Happy Birthday to Our Beautiful Guyana!

From Stabroek News Archive When she married David Granger, Sandra Chan-A-Sue knew she was going to be a military wife which meant her husband would be away from home a lot of the time. But what she did not know was that forty years down the line she would be married to a politician, still with the name of David Granger. “I did not believe him…” the then 62-year-old Sandra Granger told the Sunday Stabroek…

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of watching the young women of St. Albans Episcopal Church perform the Maypole dance at the annual Guyana Folk Festival held in Brooklyn, NY.   I remember doing this as a little girl growing up in Guyana dressed up in frilly dresses and socks with colorful hair bows, as we danced and weaved the ribbons to the sound of music. Watching this recreated many, many years later brought back sweet memories. A maypole is a tall…

BMCC Student Government Association President, Okeema Humphrey’s ultimate goal  is to give back to the country of her birth, Guyana,  but in the meantime she’s sharing very smart advice with her peers. During her recent graduation ceremony,  Okeema told the class of 2015 “whether you are employed, unemployed, or moving on to higher education …  use what you learned at BMCC to be the best version of yourself that you can be.” Okeema is a…

Margaux Rusita (Margaux Wong) is a fashion and textile designer originally from Guyana, South America. She was first introduced to textile design while in Secondary school but was introduced to the sewing machine as a young child. For the past ten years, Margaux has worked as a freelance designer. She was in 2007, employed as the Personal Assistant to the late Catherine Walker, who for many years designed countless special pieces for the late Princess…

Guyana female table tennis champion, Chelsea Edghill, was awarded a partial scholarship to attend Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Missouri.  According to a Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) Press Release, the scholarship covers five years and will allow Edghill to train, play and participate in high-level competitions against top level players on a consistent basis in view of achieving 2020 Olympic qualification. Edghill, a Bishops High School Student, has won several championship awards and was named…

The Honorary Judge Ingrid Joseph is a Democratic judge of the New York City Civil Court Kings. She was born in Brooklyn to Guyanese parents. Judge Joseph is running for re-election in the New York State primary on September 13, 2018.  She was elected to the court in 2009, and her current term expires in 2018. She is also serves as an acting justice of the Kings County Supreme Court, Civil Term. Here’s Her Story…

On Sept. 9 in a lavish ceremony in Temple Hills, Maryland, Guyanese Ariana Austin married Prince Joel Makonnen who is the great-grandson of Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia. Mr. Makonnen, known as Prince Yoel, is the 35-year-old great-grandson of Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia. Ms. Austin, 33, is of African-American and Guyanese descent; her maternal grandfather was a lord mayor of Georgetown, the capital of Guyana. · Their marriage had been…

“Become the leader of your life. Lead yourself to where you want to be. Breathe life back into your ambitions, your desires, your goals, your relationships.”― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

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…

Linisa George is a creative outburst of energy. Born in Guyana, Linisa migrated with her family to Antigua, the island where she calls home, at the tender age of 4. She wrote in secret from the age of 6; her poems were her escape from a world that she didn’t think she fit into. It wasn’t until 2003 while living in Toronto where she discovered the writings of the amazing Maya Angelou, that she realised…

We are so proud of the young women in Guyana as they continue to exceed academically. President’s College student Shalita Appadu, 18, of Corentyne, Berbice, has topped this year’s CAPE examinations. Appadu, a former student of the New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary School, scored six grade ones and one grade two at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE). In 2011, Shalita obtained 15 grade ones at this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations. Congratulations Shalita…

This past Monday, on May 26th, Guyana celebrated it’s 49th independence anniversary, which coincided with the Inauguration of Guyana’s 8th Executive President His Excellency David Arthur Granger at the Guyana National Stadium.  While a proud moment for Guyanese living at home and abroad, it was this image of Stacey Codogan performing a sword salute and depicting such strength and beauty that stole the hearts and admiration of many across social media.   She Rocks!     Photographer: Brian Gomes.

Ready to take the world by storm, the sultry songstress known to audiences as “Petra” crosses effortlessly into the realms of Caribbean music infused with pop, jazz and R&B melodies that places her in the evolving category called “Island Pop.” Born Roshell Petra Hooper, the singer/songwriter who hails from Guyana, South America was raised in Trinidad and Tobago in a family of professional musicians; her mother was a talented singer and her father is the…

The festival of Holi can be regarded as a celebration of the Colors of Unity & Brotherhood – an opportunity to forget all differences and indulge in unadulterated fun. It has traditionally been celebrated in high spirit without any distinction of cast, creed, color, race, status or sex. It is one occasion when sprinkling colored powder (‘gulal’) or colored water on each other breaks all barriers of discrimination so that everyone looks the same and…

Guyanese-born art curator Grace Aneiza Ali has made it her mission to create spaces for works of art that bring more visibility and awareness to the many experiences of the little-known Guyanese community across America. Migrating to Washington D.C. at the age of 14, her curatorial work heavily focuses on migration, particularly from Guyana, and examines the intersections at which art, activism and social change connect. Ali spoke with Brown Girl Magazine recently about the…