GUYFEST – Cultural Festival – July 2/2011

GTLIME-10th Anniversary Dinner Dance – Toronto – July 30,2011

 FOR TICKET INFORMATION/PURCHASE CALL:
Clive: SCARBOROUGH: (416) 291-7970 Day (416) 706-2816 Evenings
Judy: TORONTO: (905) 864-4737
Mark / Lauren: FLORIDA: (407) 699-5121
Carol: ATLANTA: (770) 277-4138

Stephen Wiltshire – the Cityscape artist

Stephen Wiltshire is an artist who draws and paints detailed cityscapes.

He has a particular talent for drawing lifelike, accurate representations of cities, sometimes after having only observed them briefly. He was awarded an MBE for services to the art world in 2006. He studied Fine Art at City & Guilds Art College. His work is popular all over the world, and is held in a number of important collections.

Stephen was born in London to West Indian parents on 24th April, 1974. As a child he was mute, and did not relate to other people. Aged three, he was diagnosed as autistic. He had no language and lived entirely in his own world.

At the age of five, Stephen was sent to Queensmill School in London, where it was noticed that the only pastime he enjoyed was drawing. It soon became apparent he communicated with the world through the language of drawing; first animals, then London buses, and finally buildings. These drawings show a masterful perspective, a whimsical line, and reveal a natural innate artistry. read on

Stephen appeared on ABC News Good Morning America on the 13th of February 2008.  (shown in this video)

Stephen wowed the viewers with a quick sketch of Piccadilly Circus after a 10 minutes glimpse of the landmark. Stephen has also been named as Person of The Week on ABC World News with Charles Gibson. Nick Watt and Olivia Sterns reports.

His  website address is: http://www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk/index.aspx

Stephen Wiltshire YouTube Channel

You can always watch Stephen’s videos on his YouTube channel too. Click here to watch this video on YouTube.

You can also see his videos on his website here: http://www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk/videos.aspx?page=1

VICTORIA VILLAGE PETITION – Media Release

VICTORIA VILLAGE PETITION – Media Release

18 May 2011:

 ANCESTORS TO BE HONOURED FOR HISTORIC CONTRIBUTIONS

The bold, unprecedented, and courageous act of the eighty-three (83) former-slaves who conceptualized a future away from the sugar plantation, associated with slavery and dehumanization, will be formally acknowledged in the country’s highest institution when The Victoria Petition is read on the floor of the National Assembly tomorrow.

 The occasion comes almost one hundred seventy-two years after the 83 ancestors of Victorians pooled their resources and purchased an abandoned cotton plantation at an exorbitant price and transformed it into an orderly and prosperous community.

The subject and summary of the Petition states:

“In the matter of recognizing the historic and extraordinary contributions of the “Group of 83” Proprietors who Purchased an abandoned Plantation and thereafter Established the First Village in post-emancipation Guyana; who pioneered a system of self-governance and introduced an economic system founded on the principles of co-operativism; and who thereby made lasting and significant contributions to the development of modern Guyana and emerged a model of global significance and continued relevance:”

The Petitioners note the appropriateness, significance, and timing of this event coming a few days before the forty-fifth anniversary of Guyana’s attainment of national independence. They reference that national achievement to the purchase of plantation Northbrook, the emergence of a constitution for the good order of the community, and the installation of a governance system which served as the precursors to national self-determination.

In their humble Petition, the descendants, residents, and heirs of the Proprietors of Plantation Northbrook (renamed Victoria) make request for the recognition of the historic contributions of their Ancestors, the “Group of 83” Proprietors who established the First Village in post-emancipation Guyana and thereby catalyzed the Village Movement with its significant, indelible, and transformational contributions to the development of Guyana.

While it is the distinct honour of Victorians to make the Petition, the act associates all the ancestors and descendants of those who purchased lands and established villages in the three counties of post-emancipation Guyana signalling the formal closure of the dark night of human degradation under slavery and representing the dawn of a new phase in the long quest of the Guyanese people for social and economic justice, freedom, and human dignity.

The Leader of the Opposition Mr. Robert Corbin, MP will present the Victoria Petition.

18 May 2011:

Conference Leadership & Planning Committee: Secretariat: Victoria, East Coast Demerara, GUYANA, South America:

……………

Petition for Parliament:> THE VICTORIA PETITION MAY 19 2011

“Jamaica In My Head” Flash Mob in Union Square, NYC

“Jamaica In My Head” Flash Mob in Union Square

10 May 2011

The Jamaica Tourist Board and Flash Mob America teamed up to give New Yorkers a taste of sun, sand and sea at the Jamaica Reggae Flash Mob in Union Square, NYC on May 9.

