Guyanese Designer, Sonia Noel, Showcased her Fierce “First Resort” Collection in Fort Lauderdale

The Miss World Pageant is scheduled to take place this September in Indonesia  and the new franchise holder for Guyana,  Natasha Martindale, is busy prepping the reigning queens, Ruqayyah Boyer, to bring home the prestigious title. The Miss World organization appointed Martindale to the Guyana franchise in late June 2013.  A former pageant contestant herself,  Martindale is a Christ Church alumni and also attended Georgetown School of Accountancy and a private College of Business &…

Congratulations to 18-year-old, Vena Mookram, who captured the crown last night and walked away with the title of  Miss World Guyana 2017.   The  5’6″ tall beauty was born on September 12, 1998 in the Capitol City of Georgetown and is a first-time beauty pageant contestant.  She will represent Guyana on the Miss World stage this coming December in China. A fitness enthusiast, Vena’s Beauty with a Purpose platform focuses on physical fitness and nutrition and she has collaborated with Guyana’s Ministry of Public Health to…

Renowned Guyanese Fashion Designer, Sonia Noel, showcased her First Resort Collection this past weekend during Caribbean New York Fashion Week. The fun and flirty collection was rich with Noel’s signature weave patterns incorporating vivid hues, leopard prints and polka dot. The event which was held at The Out Nightclub in New York City coincided with Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and was attended by members of the press and the Caribbean Diaspora.  Models, many whom were…

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…

Buxton Spice (Bluestreak) ABOUT  THE BOOK:  Told in the voice of a girl as she moves from childhood into adolescence, Buxton Spice is the story the town of Tamarind Grove: its eccentric families, its sweeping joys, and its sudden tragedies. The novel brings to life 1970s Guyana-a world at a cultural and political crossroads-and perfectly captures a child’s keen observations, sense of wonder, and the growing complexity of consciousness that marks the passage from innocence…

First Day of School: Do You Want to Be My Friend?

The courage and passion that singer, Lisa Punch, showed during her appearance on the “Rising Star” TV Show inspired me to share this quote.  In just 6-months of living in a foreign country, she fearlessly took to the international stage and showed her fans and the world that nothing is impossible. Always remember that “If you have a dream, don’t just sit there. Gather courage to believe that you can succeed and leave no stone…

English Teacher, Shamayne Cumberbatch, was born in Guyana, South America and later moved to Irving, NJ. She first attended the local public school before enrolling at Kent Place for middle and high school. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and her master’s degree from Harvard in Education Policy and Management. Before working at the Pingry School, Ms. Cumberbatch participated in the Teach for America program, teaching eighth grade English classes at a charter…

We all know that curry and roti is one of Guyana’s most popular cuisine and a common dish within the Caribbean community. It is also much more enjoyable when you indulge with your fingers. However, one can also admit that it’s sometimes quite messy and will ruin your pale nail polish or fresh manicure. For this very reason I sometimes prefer to eat this dish only while at home where I can really dive in with my fingers. I recently attended a function and observed one…

Pop music singing sensation Zandra Brown, was born in Guyana, South America. She grew up listening to a diverse array of artists that inspired her, including Tina Turner, The Beatles and Bob Marley. Before moving to America at the age of 18 with her family, she was always in the spotlight, representing her school in dancing performances and fashion shows. Zandra joined her church choir in 2008 and shortly thereafter began writing songs as an outlet to…

Below, the first female army officers, from left, Brenda Aaron, Clarissa Hukumchand, Hyacinth King and Captain Joan Granger, in their uniforms of green khaki shirts and blouse, green berets, shiny black shoes and shoulder bags at Camp Ayanganna. Reprinted from Guyana Graphic, Tuesday, January 31, 1967 (Winston Oudkerk photo) The four young women are donned military uniforms of green khaki on January 30, 1967 and marched smartly off to begin a course of training as…

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,…

Reported By Allison Skeete Special to NAN News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. May 31, 2019: A Grammy Award winner Caribbean roots singer is set to be in Brooklyn, NY this Sunday, June 2nd for the launch of the Guyana Innovation Prize Venture Fellowship. Melanie Fiona, a Canadian-Guyanese, is slated to be part of the Brooklyn, NY launch of the Fellowship, the brainchild of the Guyana Economic Development Trust CEO, Oslene Carrington. The event aims…

Bishops: My Turbulent Colonial Youth More books by Mona Williams:  Her list of books include: How we made a colour television show (1973); The turtle who longed to be a bird (1973); Christmas in Guyana (1974); The day I swam the river (1974); How the goat lost his voice (1974); Old Medicine (1974); The ant who refused titles (1975); Granny (1975); Father Martin Heale (1975); Old Bell (1975); When I went to the pictures (1975);…

Kayla Stewart, a 2017 graduate of the Medical Arts Academy at the Gloucester Township Campus of Camden County Technical Schools (CCTS), was accepted into five of the eight ivy league colleges. She chose to attend Columbia University, but was also accepted into Brown University, University of Pennsylvania, Williams College, Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, Carnegie Mellon University, Tufts University, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Rutgers University-Honors College, Boston University, and New York University. Kayla lives…