Women in Uniform at Guyana Independence Flag Raising Ceremony

Congratulations Salma – You Rock! Salma Majeed of the ISA Islamic Academy School in Georgetown is the top performer out of the 16,811 students who sat the National Grade Six Assessment scoring 548 out of 560. Story: http://www.stabroeknews.com/2013/news/stories/06/07/samo-majeed-tops-grade-six/ .

Future Olympian, Andrea Fosters, recently added another award to her outstanding resume when she was named “Woman of the Year” by the New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women!  The middle distance runner is the first Guyanese student to receive this distinguished honor. This annual recognition is awarded during the month of February in honor of the 32nd anniversary of National Girls & Women in Sports Day; a national observance celebrating the extraordinary achievements of women and girls…

Today is a historical day in Guyana as supporters of the coalition APNU+AFC party celebrate an historic win over the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP), which has been in power for 23 years.  The new President of Guyana, Brigadier David Granger is a former Commander of the Guyana Defense Force and National Security Adviser and  new Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo is an Attorney of Law and former Member of Parliament.  Many overseas-based Guyanese like myself, who were unable to cast our votes, waited…

Mona Williams is a storyteller, children’s writer and educator whose action-packed stories and dramatic presentations enthrall audiences of all ages.  She covers a vast spectrum of stories including myths, legends and heroic tales; folk, fairy and wisdom stories, fables, riddles and autobiographical adventures. Born in the town of Mackenzie, Guyana on 27 July 1943,  Williams secured a place at the exclusive girls’ school Bishops. The school lends it name to her autobiography, Bishops: My Turbulent…

Meet Halima Yusuf, CEO & Founder of FRX International Drugs (FRXID), a pharmaceutical company based in Berlin, Maryland. As Chief Executive Officer, Halima Yusuf has had a very influential role in steering the ever-evolving business. In fact she indicated that she used her upbringing in Guyana as inspiration to create the company. According to her, the scarcity of proper pharmacy care and knowing the facts relating to the medication and its usability drove her to create…

Many of you will agree that Deborah Cox is one of the music industry’s most notable voices.   A multi-platinum selling artist and self-proclaimed diva, Deborah was born on born July 13, 1974 in Toronto to Guyanese parents.   She began singing for TV commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows with the help of her mother. She performed in nightclubs as a teenager, and began to write music around the same time. Deborah entered the music…

Shyko Amos is an OBIE winning actress with Guyanese roots who is known for her performances in  Tell You Something (2015), One Small Step for Melvin (2014) and 3-C (Three-C) (2012).  She has performed in theatres all over the world from South Africa to Paris and New York appearing on Televion for the BBC and TROUBLE TV. Originally from the UK, at age 15 Shyko began her career at the prestigious National Youth Music Theatre of Great Britain.  She has a…

Marianna Hansen (born 17 February 1983), known professionally as Shaya, is a Danish–Greek singer of Guyanese and Indian descent. Shaya was a member of the girl band Hi-5, the result of the Greek version of the talent show Popstars. She is currently pursuing a solo career and finished fifth in Greece’s version of Dancing on Ice. Shaya was born in Denmark to a Danish father and a multiracial Guyanese mother of Greenlandic and Indian descent….

The Slipper is a classic tale of love and loss portrayed in the most unconventional style. Included are lovable, colorful characters such as Meetu, Vishnu, maa and baap who’s humor infuses a serious subject matter in a very unique, warm and touching manner. What happens when a headstrong teen falls for an unsuitable suitor? What becomes of her future when her strict parents desire another path? And what ensues years later when Meetu’s past catches…

Grace Aneiza Ali is the founder and editor of  OfNoteMagazine.org, an online magazine that celebrates people of color in the arts. She was born in Guyana and moved to the United States when she was fourteen years old. Having grown up surrounded by a culture of illiteracy among women, she is committed to the work of educating girls in developing nations. Grace launched Of Note in 2009 as a platform to honor “artists whose work values compassion,…

Samantha Cross is a new up and coming triple threat singer/songwriter and dancer who goes by the name SCross. She was born in Linden at Mackenzie Hospital, but now lives in Canada. Growing up Samantha always knew that she wanted to be an entertainer. She started singing at the age of 8 and performed her  first solo with her church choir. Over the years, Samantha has performed at many venues including some well known clubs,…

Euleen Josiah-Tanner is a talented distance runner residing in Atlanta, Georgia. Born in Guyana, the Berbice native began her athletic career several years ago as a teenager. Euleen move to the United States in 1996 after graduating from the Cyril Potter College of Education with the goal of gaining a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. When she didn’t make the team, Euleen settled  in Atlanta where she attended Permeter College and Western International University,…

Yaani King is an American actor of Guyanese descent. The only daughter of an NYPD officer mother, Yaani was born on August 10, 1981 in Flatbush, Brooklyn, and raised in Queens. She has two elder brothers, she spent most of her childhood around the theater, as her mother was a stage and commercial actress before becoming a police officer. As a teen, she was accepted to the High School of Performing Arts at Lincoln Center…

 It was out of the need to connect with Guyanese who were interested in seeing films by Guyanese and Caribbean filmmakers that the Timehri Film Festival was born three years ago, according to Romola Lucas, one of its founders. And while the business community and the government And while the business community and the government have not fully bought in to the festival financially, Lucas is heartened by the response at the community level, in…

Guyanese Singer Charmayne (Maxee) Maxwell of the 1990s R&B group Brownstone, mysteriously died Saturday, members of her family have confirmed.  Maxee was born Charmayne Maxwell on January 11, 1969 in Guyana.  She was best known for her work with Grammy-nominated band Brownstone and her 2000 solo single “When I Look into Your eyes.” She was 46 years old. Brownstone was  popular during the mid-1990s. Their  1995 hit single “If You Love Me”,  was nominated for…