This week on Merundoi
WUH hu’t eye does mek nose run water.

Dinah tries to get Unique out of her gloom and becomes despondent. But don’t give up, Dinah, the week ends in triumph for you.

Sherry is in a state of nerves and does strange things to ease the pressure.

Candace’s fainting spell has James worried, and he turns to Vernon for help.

Poor Anil! The nightmares attack him again, and this time, Sunita becomes involved.

You will be talking about the final episode for this week so…...

Don’t miss it!!

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Preserving our literary heritage
Norman Cameron (Part I)
(1903 – 1983)

(Queen’s College celebrates its 165th anniversary this year; one of the activities for this occasion is the honouring of Norman Cameron, who had a special affinity to the institution, as both a student and a teacher.)

SOME WRITERS go to great lengths to spread the word. NE Cameron was concerned that his writings should not linger between two covers, or gather dust on shelves. This constraint found him, on many occasions, going from door to door trying to sell his books. Those ventures were extremely satisfying, in that he was able to review his books (even if he didn’t sell many at the said time), share his opinions, and leave quality impressions with whom he came into contact. In this way, he laid the foundation to execute many of his future projects, bringing people together in various organisations for the uplifting of communities and country, forming a literary society and founding a school in the process.

Cameron did what had to be done, filling the lacuna in many areas. His magnum opus (published while yet in his 20s), ‘The Evolution of the Negro’, a subject shunned by thinkers on the British colonial portion of the world, was one such significant feature of his contribution to society. Another was ‘Guianese Poetry’, a collection of a century of Guianese poetry from 1831 to 1931, making him the first Guyanese to do so.

Cameron was not satisfied with just talk; he acted, turning to drama to effect the empowerment of his people, producing a number of plays to induce pride of ancestry, and to elicit concerted action for a better future because, as he opined: “Those who are disloyal to their ancestry have less chance of creating something with a truly distinctive mark.”

For his contribution to drama, he was called the ‘Father of Modern Drama in Guyana’. Other labels thrust upon Cameron were: ‘a true son of Guyana’, ‘the man selling the books’, ‘distinguished author’ and ‘Professor Emeritus’.

Educationist, mathematician, historian, poet, dramatist, sportsman, cultural activist and social reformer, Norman Eustace Cameron was born in New Amsterdam, Berbice, on January 26, 1903, not far from the birthplaces of Edgar Mittleholzer and Wilson Harris. Although Cameron was blessed with a “light but pleasant tenor voice,” he was a trailblazer, pioneer and pacesetter. All of this due in no small way to the fact that his father’s great thirst for knowledge rubbed off on him, and his mother’s wonderful organising ability grounded in religious tenets was foisted on him.

In 1916, while at Christ Church Primary School, Cameron won the Government Junior Scholarship, paving the way for him to enter Queen’s College. In 1921, he became a Guiana Scholar and went on to the University of Cambridge. It was while at this institution of higher learning, with massive library and climate for research, that Cameron felt the need to write, going on to produce remarkable scholarships.

Back in Guyana (1926), more Guyanese than when he left, an identity entrenched by discriminatory treatment in the ‘Mother Country’. Equipped with a ‘message’, an instrument to research, disseminate and justify, Cameron signalled his intention to stay home and mould a nation. So Guyanese he was, he married while in Britain to a Guyanese: Lurline Daly. So Guyanese he was that almost all his books were published locally.

Also in the year of his return, Cameron inaugurated his own school, ‘The Guyanese Academy’, which he headed from 1926 to 1934.

In 1929, he gained his MA and published ‘The Evolution of the Negro’. He was just 26.

The following year, he founded the British Guiana Literary Society, which staged workshops in short-story and poetry writing among other activities. He played active roles in other societies like the Coffee House Club; the New Age Society, headed by EO Pilgrim; and the British Guiana Union of Cultural Clubs, of which AJ Seymour was honourable secretary. In 1953, he founded the Association of Masters and Mistresses. Although the above evidence made him out to be a social animal, he once declared that “cliquism in clubs has never agreed” with him. That declaration, supported by another statement: “...mine has been a full life and complex with notable contradictions” said that he was a no-nonsense individual.

To respond to this author, either call him on (592) 226-0065 or send him an email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com

WHAT’S HAPPENING:

• Casa de las Americas will be hosting ‘The First Encounter of Caribbean Magazines’ in November 2009 to coincide with its 50th anniversary. Presentations on Guyanese magazines with emphasis on The Guyana Annual (formerly The Chronicle Christmas Annual) will be made by yours truly.

Tales from way back when…
(A look at some of the stories that made the news ‘back-in-the-day’ with CLIFFORD STANLEY)
Clifford Stanley
Women’s first duty is the home
MRS FLORENCE Daysh, Barbadian Member of the Federal Parliament said in an interview while in British Guiana that she saw the Caribbean Women’s Association as a broom.

“With this broom, we can sweep away all those difficulties and all those obstacles in the path of women achieving full and glorious equality with men.”

But, she added: “Mind you, you mustn’t be cross at me; I’m not madly a feminist. I am devoted to my husband, who is the greatest help to me, and I have the greatest admiration and affection for men.”

“But I do feel that there is something to be said for letting women have the greater part in management and in government.”

Interviewed by Mr A J Seymour, Chief Information Officer, Mrs Daysh however emphasised that a woman’s first duty was to the home.

“You see, there can’t be any national life really that isn’t based on happy families.” (Guiana Graphic: October 6, 1958)

Horror of Dracula
PLAZA: Big second week. Today 5 & 8:45pm: ‘Horror of Dracula’. Dracula rising every night, for 600 years, from his coffin bed! Note: Children under 16 years of age MUST be accompanied by an adult.

(Guiana Graphic: October 3, 1958)

Guianese culture for tonight’s debate
THIS QUESTION, which was scheduled for debate Thursday last, will be settled tonight at 8 o’clock at the BG Teachers’ Association Hall, Longden Park.

Miles Fitzpatrick, Leroy Jackman and Ayube McDoom will argue that ‘There is a Guyanese Culture’, and Basil Eyre, Winston King and Harripersaud Singh will oppose on behalf of the Penumbrians.

