By Gibron Rahim

“PRESS for progress” was the theme for International Women’s Day 2018. This theme was formulated with the World Economic Forum’s 2017 Global Gender Gap Report in mind. The findings in that report suggest that gender parity – a numerical concept related to gender equality – is over 200 years away. Press for progress then is a call to action to accelerate gender parity and equality. This theme was evident in the “Women 4 Guyana” International Women’s Day 2018 celebration.

The event, held on Wednesday last in Marian Academy’s auditorium, was titled “Now – #PressforProgress” and was under Conversations With Selwyn’s “Brand You”. Conversations With Selwyn (CWS) was founded in 2012 by Selwyn Collins, a Guyanese-born author, broadcaster, motivator and mentor. CWS is a New-based weekly WebTV broadcast. On these broadcasts, hosted by Collins, he hosts conversations with people from many different backgrounds where those individuals speak about their journeys and the ways they use their gifts and abilities to empower and help others. It is in this same spirit that “Now” was held.

irst up to speak was Han Granger-Gaskin. Han, holder of a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and a postgraduate diploma in Development Management, is also the proprietor of Topaz, a jewellery manufacturer and retailer. In witty fashion, Han related how she has been able to run a successful business while raising a family. “I cannot claim to be different in this from the thousands of Guyanese woman who have constructed their own successes in their own lives,” she said. She explained that raising a family is by no means an easy task and one she accomplishes with help from her supportive husband. The tenets of her business, she said, are quite simple. “Treat your customers and your employees as you would like to be treated” was among her thoughtful principles in that regard.

Next up was Simona Broomes. The Honourable Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources was there to speak, not as a minister, but as a woman. She related her beginnings as a buyer and seller of gold at the age of 16 in her native Bartica. It was in a male-dominated sector, at a time when there were no phone lines, electricity, proper roads or access to healthcare that she had her start.

She recalled having been once thrown off a boat in the rapids of the Mazaruni River by an inebriated man, saving herself only by clinging to a branch until she was rescued by a passing boat. And that was among numerous close calls. After returning from a surgery in Cuba that restored her ability to walk, Broomes established the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO) in 2012, to empower women in the mining sector.The path of determination and dedication by the mother of three led to her being appointed a minister of government in 2015.

Addressing the audience from the United Kingdom, via videoconferencing facilitated by VNet, was Dr. Samantha Tross. The Guyanese-born Tross is among only six per cent of female surgeons in the UK and was the first Black British woman to become a consultant orthopaedic surgeon. Noting the tremendous strides women made in 2017, she said that 2018 will be a year of even greater achievement.

The next speaker was Rosalind Kilkenny McLymont, journalist, author and executive editor of The Network Journal with a black belt in Tai chi. She has roots in Queenstown on the Essequibo Coast and Beterverwagting on the East Coast of Demerara and left these shores for New York in her teenage years. She was a part of the Open Admission Strike at City College of New York in 1969. After she graduated from City College she applied to study for a master’s degree in Latin American Studies at New York University (NYU). Her plans ran into an obstacle – she was not a fluent Spanish speaker which was a requirement. She made the decision to move to Spain to immerse herself in the language.

She travelled to and lived in Spain on a budget. Years later found her living in Africa, fulfilling a Garveyan calling. From being almost kidnapped in Uganda to actually being kidnapped in Paris to being held at gunpoint in the Congo, she has led an eventful life. Nevertheless, she affirmed her love for people and said, “I believe you have a wellspring of power in you.”

Speaking to the audience next was Dr. Asante VanWest-Charles-Le Blanc. She is a medical doctor, clinical densitometrist and medical herbalist. She explained that she had thought of different career ideas before settling on medicine. She did not know how she would be able to afford her studies but, fortunately, her grandmother helped her to get a loan to study in Cuba. After overcoming numerous obstacles along the way she graduated as a medical doctor. That though, she said, was not the end of her story. She had to learn to be an entrepreneur, to manage her own business, and all in a foreign country. It was indeed a difficult fight but she succeeded. One of her pieces of advice was to take five minutes in the morning to regroup and prepare to face the day. “You are healthy if you do this,” she said. “You can take on the world.”

The final speaker for the evening was Sherry Ann Dixon, the award-winning Guyanese journalist, transformational lecturer and keynote speaker. In a spirited delivery, Dixon emphasised, “We are here celebrating women for Guyana!” Among the notable points she made was the importance of the words that are directed at children, referring to the indelible that words can leave on people even into their adult lives. She also spoke about the importance of acknowledging the work of women in Guyana who came before. “If it was not for those women we would not be where we are,” she stated clearly.

The evening was graced by the recitation of a spoken word piece by Nuriyyih Gerrard, penned by Lloyda Nicholas-Garrett. After opening the event with the National Anthem, Delisha Wright returned to the stage to sing a beautiful cover of Alicia Keys’ “Superwoman”. She emotionally related afterward that the song was dedicated to her late mother, her own superwoman. A question and answer session was also held with the speakers who were in attendance. Various prizes from the event’s sponsors were distributed to lucky audience members.

At the end of the programme, Mr. Selwyn Collins himself addressed the attendees. He thanked the event’s sponsors and prize donors, including Gizmos and Gadgets, The Masterclass Institute, ActionCOACH Guyana, Java Coffee Bar, the University of Guyana, RED Entertainment and Herdmanston Lodge. In closing, Collins said, “We must take back the rein of respecting our women.”