Three young people have come together to be the voices and creative talent behind a song and video that form a major part of an HIV and AIDS campaign that champions abstinence and faithfulness to one’s married partner.
The song, “The Way You Used To Love Me”, was written by 27-year-old Sherod Duncan, who has previously written worship songs and plays for his church. Trenacia Esseboom and Rashlie Joseph, sing the words some of which are:
“Looking back, how did we come this far?
The sky no boundary, you were my only star
When I was weak, you were oh so strong
Tell me how, a perfect love goes wrong
I remember the moment the hour and the day
When you told me you’d love me eternally and always
How come we lose our way?
Chorus:
I keep thinking about the way,
The way you use to love me
It was so sweet, so sweet and so heavenly
Everyday was so bright
And tender was the night
The way, the way you use to love.”
Sherod said he wrote the song with Trenacia’s and Rashlie’s voices in mind, since he had worked with them before. Describing his inspiration to write the lyrics as coming “full blown like the wind”, a line which he says came from Martin Carter, he also confessed that he used the name of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel Tender is the Night in the chorus. But he said the song bears no reflection to his real life. In fact, he worked with a theme given to him by the USAID/Guyana HIV/AIDS Reduction and Prevention (GHARP) Project, which sponsored it.
Susan Williams and Sheldon Walcott, the actors who star in the video, lip synch the song. The song is part of a campaign that has the support of the three major religious groups in Guyana – Christian, Hindu and Muslim – Artistes In Direct Support and the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association from the NGO community, and GHARP. The campaign also involves manuals and posters which target young people.
The entire song and video speaks to the joyous times of a marriage and how difficult it becomes when one partner is unfaithful. While the resounding message “be faithful” the video, which also showcases other young people, leaves the impression that the young couple may work things through thus giving the story a happy ending.
The recording of the song was done by HarrisArts Production and the song by Digital Video Production Studio (Astroarts).
Sherod told The Scene that he works with HarrisArts on a contract basis from time to time and that is how he became involved in the project, his first real involvement in the HIV and AIDS fight. He also played a part in putting together a story, which allow readers to choose its ending, and the posters.
Because of his Christian background, Sherod said, he had no problem advocating abstinence and faithfulness and he would not advocate the use of condoms. a
He said if the opportunity arises again, he would like to do more work in this area, but it would have to be when he has the time. Sherod teaches English A and B at the Business School, lectures the Cambridge University module, Effective Business Communication and has a part-time teaching job at Mae’s also teaching English. Quite a busy young man, but he says it “helps to pay the bills.”
On the other hand, Trenacia, who is 19, spends a significant part of her time laughing. Believe it our not she told us that were she being paid to laugh by now she would be a “trillonaire.” But laugh is not the only thing she does, this singer and songwriter also plays the piano. A sixth-form School of the Nations student, she told The Scene that she had won last year’s Ministry of Health HIV and AIDS jingles competition and since then she has being performing at concerts and other ministry functions, one as recent as yesterday at the Umana Yana.
She said this is her first major participation in the HIV and AIDS fight but recalled that when she was in first form she was part of a group that went around to students in the first forms and spoke about the disease. “But I can’t even remember the name of the group,” she said with a laugh. Trenacia is also a Christian, so she is all for abstinence and faithfulness. She is sticking, “with the word of God, no sex till you married, so I don’t talk about the condom thing.”
She said being involved in the project entailed a lot of hard work but there was also some fun sprinkled in. She said she would go to the studio about three or four times a week and work from 8 pm until 2 am but, “it was worth the while, I felt I was doing something that would help young people.”
She likes every aspect of music as it “runs in my blood” but she prefers singing to being a musician as she feels those persons find it more difficult. “You start on a bad note and the singer will be upset with you,” she said while admitting she is one of those singers who has become upset from time to time. She has been taking piano lessons for the past eight years and has completed six London-based exams with two passes, two merits, and two distinctions.
Trenacia writes her own songs – gospel only – which she also sings and according to her the words just flow. “When I am writing, it is safe and honest to say that I get my words from God