Martin Carter, Robert Moore and Frank Thomasson will judge the debate. The public is invited.

(Guiana Graphic: October 2, 1958)

Husband wins divorce from erratic wife
A FANTASTIC story was told in the Divorce Court yesterday about a wife who attended a dance without her husband’s consent, and who denied him the wishes and comforts of his home.

The woman, Daphne Eileen Battersfield, had her cross-petition for divorce dismissed, while the Hon. Mr Justice Stoby granted the husband, Wilfred Fitzpatrick Battersfield, a policeman, a dissolution of his marriage on the grounds of desertion.

The Battersfields were married on October 20, 1945 at the Arundel Congregational Church, Plaisance, and have three children -- two boys and a girl.

Both petitioners agreed that their marriage went well until September, 1953, when domestic troubles started at Tumatumari, the District in which Battersfield was stationed.

There, it is stated, both parties made demands on each other, which were rejected.

But the husband also alleged that from then on, his wife slept in a separate room at nights and refused to do anything for him.

Separation took place in May, 1956.

After sifting the evidence, the judge said: “The wife has struck me as an erratic type of woman who appears to be fearful of marriage life.”

“From very early 1954 until this marriage came to an end in 1956, it is quite clear that she was not cooking for her husband. She was quite satisfied to live in a separate room, thereby denying him the comforts of her home. She admits that in 1955, she attended a dance without her husband. A woman who is fond of her husband will hardly wish to go to a dance without him.”

It is alleged that on that night, the woman was seen standing very close to a man under the building where the dance was held.

Commenting on this, the Judge said: “Whilst she might dance with other men, one would not expect to find her in close proximity with another man in the night.”

“There is nothing wrong with a wife going to a dance without her husband, but one would generally admit that if the wife is generally fond of her husband, she would naturally not want to go to a dance without him.”

“I have come to a conclusion, after checking the evidence, that she wanted a divorce, and had no use for her husband.”

He then dissolved the marriage in favour of the husband, on the grounds of desertion.

The cross-petition was dismissed.

The husband asked the Court for the custody of the children, but the judge said that the matter will be dealt with in chambers.

(Guiana Graphic: October 8, 1958)

Schoolgirl injured as car collides with locomotive
A 10-YEAR-OLD schoolgirl was seriously injured yesterday morning, while her chauffeur escaped unhurt when a car in which they were travelling came into collision with a 28-ton locomotive at the High Street railway crossing.

The girl, Sheila Bacchus, of 10 Croal Street, is suffering from cuts about her face and hands, said to have been caused by flying glass.

The chauffeur, 56-year-old George Spencer of La Penitence, was driving motor car, PF 910, owned by Mr J Bacchus.

He was taking the little girl home from school when the accident occurred.

The car was badly damaged.

Police are investigating the matter.

(Guiana Graphic: October 2, 1958)

Success for Guianese author
JAN CAREW of British Guiana will celebrate literary success in Britain later this month.

Jan’s second book, ‘The Wild Coast’, is due to be published by a well-known British firm this autumn.

After an apprenticeship in journalism, Jan wrote many short stories.

His first book, ‘Black Midas’, was such a success in England that it was published in America under the title: ‘A touch of Midas’.

(Guiana Graphic: October 3, 1958)

A mother’s wish comes true
PROOF THAT wishes do sometimes come true is the flight of these three little girls, Rosemary, three; Roxana, four; and Jacqueline, five.

Flown to the United States by Pan American Airlines from their home in Georgetown, the children recently joined their parents, Daphne and Rudolph Stephenson, in Los Angeles after a three-year separation.

Their arrival was the fulfillment of their mother’s wish.

A factory worker with an ill husband, Mrs Stephenson won a Radio-TV audience participation contest in which a wish is fulfilled.

Together with her husband, Mrs Stephenson emigrated to Los Angeles in 1955, leaving the children in Georgetown with their grandmother until the couple could get established.

Then her husband fell sick, and Mrs Stephenson went to work.

Not long ago, she obtained a ticket for the radio show, and when the audience heard her wish, she was unanimously chosen the winner.

(Guiana Graphic: October 9, 1958)

BG’s top ten
1. Come Closer To Me - Nat King Cole

2. Patricia - Perez Prado

3. A Certain Smile - Johnny Mathis

4. Twilight Time - The Platters

5. Hard-headed Woman - Elvis Presley

6. Kathy-O - Earl Grant

7. Love Me Forever - Four Esquires

8. If Dreams Came True - Pat Boone

9. Jacqueline - Bobby Helms

10. Learning To Love - La Vern Baker

(Guiana Graphic: October 12, 1958)

The Chinese Association of British Guiana
THE ANNUAL General Meeting of the abovementioned Association, which includes the election of Office Bearers for 1959 and other business, as listed on the Agenda, will be held at the Association’s Hall on Sunday October 12, 1958, followed by a dinner.

The meeting will commence at 3pm, and the dinner at 4pm.

All members are asked to attend.

SGD: David A Young, Hony. Secretary

(Guiana Graphic: October 12, 1958)

Farmhands to fly out by month-end
THE 100 Guianese farm labourers who have been selected to go to work on farms in Florida, USA, will fly out from British Guiana between October 23 and 30.

Yesterday, 49 more were selected by Mr Fred Sykes, Manager of the US Sugar Corporation, and Mr CW Meranda, agent of the American employers.

This brings the total to 154.

The final selection of 100 labourers will be made after medical examination.

A number of the men have already undergone the examinations. It is expected that another US official will be arriving in the colony to select the final batch of men who are medically fit.

Hundreds of men yesterday gathered at the Labour Department hoping to be selected.

Both Mr Sykes and Mr Meranda will leave here today for Barbados.

(Guiana Graphic: October 16, 1958)

Clifford Stanley can be reached to discuss any of the above at cswcb@yahoo.com or 592-657-2043.

