Diaspora Projects and Relaxing on the Mazaruni and Essequibo Rivers

A significant part of our work over the last couple of years is developing the links with short term Guyanese volunteers who now live in Canada and want to use their skills in a worthwhile manner. Bharat Mathoo ( see below) has been a school principal and head of Science in Torornto schools and he brings both teaching and administrative experience and because this is the third time we have met and worked with each other we were able to use his skills in a most effective way...For the first time in many moons primary school pupils visited their secondary school to be taught science in the brand new science lab at Three Miles Secondary School...

We set up the lesson as a ferensic laborartory with the pupils as ferensic scientists solving a crime using chemical indicatos to detect sugar and starch...simple enough you may say but it enables Bharat to embed the scientific method into the minds of the teachers who came with the group or took part in the workshop. Bharat buit strong links with the chairman of the region and in this way he gathered together some important chemicals.He also made contact with the National Centre for Educational Research and Development (NCERD) and trained up a handful of primary school teachers.










Meanwhile his colleague Pete Jailall a primary school teacher and writer/poet worked with teachers on our literacy professional development course and their pupils at the Learning Resources centre. These sessions also involved trudy and they worked very well. Here the teachers saw the literacy hour in action with plenty of interactive teaching and pace and fun.

Peter also lauched a new book o 17 poems for children called 'Our World' at the national Cultural Centre no less and I was very touched to be asked to introduce Peter. There were other writers there including Ian McDonald whose volume of poetry 'Essequibo' written back in 1992 is of particular note.Here is the mighty Essequibo at sunset at the Sharima crossing ...a marvellous site...We have not made much fuss about the rivers here but they are something else Indeed we discovered a sea shanty called 'Essequibo' sung by Martyn Simpson and the lyrics are here below..

The Essequibo River
traditional

Oh the Essequibo River
is the king of rivers all
Oh the Essequibo River
is the king of rivers all

Somebody oh Johnny Somebody oh
Buddy ta na na we are somebody oh
Somebody oh Johnny, somebody oh
Buddy ta na na we are somebody oh

The Essequibo bo'sun
is the king of bo'suns all
Buddy ta na na we are somebody oh

The Essequibo sailor
is the king of sailors all
Buddy ta na na we are somebody oh

The Essequibo captain
is the king of captains all
Buddy ta na na we are somebody oh

The Essequibo Judy
is the queen of Judies all
Buddy ta na na we are somebody oh

The Essequibo River
is the king of rivers all
The Essequibo River
is the king of rivers all

The othe photo is of the Mazaruni River just before it joins up with the Essequibo and it too is a a marvellous stretch of water that has its source in the Guiana Shield highlands close to the Venezuelan and Brazillian border.
I shall miss these rivers badly when I leave.