archives of april, 2004

the archives contain old posts from the home page.

4 april 2004

anniversary

two mondays ago, the 22nd march 2004, marked three years since this online quest began. it was on this day back in 2001 that i started the msn web community _guyanese in america are..._ to tackle the servile behaviours of guyanese in queens. i hoped that guyanese, especially young guyanese, would find their way to the site and be provoked into taking the righteous, proud path.

_guyanese in america are..._ was the precursor to _guyanatruth_, the true root, and when i compare these two sites i am astonished by the magnificence of evolution. i am astonished at how the ideas and intentions have evolved--evolved to the point of revolutionary action; of returning permanently to guyana.

so it's at this point, at this three-year anniversary, nearly two months before leaving amerika that it seems best to comment on the progressions so far.

there have been times of rapid growth and high productivity, and times that were less so. i've noticed that growth and productivity increased during free times. for example, i've been able to update guyanatruth more often since i finished school last december.

the progress achieved was mainly personal, though a few people have written in to let me know that they've been inspired. this personal progress is of course mental and emotional. guyanatruth has given me room to put out ideas and play around with them. it has given me room, and that's enough.

guyanatruth has given me a voice. it has allowed me to say what i feel, then objectively observe and be aware of those feelings.

guyanatruth has given me opportunities to form opinions and justify them. in presenting my thoughts to the public, i have learnt the importance of thoroughly explaining and reasoning them. in doing so, i've become more patient and cautious.

in terms of writing, i've learnt the value of punctuation, brevity, simplicity and accuracy. most important is that i'm _still_ learning. i'll always be learning, and growing, and evolving.

the flash feature 'pen and paper' was a nice vent. to a degree, guyanatruth as a whole has served as a vent. i'll try to do a 'pen and paper 2' before i leave.

i think that the 'conscious idea of the week' updated on the home page every sunday, though a simple idea, is something very effective. it allows for a rapid transfer of revolutionary thought.

the 'don't care 'bout guyanese' images are unambiguous indictments of the dangerous people and corporations in guyana, and also call out to the populace to know their enemy.

with more time available, i've been able to read and discuss more. consequently, i've derived a three-step plan that outlines a revolution in guyana: _educate, organise, mobilise_. (an article explaining these steps is forthcoming.)

_educate, organise, mobilise_ seems like the most significant and matured idea yet. in just three words, the slogan captures the essence of change. at one time or another, we've all taken these three steps to accomplish something. for example, if you want to travel somewhere that you've never been before, you have to first learn by map or by comrade how to get there. next you have to prepare yourself for departure; organise yourself and the means of transport. finally you leave; you mobilise.

of course, the numerous specific details of each of the three steps need to be comprehensively planned. i find that attempting to form guidelines for any of these steps to be almost impossible in america simply because, here, i have only a vague and outdated sense of the realities of guyanese society. i haven't been home in fourteen months. as i've mentioned before, the many details of each step will be formed when i return to guyana, where such details can not only be theorised in _collaboration_ with my comrades there, but can also be _tested_ for their practical effectiveness.

from the beginning, the technical maintenance of guyanatruth has required time and energy that i sometimes think might have been better devoted to the development of my ideas through reading and thinking. on the other hand, the multiple programs and computer skills i've learnt may help me pay the bills in guyana. regardless, i'll be partly relieved when i leave guyanatruth behind and no longer have to sit in front of a cancerous monitor typing away.

from then on, it'll be pen and paper.

23 april 2004

then and now

click to enlarge

27 april 2004

on art

*How can art be reconstructive to society?*
Well, what is art? I consider art to be expression, or more accurately, deliberate and designed expression, which is not always attractive or palatable. Art is the tangible expression of intangible feelings, ideas and intentions in traditional and non-traditional forms. The creation of art requires freedom of expression on personal and political levels. Art exists everywhere, from expositions in school to masterpieces in museums. Art and good art is subjective.
Since I hold art as expression, then I do believe that it can be reconstructive to society. In West Indian society, with a past and present of physical, political and economic oppression, art can be a blow torch that cuts any remaining shackles and provide the space to move like you couldn't before. Art can be used to say all the things you couldn't before. Art can be a lubricant for thoughts that were for generations repressed. Art can nurture ideas that were forcibly malnourished. Art can ignite, fuel and accelerate the explosion of stores of creativity, emotion and invention. Art can free the mind.
I think that only through art can we create expressions that compensate for time and freedom lost.
Actually I had already placed a significant importance on art as a means of healing and rebuilding society. I had even planned a "Conscious Idea of the Week" around being artistic.

*What do you feel is the general function of art?*
With my definition of art in mind--art as expression--I'd say that the general function of art is personal satisfaction. If your artwork gains public appreciation, this is just a flattering side effect.

*Do you consider yourself an artist?*
I _do_ consider myself an artist because it is through expressing myself that I can be free. While human expression is itself a freedom, it can be used to secure all other freedoms. I'm an artist because I seek to express my ideas that I feel are unique, reformatory and revolutionary in my society. Furthermore, I seek to express these ideas in original and unprecedented ways.

*If so, when did you first consider yourself to be one?*
As I contemplate what art means to me and as I draw conclusions, it is at this very point that I begin considering myself an artist, though I have confronted this role in the past when I picked up a pencil to draw, a brush to paint, or a knife to sculpt. Using the computer to create images for GuyanaTruth has also made me aware that artistic qualities were being utilised.
Obviously, my definition of art was previously limited to imagery and sound. I overlooked the written word as a powerful piece of art.

*If not, can non-artists make art?*
Can non-artists make art? I figure that upon creating art, one becomes an artist. Since art is subjective, my artist may be your non-artist, and vice versa.
Admittedly, my definition of art is not very specific and would make almost all people artists, since we've all expressed ourselves in one way or another. So there's an extravagant number of artists and their creations all around us, it's just that the artists and artworks that appeal to the majority are the most popular and most valued.

*Can art be political?*
Art can definitely be political. Any expression relating to the governance of the people, or the governance of the person is political. The famous portrait "El Che" of Che Guevara at a colleague's funeral is political. I feel that image to be a symbol of the ferocious resistance and rebellion to dictatorship and inequality. The shirt upon which I painted "PBB 2349" is political. This was the plate number of the car in which the Guyanese activist Walter Rodney was assassinated. He was a freedom fighter, challenging governments for the rights of the working people. There are many political expressions--prose and picture--at GuyanaTruth that deal with self-governance and how this is frequently disturbed by bureaucracy and business.