International Women’s Day 2013: Remembering Kowsilla of Leonora by Rosaliene Bacchus
Kowsilla of Leonora (1920-1964) – Guyana
Source: Article by Vanessa Narine (www.angelfire.com)
I learned about Kowsilla, also known as Alice, while researching Guyana’s history (1950 to 1970) for my first novel, Under the Tamarind Tree. Her involvement in the sugar workers’ struggle for better working and living conditions and her final act of courage on 6 March 1964 at Plantation Leonora made an enduring impression on me.
Leonora, located on the West Coast Demerara, got its name from two Dutch children, Leo and Nora, during the days of Dutch occupation before the British took control of the colony in 1786.
On 6 March 1964 during a general sugar workers strike, Kowsilla was among the men and women who formed a human barricade by squatting on the bridge leading to Leonora’s factory gate. In so doing, they prevented African scabs, hired by the factory manager, from entering the factory to…
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BBC Future of Food – Part 3: Cuba
BBC Future of Food – Part 3: Cuba
Uploaded on Feb 27, 2012 –
Future of Food -Part 3 of 3
In the final episode George Alagiah heads out to Havana to find out how they are growing half of their fruit and vegetables right in the heart of the city, investigates the ‘land-grabs’ trend — where rich countries lease or buy up the land used by poor farmers in Africa — and meets the Indian agriculturalists who have almost trebled their yields over the course of a decade. Continue reading →
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