kellawan Lall points out to where this rule of law can be a problem. According to accounts, the minister had an argument with a woman he's involved with and after her nephew intervened in the defense of his aunt, the minister hit the young man with his gun giving him a deep gash on his head. He then got into his vehicle, proceeding to hit the young man slightly, got out of the vehicle and fired shots in the air. What happened next is very indicative of what's happening in Guyana today. The police arrived on the scene and promptly arrested the young man. The minister went to the police station and gave a statement after which the youth was released. Subsequently, the young man was "compensated" for his ordeal by Lall. What was amazing is the fact that this was supported by none other than the PPP's General Secretary, Roger Luncheon who claimed that the matter was "settled". He was eventually even championed by the President himself who said that nothing would be done and that the matter was being investigated.

These events point blantantly to how economics and power play out in Guyana. If you are rich and powerful, you are above the law as you can always buy yourself out. The young man was encouraged by his aunt to accept the "compensation" as it was in her best interest that the matter remained quiet. Evidently, her acquaintance, the minister provided her with economic assistance and for her well being it made sense that nothing happened to him. The police did not press charges, the director of public prosecutions is yet to make a decision as to how to proceed. Meanwhile the minister continues to serve as though nothing happened.

This dual standard of society does nothing but reduce the general population to a state of mind where one continues to live in fear of being the next victim of the powerful. If the criminals are the lawmakers then what is the law? If the individuals elected to make and execute the law are themselves law breakers, then what confidence can the popluation have of there existing a government of fairness whose interest is theirs? Not only is there fear of being the victim but a lack of confidence that the law is on your side. The young man being the only one arrested with his head bloodied tells of how one expects to be treated based on who does what to whom. Apparently the criminality of the incident is transferred from the perpetrator to the victim! What kind of society we're thinking of fostering if this continues.

At the time of this writing, the issue seems to have died down as was expected. The PPP administration has claimed that they will look into the issue but was quite clear that nothing would be done to reprimand the minister until the issue is fully investigated. In a decent society, to show transparency one would have expected at least some action by the minister either to probably step aside until the investigation concludes. But we are not dealing with that and instead have an arrogant administration in place. No one has to wonder if this arrogance has already permeated the society. Its there already and will continue in this vein. Meanwhile all the fishiness of cover-ups, pay-offs and other instruments of corruption become the actual norm in the country, all as Guyana continues its path down the road of the Rule of Lawlessness.

May God help us.

Iain

Guyanese Trivia: Facts about Guyana

I'm sure you'll find this quite interesting, especially being Guyanese.
By Euline (If you read this please send me an email so I can properly credit you)

Q: Where and what is Shell Beach in Guyana?
A: Shell Beach is a stretch of beach occupying about 100 miles along Guyana's Atlantic coast between the mouths of the Pomeroon and Waini Rivers. It is a major nesting ground for four species of turtle: the leatherback, green, hawksbill and the endangered olive ridley.

Q: What is the Bartica Triangle?
A: The Bartica Triangle is the area of land at the confluence of the Mazaruni, Cuyuni and Essequibo rivers. This area includes the town of Bartica.

Q: What popular Guyanese folk song deals with being terrified about continuing a river journey?
A: Itaname.

Q: How did beef from the Rupununi Savannahs first get to the coastland?
A: On the hoof. Cattle were driven along the old cattle trail that wended its way from Annai in the Rupununi Savannah s (Savannas) to Tacama(Takama) on the Berbice River, covering a distance of 180 mile s. At the end of the journey, the cattle were tired and wasted. The trail was successfully completed in 1919 and the first head of cattle was driven over it in 1920. Later beef was transported to the coastland by air. Before the opening of the trail, the only economic outlet for cattle raised in this area had been Brazil, where prices obtained for Rupununi beef were low.

Q: Name the surveyor who became Curator of the Guyana (British Guiana) Museum.
A: Vincent Roth. He also founded the zoo in the Botanical Gardens. Roth, who was also a journalist and naturalist, authored books on Guyanese history and wildlife. He worked as surveyor and magistrate for 30 years. Roth arrived in British Guiana in
1907, when he was 18 years old, and departed for Barbados in 1964.

