Month: May 2017

Darmic Swarsatti Dance Academy

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By Indrawattie Natram Through “folk dance”, the Dharmic Swarswatti Dance Academy, located on the Essequibo Coast, has been preserving their Indian heritage. Founder of the dance group, Sursattie Singh, said that traditional folk dance is a feature of her Indian ancestry. It is a dance genre she has been teaching and practising to keep her “Indian culture alive”. Singh, a classical dancer for over 20 years, explained that she has been using folk dance to help build her students’ confidence and to encourage them to learn more about their Indian…

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A ceremony of traditions

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Many of the traditions we uphold today were passed down from our ancestors. One such tradition is the Hindu wedding. The religious aspects of the wedding are intriguing, and originated from those who came as indentured servants from India. Although the Hindu wedding ceremony became elaborated as time went by, the basic structure has remained the same. It was the parents of the parties concerned who first decided that their children should be married to each other. A pandit(or priest) was then consulted as to an auspicious day for the…

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Preserving Indian Heritage through the Preforming Arts

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By Ashraf Dabie The cultural heritage of those who came as indentured labourers is still evident in present Guyanese society. As a matter of fact, some of those traditions brought to these shores by our Indian ancestors have laid the foundation upon which our society operates. However, though several aspects of the tangible and non-tangible inheritance from our Indian forefathers have managed to weather the years, some elements have either been completely erased or fused with other ethnicities to create a unique creole culture. Nonetheless, masses of traditional Indian societies…

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Connecting with ancestral roots

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In 1902, Mahesh Ahir sailed on the Arno ship from India to British Guiana to work on the sugar plantation as an indentured labourer. Mahesh, who was 27 years old when he arrived in British Guiana, adapted to the local culture and learned the new language in that foreign land. Sadly, he never got the chance to return to his homeland. Knowing this, his descendants were prompted to trace their ancestral roots. Rosie Rohini Prem, a Canadian born to Guyanese parents, was moved to search for her ancestors after her…

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GDF Officer on first ever Atlantic voyage with Argentine counterparts

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As part of military cooperation between the Governments of Guyana and Argentina in the framework of bilateral relations between the two countries, Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Midshipman Worren Mars is currently participating in a training programme on the Argentine Naval vessel, the “FRAGATA A.R.A. LIBERTAD”. This is the first time that a GDF officer is crossing the Atlantic Ocean with Argentinian counterparts. According to the Guyana Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ship left Argentina in March on its forty-sixth voyage with a crew of over 300 men and women. It…

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Cherished Memories

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Sons shares memories of his father who came on the last ship to British Guiana to work as an indentured labourer By Ashraf Dabie While history books tell the tales of the arrival and presence of Indian indentureds to British Guiana (BG), the great majority of Indo-Guyanese are still unaware of their direct links to the motherland. However, there are some families who are fortunate to have in possession immigration documents of their ancestors, which have helped them to trace their roots to ancestral villages and connect with relatives in…

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Guyana hoping to produce onions, potatoes on large scale

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If all goes as planned, onions and potatoes will be produced on a large scale in Guyana, according to Deputy Project Director of World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Caribbean, Munesh Persaud. “Tasting is believing…,” were the words of Persaud as he declared that the result of the trial project in Guyana hints to a promising future for the large-scale production of onion and potatoes on local soil. Persaud was speaking at a Taste Testing Event hosted by WUSC and Government of Canada Funded PROPEL (Promotion of Regional Opportunities for…

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Set up…

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…in Parliament It was going to be like that shootout scene in the old Clint Eastwood spaghetti western between “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” There, it was three gunslingers vying for a gold cache, but here in Guyana, it was going to be the AFC (the Ugly) teaming up with the PPP (the Good) versus the PNC/APNU (the Bad) to capture the government in 2020. All three of them were going to shoot their wad in Parliament last Thursday on the hot topic of VAT on private education.…

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A brave new world…

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…in France? A lot of folks on the liberal left are breathing a sigh of relief after the votes in France came in with Macron defeating Le Pen by such a huge margin:  66% to her 34%. But your Eyewitness isn’t so sure they have much to celebrate. Forget all the headlines claiming that Le Pen’s “populist” wings were clipped. First of all, the people she and her father represent are nothing more than racists and fascists in the classic European mould. And what Marine Le Pen’s done is practically…

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Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry unable to account for millions in State assets – PS

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The Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry is unable to properly account for all of its assets and resources distributed across the regions, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, as a result of lapses in the procurement, fiscal management and accountability laws and obligatory regulations – a situation that has reached alarming proportions. Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry Permanent Secretary, Alfred King made the startling disclosure when he was joined by Indigenous People’s Affairs Minister Sidney Allicock and Minster within the Ministry, Valerie Gariddo-Lowe for the opening of a two-day…

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