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In De Mood…
‘Heroes’ star lands role in Nollywood movie
By Ameyaw Debra
For Page 2: Photo saved as: Jimmy Jean-Louis
AITIAN-BORN actor and former model, Jimmy Jean-Louis has signed on to narrate the first installation, ‘I Sing Of A Well’, of the slave trade trilogy, ‘Legions of Slaves’.

“It is absolutely great to have Jimmy narrate the film,” said Leila Djansi, the film’s director. “Ghanaians love him, and they love ‘Heroes’. So, to have such a prominent character grace their movie is pride indeed.”

Jean-Louis is best known for his role as ‘The Haitian’ on NBC’s hit drama, ‘Heroes’. His big- screen break came when he nabbed a role in Jean-Claude van Damme’s ‘Derailed’. He went on to play the supporting role of Gideon in ‘Tears of Sun’, starring Bruce Willis and Monica Bellucci and directed by Antoine Fuqua.

Jean-Louis shared the big screen with Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez in New Line Cinema’s ‘Monster-In-Law’ in 2005. In 2006, he landed the role of the leading man and love interest of actress and comedian, Monique, in the romantic comedy, ‘Phat Girlz’. Jean-Louis has also made appearances in hit television shows F/X’s ‘The Shield’, HBO’s ‘Arli$$’, CBS’s ‘The District’, and Fox’s ‘Fastlane’.

Djansi, known for including American actors in her films, feels Jean-Louis will bring a wide range of appeal to and help market the film, seeing that he appeals to such a broad range of people across the world. As she explained: “I was not going for an American-born actor, but rather a well-known actor who has done significant work in Hollywood. Looking at his body of work, Jimmy will bring a whole lot to the table when it comes to audience appeal. He has the voice and also the accent that cuts well for this type of movie.”

‘I Sing Of A Well’ is set in the ancient Ghana Empire, in the time of the Mali Kingdom under King Mansa Musa’s rule. Prince Wenambe (John Osei Tutu Agyeman) wins the throne from his father when he hands over the Kingdom to Mansa Musa for protection from slave raiders. Basking in his glory as King, he seeks tirelessly after the beautiful Soraya (Akofa E Asiedu) who is betrothed to another, Dume (Godwin Kotey), but his glory is short-lived, as Mansa Musa himself becomes a slave raider.

The narrative feature is jointly produced by Turning Point Pictures and Calabash Images, and is expected to strike controversy as it fuses history with drama through exploring Africans as slave traders before the emergence of the trans-African slave trade, which involved other races.

The three-year project will have special screenings in Ghana and Nigeria at the end of October 2009, followed by screening on the festival circuit. Distributed by Cinema Librè, in winter 2010, a theatrical release in select United States cities will be followed by a worldwide release.

The Grand Premiere in Ghana was billed for the National Theatre yesterday.

Genevieve Nnaji shares her beauty secrets
Photos saved as: ‘Genevieve Nnaji’ and ‘Genevieve too’

SHE'S ONE of the highest paid actresses in Nollywood, and one of the few to have had the distinction of being featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show as one of ‘…the Most Famous People in the World’ because of her wide appeal not only across the African continent but the world over. Tagged on that show as ‘The Julia Roberts of Africa’, she recently sat down with Desola Bakare of Encomium magazine and shared some of her prized beauty secrets with her. Following are excerpts from that interview:

Name three beauty products you can't do without and why?

I can't do without makeup remover. I've discovered that the moment you don't properly wash and clean your face, especially before going to bed, you end up with filth penetrating your pores and the result is spots and acne. I use N0 7 White Make-up remover and it works fine for me. I also like face washes, and I couldn't live without the Shiseido range. I've been using it for years now, and I've found it works for me. The third product I couldn't do without is the Shiseido toner. It's good because it clears away all the last residue of your cleanser. It’s called Softener, and is very gentle on your skin.

What's your best beauty advice?

Something I would recommend for any woman is whenever you have the opportunity, let your skin breathe; we need oxygen and air on the naked skin. Maybe it's because I have a career in acting; I appear on TV, in films and in adverts, so we tend to wear makeup quite often. I find that when I don't need to wear makeup, I let my skin breathe. I cleanse, tone, moisturise, and let my skin breathe. If you are going to the gym or going to the market, you don't need to wear make-up. The skin in its natural state heals itself and gets the opportunity to rejuvenate itself.

What other things do you do to keep looking good?

Getting enough sleep is very good, although having said that, I don't think I personally get as much sleep as I should. Apart from sleep, also visit the gym. I used to go every day, but I'm trying to cut it down to every other day. I think you need toned, lean muscles, and that's what exercise does. My basic routine is running on the treadmill for about 40minutes, then the exercise bike for about 20minutes. And then I do a bit of weights to help tone the arms and thighs. I also play squash and tennis occasionally.

Lipstick or lipgloss?

I have very small lips; when you have tiny lips, you end up with the colour everywhere but on your lips, where you want it. I think lip gloss suits me better; I love Victoria Secrets glosses. The one I tend to use is nude, and it has a tinge of pink.

What kind of things do you like doing to your hair?

It's weave-on, weave-on, weave-on I'm afraid. I like curly weave-on. I do braids, but I can say probably every four years. I actually like natural hair. My hair is moderately long. The last time I wore my natural hair, somebody actually walked up to me and asked me if I were broke! I'm serious. I just said, ‘OK! That's the last time I go au naturel (laughs).’

What do you do to relax?

I find it difficult to sit still for long. Other than a manicure and pedicure, I don't do anything. I don't really like massages. Apart from the fact that I don't enjoy someone touching me like that, by the time I've spent ten minutes there, I would just feel that I could be doing something else with my time. I have such little patience. I don't mind watching films when I have time, and I like watching TV series.

What's your favourite colour?

Earlier in my career, when I was receiving so much attention, I thought that if I wore more black, I would be less conspicuous. It didn't work (laughs). Anyway, I still do a lot of black; I think it suits my complexion. I don't really like bright colours, because they make me look clown-like. But I’ve started mixing my blacks with colour.

How would you describe your style?

I like simple things; I treasure comfort. What I feel comfortable in makes me feel confident. What I wear usually depends on the occasion.