Q: Who were the Winkel slaves of British Guiana and why were they significant?
A: They were highly competent carpenters, bricklayers, brickmakers, coopers and artisans generally. They worked under an officer, equivalent to a Director of Public Works, and were hired out to private persons from time to time. They were the first slaves in British Guiana to be freed as a group and this is especially noteworthy because they were given their freedom before emancipation. To this day, one area in New Amsterdam is called Winkel, for it was there that these interesting people lived.

Q: Name the person who symbolized defiance in Martin Carter's "I Clench My Fist" and "I Am No Soldier."
A: Accabre (Accabreh), the last of the leaders of the Berbice Slave Rebellion to be captured. He gained admiration for his composure and fearlessness when taken.- "I Clench My Fist" Martin Carter.

Q: Name the Amerindian tribes of Guyana.
A: There are nine: Arawaks, Caribs, Warraus, Macusis, Wapisianas, Akawaios, Patamonas, Arecunas and Wai Wais.

Q: What were the Royal Races in Guyana?
A: According to Lloyd Luckhoo, Guyana is the only country in the world in which the Prince of Wales (in 1920) and Her Majesty the Queen (in1966) actually attended race meetings the Prince at Bel Air Park and Queen Elizabeth at D'Urban Park.

Q: What was once called "Disseekeeb"?
A: The Essequibo River.

Q: What month Amerindian Heritage Month in Guyana?
A: September. The first such month was observed in 1995 and is intended to showcase and promote Amerindian culture and contributions as Guyanese.

Q: The late President Forbes Burnham commissioned an artist to paint the portrait of him which now hangs in Guyana's Parliament Chamber. Who was that artist?
A: Emerson Samuels. His varied and valuable work earned him the award of the Golden Arrow of Achievement. Yet he had no formal schooling beyond a primary education. However, his gifts allowed him to grow as he worked with and learned from others -including Hubert Moshett, E.R. B urrowes, Marjorie Broodhagen, R.G. Sharples, Basil Hinds, and Denis Williams. Many of his works are in the National Collection. Born on August 22, 1928 at Nabaclis on the East Coast Demerara, he died on August 6, 2003 while on a visit to the United States.

Q. Did Marcus Garvey ever visit Guyana?
A:Yes, he paid a visit to the British Guiana in October 1937. Then the President-General of the United Negro Improvement Association [UNIA], Garvey was visiting the British Guiana chapter of his organization. Large and enthusiastic crowds greeted him on his arrival at the Bookers wharf, after which he was taken by car to the home of his host, Dr. S.I.T Wills at Lot 190 Charlotte street. Later in the day, Garvey was given a reception at the Georgetown Town Hall where he was greeted with the Ethiopian National Anthem. Garvey also paid a courtesy call on the Governor before proceeding to the Fraternity Hall on Robb Street to address his foll owers. Garvey had wanted to visit the British Guiana in 1921, but at that time the British government would almost certainly have had him detained as a troublemaker.

Q: Where is the main battle school of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF)?
A: At Tacama, on the upper Berbice River. (See pictures taken by the Lancashire Fusiliers at Tacama in 1965).

Q: Who were the first Europeans to settle in Guyana?
A: The Dutch. On the Pomeroon River in 1581.

Q: Try this again. Name the Amerindian tribes of Guyana.
A: There are nine: Akawaio, Arawak, Arekuna, Karinya(Carib), Makusi,Patamona, Waiwai, Warau and Wapisiana.

Q: What does the name Kabakaburi mean?
A: It is Arawak for "the place with the itching bush. "The bush referred to was a wild lily that gave off an itchy milk. The Arawak name for the lily was "Jotoro" (diefenbachia paludicola), and the place where it grew "kabo kabura." Over time, this became Kabakaburi.

Q : How did Homestretch Avenue in Georgetown get its name?
A: It was built on the homestretch of the former D'Urban Park Race Course.

Q: What museum in Guyana was named after a police officer?
A: The John Campbell Police Museum. The museum was opened in 1993 at the Eve Leary Compound in Georgetown. It has five main sections: History, Uniform, Musical Instruments, Photographs and Miscellaneous. John Campbell was the author of a history of policing in Guyana.

