Category: Features

Indigenous hinterland transport in Guyana has traditionally involved canoes for river travel; in earlier times, the canoe was also used as transport for trade and warfare. Bullock cart, horses or on foot were transport for land travel. While these remain modes of transportation today in these regions, others now include speedboats, ATVs, bicycles, motorcycles or SUVs, to name a few. The canoe remains an important mode of transportation for indigenous and non-indigenous Guyanese living in the many remote riverain regions of the country. Many children learn from a very young…

Whether true or not, there are some Guyanese customs to which couples would adhere, regardless of the consequences: “Don’t look back while going up the aisle”; “jumping the broom”- a West African tradition; “don’t ever let a dog eat your wedding cake”; “don’t sweep one’s foot with a pointer broom prior to marriage”, are just a few. The following are some true funny stories surrounding weddings in Guyana. Cow itch powder or stinging nettle It is believed that a bride must be attired in: “Something old; something new; something borrowed;…

Paulla De Souza has become a name synonymous with beauty – a true connoisseur of makeup artistry. Her interest in the beauty industry began very early in life. It was therefore no surprise that she pursued a career in fashion and beauty. Born in Georgetown, Guyana, Paulla grew up on the East Bank of Demerara and attended Central Primary School and North Ruimveldt Multilateral before finishing at St John’s College. Years later she travelled to Trinidad to obtain formal training and was schooled at Suzan’s Unisex Salon & Beauty School…

The Tamilians from South India, who had sailed from the port of Madras for the then British Guiana as indentured labourers, were termed “Madrasis”. Of the 239,000 Indian immigrants to British Guiana, less than five percent made up the Madrasis population. For the British planters, they were the least desirable immigrants of all. They were stereotyped as lazy, aggressive and rebellious. The alleged penchant for heavy drinking, loud drumming and especially their love and devotion for their kulla (god) Devi Mariamman, whose worship involved animal sacrifice, evoked that dislike. They…

During the September Amerindian Heritage Month, you may have heard of the “tuma pot”. As explained by Michael Patterson, CEO of Tuma Sàlà Restaurant, described as Guyana’s first ever indigenous restaurant, the tuma pot is not an actual pot, a misconception by many, but a variety of meat in a pot. “The tuma pot refers basically to the meat in the pot, but instead of using cassareep, the cassava water is used. Cassareep is produced after the refining process, where the cassava water is discoloured until dark brown with a…

By Matt Hallett Part II Guyana is home to six species of wild cat – each with unique natural histories, beautiful physical attributes, and interesting behaviours. Each of the six species plays an important role in the vast forests and savannas of Guyana, a niche that evolved over millions of years. Whether it is as the top predator or feeding on rodents in the tree tops, the astonishing diversity of the landscape allows for all six of these species to share space, find enough food, and pass their genes on…

By Petamber Persaud My reading is such that I see red, green and amber sojourning through a book. I usually change gears, automatically – speeding up, slowing down, and reversing. Sometimes, I stop. Often, I would go into neutral. Neutral may be my favourite position when reading. I go into neutral at any inter-textual references which do not give up their meaning/s readily especially references to other books. While wading through Gandhi’s “The Story of my Experiments with Truth”, which I am re-reading as we celebrate International Literacy Day, I…

While many of us know of Miss Guyana World and Miss Guyana Universe, there are a “world” of other pageants in which Guyanese women by birth or descent are involved, some of which are not so well-known; we shall look at their reigning queens. Miss Guyana UK Zena Sherlock Bland was recently crowned Miss Guyana UK 2015 at the Guyana High Commission in Bayswater, London. British by birth,she came to Guyana at age threesince her father, then a single father to herself and brother, believed a Guyanese education was best…

The ex-slave who influenced Darwin John Edmonstone was a freed Guyanese slave who taught taxidermy to famed naturalist Charles Darwin at Edinburgh University in Scotland. Edmonstone is said to have been born in Demerara, Guyana and while still a slave,he learned taxidermy from British naturalist Charles Waterton (1782 -1865). His ‘master’, Charles Edmonstone, had a daughter who married Waterton in 1829, and Waterton was a regular visitor at his father-in-law’s Mibiri Creek, Demerara estate. John Edmonstone, writes Melissa Pandika, author of OZY magazine online, accompanied Waterton on bird collecting expeditions,…