On December 3rd, Venezuela will hold a referendum to decide whether to formally claim Essequibo, a region long disputed with Guyana, as a Venezuelan state. Should they decide to move forward with the claim, Guyana would lose over 70% of its territory, much of which has been the source of the nation’s newfound wealth.
Hello and Happy 2023!
I can’t believe how much happened in 2022. We came out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mia Mottley secured a second 5-year term as Prime Minister of Barbados, Russia started a war with Ukraine, and Herschel Walker lost the Georgia election - but so did Stacey Abrams. You know, yin… yan. The same was true for DysChick. Despite personal tragedies, I was able to be outside like garb – nope. I refuse to make that a phrase.
So what’s my plan for 2023? Rest.
If you’ve been following DysChick, you know that I have a fear of flying; however, I have a greater fear of missing out on an epic event. Tipsy in Miami announced that it would feature the King of Soca and the King of Afrobeats and the FOMO was just too real.
Machel Montano has been making the rounds this year promoting his brand, encouraging nations to “Save the Soil,” and making sure that you know he is still the King of Soca after 40 years in the business. Burna Boy is the most popular Afrobeats artiste right now with his hit single “Last Last” reaching over 6 million streams on Spotify.
With these two heavyweights on the bill, you know DysChick had to fly to fete! Yet despite having the top artistes, the event was not E-P-I-C.
So let's recap America’s first six months of 2022:
Over 250 mass shootings including the Buffalo massacre, the elementary school shooting in Texas, a gunman opening fire on a crowded NYC subway, and the attack on a church in California
The number of deaths from COVID-19 surpassed 1 million
Eric Adams becomes Mayor of New York City (smh)
Are we great yet? No? Okay, how about this, we just decided to revoke a woman’s right to chose when and if she wants to become a mother.
We released our second episode of Season 6 of the Rant and Rave podcast. In this episode we talk about Machel Montano and Indian super yogi Sadhguru’s campaign to “Save the Soil.” The campaign has already resulted in six Caribbean nations (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Guyana, and Barbados) signing the Memorandum of Understanding and pledging to adopt long-term policy to safeguard soil and promote ecologically-friendly initiatives. We RANT about what this means for Caribbean tourism, the economy, and what we can do to reverse the climate crisis. But who is Sadhguru?
By now, we would all be amped for holiday sales and spending time with family, but 2020 changed all of that. The United States is now in the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic and there are new travel and socializing restrictions. Right now, many are struggling to get into the holiday spirit this year. Although this has been a craptastic storm of WTF, it hasn’t been all bad. Instead of complaining, I’m counting my blessings.
Since Oct 7th, protestors in Nigeria have been using the #ENDSARS hashtag to bring attention to the atrocities perpetrated by the country's Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). On October 23rd, I went live on Instagram with Nigerian-American influencer Glitteratie to break down the history behind the tensions, the demands of the protestors, and why the #ENDSARS movement should be a wake up call for all Black people.
In February, I went back to my parents’ homeland to celebrate Guyana’s 50th Republic Anniversary. The celebration was vibrant and energetic - a true representation of the spirit of Guyanese people. However, Guyana has since had its share of turmoil. From the multiple recounts and confusion over the election in March to a Black Lives Matter movement following the death of two young men, Isaiah and Joel Henry, Guyanese say they are apprehensive about the country’s future.
Let me catch you up on what has been the talk of the soca world for the past few days. During a recent panel discussion, Caucasian dancer White Chocolate (neé Josh Butler) stated that he is paving the way for Black dancers/influencers. And that’s where everything went left.
Several friends reached out to me over the past few days to ask my thoughts on the Netflix movie “Cuties".” I had not seen it, but I certainly saw all of the dialogue surrounding the provocative dancing of pubescent girls. Despite the outrage and it’s 89% Rotten Tomatoes rating, many involved in the conversation admitted that they did not actually watch the film. Well, for those of you who saw the clip of young girls dancing to Yemi Alade’s “Bum Bum,” there’s actually more nuance to the film than that.
Brooklynites are likely still coming to grips with the summer of disappointments. Carnivals were cancelled, we were on lockdown, and Labor Day was just another holiday. While many were willing to deal with fete withdrawal, some promoters still found a way to put on events that were purported to offer reprieve from our quarantine doldrums. As a fete junkie, I found myself hesitant to purchase tickets to events that would either be sparse or possibly get shut down for not complying with city mandates. While I’m glad I saved my money after seeing what the more unscrupulous promoters offered, there were actually some events that I regret missing.
In Ontario, thousands have flooded the streets throughout 2020 to demand justice for all citizens. In attendance at a protest in Hamilton, ON was Rant and Rave videographer Kordel Fermin. I spoke to him on June 19th to get his perspective of the protests for our podcast series, but his take on the movement caused me to look deeper into how Canada is finally recognizing that they, too, have a history of racism.
June is Pride Month! As the world takes to the streets to stand up for Black Lives, we cannot forget about the people within our communities who face additional struggles. I spoke with Joel Simpson, Founder and Managing Director of the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD), about the progress his organization has made over the last 17 years in Guyana and how quarantine may be helping the gay and trans community.