Q: Name the first black woman to sit in Britain's cabinet.
A: Baroness Valerie Ann Amos. Born in Guyana in March 1954, she moved to England when she was nine years old. She studied at the Universities of Warwick, Birmingham and East Anglia, and was awarded an Honorary Professorship at Thames Valley University in 1995 in recognition of her work on equality and social justice. She began her career in local government, working in various London boroughs from 1981 to 1989. Va lerie Amos became a life peer in 1997, taking the title Baroness Amos, of Brondesbury in the London Borough of Brent. Baroness Amos became the first black woman to sit in Britain's cabinet following Prime Minister Tony Blair's decision to appoint her International Development Secretary. Up until then, she had been Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office. She was made Leader of the House of Lords on October 6, 2003 following the death of Lord Williams of Mostyn. The Leader of the House of Lords takes charge of the government's business in the House, and has some responsibility for determining the order of speakers.

Q: Who has been widely regarded as the "father of the trade union movement in Guyana"?
A: Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow.

Q: The German botanist Robert Schomburgk came upon an impressive plant on the Berbice River in 1836 and sent specimens back to Europe. Name this plant.
A: The Victoria or Victoria regia or Victoria amazonica the famous giant water-llily. The English botanist and horticulturist John Lindley established the genus Victoria and named the species regia in honor of Queen Victoria.Interestingly, in 1850 the year after botanists were able to get the Victoria to flower in Europe, Queen Victoria, accompanied by the French president (later Napoleon III), went to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew to view the flowering.

Q: What is "foo-foo"?
A: Pounded boiled green plantains. The plantains are placed in a mortar and pounded with a pestle until smooth. Butter,salt and pepper may be added, and the foo-foo is shaped into manageable portions for eating, often with a stew or gravy. Foo-foo is eaten in other parts of the Caribbean, notably Jamaica.

Q: Who first scaled Mount Roraima?
A: Everard Im Thurn and Harry Perkins, in 1884. Their expedition to try to climb Roraima was sponsored by the Royal Geographical society, the Royal Society and the British Association. Detailed accounts of their successful climb were prepared for Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society. See Journey to the lost world.

Q: Which Guyanese cricketer made his test debut against India at Mumbai (Bombay), was Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1971 and became the first West Indian to win 100 Test caps?
A: Clive Lloyd, former West Indies captain.

Q: What is the Mari-Mari dance?
A: Mari-Mari is a traditional Arawak (Amerindian) dance. A man taking part in this dance may have two female partners.

Q: What time of year is kite-flying time in Guyana?
A: The Easter holidays, especially Easter Monday. At this time every available open space is invaded by kite fliers, young and old alike. Notable among the popular kite-flying haunts is the Georgetown Sea Wall. This tradition is shared with other countries in the Caribbean. About kites in the Caribbean, particularly Grenada Kite-flying - Guyana, 866.

Q: Why did hosts sometimes lay two places for Sir Lionel Luckhoo at official banquets?
A: When he was High Commissioner in London, Sir Lionel represented both Guyana and Barbados.

Q: When was the Lethem Police Station in the Rupununi destroyed by gunfire and policemen riddled by bullets as they tried to escape.
A: In 1969 during the Rupununi Uprising.

Q: Who is a touchau?
A: A touchau is the captain or chief or head chief of an Amerindian village. The touchau and a village council run the affairs of thevillage.

Q: How did Brickdam in Georgetown get its name?
A: Brickdam street was the main and middle and best surfaced street of the infant capital of Georgetown. Paved with bricks (hence its name) and with lamps on each side, it ran from the ferry stelling (then called King's Stelling) going east. Later, it was surfaced with burnt earth and in 1921 It was hastily macadamized for the visit of the Prince of Wales from England.

Q: Why was the northern section of Bourda Market, now occupied by vendors' stalls, called Bourda Green?
A: It was once an open, green, grassy field, a favorite spot for large political meetings. Notably, from the late 1940s and into the 1950s, Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham addressed mass meetings of their followers there. It was the common practice for women to protect themselves against the night air in jackets mostly their husbands') and to take along folding chairs or benches to sit on "The Green" during the long political speeches. Before it was called Bourda Green, the area was untended and was called Bourda Pasture.

Q: Clive Lloyd's cousin was a distinguished member of Georgetown, Guyana's Demerara Cricket Club. This cousin was rated Number One bowler in tes t cricket during the period 1964 - 1968 by the Price Waterhouse Coopers rating sys tem. Who was he?
A: Lance Gibbs - one of the finest bowlers in cricket history. Born September 29,1934 in Georgetown, Guyana, he played 79 matches and took 309 test wickets at an average of 29.09 runs per wicket during the period 1958 to 1976.

Q: There was a person in Guyanese folk belief, who could hide her skin under a mortar at night. Who was she?
A: The ol' higue.

