To think it’s New York’s Guyana Folk Festival over the past weekend with which I wish to deal briefly. But it is a remark Vibert Cambridge made at the end of last Saturday’s symposium on Guyana music that influenced today’s leading caption.

Cambridge, subtly facilitator and pacifist, was thanking some participants, who had disagreed about the role early Guyana radio played in their later development in music for not allowing the abbreviated debate to get out-of- hand or overly contentious.

He was glad “family story” was kept relatively quiet. Readers might be familiar with the popular creole proverb “Family cutlish doan cut deep.” But I chose one from my new publication which says “Family drum does beat wid featha.” Keep the Guyana “Quarrel” quiet.

But in lauding the overall success of the three-day cultural festival, I would be less than Frank if I didn’t make two observations relevant to the Guyanese participation in Brooklyn last week.

Firstly, a few letters had appeared in this paper prior to the festival charging the festival committee with not reaching out enough to the Indo-Guyanese community in the US perhaps, and even wondered about the proportion of recognition awards being handed out to specific ethnic groups. Secondly, I did detect a not-so-enthusias- tic response by the Queens/ Corentyne crowd to the three festival events.

Of course, to be brutally frank, the hundreds of thousands of Guyanese in New York especially both legal and ‘undocumented,’ have allowed themselves to migrate their own political prejudices and preferences with them. That’s their right. However, I do feel that cultural festivals and events like the Folk Festival which explore our diverse but “mutual” heritage should not be visited with close-minded division. I’m not now competent to apportion blame as to who didn’t “reach out” enough to whom. Suffice to say that I am obliged to congratulate the Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc on the three events convened.

The GAP and the whole

Perhaps with my new ‘Indianness’ and my old ingrained ‘Black-mindedness’ - and certain fresh publications I plan, I can help bridge the gap. Both in Guyana and New York State. Impossible? The resident and visiting politicians won’t promote cohesion.

I know you can’t legislate unity or love. Statistical and proportional quotas hardly work ultimately. I hope some accepted Samaritan - perhaps religious cum cultural - succeeds in bringing our people closer together in the Big Apple. Last weekend I had the pleasure of three short conversations with our now legendary Dave Martins of the Trade Winds. He joins all of us - the son-of-the-soil patriots - in hoping that “Guyanese society” doesn’t get like the Israelis and Palestinians - no hope for peaceful co-existence. Never?

In another feature in another edition of the Stabroek I will share my experiences at the Folk Festival but I close by dreaming that next year the Queens’ Phagwah - like, Diwali crowds will converge with the Brooklyn posses for the Family Folk Festival Day. Could you imagine what a massive Richmond Hill - Ozone Park - Flat-Bush - Canarsie - Crown Heights crowd would look like!? On Labour Day on the Parkway we’ll show those Haitians and Americans something!

I’ll be ecstatic at the size of the New York Diaspora then. But as usual, I’ll sniff quietly, regrettably, that they had to be there in the first place. Love!

White milk, Black people

Yes, they are at it again - the folks who do research to tell you what’s good for you to eat or drink - and what’s not.

In Godfrey Wary’s New York-based bi-weekly there is a ‘frightening’ piece titled White Poison: The Horrors of Milk yes, milk cow’s milk! Let me summarise the sad news for you who have got milk.

The piece highlights and warns against the alleged dangers of drinking cow’s milk. I say and write ‘alleged’ but the article quotes known American anti-milk authorities such as a former Chairman of Paediatrics at Johns Hopkins University, the late Benjamin Spock, the American Association of Paediatrics and Dr Robert Cohen of the Dairy Education Board. Allegedly, a few findings indicate that milk-drinkers - especially people of colour, Latinos, Asians and Southern Europeans - are prone to “anaemia, bloating migraine, gas, indigestion, asthma and prostate cancer.” Most of the world’s peoples - the piece advises, are “not biologically designed to digest milk.”

But since the US Government subsidises the dairy industry to the tune of billions of dollars, the US Department of Agriculture spokesperson Ms Eilene Kennedy, in responding to concerns, is on record as declaring that “the government’s recommended food pyramid is intended for the majority of Americans. It doesn’t communicate to all Americans.” Blatant racism? What do we Guyanese - of all ‘colours’ who grew up on milk - and bush tea - make of all that?

Take your pick, should we open the milk can of race, commercialism, medicine and politics? (I recall other ‘findings’ with respect to coffee and eggs. The truth is research could find a little ‘bad’ in every food!)

Schooling, teaching, learning

1) Just before writing all this, I learnt of the passing of Dartmouth schoolteacher and former Prime Minister, Dr Ptolemy Reid.

The Tuskegee-trained vet was made into a politician by Forbes Burnham. Many are the political stories to tell, from my perspective, and experiences of the avuncular giant of a man, sometimes friendly, sometimes fearsome.

I’ll tell a few, after all others have spoken and written. Like opposition leader Corbin’s mother, Dr Reid had a long innings - scoring all round the Guyana wicket R.I.P. (Incidentally, Dr Reid once preached as above on milk).

2) Next week, I’ll elaborate on a story outlining the new locater technology which is like a constant big-brother monitor. Of all your physical movements and locations in your community.

3) Prices of consumer items are on the rise steeply - everywhere. In the USA, people have to contend with, city, state and national taxes. In one week there were price increases in milk, gas and cigarettes.

4) But nothing would stop the world’s poor and hopeful from gravitating to the Land of Opportunity. Am I right?