Featuring an exclusive dance remix of Ziggy Marley’s “Jamaica In My Head” the flash mob commemorated Marley Week and the 30th Anniversary of the passing of Jamaica’s music legend Bob Marley.

Over 200 reggae enthusiasts performed to a choreographed routine, which included Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt’s signature “Bolt to the World” dance move. The crowd also witnessed surprise appearances by notable Jamaicans, including Devon Harris, a member of the first Jamaican bobsled team, which inspired the movie Cool Runnings, members of the Jamaican national women‟s basketball team, Jamaican chess master Maurice Ashley, among others, who walked down a Jamaica-branded runway.

The event took place in New York City’s Union Square on the south side at 14th Street.

(Submitted by Godfrey Meertens)

Donald Trump has fired himself – not running!

Trump Opts Out of Presidential Run

Monday 16 May 2011

by: Michael D. Shear, The New York Times News Service [3]

Donald Trump has fired himself.

Mr. Trump, the real estate mogul and reality television host, is not going to run for president, he said Monday, ending months of over-the-top speculation that he might seek the 2012 Republican nomination.

“After considerable deliberation and reflection, I have decided not to pursue the presidency,” he said in a statement.

“I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election,” Mr. Trumps said, adding, “Ultimately, however, business is my greatest passion, and I am not ready to leave the private sector.”

In addition to his statement, Mr. Trump announced his decision in person at Monday’s event for the broadcast networks to preview their fall lineups.

“I will not be running for president,” he said, according to Brian Stelter of The New York Times, who is reporting live [4] from the event. Advertisers cheered at the news.

Mr. Trump burst onto the political scene this spring [5] by dangling the possibility that he might use his fortune and his celebrity to mount a campaign against President Obama.

He seized the attention of the news media by making bold and outlandish statements, in particular by asserting doubts that Mr. Obama had been born in the United States.

Mr. Trump’s use of the so-called birther issue culminated in a bizarre split-screen moment last month when he held an impromptu news conference in New Hampshire [6] as Mr. Obama released his long-form birth certificate [7] at the White House.

At the time, Mr. Trump refused to say whether he was running, focusing on the fact that his NBC show, “Celebrity Apprentice,” was still on the air.

“When the show is over — and the finale is on May 22nd — when the show is over, I will then be free to announce. I think you will be surprised at a number of things, but I think you will be surprised at what my announcement is,” he said at the time.

The attention, and the speculation about his intentions, rocketed Mr. Trump toward the top of the early polls, though he recently had faded again toward the bottom of the pack of Republican hopefuls [8].

Mr. Trump’s statement on Monday was devoid of any of the theatrics [9] that he offered over the last several months. But he continued to credit himself for pushing the political conversation toward the economy.

“I will continue to push our president and the country’s policy makers to address the dire challenges arising from our unsustainable debt structure and increasing lack of global competitiveness,” he said. “Issues, including getting tough on China and other countries that are methodically and systematically taking advantage of the United States, were seldom mentioned before I brought them to the forefront of the country’s conversation.”

The decision means that Mr. Trump will go back to his NBC show, which has been one of the network’s highest performers

“Blowin’ In The Wind” – Bob Dylan in China

Bob Dylan is an American music icon and a very prolific songwriter. Read his biography on Wikipedia here.  Also see the songs, albums, films and writings in his Discography here.

 Here is a short video clip of his life and influence.

Bob Dylan, celebrates his 70th birthday on May 24, 2011.  He has just had an Asian tour with a China concert on May 6, 2011. There was criticism regarding his song selection in China,  and the fact that his controversial songs were not played.  Many reviewers said it was censorship by the Chinese authorities.  He said there was none.  (See an analysis and rebuttal at the bottom of this post).

This song,   “Blowin’ in the Wind”, one of his most controversial, was written and first recorded in 1962.  It became the “Anthem” protest song for many causes, including the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’ and 1970’s.

Here is  a modern rendition of “blowin’ in the Wind”,  illustrated by a French artist.  At the bottom we show it being played at a Dylan concert in Barcelona.

Blowin’ In The Wind 

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, ’n’ how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, ’n’ how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, ’n’ how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, ’n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it’s washed to the sea?
Yes, ’n’ how many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, ’n’ how many times can a man turn his head
Pretending he just doesn’t see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

..

Here he sings “Blowin’ in the Wind” at a  Bob Dylan Concert with Santana,  filmed in Barcelona, Spain in the 1980’s.  It gives an idea of what his concerts were and still are like:

CHINA :  Also read this recent analysis of Dylan, his music, his politics and his present relevancy in the following article re the China tour,  and a report from Dylan denying censorship.  Check the links below

Why Bob Dylan didn’t make a fuss in China

Bob Dylan denies set list censored in China.