Q: The name Guyana is Amerindian in origin. What does it mean?
A: Land of Many Waters.

Q: What gave Guyana's 3 counties their names?
A: The major rivers running through them: Essequibo, Demerara, Berbice. The counties were once three separate colonies but later united to become one.

Q: What are the two Christian holy days observed as national holidays in Guyana?
A: Good Friday and Christmas Day.

Q. Which Guyanese, best known as a writer and thinker, once acted with Sir Laurence Olivier while he was living in London?
A. Jan Carew.

Q: Does the Amerindian piaiman (medicine man) invoke spirits in his healing ceremonies?
A: If you were to attend one of these ceremonies, you would likely hear not only the voice of the piaiman pronounced pee-EYE-man), but seemingly other voices as well. Many investigators believe that the piaiman is an expert ventriloquist (which would explain the "other voices"),but more importantly, he has intimate knowledge of the healing plants of the forest. He has been known to bring back to health with his special brews people regular doctors could not help.

Q: What do Guyanese mean by a "stelling"?
A: A pier or dock. A platform, providing access to ships and boats, built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles. It may be open,or covered to provide protection from the weather. Many provide spaces for offices and shops. Stelling is said to be an old Dutch word.

Q: On June 14 every year, Guyana commemorate s the shooting to death by police of 5 sugar estate workers in 1948. By what collective name are those workers called?
A: The Enmore Martyrs.

Q: Which lawyer was called to the bar in London, was Solicitor General of the West Indies Federation, was invited by Prime Minister Forbes Burnham to return home and became Guyana's attorney- general, and was unanimously appointed the Commonwealth's second secretary- general?
A: Sir Shridath Surendranath Ramphal. Born in New Amsterdam, he was also widely known as S.S. Ramphal or Sonny Ramphal.

Q: How did James Warren Jones make Guyana known all over the world?
A: James Warren Jones was better known as Jim Jones. The news of the mass suicide of the members of his People's Temple of Christ, at the location near to Port Kaituma which came to be known as Jonestown, shook the world. The number of per sons who died was
911.

Q: Who is an Aboriginal Indian?
A: An Amerindian. Aboriginal Indian is an old expression.

Q: What very interesting bird is featured on Guyana's Coat of Arms?
A: The Canje Pheasant, there are two of them. Canje Pheasant is the Guyanese name for the hoatzin, which is a two-foot long bluish, pheasant- like bird with a naked face. Curiously, very young birds have distinctive claws on their wings. They use the claws to creep along tree branches. As the birds mature, the claws disappear.

Q: What is the religion of the people who observe the national holidays Eid Ul Azha and Youman Nabi with special ceremonies?
A: Islam. The adherents are Muslims.

Q: Which is the commonest poisonous snake found in the interior of Guyana?
A: The labaria, the same as the dreaded Fer-de-lance of the West Indies. It is rarely more than four feet in length, but its bite, if not treated properly, can be fatal with in 48 hours.

Q: Which of the poisonous snakes in Guyana is the most feared?
A: The bushmaster. It is the world's largest pit viper and the volume of venom it injects is quite large. The bushmaster's bite can kill more swiftly than the labaria's, and it is a larger creature sometimes reaching twelve feet in length. Fortunately it is not quick to bite and generally will react only when you tread on it or otherwise disturb it. Occasionally, however, the bushmaster has been known to aggressively attack people.

Q: What is The Golden Arrowhead?
A: The name of the national flag of Guyana.

Q: Which is the longest and largest river in Guyana?
A: The Essequibo River. It is about 600 miles long, almost the length of the whole of Guyana.

Q: Guyanese celebrate Phagwah (Holi) and Diwali as holidays. From what religions do these festivals come?
A: Hinduism.

Q: What animal with a Haitian name eats grass and lives in water?
A: The manatee. It's a favorite at the zoo in Georgetown, Guyana. Manatee or manati is a name given it by the early Amerindians who lived in Haiti. The name is believed to mean "big beaver."

Q: A generally held belief among old-timers in Guyana was that Dutch settlers would bury their accumulated treasures under a certain kind of tree. What kind of tree?
A: The silk-cotton tree.

