WCstar • 3 months ago
Did I miss the block capital letters after her name? There have been many individuals who gave selfless service to various bodies and causes in Guyana. Too many have become unsung heroes.
As a youngster, I knew the name of Eileen Cox as an advocate for Consumers' rights.I also grew up with the names of Eshri Singh and Ayube Hamid, etc (Radio Broadcasters) both of whom gave long years of service to entertain us with melodious Indian songs.
What did we, all Indians, give back to them ? Nothing in return, nothing, nothing.
Saggaincayman Maharanee • 3 months ago
Unlike you, who keep on defending a criminal and corrupt party!
my9000t Saggaincayman • 3 months ago
This is a time to mourn not criticize anyone.Have some respect or just be quiet for once in your life.Damn.
Saggaincayman my9000t • 3 months ago
To yourself and natty, I never meant any insult to the deceased, however do you still have your fish rapped in newspaper? Strain your tea for grums? Siff your flour for roach legs and rat droppings? If so, so much for your consumer protection. What about expired products? Even the government was in the habit of giving out expired medication. I am a realistic person, I believe in calling a spade a spade!
BORAPORK Saggaincayman • 3 months ago
I find your comment to be most appropriate. Contrast is a good vehicle to establish comparatives such as quality. A characteristic completely lacking in the government camp. Give them hell Saggainncayman. Attempts to stiffle your barbs are a sure sign they are causing severe discomfort.
vim Maharanee • 3 months ago
She co-wrote a booklet with the the Womems' Revolutionary Socialist Movement, that, during the starvation period of Guyana under the PNC administration, pumpkin leaves should be CONSUMED to keep alive in Guyana. The Booklet is still at the library of the Ministry of Agriculture, and must be at the archives of the PNC. Great justification.
KassemB • 3 months ago
RIP Eileen
You had a good inning
BORAPORK • 3 months ago
A life well-lived at a time when women were relegated to the mundane and insignificant. A true pioneer. How many can remember when marriage was the death knell for a woman's career in the "civil" service? Just imagine our most accomplished achievers in many cases were doomed to childlesness and spinsterhood while those blessed with no talent or uneducated were free to multiply like rabbits. Rest in peace Mrs Eileen Cox. Thanks for your contributions in making Guyana a more egalitarian place.
Carrie B BORAPORK • 3 months ago
Very well stated, except for the part where you dismissed an entire category of women that were never given a chance. Many of your so called "talentless" and "uneducated", self-taught themselves even while running a side business and nurturing your current generation of doctors, lawyers and leaders.
Rest in Peace true Guyanese pioneer!
OBSERVER • 3 months ago
Ms Eileen Cox was a disciplined, brilliant, decent, competent and BRAVE Guyanese woman. Condolences to her relatives and friends. RiP.
WRodney • 3 months ago
RIP. GUYANA CLASSY LADY THAT FIGHT ALL HER LIFE FOR THE POOR BUT DID NOT EXPECT PRADOVILLE RETURNS!!!! A TRUE GUYANESE HEROINE!!-
Natty • 3 months ago
Thank you Eilene for being there for us all.
We are forever indebted to you because you stood up for the weak and poor.Enter God's door oh brave and passionate one
You gave us all the strength to demand that we not accept mediocre, but value our sweat.We love you Eileen, you did us all proud, now it's your chance to dance with the angels.
God bless you oh brave and passionate soul.
Solidarity 4 Workers'/Families • 3 months ago
Great Lady,Great Patriot,Great Mother,Daughter,Sister,Friend of Guyana,RIP,True Guyanese,,,proved her Love 4 Country and fellow Guyanese..
Guest • 3 months ago
RIP sister your work will always be remember by many Guyanese my sympathy to the family.
Sunday, March 08, 2015
Eileen Cox: a Tribute to my Mother
Last November my mother died in Guyana,
aged 96; I happened to be on a two-week visit from Germany, and it seemed she
had been only waiting to see me one last time. Her death made front-page news
in the country. Articles appeared in the papers, I was interviewed, and it
wasn’t long before the tributes poured in, including condolence cards from the
country’s President, the Prime Minister, and the Opposition Leader. Mum was an
icon in Guyana, a role model for people of all persuasions admired and respected.