What's your fashion fetish?

I’ll have to say bags and jewellery. I just love bags; I think it's because I'm really a get-up-and-go kind of person. I'm very much into putting on a pair of jeans, a top and I'm ready to go. That's the tomboy part of me coming out (laughs). I like that look, and the only thing that can make you look 'dressed' is a really good bag; I love the artistry of bags; I love the artwork and craftsmanship that goes into making a really good bag. I don't really go for trends; I prefer classic looks and bags that can last forever and never go out of style.

Would you ever consider plastic surgery?

I always say never say never. Realistically, this is what I do for a living; this is what puts money in my pocket and food on my table, and you do have to do what you have to do; so I have to make sure I look good. Who knows in 20 years how I’ll feel? The truth is that our industry relies a lot on the way you look, that's why I'm doing everything I can not to resort to the knife in the future; that's why I go to the gym to get the fat out and look toned and lean.

Bio: Actress, model, singer, Genevieve Nnaji was born on May 3, 1979 in Mbaise, in southern Nigeria, but spent most of her life in Lagos, the former capital now turned commercial hub of Nigeria.

The fourth of eight children, she was brought up in a middle-class environment. Her father was an engineer and her mother a teacher. A graduate of the University of Lagos, Genevieve was just eight when she started her acting career in the then popular television soap opera, Ripples. She also featured in several commercials, among them the popular beverage, Pronto, and Omo detergent. In 2004, she became the face of Lux soap in a highly lucra¬tive spon¬sor¬ship deal.

In 1998 at the age of 19, she was introduced into the growing Nigerian film industry with the movie, ‘Most Wanted’. Her subsequent movies include Last Party, Mark of the Beast and Ijele. To date, she has starred in over 80 Nollywood movies.

Genevieve has received several awards and nominations for her work, including the Best Actress of the year award at the 2001 City People Awards, and the Best Actress in a Leading Role award at the 2005 African Movie Academy Awards.

In 2004, she signed a recording contract with EKB Records, a Ghanaian record label, and released her debut album, One Logologo Line, a mix of R&B, Hip-Hop and Urban music.

2008 saw Genevieve launching a clothing line, ‘St. Genevieve’, which donates a percentage of its proceeds to charity.

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Life stinks for Naomi Campbell
Photo saved as: Naomi Campbell
A PERFUME marketing company is suing supermodel, Naomi Campbell for breach of contract, saying she kept millions of dollars in profits that she owed the company for perfumes it helped her develop.

Campbell “has made millions of dollars from the sale of fragrances and cosmetics products conceptualized, created, developed and marketed with the assistance of” Moodform Mission, said the lawsuit, filed by Moodform last Monday in New York State Supreme Court.

A representative for Campbell said the model “categorically denies the allegations made by Moodform Mission.”

The fragrances at issue are Naomi Campbell, Cat Deluxe and Seductive Elixir.

Moodform said Campbell sent regular payments, as was required by her contract, to the company from 2001 to 2008, but that those payments abruptly stopped, and that Campbell has ignored communications from the company since then. (Reuters)

Hair’s looking at you, girls!
By Chikodili Emelumadu
Photo saved as: Rockers
IT WAS only after losing a huge chunk of hair that I stopped straightening it with chemical relaxer - something I had done growing up in Nigeria since the age of six.

My bald patch was dubbed the ‘helicopter landing pad’ by my flat-mates at university for months afterwards.

I share this painful anecdote because a new documentary has re-ignited the natural versus straightened hair debate among black women.

Chris Rock's film, ‘Good Hair’, focuses on the United States and the lengths and money African-Americans will go to achieve longer, smoother, shinier, straighter ‘good’ hair -- using hot presses, creme relaxers, weaves and wigs.

Women in Africa are no strangers to the lure of ‘the creamy crack’, as our American counterparts call relaxer -- likening it to cocaine because of its addictive nature, and are as willing to take the risk of burning their scalps using it.

'Feel the burn'

"I've had my hair chemicalised for the last 10 years," Olivia told the BBC as she had her hair done in Queens Hair Designers in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

"It's so easy to manage, because I have a lot of hair. I love it."

The most common ingredient in relaxers is sodium hydroxide or lye. In the documentary, an aluminium can dipped in a bowl containing the chemical melts completely.

But Florence, a hairdresser at Queens Hair Design, dismisses the "if you feel the burn, it's working" belief.

She says it is all about technique, and places the blame for any ‘helicopter landing pads’ squarely on too-clean or already traumatised scalps.

"Usually, before I relax your hair, I will ask you whether you have recently braided or washed it. If you have, then the hair will not relax nicely," she explains.

South African, Elma Titus, who specialises in African hair and scalp problems, agrees that relaxers are not solely to blame for the problem of hair loss.

"It could be the chemicals, or it could be the extensions that you're putting in your hair all the time without giving your hair time to recuperate -- or even the wigs," she says.

Human hair

Apart from the health implications women face in search of good hair, there is the expense. Black women are said to spend about three times more on their hair than other women.

The cost of extensions and wigs can be staggering, ranging from $10 a-piece for synthetic hair to as much as $800 (£486) and upwards for human hair pieces.

Yet it does not seem to deter women bent on achieving perfect flowing locks.

Take Cameroon's first lady, Chantal Biya, for example. Her leonine mane of tawny hair has become her trademark.

Nigerian, Cherish Angula admitted to the BBC's Africa Have Your Say programme that she had just spent $750 getting a lace-front wig -- but she said it is money well spent.

"It lasts three, four times as long as ordinary weave-ons [extensions], and so it works out cheaper for me.

"It is basically a whole head unit; you attach it with glue around the circumference of your head, and it gives it a more natural appearance, like the hair is growing from your head.

"It's basically the same thing that celebrities like Beyoncé wear."

Fashion facism?

What might seem like vanity to some can in fact boil down to survival for many women in Africa, where careers and incomes can rely on one's hairstyle.

In Kenya, for example, a woman with the natural look or dreadlocks is unlikely to succeed at job interviews.

