CARIBBEAN EXPRESSIONS – 
By Dave Martins
From young, growing up at Hague and Vreed-en-Hoop, and with the occasional forays in the Pomeroon where my father had his farm, I was into words. I’m not sure of the process there but certainly a part of it was the variety of languages around me: snippets of Portuguese from my parents and my aunts speaking to one another (they never spoke the language to their children) but largely, I assume, from the Guyanese culture with its mix of English, Indian, African, French and Dutch expressions. In short order I had read all that was available in the Hague house and found myself attached to the only book left – a beat up copy of the Bible.
I distinctly recall being impressed with the variety of expression and the flamboyant language of many of the texts – the subject itself was unique and on top of that the very language was not something one found anywhere else. It had a special ring, coming across to me as poetry and, intimations of what was to come, often a rhythmic and even musical expression, redolent with song. Continue reading
Gender Violence: Religious leaders must break their silence – The Caribbean Voice
On July 24, 2015 the Baltimore Sun carried a commentary, which stated, “Gender violence causes more death and disability among women aged 15 to 44 in the U.S. than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents or war.” Added the report, “Currently our military and universities are actively seeking solutions to prevent and respond to this violence within their respective institutions.”
For The Caribbean Voice, addressing gender based violence is critical not only because of its devastation on lives and families, but also because suicide is related to gender based violence in a huge way. Oftentimes, females are murdered by their partners, who then commit suicide. Also, females are far too often abused by their partners, and this often leads to an escalation of violence as well as suicide.
READ MORE: Religious leaders must break their silence
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