Happy Holidays GGR Family!

Dr Dionne Patricia Duncan, whose parents, Hector and Util Duncan, are both Guyanese, recently graduated from the University of Toronto with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Health Policy Management and Informatics. According to Dr Duncan, her Guyanese parents taught her from an early age that education was more than reading, writing and arithmetic. “It is one of the most important investments a country can make of its people and its future and is critical…

Sixteen year old swimmer Onika George, was Guyana’s only swimmer at the 2014 Commonwealth Games last month in Glasgow, Scotland.  She finished 4th in the Women’s 50m Freestyle – Heat 2 and 5th in the Women’s 100m Freestyle.  What’s commendable about Onika is her determination to inspire her fellow Guyanese to take up swimming Onika  was part of the small Guyana team in Glasgow and the only athlete in the pool after men’s freestyle and…

Assemblywoman Alicia L. Hyndman was elected to the New York State Assembly on November 10, 2015 in the 29th AD, encompassing the neighborhoods of Laurelton, Rosedale, St. Albans, Addisleigh Park, Hollis, Springfield Gardens and Jamaica. The daughter of Guyanese  immigrants, Assemblywoman Hyndman emigrated to the U.S. from London, England as a young child. She spent her formative years growing up in Hollis & South Ozone Park attending public schools, PS 34, IS 109, JHS 226 & John…

With Easter Monday only a few days away, I thought it would be quite fitting to share this book and it’s author with you. Here’s an overview of the book and the author’s story … Overview: A Guyanese Girl’s Story is a series of short stories from my childhood. One of my favorite is “Kite Flying in the Village”. Kite flying is a family outing for many in Guyana, South America. Easter is a very…

“The handicap of deafness is not in the ear; it is in the mind.”   These are the words of actress, Marlee Matlin, and Marcia Shury is determined to live in this truth. “Silent Hearer” chronicles the story of Marcia S. Shury as her happy childhood was turned upside down due to the onset of a sudden partial hearing loss.  The book details how she rose above the many obstacles and frustrations that she encountered in school, in…

Mashramani is carnival like in nature. This year’s theme is “Showcasing our Culture, Sustaining Our Heritage.” Customarily, this is a colourful festival and is a combination of costume competitions, float parades, masquerade bands and much dancing and merriment in the streets to the sweet sounds of steel pan along with calypso and soca music. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport continues annually to create and manage the Mashramani celebrations as the largest national event.

Activist Karen De Souza is one of the three recipients of the 2014 Laureates of the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards forExcellence. The Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence (ANSCAFE) is the English-speaking Caribbean’s leading recognition programme in Arts, Sciences, and Public and Civic Work. De Souza is a women’s and children’s rights activist from Guyana. She is the co-founder of Red Thread, an advocacy organisation which provides service and support, education, and advocacy…

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.

Guyana’s Female Amateur Baseball Team recently competed in Halifax, Canada for the first 21U (21 and under) women’s invitational tournament.  The tournament, which was hosted by Halifax and Team Nova Scotia, ran from August 4th to August 8th and included teams from different regions in Canada (Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, British Columbia), and Guyana.  Team Guyana was made of 15 players and 4 coaches.  See Scoreboard HERE.  Congratulations ladies, You Rock! This is the Team’s first time playing…

Congratulations to Guyanese-Born Businesswoman Gina Miller who has been named Britain’s Most influential Black Person. In a story published by BBC News, Gina topped the 2018 Powerlist of 100 people, which recognizes those of African and African Caribbean heritage.  The 52-year-old led the successful Brexit legal challenge which ruled parliament had to vote on whether Theresa May could trigger Article 50. Those named were decided by an independent panel – including former High Court judge Dame…

Helen Taitt was the founder and director of the School of Guyana Ballet, which trained many of the teachers with the Guyana National School of Dance. Her dancing career spanned two decades from the 1950s to 1970s. Helen made the theatre her life-long career, performing, composing and teaching right up to the end of her life. She was Guyana’s best known, most accomplished and acclaimed professional dancer, and was also a choreographer, writer, dance instructor,…

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…

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…

By daughter, Omaiah Hall I love my mom – she is the coolest, the prettiest, the most amazing woman in the world . Even though I act rudely a lot to my mom, she still loves me and that’s all a mom’s baby girl could ask for. So on this beautiful Mothers’ Day I am surely going to make her feel happy and no one can tell me that I cannot do it . My…

Happy Birthday to H.E David A. Granger, 8th Executive President of the Republic off Guyana who celebrates his 70th Birthday today! ~ July 15th, 2015 ~