She made changes, and for this she received well-deserved accolades. For me, of
course, her passing was far more personal. With it came the peace and closeness
to her I had longed for all my life. It hadn’t been easy being her daughter.
Mum was always at least 50 years ahead of her
time. The steps she took back in the 50’s might seem normal and self-evident to
today’s young women, but in her day they were truly revolutionary; they went
against the grain of society, and she took them alone, with no role models or
living examples.
She was born and grew up in British Guiana,
South America, now known as Guyana, the third of four children, the youngest
girl, and the most academic of all her siblings. From the start she was not
only a high achiever but an exemplary role model; in her last year she was Head
Girl at Bishops's High School, one of the two top secondary schools. As a candidate for the coveted National Scholarship, which would have
enabled her to study in England, the world stood open to her; but she chose not
a personal career but to stay in Guyana, where she went on to join the Civil Service while working as an activist for change in her free time.
As a civil servant she was appalled by the
fact that women had to resign as soon as they married. As a result she did not
marry until her early thirties; by then she had already built her own house,
and it was my father who moved in with her. She kept her job – and kept it even
after my birth in 1951, when she was already an “elderly” 34. She went back to
work almost immediately. My father, also a civil servant, didn’t approve; so
she divorced him, moved back in with her mother and sister, and continued to
work. She took back her maiden name, along with the title Miss, and went to
work doing whatever she could to change all the inequalities and injustices in
Guyanese society.
I can’t even begin to list the things she
did, but a Google of “Eileen Cox Guyana” will bring up some of her
achievements (some articles and tributes posted below, and here). Always, she worked for the good of society, and it became normal
for me in later years to hear her name praised by people of all walks of life.
Taxi drivers, market stall women, Government ministers, businessmen: everyone
knew her or of her, even in the remotest corners of the country.
Accordingly, when Mum died there was no end to the tributes paid to her at the funeral, and of course my own eulogy did not hold back the praise. Mum was compassionate, modest, hard-working, dedicated, independent, fearless – a mother to look up to. But was she a role-model for me? No. Our relationship was complex, and often difficult.
A year or two before her death I managed to
have “The Talk” with her. I told her of my loneliness as a child, my longing to
be closer to her, to have more of her time. Growing up, I did not care about
her achievements: though I always knew she loved me, I’d always yearned for a
more intimate connection. I wanted to talk about feelings, and needed help and
guidance along my way. And once, just once, I would have loved a meal on the
table cooked by her. I was a very lonely child, a shy and insecure teenager.
The freedom she had given me was too much;
I needed guidelines and a helping hand. Her lifestyle forced me walk my own
path, and eventually I did. So my own independence came from finding my way
through the labyrinth of too much freedom. I travelled widely, made dreadful mistakes,
and found maturity through trial and error, finally emerging from it all
reasonably whole and healthy.
Mum retained her mental faculties up until
her death – as she grew older she withdrew more and more from public life,
became softer and more understanding. I visited her from Europe as often as I
could, and after “The Talk” a new sense of closeness emerged. She understood.
Her passing brought much sadness for opportunities missed, but at the same time
a sense of oneness with her I had never known in her lifetime. A sense that she
had slipped into my heart and would live there forever.
And don't forget to watch the video!
And don't forget to watch the video!
Some of the tributes to her:
Kaieteur News
Private Sector Commission
Guyana Public Service Union (This article contains a terrible error, quoting my friend Salvador as her son! The Chronicle has ignored my pleas to correct it. May they hang their heads in shame for bad journalism!)
"A charming and selfless woman"
Stabroek News, with many nice comments -- including the usual bickering among commenters!
"A Special Person" -- Stabroek News
Guyana Times
Monday, June 16, 2014
LIES at Poznan: a Writerly Weekend in Poland, Part II
After all that walking we drove to Liliana's home, which she shares with her husband and nine cats. One of those cats actually believes she is paper, as you can see here:
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| Cat, pretending to be Paper |
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| Liliana's magnificent library -- wall one, with Marta |
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| Liliana's magnificent library: Wall Two, with me signing books |
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| Liliana's magnificent library: Wall Three, with Husband |
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| A study to die for... |
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| Library, with Ladder |
After signing books we all went down for a delicious dinner, and I signed the guest book. I was honoured to write a few words before comments by Pauline Melville (possibly the most well-known Guyanese author, having won the Whitbread Prize) and David Dabydeen.