Obama, Trump and Kunta Kinte

By Jamala Rogers | St. Louis American Columnist – May 4, 2011 

Donald Trump has pandered to the most racist, backward sector of this country for the last few weeks. His eagerness to question the legitimacy of President Obama’s birth certificate underscored that being a birther transcends class and education; some believe that birthers are just white and uneducated.

The Donald was relentless in his challenge of the birth certificate, and last week, President Obama requested that the State of Hawaii Department release the document. For the White House, it was putting an end to a distraction. For many fair-minded whites, it would serve as a muzzle for the embarrassment, outrage or disgust that Trump fanned up in their faces.

But for most people of African descent, it was quite a different experience. It was watching Trump trying to turn President Obama into a Toby.

Anyone who ever watched Roots remembers the scene where a proud and stubborn Kunta Kinte was beaten into the obedient slave named Toby. The public beating was not just for Kunta, it was as much for the other blacks who had similar notions of being free. That kind of humiliation is part of the pathology of white supremacy that black people, regardless of their status in life, have experienced directly or indirectly.

It was easier for non-blacks to view Trump’s antics and shrug them off as attention-seeking silliness. But for black folks, it was a vicarious experience that raised the kind of anger that resides in the deepest recesses of our ancient African souls.

The Kunta Kinte Syndrome is now sewn into the fabric of most modern societies’ racial relationships. Black people periodically must be made to realize that they are second-class citizens and have no rights that white people will accept. That includes being born or having a legitimate birth certificate. It includes having a skill or a degree from a prestigious college.

For those whites who believe black people are innately inferior, white skin will always “Trump” the achievements of a black person. Once a black person internalizes this racial oppression, they are doomed to a treadmill of subhumanity and will never be equal to a white person, no matter how fast they run on that treadmill.

Goldie Taylor, contributing editor for TheGrio.com, shared her personal connection to the racist history of identification papers for blacks in this country. She told a story close to home – in the city of St. Louis.

In 1899, her great-grandfather Major Blackard was accosted by a St. Louis cop who demanded that Blackard show him his identification papers. Blackard had forgotten them that day and was beaten to a bloody pulp, arrested and thrown in jail. Twenty-one days later, Blackard’s white employer had to come to the jail to prove his identity and to bond him out.

Racism in this country is no laughing matter. It should not be trivialized or ignored. Everywhere Donald Trump goes, he should be met with chants of “No More Tobies!” Those people who were happily rubbing elbows with him at the White House Correspondents Dinner should have left him sitting there all alone. He should be treated like a pariah. Since someone of his stature wants to flaunt his arrogant racism, he has to be taught a hard lesson.

Of course this is not just about President Obama; neither is it just about the birthers. It’s about all who are not white and male; it’s about racist legislation and policies that strip us of our full citizenship rights. In this next period, we will have to fight like hell to just retain the gains made over the last century.

Fair-minded white people cannot sit on the sidelines while racist ideologues denigrate and de-legitimize the country’s first president of color. Criticize President Obama when he doesn’t live up to his promises or ideals, but not because he is the son of an African. History will judge his presidency. It will also judge us for accommodating the kind of society that says racial (or gender) equality will never be a reality in this country.

David Hinds discusses “Power Sharing”

“African Guyanese call for Power Sharing is an affirmation of human and birth rights.”

By Dr. David Hinds  –
Special To News Americas  – http://www.newsamericasnow.com

 

Born in Buxton, David Hinds is a professor of Caribbean and African Diaspora studies at Arizona State University and executive member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA). More of his writings can be found on his website at:  www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.com

 

News Americas, PHOENIX, Arizona, Weds. May 4, 2011:

When I came out in support of Tacuma Ogunseye’s call for African Guyanese to take to the streets in Guyana to demand power sharing, I did so because I sensed that people were playing politics with the issue. Let me preface today’s offering with a few general observations.

First, I make a distinction between the Indian masses whose lives are as miserable as Africans and the Indian government which is as unaccountable to Indians as it is to the Africans. Second, I do not blame the Indian people for the plight of Africans; in the same way I don’t blame the African people for the suffering of Indians under the PNC. In both cases I hold the governments responsible for the excesses. Third, nobody can seriously accuse me of remaining quiet when Indian people are under attack–my record speaks for itself.

