October

I am starting a tradition of highlighting the events of each particular month at the second week. We can’t forget our past; most of us don’t try to forget it rather it is just being ignored unknowingly. October is a historic month in Guyana and the world, not as celebrated as September – but surely historic.

To me, however, October is generally an ugly month. I don’t know why but maybe it’s because of that stupid Halloween craze which sees scary movies blasting on my TV.

Because of its five Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, October has been seized upon by crazy chain-letter-writing creeps, who claim it’s a ‘rare phenomenon’ that won’t happen again for hundreds of years. Yeah. Right. Check July 2013.

Creeps apart, this month has a lot of significance:

October 5: What the government calls the date that Guyana celebrates its first free and fair elections after a long troubling time and the start of a democratic age. This date in this year marked 20 years of PPP governance, they are all happy and celebrating and then guess who comes to rain on their parade!

October 5: PNC’s 55th Anniversary as a party! Once I spent an entire night reading the entire history of these two parties, very interesting…

I wouldn’t say much because there is a lot of controversy on whose history to actually believe but you have got to love their childish fights. The question is: Doesn’t the everlasting war between them divide the nation?

October 6: This is generally unheard of, not even the government supports this day. I Jairo Rodrigues, in all my glory, declare this day National Constitution Day. In 1980 on this very day President Burnham presented the first Guyanese Constitution (This Constitution was the second; the first was written up by the United Kingdom for our Independence). It is the highest document of governing law in the country! Laws so powerful even the President has to follow them. The constitution is online and I think you should be a patriot and go read it.

October 7: West Indies came out victorious! Winning the T20 World Cup 2012 against host country Sri Lanka! It was West Indies’ first appearance in a championship match since 1983 and first victory since 1979. That was a match! Everyone was a fan. Only for that one day though, we will all go back to cursing them soon.

October 9: Twenty years ago President Cheddi Jagan was sworn in as Executive President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

October 11: International Day of the Girl. I love this day. First time I’m hearing of it but the reason I love it is because it highlights the mass injustices little girls endure in Middle Eastern and Asian countries. It is considered unlucky to have a girl in both Chinese and Arabian cultures; before Islamic influence parents would bury their girls alive out of shame.

 

In China the government actually supports the birth of more boys than girls! China has an overpopulation problem so that is the government’s solution: bear less females and up the boys for a stronger working class.

In Guyana and the Caribbean girls (and young women) are mostly affected by the society around them and pop culture, this is a broad topic that I am sure to argue about but just not today.

And then there is the title of the month. October is:

National Domestic Violence Awareness Month – Something that is new to me but I support this 100% Guyana! We need to stop this barbaric, idiotic, downright disgusting behaviour! They are a lot of ways to control oneself: reasoning, counselling and education! I urge anyone to read the ‘Stella Says’ column in Stabroek News, let that be an eye opener for starters! It sickens me to my stomach how some people can behave so uncouth in the 21st Century.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month – I urge you to support Avon’s Fight Against Breast Cancer Walk and I just love the way they decorate the whole Camp Street Avenue.

Senior Citizens’ Month – Another thing that is new to me. Respect the old and wise. Pay a visit to the Palms, Uncle Eddie’s, all those homes for the elderly! Help out in any way you can. I find old people to be adorable, they love me!

Agriculture Month – I am not hearing much about this but this is Guyana’s Agriculture Month. Support the Grow More Food Campaign and start diversifying crops. Plant more, waste less and do yourselves a favour and start a kitchen garden, just like the golden days when (I heard) we didn’t have flour!

(Jairo Rodrigues)