"If you really want the job, you'll have to do what they want," says Judy at Queens Hair Design.

And even the thought of opting for a natural look is greeted with hilarity by the Queens Hair Design clientele.

But some women, such as journalist Phyllis Nyambura who edits a women's supplement for a Tanzanian newspaper, are trying to take on such prejudices.

"The weaves were great at first," Ms Nyambura says.

"I would change my hairstyles and look different all the time, but the problem was that they are a bit expensive, and there is also that fake thing about them."

For my part, I am immune to the fashion fascism, and my bad scalp days are well and truly over. (BBC NEWS)

Caption:
A scene from the movie, ‘Good Hair’

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The HIV/AIDS mailbox…
Low ARVs uptake can hamper Universal Access
For Page 8: Photo saved in Graphics folder as: ‘HIV control’
THE 2010 dateline for Universal Access to treatment for HIV and AIDS is drawing near, and globally, countries are expending much time and resources to ensuring those in need are placed on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in keeping with this objective.

And even with projections by the World Bank earlier this year that the global economic crisis is expected to negatively impact AIDS treatment programmes in one- third of countries surveyed -- home to 61% of those on antiretroviral treatment -- many countries, despite challenges already being faced, continue to roll out the programme.

The report released in April projected that the global economic downturn could put the treatment of more than 1.7 million people in the developing world at risk by the end of 2009 through drug shortages, treatment interruptions, and higher burdens of AIDS-related diseases.

However, some countries aspiring to expand treatment access to around 80% of the targetted persons have reported challenges to getting sections of their populations to get on board, and there are reasons why, as we will see in the IRIN/PlusNews Online article presented below.

As the Guyana Chronicle HIV/AIDS Mailbox continues to stress, adherence to the drug regimen is extremely important if the drug is to work for the person on therapy, meaning that if it is to bring about maximal and durable suppression of the virus, to the extent that:

• immunological function is restored

• there is an improvement of the person’s quality of life, and ultimately

• a reduction of HIV-related morbidity and mortality

Adherence to treatment means taking the drugs exactly as prescribed by your doctor or clinicians: On time, and following any dietary and other restrictions. Unless this is done, there can develop serious short and long-term consequences, such as an increase in the viral load (amount of virus in the blood) and the ‘greater risk’ of developing drug-resistance, as outlined in past columns.

Importantly, before a person is placed on antiretroviral (anti-HIV) treatment, he/she should be counselled and warned of the dangers of failing to take the treatment as advised by doctors.

As outlined in the PlusNews article below, some Tanzanians, knowledgeable of the implications, are weighing the options.

DAR ES SALAAM: HIV-positive Tanzanians are not taking advantage of the availability of life-prolonging anti-retroviral medication in hospitals around the country, says a senior government official.

"We have an adequate supply of ARVs in our hospitals and other outlets, but there are few people who are turning out for this important service," David Mwakyusa, Health and Social Welfare Minister, told IRIN/PlusNews.

An estimated 250,000 people are taking ARVs, while another 190,000 who need them are not accessing them. In 2008, the government re-affirmed its commitment to achieving universal access to ARVs by 2010.

"We are working hard to encourage people to check their HIV status, and those infected to go for further medical attention and when necessary start taking ARVs, which are in good supply," the minister said.

Mwakyusa also bemoaned the fact that few pregnant women made use of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services available at antenatal clinics; just 33 per cent of pregnant women who require PMTCT services access them, according to UNAIDS.

Research has found that although HIV-positive Tanzanians welcome anti-retroviral therapy, transportation, supplementary food costs, ill-treatment at hospitals and difficulties in sustaining long-term treatment all act as barriers to accessing treatment. Fear of stigma as well as HIV denial, which often led patients to seek treatment from alternative healers, and inadequate numbers of trained medical personnel, also prevented patients from accessing healthcare.

"Multi-faceted interventions are required to promote regular HIV clinic attendance, including ongoing education, counselling and support in both clinic and community settings," authors of a recent study by the Centre for Population Studies and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine recommended.

Mwakyusa noted that Tanzania was planning to cut the cost of ARVs by producing them locally. He said it was important for the country to become more self-sufficient, especially in the face of the global economic downturn.

Remember, while ART has been proven to be an incredible source of help for PLHIV, making the treatment work for the user is as much the responsibility of the person taking the drug as it is the clinical staff’s, and demands a responsible approach by all parties concerned, including the support of family members.

If you are a PLHIV being given home-based care and cannot get to the hospital, ensure you can at least get a telephone call to your doctor or clinician in the event you have problems with the drug, and for whatever reason, your care provider is unable to reach you.

As usual, we urge that if you have any further questions, or would like to share your experiences with us, to please contact us at waronhiv@yahoo.com, or send your letters to: HIV/AIDS Mailbox, Guyana Chronicle, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown.

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Barclay
Gold-teeth’ gives robber away
-Appeal Court frees him, citing bad identification
IN 1975, a married couple was sightseeing in Le Repentir Cemetery when the wife was attacked and relieved of her wristwatch and gold finger-ring by a gold-toothed robber.

Later at a police identification parade, that gold-toothed robber was identified as Vibert Hodge. He was subsequently arrested and charged, tried, convicted and sentenced to prison.

Dissatisfied with the decision, however, Hodge, represented by Malcolm Taharally, took the matter to the Guyana Court of appeal. The State had as its lawyer Mr. Nandram Kissoon , a Senior State Counsel who later became a Justice of Appeal. The Court was constituted by Chancellor JOF Haynes, and Justices of Appeal, Messrs Victor Crane and Keith Massiah.

Hodge told the Court he felt he was wrongly accused since he was the only man with gold teeth on the identification parade, which he also thought was unfairly conducted. The hearing of the appeal lasted three days. The appeal was allowed and the conviction and sentence set aside after it was found that the identification parade at which the prisoner was identified was unfairly conducted.

According to evidence led in Court, the appellant, armed with a knife, attacked and robbed one Violet Ramadan of a wrist-watch and a finger-ring. While removing the ring, he happened to open his mouth as if to bite her finger to get it off. That’s when the woman saw he was wearing a gold tooth. Some five weeks later, Ramadan positively identified Hodge as her attacker at an identification parade.