Fourth, I am not advocating violence against Indian people or the Indian government. That is the worst solution; all of us will be consumed. I am instead supporting African defiance and militancy against those who are intent on confining their role in Guyana to something called “opposition.” Fifth, I do not absolve African people from fault for our collective condition. But our problem is not simply that we like to party and spend lavishly as some Indians think. Our problem is that we have not cherished enough who we are – self-love. Finally, I am sure the cynics in our midst will say that I do not speak for African Guyanese. That is their business. I speak as an African Guyanese. When I put my life on the line to fight and help bring down an African Guyanese government, I never did so to install an Indian Guyanese government. We in the WPA fought for a Government of National unity. So I am not a “just come” to power sharing.

Despite attempts to frame it in violent and racist terms, Tacuma Ogunseye’s call has served the purpose of putting the question of race and governance back on sensible footing. From Eusi Kwayana’s call in 1961 for joint premiership to the PPP’s call for a National Patriotic Front in 1977 to the WPA’s 1979 proposal for a Government of National Unity and Reconstruction to the PNC’s call for Shared Governance in 2002, the issue of power sharing has been about how to achieve security for all races beginning at the political level. All of the proposals I referenced above started from the position that intra-racial solidarity is a given in our political culture. Kwayana captured the essence of problem in 1961 this way: “We have known all along that the Indians would not trust a Black leader and that the Africans would not trust an Indian leader.” That reading was correct in 1961 and it is even more correct fifty years later….    more

Read full article here: http://www.newsamericasnow.com/african-guyanese-call-for-power-sharing-is-an-affirmation-of-human-and-birth-rights/

U.G. may be forced to close next year

THE UNIVERSITY OF GUYANA MAY BE FORCED TO CLOSE NEXT YEAR

APRIL15,2011 |BY KNEWS |PEEPING TOM

The University of Guyana needs money, lots of money, for it to be viable. Without a financial injection, the University is not going to survive

Guyana has excellent students who are being shortchanged because the University of Guyana does not have sufficient funds to allow it to run a top-class facility. It is way below desired standards. The buildings are in poor shape, the staff underpaid and the academic resources woefully inadequate and outdated.

What it will take to reverse this situation is a deluge of funds. Once money begins to pour into the institution, the University of Guyana will dust off the cobwebs and reinvent itself. Right now it hardly has the strength to stand in front of the mirror and assess its poor shape, much less to begin to reverse the decline which has become endemic. Money is the key to reversing the fortunes of the University.

But this injection of funds does not necessarily have to come from the government. It can be raised by the university itself while freeing itself of some of the administrative burdens that drain its present limited funds.

The fees presently charged to students were set eons ago and since then the dollar has appreciated. If the fees are increased to keep abreast with inflation and the depreciation of the Guyana dollar, no student attending the University of Guyana should be paying less than $200,000 per year.

The government offers student loans. The vast majority of students apply for these loans. There are indications that many students, after graduating, leave the country without paying their loans. These students cannot be prevented from leaving, or arrested or sued, because they have fifteen years to pay back the loans.

The government therefore is forced to absorb the burden of the bad loans, as well as the value of the loans given to existing students, and which are paid to the University. The government should rid itself of this responsibility and ask students to apply to commercial banks for loans. There is no reason why the government should have to grant loans to students when the students can apply to the commercial banks for loans.

There is the trend in Guyana that people feel that they can owe the government and not have to pay. While many do pay, there are quite a few who have absconded from Guyana without paying their loans and who are not ever going to pay because by the time their fifteen-year moratorium period is up, most of them would have obtained their transcripts from the University and would have migrated overseas. So those fees are lost.

If these same students had to take a commercial loan, they would have had to begin repaying the loan immediately upon graduation and they would have had to lodge security. They would have been more inclined to pay.

This is an election year, and therefore there is no way that the government is going to increase tuition fees at the University of Guyana or withdraw the student loan facility.
If the University of Guyana was charging market-based fees, then it would not have to be in the crisis it is in, because it would have been able to raise the funds from its students.
There are also other initiatives that the University of Guyana can pursue which can allow it to raise funds for its upkeep, but throughout its history, the institution has been plagued by administrative problems and has failed to be innovative.

Guyana is a small country, where less than 1% of the population acquires tertiary education. With such a low rate of university graduates, it is simply not feasible for the government to be spending as much on each university student as it presently does.
What is needed, therefore, is not a plan to balance the University’s budget. What is needed is a plan to allow the University to charge market-based rates so that it can pay for itself.

The government has committed to doing certain things, including funding a biodiversity laboratory. What is corporate Guyana doing? How much is it willing to pump into the University? These are all areas which the University should examine, because unless it does, it will find out that come next year it may have to close its doors permanently.

Your comments are welcome!!