Q: "Woe to the enemy who it can overturn and hold in the unrelaxing grip of its huge claws." What animal was the author referring to?
A: The ant bear. The author was Brett, "the apostle to the Indians" of Guyana (then British Guiana). From him and other qualified observers, we have come to learn that this normally quiet and harmless, ant-eating animal can defend itself against humans and animals when circumstances require it.

Q: Who was a porkknocker?
A: He was a prospector and miner. He was a colorful figure, a rugged individualist and has been responsible for most of the great discoveries of gold and diamonds in Guyana's interior. Typically, when he struck it rich, he spent his fortune in ways both tragic and comic.

Q: Why did the old-time porkknocker wear a cotton band tied below the knee?
A: It was believed to protect one against rheumatism and/or to ensure good luck.

Q: If a Guyanese were to approach you and greet you with the expression "Naamaste", what conclusion about him is likely to be correct?
A: That he is a Hindu. Naamaste is greeting used by Hindus.

Q: Who, in Guyana, is a boviander?
A: A person who is a mixture of Black and Amerindian. The origin of the word is believed to be "bovenlander"- Dutch for "highlander" or "uplander." Amerindians were relative highlanders to most Guyanese as the overwhelming majority of Guyanese live on the low coastland areas. Q: Guyana-born E.R. Braithwaite wrote a novel based on experiences gl eaned from teaching in England. What isthe name of the book and the very popu lar film made from it? A: To Sir With Love.

Q: How did the rarest stamp in the world, Guyana's famous "penny magenta" or "one-cent black-on-magenta" come to be printed?
A: In the 1850s, British Guiana's stamps were printed in England. Whenever there was a delay in the shipment of stamps and the post office had none, stamps were printed locally. Each stamp was then initialed by the Postmaster or one of his clerks in order to lessen the risk of counterfeiting. The famous penny magenta" or "one-cent black- on-magenta" was one of these stamps. It was produced in 1856 by the printers of a local paper, the Royal Gazette.

Q: Certain rivers in Guyana's interior are known to have the fiery-eyed silver-sided demon called "the wickedest fish that swims." What is the name of that fish?
A: The piraior piranha. It has quite large, triangular and extremely sharp cutting teeth. It fears nothing and attacks any living t hing that moves, no matter how large it is. The pirai rips a chunk of tissue out of a person's body, leaving a round, crater-shaped wound. Blood in the water drives the pirai crazier yet.

Q: Is it true that vampire bats may be found in Guyana? And is it true that these bats suck blood?
A: Yes, there are vampire bats in Guyana. The interior of the country is home to a wide variety of fascinating animals. The vampire bat does not suck blood as you would suck your finger. After making a quick and painless incision in the skin of the, very likely sleeping, victim, it drinks the blood. The blood is drawn up through grooves in the underside of the tongue.

Q: What major product has Guyana been producing in competition with the Carolinas for centuries?
A: Rice. The following quotation from a dispatch written by Gravesande, the Dutch Governor of Essequibo, i n June, 1750 was included in Vincent Roth'article "A Chat About Rice ": "The soil in our colonies produces rice of a much better colour and size than that of Carolina and it has this important advantage over it; whereas in Carolina it takes a year to grow each crop, five months only are required in Essequibo."

Q: What fish found in Guyana is regarded as the largest fresh water fish in the world?
A: The arapaima. It has been known to attain a length of 15 feet and weight of 400 pounds. The fish were once widespread throughout Guyana but are now
(year 2001) found only in the Rewa, Essequibo and Rupununi rivers in the North Rupununi area of Guyana.

Q: What are the Dai Dai and Water Mamma?
A: They are mythical river monsters of Guyana. The Dai Dai or Water Devil was believed by the Amerindians to be especially ferocious, upsetting boats and devouring occupants.

Q: The first Europeans to settle in Guyana were the Dutch . What crop did they first cultivate?
A: Cotton.

Q: Where in Guyana was sugar first produced?
A: On the Pomeroon River at the village of New Iddelburg. By 1660, the Dutch colonists reported sugar production there.

Q: What are ant cows? And where could you see them in Guyana?
A: They are "cows" maintained by ants in their nests for the purpose of "milking" them. The "cows" are fat white insects known as aphids, and the "milk" is the substance they secrete. Ants seem to love this substance. If you were to see thousands of ants (called umbrella or parasol or kooshi ants) each carrying a bit of leaf like an umbrella, you would be seeing the harvesting of leaves on which fungus would be grown to feed the "ant cows." Millions of ants would raid trees and plants in a selected area, stripping them bare of leaves.

