For the man who works with hands. (The poem won first prize in the inaugural Walter Rodney Foundation Creative Writing Competition. I dedicated the first reading to Minister of Culture Dr. Frank Anthony, the girls at NOC who were allegedly raped by a senior government official, the 15-year-old boy was shot by a police man and Harding, the youth, who was baton raped by police.) … Continue reading Without You
In the company of very few, I delivered the following address at the Award Ceremony of the Inaugural Walter Rodney Foundation Creative Writing Competition. Minister of Culture Frank Anthony sat alongside UG’s Dr. Mark Tumbridge in an otherwise empty front row . Guyana Prize winner Ruel Johnson sat with two or three others in the back row. And when the words left my mouth, they … Continue reading Break Your Silence – Speech Delivered at the Award Ceremony of the Inaugural Walter Rodney Foundation Creative Writing Competition
“My name is… Bharrat. I am an East Indian Guyanese…” (The beginning of a Primary School composition in the early 90s). The relative of a high ranking public official engaged me in conversation on January 15, 2014. We spoke briefly about the connotations of a certain word. They believe the word is an insult to Guyana and Indians. “…the beloved country you are fighting for … Continue reading For Tribe or Country
This poem was first performed on March 25, 2014 at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport’s World Poetry Day 2014 event – An Evening of International, Regional and Guyanese Poetry. I dedicated the first performance to Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony. The poem itself is dedicated to my nana, those Guyanese of Indian heritage who have had their hearts broken, … Continue reading Dear Nana
While I despise the use of an ethnic tag before my nationality, I do not deny my Indian heritage. I do not deny that my great great grandfather Anganou came to British Guiana, broke his back on a sugar plantation and perhaps died at peace in a foreign land that is now home to me. I embrace my heritage, I understand that it is part … Continue reading On Indianness and the PPP Trolls that prowl social media
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