During the course of the trial, there were three different versions as to how the appellant was identified at the parade. The first was given by Violet Ramadan herself who said she identified him initially by his appearance, but in order to make doubly sure, she asked him to open his mouth. The second was by Inspector Troyer who conducted the parade. Troyer said Ramadan asked him to cause the men on parade to open their mouths, and that when they did so, she then touched the accused on his shoulder.

The third version, which was given by the accused, was substantially the same as that given by Inspector Troyer, the only difference being that whereas Troyer said that there were others with gold teeth, the accused insisted he was the only man on parade with gold teeth, which meant that he was urging that the parade was unfairly conduced, in that he was identified solely by his gold tooth.

The Appellate Court found that in his summing up, the trial judge did not bring to the jury’s attention the apparent conflict between Ramdan’s and Inspector Troyer’s evidence, nor the fact that Troyer’s evidence that the accused was identified after he had opened his mouth tended to support the evidence of the accused.

Rather, the judge merely left it to the jury to find as a question of fact, if they were minded to believe Ramadan and Troyer, whether the identification parade had been properly conducted.

The accused also said in defence that the charge against him was a trumped-up one; that he had been “framed” by the police because he and the policeman who charged him had had an altercation over a girlfriend, and that said policeman had threatened “to throw the book” at him. But according to the findings of the Appellate Court, nothing had been said to the jury about this important aspect of the defence.

The Court therefore held that:

(1) The apparent conflict between Ramadan’s and Troyer’s evidence should have been pointed out to the jury, who ought to have been advised to be cautious about accepting Ramdan’s testimony that she had primarily identified the accused apart from his gold teeth.

(2) The jury should have been told that if they accepted Troyer’s evidence, then Ramadan’s identification at the parade was unsatisfactory, hence they should attach little weight to her identification in court.

(3) The jury should have been directed that if they believed that the accused was the only man on parade with gold teeth, the parade would have been unfairly conducted, and they should attach little weight to it.

(4) The defence was not properly left to the jury. The accused was alleging oppression and victimisation on the part of the police, and the judge should have told the jury to acquit if they believed this was so.

(5) The trial judge was in error when he allowed the accused, after conviction, to plead to six other charges forming the subject of five outstanding indictable offences, with a view to having them taken into consideration and to proceed to sentence him in respect of those charges.

(6) The correct procedure was for the judge merely to ask the accused whether he admits his guilt on the outstanding offences; that the accused should be sentenced only once, ie, in respect of the offence for which he was tried and found guilty; and that the idea of taking other offences into consideration was merely to measure the appropriate sentence.

Delivering the judgment of the Court, Justice Massiah said:

“The appellant was indicted with, and convicted of, robbery under arms, contrary to Section 222 C of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Chapter 8:01. The allegation of the State was that while armed with a knife, he had robbed one Violet Ramadan of a wristwatch and a ring. There was evidence that while she was in the Le Repentir Cemetery with her husband on March 30, 1975, at about 4:15 pm, the appellant went up to her, placed a knife to her chest, pulled her wristwatch from her left hand, and opened his mouth as if to bite her finger to get off the ring. Ramadan told him not to bite her, and in fear, handed the ring to him.

“Five weeks later, on May 4, 1975, at an identification parade conducted at the Ruimveldt Police Station, Ramadan identified the appellant as the person who had taken her watch and ring. Counsel for the appellant contended in this court, as the appellant had complained in the court below, that the identification parade was unfairly conducted.

“At the trial, three different versions were given as to how the appellant came to be identified. Ramadan said that she identified the appellant and then asked him to open his mouth ‘to be doubly sure,’ and that ‘the gold teeth in (his) mouth made (her) doubly sure.’ Inspector Hubert Troyer, who conducted the identification parade, said something different. He testified that Ramadan ‘looked at the parade and asked (him) to cause the men on the parade to open their mouths,’ and that when they did so, Ramadan ‘then touched the accused on his shoulder.’ The appellant, in his statement from the dock, said that the men on parade were first asked to show their teeth, and that he was the only man who had gold teeth. He was clearly saying that he was identified by his gold teeth.

“The sum total of Ramadan’s evidence on this issue is that she identified the appellant partly by his gold teeth, whereas Troyer’s evidence suggests that she identified him wholly by them. What must be noted is that Troyer’s version was the same as the appellant’s, save that whereas the appellant claimed that he was the only person on the parade with gold teeth. Troyer said that there were others.”

After citing a number of similar cases in which the Court of Criminal Appeal had allowed appeals and quashed the convictions, Justice Massiah allowed the appeal quashed and set aside the conviction and sentence.

Both Chancellor Haynes and Justice Crane concurred.
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Clifford Stanley
Reflections of a war veteran…
You don’t ever forget your number
-‘Dash’ DeFreitas
For Centre: Photos saved in folder in Graphics as: ‘Lloyd DeFreitas’

PULL QUOTE: ‘All the time I was in the war, I never felt afraid. I had much confidence in my mother’s prayers’

PULL QUOTE: ‘I saw how horrible war could be… I saw ragged children roaming the streets in groups like packs of dogs, scouring the gutters and rummaging through garbage’

World War II ended almost sixty-four years ago, and though many of the Guyanese soldiers who served in that conflict have passed on, there are still a few of those veterans around who are now in their eighties and still ‘hanging in there’.

The Guyana Chronicle recently caught up with one such veteran: Mr Lloyd DeFreitas, better known as ‘Dash’, at Uncle Eddie’s Home.

In this story, Mr De Freitas recalls, in his own words, moments of a time most of the younger Guyanese generation can only know by reading the history books.

This is part of a series of interviews with World War II veterans.

The articles will continue in each Sunday’s edition until the end of November.

WHEN IN my teens, my father, Joseph De Freitas, used to take us to see the King’s Birthday Parade. I was infatuated with the uniform. I was fifteen when the war started. I enlisted in the Army, the Caribbean Regiment, on September 19, 1942, when I was eighteen years old. My number was 5632; I can’t forget my number; you don’t ever forget your number.