Q: Why does a life-size painting of Sir Walter Raleigh (Ralegh) hang in Guyana's legislative chamber?
A : Why indeed! Most scholars think it should not be there. Sir Walter Raleigh never saw or visited what is Guyana today. The Guiana of Sir Walter Raleigh's dreams was all of the north coast of South America from the Orinoco to the Amazon rivers. And he pinned his hopes on the Orinoco section of this huge land mass. However, Governor Sir Edward Denham, Governor of British Guiana,repeatedly described Sir Walter Raleigh as a pioneer of the country and presented a life-size portrait of the English adventurer to the colony. Nobody changed that.

Q: What substance did boys use for making cricket balls in Guyana?
A: Balata, produced from the gum or latex of the bulletwood tree. The gum was boiled in water to soften it, then it was rounded into a ball. The main industrial use of balata was however in the manufacture of machinery belting.

Q: What is bushrum?
A: Illicit rum, generally made in the secrecy of the bush or thick vegetation. This rum was once very popular and profitable to those who made (distilled) it. A bushrum raid by the police was a big event in many villages. Hardly any bushrum is made today. The big distilleries make rum much more cheaply than small operators could.

Q: What is the preferred crab for making crab-backs in Guyana?
A: The Buck Crab. Crab-backs are, of course, the seasoned meat of the crab served in the crab's own shell. Parsley and pepper are almost always among the seasonings. The Buck Crab is large as crabs go, with a bluish or greenish grey body, purple legs and white underside. It lives in the deep holes it digs in the mud.

Q: What is a crab march?
A: The actors in the crab march are blue Bunduri crabs of the North West and the Essequibo Coast - the largest crabs in Guyana. During the mating season between late August and early September, one particular spring tide brings them out in their millions and for hours they literally cover the beaches. Closely packed, bodies and claws knock against each other making a dull metallic sound for the period this crab carnival lasts. It is also possible to see lines of marching crabs headed for some particular destination, crossing roadways in the process.

Q: What crab in Guyana does not live in its own shell?
A: The Hermit or Soldier Crab. The hinder part of its body is soft and unprotected. So it finds a shell of the snail-like mollusc that is of suitable size and inserts itself in it. When it outgrows that shell, it looks for a larger one and occupies that. There is sometimes great competition among Hermit Crabs for mollusc shells on the beach.

Q: What poses the greatest danger in Guyana's forests (bush)?
A: According to Vincent Roth, falling trees and branches, snakes, or jaguars or other wild creatures. Roth has had 25 years' experience living and traveling in Guyana's interior.

Q: What was or who was El Dorado?
A: When early European explorers were searching for gold in the Americas, they came to believe that in Guiana there was a city which was on an island which was on a lake. In this city everything that could possibly be made of gold was of gold, even the streets and houses. There lived the royal El Dorado, Spanish for The Gilded One, who during a ceremony would have his high priest cover his body in gold dust.

Q: What was the origin of the story of El Dorado?
A: No one knows. However, one guess was that the Incas of Peru, harassed and persecuted for gold and information about gold, might have invented this story to send Europeans searching elsewhere and thus get them off their backs. For more than 200 years, the Spanish, English and Dutch sent expedition after disastrous expedition in search of El Dorado.

Q: Where did Europeans first settle in Guyana?
A: Old Fort Nassau on the Berbice R iver. Abraham van Pere, a Dutchman, sailed up the river in September 1627 with forty men and twenty youths and settled there with the intention of trading with the Amerindians. Trade was done in salt, tobacco, wood and arnatto (annatto),a dye mainly for fabrics.

Q: What in the history of Guyana is called The Ankoko Crisis?
A: On October 12, 1966 the Guyana government discovered that Venezuelan soldiers were quietly taking over the island of Ankoko at the confluence of the Cuyuni and Wenamu rivers. The Venezuelans later occupied the entire island of Ankoko. The crisis was defused by diplomatic means.

Q: Who wrote the words and music of Guyana's national anthem?
A: The words of the anthem "Dear Land of Guyana" were written by Rev. H.I. Luker and the music was composed by R. C. G. Potter.

Q: What is Anancy?
A: The main actor and "hero" in Anancy stories. Anancy (or Anansi),named for an Ashanti (African) spider god and trickster, is portrayed as full of wile and cunning, throu gh which he survives seemingly impossible situations. Anancy stories are told everywhere in the Caribbean. Incidentally, Nancy is another term/derrogative for a homosexual.