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| I spoke a few words.... |
Sunday, June 15, 2014
LIES: A Writerly Weekend in Poland, Part I
Last December, I received an email from Professor Liliana Sikorska, Head Department of English Literature and Literary Linguistics of the Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.
She said that she had loved my book, The Speech of Angels, and had talked about it with a friend, who had fallen in love with another book of mine. Professor Sikorska is an editor of Studies in Literature in English published by Lang Verlag in Germany and the US, which, apart from scholarly articles connected with a given topic, also contains an interview with a writer in each volume. She asked if I would give her such an interview.
I said yes; the interview took place; and led to an invitation to be the University's guest author at the University's yearly LIES event -- LIES being an acronym for Literature in English Symposium. It would mean visiting Poznan for two days. Well, tell me -- are bunnies fluffy?
Long story short: LIES took place the week before Easter, and I was there. This was the programme.
The actual Symposium took place on Sunday, but I arrived on the Friday before that and was treated to the most wonderful Polish hospitality. Liliana and her friend and colleague Kasia picked me up at the airport and whisked me into Poznan, where I was brought to my hotel for a freshen-up. That evening we had a meal together in a cozy Polish restaurant, and I met some more lovely Polish women, whose mastery of English was truly impressive.
The next morning, Saturday, I roamed around Poznan a little on my own, after which I met up with Kasia and Martha; after lunch I was taken on a sightseeing walkabout of Poznan--a truly beautiful city, resulting in the following photos.
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| The Castle |
The Poznań residence of the German Kaiser William II was designed by Franz Schwechten and erected in the years 1905-1910. It was the last imperial edifice built in Europe, modelled on mediaeval castles and meant to be the symbol of German domination of Wielkopolska. There is an interesting legend linked to the construction of the castle. Commenced in 1905, it attracted crowds of onlookers. The German president of the city took notice of a farmer from Górczyn who visited the building site every day and urged the workers to work hard. Amazed by seeing a Pole endorsing the building of a German castle, he asked him to state his reasons. The farmer answered: "the prediction says that when the imperial castle is erected, Poland will be resurrected". Indeed, soon World War I broke out and Poland regained its independence.
Stary Rynek (the Old Market Square) and its surroundings are among the most interesting places to see in Poznań. The Renaissance town hall, old houses, charming side streets, numerous museums, monuments, cafes and people walking about - all of them create the unique atmosphere of the place. Stary Rynek is the heart of Poznań.
Located to the south of the town hall, the houses were once used for trade purposes. In the Middle Ages makeshift wooden stalls were erected there where herring, salt, binders, torches, candles and other commodities were sold. In the 16th century the stalls were replaced with narrow houses with Renaissance arcades supported by sandstone columns. The houses featured stalls on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floors. House no. 17 boasts the coat of arms of the merchants' guild consisting of a herring and three palm trees and House no. 24 has the owner's emblem on the capital of the column. The work must have been finished around 1535 judging from the date carved on the capital of the column of House no. 11. The edifice adjoining the merchant houses to the south was built in 1538 and is called the Municipal Chancellery or the House of Scribes. Until the 18th century it was the residence of municipal scribes and presently it houses the Society for the Friends of Poznań founded by Mayor Cyryl Ratajski. The arcades are a popular spot where local artists sell their cityscapes. Kurzanoga [Chicken Leg] Street behind the merchant houses presumably owes its name to a house that once stood there.
The town hall in Poznań is undoubtedly the most magnificent Renaissance building in Wielkopolska and one of the finest in Poland. The earliest mention of it is from 1310 but it must have been built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries judging by the keystone in the cellar decorated with the coat of arms of the Czech dynasty of the Premyslids (Weneclaus II Premyslid was King of Poland in the years 1300-06). The Gothic town hall was a small one-storey building without a tower that was not added until the early sixteenth century. In the mid-sixteenth century a fire swept through the city and the town hall was partly destroyed. Giovanni Battista Quadro, an Italian architect from Lugano, enlarged the town hall westwards in order to strengthen the tower which was on the verge of collapsing.
