By: Ted Eric Matthews
According to old West African traditions, some of which are still alive and evident in areas of West Coast Berbice, you should not stay out past mid-night on dark moonless nights. If you do, you are likely to encounter a baccoo, who/which might challenge you to a wrestling match, while imploring you not to throw him to the ground.
If you are bold enough to grapple with and engage in fisticuffs with a baccoo, his weak spot, his “Achilles heel” is his oversized head. If you somehow manage to throw him to the ground, he would find it very difficult to stand upright very quickly. At this stage you had better be running for your life! Continue reading
Guyana: The art of anti-Blackness – By Akola Thompson
Stabroek News – By Akola Thompson – October 29, 2021
Despite our own rich local history, traditions and beliefs, Guyanese have for some time, been known as “culture vultures.”
Maybe it is a lack of national pride, feelings of inferiority, cultural imperialism or a combination of all of these things – whatever it is, we are not necessarily known for leaving our original mark. We instead seek to constantly rebrand ourselves with the customs of outsiders. This is not to say that persons cannot enjoy aspects of cultures that are not their own, but when these alien cultures are imported wholesale and take up much more relevance than our own local traditions, it might be time to start thinking about how we are doing ourselves a disservice and why we even feel it necessary. Continue reading →
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