Q: What is meant by "Associated States of the West Indies"?
A: "States in association with Britain." In 1967, Antigua, St.Kitts- Nevis-Anguilla and the three Windward Islands of Dominica, St. Lucia, and Grenada became Associated States. A fourth Windward Island, St. Vincent followed suit in 1969. Under this arrangement, Britain retained responsibility for external affairs and defence, but each of the Associated States was self- governing in its internal affairs, and its association with Britain was free and voluntary and terminable by either side at any time.

Q: For what is Mount Ayanganna most remembered by Guyanese?
A: The new Guyana flag was raised there to greet the first moments of independence, Day May 26, 1966 as part of the official Independence celebrations. A party composed of Guyana Defence Force soldiers and guides, led by Adrian Thompson, ascended the mountain in for the flag-raising ceremony. The mountain is on the left bank of the Mazaruni River between the sources of the Ireng and Potaro Rivers. It is 6,700 feet high - the highest wholly Guyanese mountain. (Mount Roraima is higher-
9,219 feet from the Guyana side, but is shared with Venezuela and Brazil).

Q: What are the uses of half-boiled and fully-boiled casareep?
A: Casareep, that important ingredient in Guyanese pepperpot, is an Amerindian invention and is made by grating cassava, adding water, squeezing out the liquid with a matapee, and boiling it. Fully boiled casareep, the type used in pepperpot, is often thick and very dark brown or black in color and is used in the preservation of food. Among some tribes, the Akawaios for example, half- boiled casareep is prepared for everyday use while the fully-boiled casareep is used on long journeys, hunting or fishing expeditions or during periods of shortages. The very dark casareep keeps unspoiled for almost a year. The casareep with the best reputation comes from the Pomeroon area of the North West District.

Q: What is the couvade?
A: A custom among some peoples, Amerindians for example, in which the husband takes to his bed as if he is pregnant and delicate when his wife is going to have a baby. Among the Akawaios, the father would refrain from carrying out any physical exertion such as hunting, fishing, swimming, or horse riding for at least six months. He would also eat only food on which tareng ritual blowing, has been carried out. After the child is born, he would lie in his hammock to receive congratulations from relatives and friends. In the modern-day couvade, the father has many of the symptoms associated with pregnancy.

Q: Were there Bush Negroes in early Guyana?
A: In British Guiana (Guyana) there were Bush Negroes in forested areas in Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo, but not a great deal is known about them. It is felt that Bush Negroes could not for long survive in British Guiana because the colonial policy was to relentlessly attack their settlements with the aid of indigenous Amerindians.

Q: Who formulated Guyana's national motto: "One People, One Nation, One Destiny"?
A: Brindley Horatio Benn. He was Deputy Premier and Minister of Education in the early PPP Government.

Q: He was born and grew up in New Amsterdam, Berbice in Guyana. He lived in Trinidad, England, Canada and Barbados, finally settling in England. Notable among his writings was the Kaywana Series. Who was he?
A: Edgar Mittelholzer, the most prolific of all West Indian writers of his day. Most of his novels have been translated into Fren ch, Italian,Dutch and Spanish.

Q: Who was the first woman to become a Cabinet Minister in Guyana?
A: Janet Jagan, Minister of Labour, Health and Housing in the pre-independence PPP government.

Q: How is Guyanese pepperpot made?
A: By cooking meat, preferably several kinds of meat, in a sauce that is mainly casareep. Cow-heel, beef and pork are favorite ingredients. Many people like hot peppers in their pepperpot, though these are not essential to its enjoyment. Other favorite spices are onions, cloves, cinnamon and ginger. The cooking can last two hours or more. If the pepperpot is brought to a boil once every day, with meat or casareep added as necessary, it lasts indefinitely. The YMCA in Guyana once had a pepperpot going for over 25 years. Older pepperpots have been reported. The Guyanese pepperpot is an Amerindian invention. The name pepperpot refers to another kind of dish in other parts of the Caribbean.

Q: When did Berbice have a significant settlement of Jews?
A: In 1639, a number of Jews, fleeing religious persecution in Brazil,settled in what was then the Dutch colony of Berbice. They later moved to Suriname.

