Janice Elizabeth MacGregor is a second generation Canadian born to parents who emigrated from Guyana and became Canadian citizens. Her father, Frank Moorgen (RIP 2010), was born in Hampshire Village, Berbice and her mother, Mary Moorgen (née Deonarine) was born in Corentyne, Berbice. Janice, her brother, and her sister were born in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). She attended Millwoods Christian School where her strong commitment to academics and faith were formed. She fondly recalls visiting…
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…
Flora Zeta Zhang Elizabeth Tian Ai Cheong-Leen was born in Hong Kong in 1959. Her father Hilton Cheong-Leen was born in Georgetown, British Guyana but is of Chinese descent and her mother Pauline Chow is from Beijing. Flora graduated from The Royal Ballet in the UK and at the Paris Opera in France. She starred as the lead actress in movies such as: “Life After Life”, “Duel to the Death”, “Chasing Girl” and “Return of…
YAHOO CELEBRITY NEWS What is your environmental advocacy and why did you choose this? My chosen environmental advocacy is recycling (reduce, reuse, recycle). The reason for such is that it allows one to engage the younger generation to be active participants in keeping their environment clean by using recycled products for craft projects that can be of some good use. These craft projects encourage the under-privileged to put their skills and talent to better use…
Canadian actress & international fashion model, Simone Small aka “Small & Mighty” was born to a Guyanese mother and Barbadian father. She attended Humber College and Etobicoke School of the Arts in Toronto, Ontario. The only child for her parents, Simone recalled having a great childhood. She spent her school years in Toronto but every summer went to Barbados or Guyana, sometimes both, to spend time with her cousins, aunts and uncles. Simone’s mother is from…
Yaani King is an American actor of Guyanese descent. The only daughter of an NYPD officer mother, Yaani was born on August 10, 1981 in Flatbush, Brooklyn, and raised in Queens. She has two elder brothers, she spent most of her childhood around the theater, as her mother was a stage and commercial actress before becoming a police officer. As a teen, she was accepted to the High School of Performing Arts at Lincoln Center…
B.G. is British Guiana; Bhagee is a fiery local stew. Philippa was the second daughter in a family of six children growing up in mid-20th century in colonial Guyana. She recounts her Sisyphean trials growing up a Carrington in Lot 10, First Street, Georgetown — from the women’s battles to the neighbours that never wore clothes to the relatives who walked with their shoes in their hands. B.G. Bhagee: Memories of a Colonial Childhood About…
Joyce Ferdinand-Lalljie was a child prodigy who began playing one of her mother’s piano pieces when she was three years old. She and her younger sister Mavis both became concert pianists and were known as the two Ferdinand girls. Joyce is accredited as being the first black woman, if not the first woman to play a full piano concerto. In his article on radio in British Guiana for the 1951 Chronicle Christmas Annual, Albert E…
Guyanese born Sharon Clarke is Brooklyn’s newest Civil Court Judge. On Tuesday September 09, 2014 she won with over 53% of the votes after the Brooklyn residents rallied behind her. Back in July, Clarke collected the required signatures to become a Civil Court Judge and led a strong campaign that enabled her to win in the September elections. Sharon is the mother of two beautiful sons, whom she adores. She was born in Guyana to…
Rochelle Porter has never met a blank surface she didn’t want to draw on. A lifelong lover of global design traditions, the Atlanta-based artist takes cues from the breezy hues of her Caribbean roots, the stark simplicity of Scandinavian prints and the bold geometrics of West African weaves to create vibrant, eye-catching textiles for the home décor and apparel markets. Her travel-inspired patterns feature joyful, unexpected burst of color and classic motifs with a fresh,…
Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame 2012 Inductee, Charmaine Hooper, was born on January 15, 1968, in Georgetown, Guyana. She was raised in Ottawa, Canada, and is a former striker for the Canadian Women’s National Soccer Team. She began playing soccer as a child in Zambia, where her father was posted with the Guyana High Commission. Known as one of the world’s most lethal strikers throughout her career, Charmaine has been a fixture on the Canadian…
ABOUT THE BOOK: The Storm Within is a collection of poems that touch on various life themes. The emotional drama of life is expressed in themes ranging from romantic love to love of God and includes others such as joy, rejection,pain, childhood, parenthood, and emotional turmoil. The work is titled after one of the poems in the book. It was chosen because the book reflects life as it is often experienced, but rarely expressed—life as…
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…
Amander Williams-Clarke is a Guyanese Sculptor/ Wood Artist based in Bridgetown, Barbados. Her family owned and run business, Williams Legacy, specializes in fine art creations using indigenous wood. Born in South Ruimveldt in Guyana, Amander migrated to Barbados with her parents at age five. The art of wood craft was passed down from generation to generation beginning with the patriarch of the family Nathaniel Williams who initially worked with straw specialising in hats, baskets, brooms,…
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…