On completing training, I worked as a Ship’s Guard. I used to help guard the ocean liners from the time they arrived, to the time they left. This was a serious task, since the Germans had sunk quite a few ships just off the coast.

I boarded bauxite ships, and travelled up to Mackenzie (today’s Linden) with them as a guard.

There were guards like me on the bridge and in the engine room. We had Canadian Sergeants.

Departure

I was stationed at Mackenzie in 1944. We went away sometime in February or March. I tried to hide our time of departure for the war in Europe from my mother, Josephine, because I didn’t want to see her crying. But she suspected, and on the night before we left, she called my brothers and sisters and they said a prayer for my safe return.

I had to make a Will before I left.

All the time I was in the war, I never felt afraid. I had much confidence in my mother’s prayers.

We travelled by troopship to Italy, after stops at Trinidad where we trained, and then to Jamaica, Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos and Honduras, where we picked up other members of the Regime, and to Virginia in the United States, where we had more training.

The journey to Italy took two weeks, and we were based in Naples.

Our camp was under Mount Vesuvius, in a forested area. There were lots of trees, which served as camouflage. The water there and all the water in the creeks and the springs and so on were mineral water; like soda water. Every time you drink, you belch. There were lots of grape vines, too. Every house nearby had a winery in the cellar.

We wore short khaki pants and long puttees in the summer; great coats and long pants in the winter; and gas masks all year round.

Every man had a gas mask, and I carried a Bren-Gun (a light machine gun) and a First Aid Kit in my backpack.

We did our training there among the trees, and in the neighboring hillsides.

One man, a guy from Bermuda named Baxter, died when he stepped on a grenade that somebody used in training and left unexploded in the grass.

Another guy, a Barbadian we used to call ‘Grog’, lost a leg same way.

Untold suffering

The Italians who lived near us were mainly peasant farmers. I saw how horrible war could be. While in Naples, I saw ragged children roaming the streets in groups like packs of dogs, scouring the gutters, and rummaging through garbage. They begged from soldiers.

These swill buckets containing the food that is dumped, I saw nuns fighting for the little food in those buckets.

One day we were eating at the camp, and some children were some way off. We were eating dumplings; they were so hard that a chap spat out his in the sand. And if you see how those little children fighting for that dumpling in the sand!

Some of them were orphans, but many were from families whose fathers had gone off to war. The remaining family members, including grandparents, were busy trying to stay alive.

When the kids weren’t scrabbling for food to eat, they were out on the streets, pimping their mothers and sisters. It was survival; anything to do to survive.

I can’t explain to you the horrors of war; I can’t explain to you the destruction of war.

Disappointment

The war was still on in Italy when we were there, but we never saw front-line action. They said that we had not received enough training; we were disappointed when we didn’t get to fight Hitler’s army, because we had trained hard.

We left Italy and took German prisoners of war (POWs) to Egypt by boat and then train. There were hundreds of these men prisoners, and we took them to a place named ‘The Cage’; a POW cage.

There was no big wall at ‘The Cage’. What they did was that they put mines all around the area where the prisoners were. If they wanted to die, all they had to do was try to run out of the cage as if they want to escape.

In Egypt, we were in the dessert not far from an Arab village; we were based near the Suez Canal. We could see the ships passing. We trained all the time, and then we moved to the banks of the Red Sea. You could see why they called it the Red Sea, because the water would get blood-red with the reflection from the sun in the afternoon-time and even during the day. Remember when Moses parted the sea?

Home Sweet Home

We left Egypt in 1946, and our Regiment was disbanded shortly after. It was good to be home.

I met and married Sybil Valz in 1947. We had a good marriage of 37 years, until she died in 1984. I got one son with her, Derrick, who now lives in the United States. I married Elaine Thomas. She died in 2005, and I am now a widower.

I brought back some souvenirs, but that was over sixty years ago. Most were either lost or damaged.

I spent five years, one hundred and sixty-five days in the Army. Then I got job as a City Policeman; I spent five years with the Constabulary. I got a job as caretaker at the Cyril Potter College of Education, then as caretaker at the Legion. Then I finish up by working with the Lyken Funeral Parlour. Arthur Lyken and me were stationed in Italy and Egypt, and we were good friends. I worked with them until the age of 75, and then I retired.

I am now 85; I feel great. I ride my bicycle everywhere I want to go. I spend my days here at the Uncle Eddie’s Home in good spirits; no complaints. I get a great deal of fun watching cricket on television. Every now and then, I take a ride by my fellow ex-serviceman, Gittens, who was with me in Italy, and who is still in fairly good health, and we talk about those days and other things.

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Musical pleasure and social stability (Part IV)
Photo saved as: Third World
THE DEFINITIVE reason for Reggae’s fame internationally is its musical beat. In terms of musical structure, the Reggae beat has been acknowledged as a new or original style of producing music.

However, numerous Jamaican musicians who introduced the new Reggae beat, especially a young Bob Marley and his band, The Wailers, knew they were indebted to earlier popular Jamaican beats like the Ska and the Rocksteady. It is in these two styles of Jamaican music that musical pleasure, through both the beat and the lyrics, first attracted international attention, and Jamaica became popular for its musical culture and as a tropical tourist island during its 20th Century colonial era.

Reggae, in contrast, was a somewhat harsher post-colonial music which reflected intense self-concern, in the sense of expressing one’s social situation, whereas Ska and Rocksteady had that ‘jump-up’, party, sensual and comedic calypso-like atmosphere which kept pre-Independence Jamaicans in a tropical, sporty, Caribbean atmosphere and mood, while attracting foreigners to the hedonistic rum and sun-stroked island lifestyle found in its famous beach resorts and nightclubs.

Because Reggae increased Jamaican national self-awareness, it naturally reflected a deluge of unpleasant and sordid personal and social truths, which can be said to originate with the island’s fairly unique history as a notorious and brutal pirate’s cove in the 18th Century; a haven for Sephardic Jewish and Irish refugees fleeing mid-17th Century Suriname, where the governorship related to Lord Willoughby had provoked the wrath of Carib or other Indian tribes by insensitive acts; an African slave labour camp that became the backbone of sumptuous English plantations, and also almost 90% of the later population, leaving the other 10% to be made up of various immigrants and mixed people, some of whom created a necessary merchant class.

