It’s a Rainy Day in the Neighborhood!

Guyana celebrates Republic Day or Mashramani (abbreviated as ‘Mash) on February usually on the 23rd. Guyanese citizens enjoy festive and colourful parades much like that of a carnival, music, and games. Guyanese cook on this special day to mark the birth of a new country. Mashramani should not be confused with the country’s Independence Day on May 26. After it gained independence from the British in 1966, the Guyanese people established itself as an independent…

Joy-Ann (“Joy”) Reid is the former managing editor of TheGrio.com and host of the AM Joy show on MSNBC.  She is also a political columnist for the Miami Herald and editor of the political blog The Reid Report and is known for her very insightful and liberal political views.  Joy was born to an African father from the Congo, and her late mother was from Guyana. Joy has also worked as an Internet news editor…

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…

Dr. Alicia Elias-Roberts is a distinguished legal scholar with a remarkable academic journey and an impressive list of accomplishments. She has recently been appointed as the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, and her expertise in various legal disciplines promises to bring new perspectives and advancements to the institution. Born in Guyana, Dr. Elias-Roberts holds a Ph.D. in Energy and Environmental Law from Queen’s University…

COVER GIRL: 22-Year-Old Guyanese model, RoseAnn Sumner, graces the cover of the current issue of Michigan’s Healthy & Fit Magazine. RoseAnn, you migrated from Guyana at the age of 5, is currently studying Diagnostic Molecular Science at Michigan State University. She Rocks! Check out her story >> here.    

In a once unthinkable career for women, aviation in modern times has seen a multitude of females excelling in the field. One such example is US-based Guyanese (Captain) Beverley Drake, who knocked down the stereotype in her aviation career to prove that women can do a man’s job. Beverley, who grew up in Georgetown, in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine revealed that her father always wanted her to become a pilot, so he…

Although I have not been back in years,  I am proud to be Guyanese says Sasha Pilgrim, author, motivational speaker and budding entrepreneur. Born in Linden in 1987, Sasha spent a few years of her childhood in Berbice before relocating to US.  She currently resides in New Jersey where she studied and obtained two (2) Bachelor degrees in General Sociology from Bloomfield College and BA in Business Administration & Management from Pillar College.  A devoted…

Guyanese Lawyer, Anita Pali, was recently named Rising Star In Law at the 2019 London Asian Business Awards. She was awarded at a prestigious awards ceremony in Kensington, London earlier this month. The event honors some of the best professionals and businesses for their achievements over the last year. Anita’s mother Ouma (originally Ouma Mohabir) originates from Black Bush Polder, Berbice, Guyana but migrated to the UK in the late sixties. Anita  works as a…

Zena Hallam is a Florida-based  certified aromatherapist, reflexologist, and modern day alchemist. She first experienced the power of natural therapies as a girl in Guyana, South America, watching her mother heal the people of her village—including her grandmother, who would have lost her leg and then her life to diabetes, if not for Zena’s mother’s knowledge of herbal medicine. Watching others heal and thrive was a truly transformative experience for Zena. She decided to formally study…

“As queen, I am very proud and feel honoured to be representing my country in Malaysia for the Miss India Worldwide, April 2013 pageant and will do my best to make my country proud.” These were the words of reigning Miss India Guyana 2013, Katherina Roshana, during her acceptance speech back in January. Katherina will  represent Guyana at the International Miss India Worldwide Pageant scheduled to be held in Malaysia on April 21st,  2013.   She…

Lisa Punch is a talented singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She was born on September 4, 1992 in Guyana; the daughter of John Errol Punch and Nafieza Aiana Daniels and is the eldest of five siblings. Lisa spent the first few years of her life in Berbice before relocating to Georgetown. By age 11, she was performing across the country and appearing on local TV shows such as Talent Exclusive. At her alma mater, North Georgetown Secondary…

SHE was recently elected the first woman president of the Guyana Press Association (GPA), shattering the glass ceiling that existed for seven decades. Although excited for her new role, Nazima Raghubir is ready to hit the ground running with plans to have the GPA offer more training for its journalists. “There is a high turnover of media workers, journalists in Guyana. A lot of us aren’t trained and we don’t have a journalism programme at…

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…

In 1958, Martha Ruby Holland (nee Nicholson) founded the first Ruby Holland School of Music  in British Guiana, South America. She was an avid believer in music education and the art.  She believed that everyone possessed creative talent and spent her life providing artistic opportunities for students regardless of their age, social standing or financial means. Martha’s approach to teaching music (the piano) was unique and quite enriching. She offered her students a rich array…

Via www. guyanachronicle.com OMAIAH Aaliyah Hall is an 18-year-old Communications student at the University of Guyana who was recently crowned the Junior Calypso and Soca Monarch  in Guyana. She’s also an alumni of Bishops and St. Roses High Schools.  In a recent interview with ‘The Buzz’,  Omaiah shared that she has always been passionate about the arts, especially music.  Here’s her story.. “I love how you can relate an entire story through a song and…