Dave Martins

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Articles by Dave Martins

Impressions from Jamaica

Every time I meet a foreigner in place in Guyana, I’m curious about (a) what led them to our country and (b) their impressions after being here a while.

Some hopeful signs

The information from daily reportings of various traumas in a country, whether from government actions or personal behaviours, can become a surround creating a feeling of hopelessness in the citizens. 

Ah glad tuh see duh

We have a number of folks with very perceptive eyes writing columns or letters to the press on a daily basis pointing out various traumas or irregularities in the country. 

Timehri before Timehri

It happens without fail: every time I come or go from our major airport at Timehri, I’m caught up in a memory of the time in the mid-1950s when I worked there as a youngster.

Semantic manoeuvres

From a youth in Saints, dealing with Mr Singh and Mr Stanley Fernandes who taught us English, I was drawn to the intricacies of words and the shades of meaning that one could extract merely from word choice. 

Turmoil in calypso

Somewhere in the early ’80s, Tradewinds came to Guyana to take part in Mashramani with a substitute bass player, Burman Scott, from Cayman.

The concrete of partisan politics

When I lived in the Cayman Islands, I became friendly with a young businessman there largely based on our interest in Caribbean culture, personalities, social movements, etc. 

Recognise opportunity when it comes

Guyana is up in arms this week over news that the Chinese are building a Marriott Hotel here but not employing any Guyanese in the construction work, and that we’re also going to have a Chinese TV channel; yes, Sumintra, a Chinese TV channel in Guyana.

Change is about leverage

In recent weeks, probably propelled by fading hopes for “a new day” with our new Parliament, we have seen some stirring letters to the press citing Guyana’s diverse difficulties and calling for the citizenry to become more socially active.

Living with LIAT

In just a few months from now, the regional airline LIAT will begin using the expanded facilities at Ogle Airport ferrying passengers to and from the Caribbean.

This dialect

Anyone who knows anything about my work in music will know of my commitment to Caribbean dialect.

Our 1823 Monument

On civic matters in Guyana, while there are often opportunities for discussion or exchange, we have a marked tendency to eschew that route and simply make pronouncements. 

Dem Bajans

From the start of Tradewinds, I’ve always had a thing with ‘dem Bajans.’ 

Unsolicited New Year advice

Good musical sense is the ability to know, without being directed, what to play and where to play it and, just as importantly, when not to play at all.

I just don’t get it

Ever since I can remember, I’ve had this interest about understanding how things work, about the intricacies at play, about the skills involved.

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