Daily Archives: 09/06/2018

GCA- Guyana Cultural Association of New York delivered again – by Francis Quamina Farrier

GCA- Guyana Cultural Association of New York delivered again – by Francis Quamina Farrier
The four annual events of The Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc. – the Awards Ceremony, the Kwe Kwe Nite, the Literary Hang and the Family Fun Day, were all up to expectations. One may even say, above expectations. In his message, President of the GCA, Dr. Vibert Cambridge, stated that “This year, the Guyana Folk Festival explores Ma’iupe , the tradition of working together”, and thanked the many sponsors who have supported the Guyana Folk Festival, some having done so over the years. Last week, I reported on the Awards Ceremony, which was the first of the four events, and promised to report on the other three events this week. Well, here they are;        
 

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OIL: Change in Guyana and the Role of Diaspora Hometown Associations – By Lear Matthews

We Got Oil! Realizing Change in Guyana and the Role of Diaspora Hometown Associations

Lear Matthews

By Lear Matthews

The nation of Guyana has been in the news lately for good reasons. Stained  by the horrific tragedy of Jonestown in the late 1980’s and recently maligned by a New York  Times writer, according to Exxon-Mobil, oil discovery off Guyana’s northern coast will top 4 billion barrels, becoming a leading oil producing nation in the region. However, owing to the large number of Guyanese who emigrate, much of the nation’s skills and expertise, including those that could contribute significantly to the oil industry’s success, reportedly reside in the Diaspora. There has not been an effective strategy to engage expatriates – perhaps until now.

Despite the almost euphoric optimism expressed by Guyanese at home and abroad there are challenges only marginally discussed, but are beginning to emerge. One observer noted, “with major oil set to flow as soon as 2020, authorities are bracing both for the shock of wealth and its attendant woes”. This article focuses on the potential role of Hometown Associations (HTA) in helping to understand the socio-cultural ramifications, identifying the risks and harnessing required skills, attitude and cultural adaptation needed to ensure reaping the benefits of this unprecedented, historic natural resource discovery.    Continue reading

The Teacher’s Union Strike in Guyana – Commentary by Lincoln Lewis

Those condemning teachers’ action today would have supported it under a PPP/C Govt.

The teachers are today pursuing a cause they consider just and fair by asking the Government to sit down and negotiate with their union, the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), for a new package that includes increased salary and better working conditions.  It is known employers generally will not acquiescence to workers’ demands unless workers are prepared to struggle for it. The case of the teachers is no different.

In 1999, the public-school teachers and public servants took to the streets in a long strike demanding increased salary and better working conditions from the PPP/C Government. That strike resulted in the establishment of two arbitration panels. One that addressed the concerns of the public servants was headed by Dr. Aubrey Armstrong and the other addressed the teachers’ concerns, and was headed by Father Malcolm Rodrigues, who at the time was a lecturer at the University of Guyana.     Continue reading

BCOCCA: 3rd Annual Caribbean Cultural Expo – Burnaby BC. Canada – September 29. 2018

Download Flyer: BCOCCA 3rd Cultural Expo

 

UK’s Influence falters in Africa. China moves in with $60B Development Funding (2 articles)

While the British media dined out on Theresa May’s Africa trip last week, Africans are still reeling from the reporting. Sky News captioned Uhuru Kenyatta as “president of Africa”, while the BBC gave the title he should have had, “president of Kenya”, to his rival, Raila Odinga.       Continue reading

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