It is not difficult to see how Reggae music, largely a working class creation but also a creation of educated professional Jamaicans, would come to reflect largely two musical visions: One expressing surmised and visible social repercussions of such a colonial history; the other an upbeat spiritual and physical expression of everyday pleasure, both connected to a danceable instrumental Reggae beat.

In fact, one of the inherent paradoxes of the Reggae beat is its ability to make the expression of woes and lament of hardships and violence (what American musicians call ‘The Blues’), something to DANCE to. Such musical ‘pleasure’ involved people not typically dancing but ‘stepping to the beat’.

Indeed, many serious musicians came to regard the Reggae beat as too simple and monotonous, interpreting it as an expression of social malaise. But the beat suited perfectly the pleas of the historically downtrodden, the reverence for Haile Selassie as the chief representative of Rastafarian culture, also Marcus Garvey, the great Jamaican visionary of black pride, morality and African repatriation, and above all, an unquestionable religious faith in ‘Jah’ as the source of salvation and love in the Rastafarian creed.

All these values can be used to define musical pleasure found in Jamaican Reggae, according to the choice of musicians, and should come as no surprise when one takes into account the influence of harsh historical and social conditions on the island, the Jamaican reliance on both Christian religious faith and Rastafarian faith and culture.

The other definition of musical pleasure found in Jamaican Reggae is based on an everyday lifestyle of sensuality and romantic relationships, but also criticisms of various negative mental attitudes and wayward social behaviour. Reggae balladeers like Sugar Minott, Denis Brown, Toots & The Maytals, Gregory Issacs, Burning Spear and numerous other artistes, including some fabulous female Jamaican vocalists, represent this style, as well as other first class immigrant Jamaican singers and bands in Britain, the USA, and Canada, such as Maxi Priest, Steel Pulse, Aswad, Black Uhuru, Truths & Rights, and Bloodfire.

International acclaim

Reggae definitely owes its international popularity to the exceptional popularity of Bob Marley and The Wailers, one of the best musical groups of the 20th Century.

Marley’s dedication to his profession, his thirst for social stability in Jamaica and justice in the world, his sense of humour, willingness to respect other races and musical talents, and ability to show his vulnerability as a man in romantic disappointments through his music, made him respected and loved in nations across the globe.

Marley’s creative style had something for everyone, and included aspects of religion, social commentary, romance, a party atmosphere, sex, bohemianism, and artistic dedication and ambition.

Indeed, Marley and The Wailers were admired by international artists in non-musical categories who were struggling to survive and succeed as artists. They were inspired by the artistic dedication he portrayed, as in a photo at the back of one of his last albums where The Wailers are seen huddled around a cooking pot on a beach.

Significantly, one of The Wailers first musical hits was ‘Roots, Rock, Reggae’, which plainly stated their brand of Reggae did not ignore Rock music, and indeed, Marley employed a vibrant rocking lead guitarist, and was admired by many Rock musicians and followed by their fans.

In this song, when Marley sings, ‘We’re bubbling on the top one hundred/ just like a mighty dread!’ it implies that the band’s artistic ambition and style, which, from the start, was not narrowly nationalistic, and aimed far beyond Jamaica in its relevance.

The song also reflected the typical forceful characteristic of individuals born into Jamaica’s rudimentary material deprivations. Marley, the son of an English father and Afro-Jamaican mother, never fell victim to a petty reactionary, petty racism in his real life, his music, or business dealings, and this level-headed human approach no doubt helped a great deal during the close professional relationship that developed between The Wailers and Chris Blackwell, their English producer and promoter and his musical technicians, who have to be credited with launching Marley and The Wailers, and subsequently kick-starting the entire international Reggae craze.

Musical pleasure was, therefore, a subtle captivating human value embedded in Marley’s diverse songs, which gained momentum in conjunction with Reggae’s danceable beat. One song can launch a band into genuine international fame, which leads to interest in its other songs.

For Marley and The Wailers, that song was: ‘RASTAMAN VIBRATION’. This song started the craze where people who were not Jamaicans or Rastas started speaking with Jamaican accents, adopting Rasta hairstyles and catch phrases. Obviously, since this song launched a universal sense of values from a specific island nation with these lines: ‘Rastaman vibration positive/ that’s what we got to give/…if you get down and you quarrel every day/ you’re saying praise to the devil I say/ why not try to help one another on the way/ make it a little easier/ just a little bit easier…’

The song set a high standard of individual and social behaviour, which makes one wonder today whether it has been lived up to. There is also a tendency for religious Reggae to speak in ready-made evaluations taken from biblical texts; listeners may therefore rely on songs which echo ancient dogmatic beliefs. Marley and The Wailers, in many of their greatest positive songs like ‘LIVELY UP YOURSELF’, ‘NIGHT SHIFT’, ‘JAMMIN’, ‘KAYA’ and ‘COULD YOU BE LOVED’ project an individual musical and social pleasure conducive to realistic social stability.

One of this band’s greatest albums is ‘KAYA’. On this album, Marley gave us one of his most beautiful and personal songs, which proved his soft inner humanity to the world. That song is ‘MISTY MORNING’, which apparently reflected unhappiness in his marriage life with profound poetic power in lines like these: ‘Misty morning, don’t see no sun/ I know you’re out there somewhere, having fun/…there is one mystery, I just can’t express/ how can you ever give your more, to receive your less...’

In another section of the song, he sings some of his most thoughtful lines: ‘The power of philosophy floats through my head/ light as a feather, heavy as lead…’ The pleasure of the album, ‘KAYA’ epitomises the band’s acutely sensitive humanity.

However, excessive hero-worship and total reliance on Bob Marley’s music, especially in nations like Guyana, helped to ignore or push aside many other profound, beautiful Reggae artists who emerged from Jamaica&