Guyanese Singer Lisa Punch named “Profile of the Year”

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….

Ms. Valerie Rodway (1919-1970) was a teacher and Guyanese composer.  She is best known for her national songs, which include, “O Beautiful Guyana,” “Kanaïma,” “Hymn for Guyana’s Children,” “Arise, Guyana,” and “Guyana the Free.  She also put to music the famed Guyanese independence poem by Martin Carter, “Let Freedom Awaken.” Ms. Rodway was a member of one of those families whose contributions to Guyana are still evident. Her father, Newton Berthier Fraser was born in…

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,…

A few weeks ago, people across America celebrated Veterans Day in honors military personnel who served in the United States Armed Forces, but sometimes life after service isn’t easy. That’s where Sharmin Prince comes in. As the program director for veterans services at Volunteers of America-Greater New York, Sharmin is running the Battle Buddy Bridge, a peer-to-peer program that trains veterans to help other veterans deal with a mental health diagnosis. “In basic training, you are…

Grace Nichols is a Guyanese poet.  She was born in Georgetown, Guyana in 1950, the fifth of seven children. She was raised in the village of Highdam and attended the school where her father worked as headmaster and her mother taught piano lessons. At age eight she moved with her family to Georgetown, and at age sixteen she left high school with the hope of becoming a teacher. Earning a degree in communications at the University…

Captain Feriel Ally of the local Air Services Limited (ASL) recently created history on July 12, 2012 when she became the  first female in Guyana certified to operate a grand caravan aircraft.  The daughter of Guyana’s aviation pioneer Yacoob Mazaharally, Captain Ally began her aviation career in 1988 when she trained for, and obtained, her private pilot’s licence in the USA. Following her training, she returned to Guyana and built her hours flying the Cessna 172 and 206, ferrying…

Meet Domini Alleyne, 2014 Miss Barbados Senior Fitness Queen. The 30 year old fitness model, who reings from Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo and Den Amstel West Coast Demerara in Guyana, migrated to Barbados at age 13. She later returned to Guyana and in 2011 worked briefly for the local HJTV television channel and was also a fashion model. However, chronic overeating following a failed marriage propelled Domini to embark on her fitness journey. Here’s Domini…

If you were a fan of  the ABC Family teen drama ” Twisted”,  then you’re familiar with Kylie Bunbury who played Lacey Porter, a popular teenager on the show. Kylie is a talented actress and model, born in Ontario, Canada in 1989 to a Polish and Swedish American mother, Kristi Novak, and Guyanese-born Canadian father, Alex Bunbury.  Kylie’s father  was a professional soccer player who won the sixth most caps all time for the Canadian men’s soccer team. She has two…

Vannetta Seecharran has been influencing art and design in the jewellery field for nearly 20 years. Born in Guyana in 1969, the London-based jewellery teacher migrated at the age of 11 with her parents to New York City. She graduated in 1991 from the prestigious Parsons School of Art with a BA in Product Design, and in 1996 earned an MFA in Jewellery from State University of New York at New Paltz.   She later moved…

Congratulations to Dr. Paloma Mohamed, poet, playwright & educator on being named one of four honorees for the Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence (Arts & Letters).  Dr. Mohamed  is currently the Director of the Centre for Communication Studies at the University of Guyana. The Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards is the only programme in the Caribbean which seeks out and rewards outstanding nominees in Arts & Letters, Public & Civic Contributions, and Science…

Farah Valentina Bates, who was recently crowned the first Miss Berbice 2017, hails from the smallest Town in Guyana, Rose Hall, but she has big dreams of making it on an international pageant stage and being her own boss someday. Born in July 1999, this tenacious 18-year-old is a second-year student at the University of Guyana pursuing her diploma in Public Management. She is the first born for her parents and has one sibling. This…

Afuwa Granger is a visual artist, writer, and poet who uses her work to construct a visual language around intersections of identity, particularly race and gender. She was born in Guyana to current President, David Granger and First Lady, Sandra Granger.  Afuwa studied in Jamaica at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, and lives and creates her artwork in Vancouver, Canada. Afuwa’s  art is based on her family photos and the idea of the immigrant…

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…

The Hon. Justice of Appeal Yonette Cummings-Edwards was appointed by President David Granger to perform the functions of the Office of the Chief Justice in Georgetown, Guyana.  In a statement to News Sources Guyana Justice Cummings-Edwards said  “I am honoured and humbled to be nominated to provide the functions of Chief Justice”  She will replace Chief Justice Ian Chang after he retires on December 15th. The Hon. Madame Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards is an Appeal Court Judge in…

As women we sometimes tend to be very self-critical and always focusing on your own faults and weaknesses. Self-criticism can be both a healthy means of increasing self-awareness and personal growth, and, on the other hand, it can serve as a major obstacle to self-esteem and peace of mind. Stop all of the negative self-talk and criticism of your image and feel happy about who you are. “When a woman becomes her own best friend…