In front of the town hall in the Old Market Square. This Baroque fountain is embellished with the crest of Poznań and bas-reliefs representing the four elements. The sculpture in the basin depicts a mythological scene: the abduction of Proserpine by Pluto. The fountain was designed by Augustyn Schöps in the years 1758-66.
The Synagogue – Wroniecka Street, near Stawna Street, Małe Garbary and the extension of Żydowska Street. The construction plans were made in 1902. The corner stone was set on 6th May 1906. The construction was completed on 5th May 1907. The last service was conducted on 9th September 1939. In 1941 the Nazis transformed the synagogue into a swimming pool for Wehrmacht soldiers and it is still used for that purpose nowadays. In 2003 the Jewish community took over the property right to the building
Having established the first archbishopric (968) near the ducal palatium and the rotunda founded in 965 on the island of Ostrów Tumski, Mieszko I built a pre-Romanesque three-aisled basilica. The shrine was damaged in the years 1038-39 and rebuilt in the following years (until 1058) in the Romanesque style. In the 13th c. an early Gothic presbytery was erected and in the mid-fourteenth century a new Gothic nave was built. The reconstruction of the church in the Gothic style continued in the 14th and 15th century, during which a new presbytery with a chevet and a row of chapels was added. In the 17th c. the church was extensively rebuilt in the Baroque style (most probably by Krzysztof Bonadura the Old, and later in accordance with a design by Pompeo and Antoni Ferrari). The church was damaged in a fire in 1772 and given a Baroque interior that survived until 1945.
...in front of a statue of the Polish Pope John-Paul II! Outside the Cathedral.
Actually, it's a new castle -- recently rebuild in a bizarre architecture of its own!
Easter Market
Stary Rynek (the Old Market Square) and its surroundings are among the most interesting places to see in Poznań. The Renaissance town hall, old houses, charming side streets, numerous museums, monuments, cafes and people walking about - all of them create the unique atmosphere of the place. Stary Rynek is the heart of Poznań.
Pre-Easter Fair at the Old Market
Artists at the Pre-Easter Fair
Located to the south of the town hall, the houses were once used for trade purposes. In the Middle Ages makeshift wooden stalls were erected there where herring, salt, binders, torches, candles and other commodities were sold. In the 16th century the stalls were replaced with narrow houses with Renaissance arcades supported by sandstone columns. The houses featured stalls on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floors. House no. 17 boasts the coat of arms of the merchants' guild consisting of a herring and three palm trees and House no. 24 has the owner's emblem on the capital of the column. The work must have been finished around 1535 judging from the date carved on the capital of the column of House no. 11. The edifice adjoining the merchant houses to the south was built in 1538 and is called the Municipal Chancellery or the House of Scribes. Until the 18th century it was the residence of municipal scribes and presently it houses the Society for the Friends of Poznań founded by Mayor Cyryl Ratajski. The arcades are a popular spot where local artists sell their cityscapes. Kurzanoga [Chicken Leg] Street behind the merchant houses presumably owes its name to a house that once stood there.
Town Hall
The town hall in Poznań is undoubtedly the most magnificent Renaissance building in Wielkopolska and one of the finest in Poland. The earliest mention of it is from 1310 but it must have been built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries judging by the keystone in the cellar decorated with the coat of arms of the Czech dynasty of the Premyslids (Weneclaus II Premyslid was King of Poland in the years 1300-06). The Gothic town hall was a small one-storey building without a tower that was not added until the early sixteenth century. In the mid-sixteenth century a fire swept through the city and the town hall was partly destroyed. Giovanni Battista Quadro, an Italian architect from Lugano, enlarged the town hall westwards in order to strengthen the tower which was on the verge of collapsing.
In front of the town hall in the Old Market Square. This Baroque fountain is embellished with the crest of Poznań and bas-reliefs representing the four elements. The sculpture in the basin depicts a mythological scene: the abduction of Proserpine by Pluto. The fountain was designed by Augustyn Schöps in the years 1758-66.