Q: For what purpose were punts used in Georgetown?
A: Punts, flat-bottomed metal boats about thirty feet long and eight feet wide, were used by the sugar industry to move goods, especially sugar, during the period when there were still canals running through the city.

Q: Which Georgetown street was "paved with bricks" and had "lamps on each side" when Georgetown was still known as Stabroek?
A: Brickdam

Q: What is the largest, perhaps the most popular, sausage eaten in Guyana?
A: Black pudding, sometimes called blood pudding.


Adding my own:

Q: What's the height of the 1763 monument?
A: 33 Feet. The monument, sculpted by Phillip Moore and unveiled on May 23, 1976 commemorates the 1763 slave rebellion led by Cuffy of whom it depicts. Cuffy and his band were able to swiftly capture most of the plantations in the Berbice region. Unfortunately discord among ranks as well as reinforcements sent from neighboring regions quickly put down the rebellion. Accra, Cuffy's lieutenant was captured with the other slaves. By this time, however, Cuffy had already committed suicide after being demoted by Accra after a struggle, probably perceiving what would be inevitable. The monument is situated at the square of the revolution.

Q: What's the second highest waterfall in Guyana?
A: King George VI falls at 541 feet or 160 meters. Located at the confluence of the Potaro and Oshi rivers, it rivals the famous Kaieteur falls in speldor (see http://community.webshots.com/album/194498163xQFfAx ) Its location makes it difficult to visit. It is reported that Great Falls on the Kamarang river is about the same height but this has to be verified.

Q: When was the St. Georges Cathedral built?
A: November 8, 1894 was the year one of the most recognizable structures in Guyana was completed. At 132 feet, it was until a few years ago, the tallest wooden church in the world.

I'll add more when when I come up with them. In the meantime you can send me some Guyanese trivia which I'll post.

Iain

The African Thing

Chatting with folks from Wayne Moses Mailing list an Issue touched me in an interesting way. I thought I would share it. We were discussing tourism in Guyana and the topic went to the inevitable in Guyana, Race.

Here is my reply:

In college, I went through my phases of Pro Africanism. I was myself a Rasta sympathizer and only went 1 step before growing dreads. (I had to cut the thing for National Service). Coming to the US and meeting Africans as well as the plethora of nationalities in New York, I began to open my perspective on how this interpersonal relationship thing worked. At the time there was some heightened racial issues that kept whites and blacks together but the NY subway was the equilizer. The high powered executive and the messenger rode in the same car. Blacks, whites, hispanics, everyone rode the same car. Yes, they didn't speak to each other. In fact, in typical NY style, everyone was in their own cocoon. However, let something happen and everything changes. Everyone becomes human. The white man would give up his seat to the pregnant black woman. The black man would give up his seat to the elderly white woman. I remember one time that someone was right in front of me when I was about to get off the train and missed their step and their leg went between the platform and the car. I pulled her up and someone got out of their seat to help me seat her. She was white I was black, a fact I didn't think about until I was asked about it at work. Bottom line, it didn't matter.

More and more we are reminded that we are members of the human race. It really is about what we bring to the table and not what we want from it. Our experiences as members from whatever ethnic group we come from is what we bring, its what we have to share. Look at the Rastas. They're supposed to be about Mother Africa etc yet some of their most ardent supporters are those who love their music. I was a bit taken aback when my kids asked if Bob Marley is alive. His music has made him so eternal. Singing about Africa, he struck a chord to everyone who struggled whether they're from Africa or not. Reggae music is played all over the world. Everyone in their own way contributes to humanity.

we shouldn't keep looking at the past. Looking at the past should be a marker of how far we've come and for this we should be greatful. Yes, our Colonial masters did our forefathers in but as history has shown, I can assure you that we won't be where we are today. The thing is, we are here. Yes my forefathers came from Africa in terrible conditions. They've stripped me from that culture so that now I can only say I'm of African descent. I am not culturally African. I wasn't born there. I don't speak any African language. What I do know is that I sympathize with all Africans and their plight. Having African blood makes it personal, a little more personal when I see injustice meted out on them. My colonial past will not hinder me from working towards my goals and will not be an excuse for me to hold back. Yes, it has made things tougher as certain perceptions remain. As history shows, however, injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. Today its for me, tommorow its for you. Working as one we can begin to make a change and to be more into the human race so that anyone's plight is our plight. With this, I identify with the plight of all sufferers and celebrate with all who are successful, whether they be African, European, Asian or whatever.