The Synagogue – Wroniecka Street, near Stawna Street, Małe Garbary and the extension of Żydowska Street. The construction plans were made in 1902. The corner stone was set on 6th May 1906. The construction was completed on 5th May 1907. The last service was conducted on 9th September 1939. In 1941 the Nazis transformed the synagogue into a swimming pool for Wehrmacht soldiers and it is still used for that purpose nowadays. In 2003 the Jewish community took over the property right to the building
Having established the first archbishopric (968) near the ducal palatium and the rotunda founded in 965 on the island of Ostrów Tumski, Mieszko I built a pre-Romanesque three-aisled basilica. The shrine was damaged in the years 1038-39 and rebuilt in the following years (until 1058) in the Romanesque style. In the 13th c. an early Gothic presbytery was erected and in the mid-fourteenth century a new Gothic nave was built. The reconstruction of the church in the Gothic style continued in the 14th and 15th century, during which a new presbytery with a chevet and a row of chapels was added. In the 17th c. the church was extensively rebuilt in the Baroque style (most probably by Krzysztof Bonadura the Old, and later in accordance with a design by Pompeo and Antoni Ferrari). The church was damaged in a fire in 1772 and given a Baroque interior that survived until 1945.
The Black Madonna
The original is here.
Marta and Yours Truly...
...in front of a statue of the Polish Pope John-Paul II! Outside the Cathedral.
Actually, it's a new castle -- recently rebuild in a bizarre architecture of its own!
Sunday, May 04, 2014
Reviews
The Old Crone:
There is something about the experience of reading a good book; that like a well-brewed cup of coffee, stays with you long after it is finished.
A little over a month ago, I had the opportunity to read Of Marriageable Age by Sharon Maas, in exchange for an honest review on a popular reading and book review website.
I don’t know what I was expecting, when I began–but it certainly wasn’t to find myself in the middle of the night staring entranced at the laptop, feverishly swishing at virtual pages; blatantly ignoring the loud, throbbing sleep signals pulsing in my forehead.
The next morning my husband woke up a little alarmed at what must have been my demented, unblinking expression; and suggested, a little gently, that it might be healthy for me to stop reading after midnight.
But good books, often by definition, tend to command your attention; and though I spent the next 24 hours walking around like a catatonic zombie, it was worth it. Read More...
Svetlana's Reads and Views:
What does a boy living in 1940s training to be a doctor in in Tamil has in common with a girl living in 1950s in British Guiana as well as another girl living in India during 1920s? This is one secret I will not reveal. I found Of Marriageable Age to be a beautiful and enchanting story of culture, forbidden love, hidden stories and secrets as well as secrets of philosophy to be written. Instantly I was drawn to the characters, although at times I had slight frustrations because every chapter alternated from a different point of view and in many cases years and years have passed when we meet the characters again and again, which also has caused me a few times to forget the family relationships.There is something about the experience of reading a good book; that like a well-brewed cup of coffee, stays with you long after it is finished.
A little over a month ago, I had the opportunity to read Of Marriageable Age by Sharon Maas, in exchange for an honest review on a popular reading and book review website.
I don’t know what I was expecting, when I began–but it certainly wasn’t to find myself in the middle of the night staring entranced at the laptop, feverishly swishing at virtual pages; blatantly ignoring the loud, throbbing sleep signals pulsing in my forehead.
The next morning my husband woke up a little alarmed at what must have been my demented, unblinking expression; and suggested, a little gently, that it might be healthy for me to stop reading after midnight.
But good books, often by definition, tend to command your attention; and though I spent the next 24 hours walking around like a catatonic zombie, it was worth it. Read More...
Svetlana's Reads and Views:
My favorite character has to be Savitri, for strangely enough she has really nestled inside my heart, a caterpillar seeking to become a beautiful butterfly. The images I often recall from the book include Savitri as a young girl finding a soul-mate in her playmate, or else being compared to a butterfly. The butterfly as well as the title do play a huge role within the story, although I often thought that as a child, Savitri was already a butterfly, sort of a reverse of coming of age story I guess. Of Marriageable Age, the title, refers to the other two characters, Nat and Saroj, in particular when a girl turns to a woman, I believe. There are lots of twists and turns within the book, and what did impress me is that she begins to drop some hints early enough, although one cannot be certain until the very end of how three characters with three different backgrounds become linked. Read More...
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