By Zoisa Fraser
Malcolm Ryan Ferreira could be described as a rarity for having been able to successfully balance his entertainment career and nurture his three young children.
This Father’s Day will be the first that Malcolm, who now resides in the Turks and Caicos Islands, will be away from his boys, aged nine, seven and three years old. And though he feels he has already set the foundation for a strong relationship; for him, the distance hurts.
“The bigger picture is very important. My only wish is for one hug from each of them and to share a meal with them. I know they will call and I am looking forward to that,” he said during a recent interview with The Scene.
Malcolm came from a single parent background, so he wanted his children to grow with him and get to know him. But when the relationship with their mom didn’t work out, “I decided to step up even more and care for my kids”.
Malcolm said he took on the double role when his children were at a tender age and with the help of his mother, Juliette, he was able to care for them.
He said the only thing he was unable to do for his children was breastfeed them as he cooked, washed, changed diapers and later even corn-rowed the boys’ hair.
He admitted that initially juggling work and parenthood was very difficult but over time and with the help of his family, he eventually overcame some of those challenges. As the boys grew older they became independent and were able to do certain things on their own.
The multi-talented Malcolm told The Scene that leaving for work at 5 am made things even more difficult and as a result he taught the boys to help themselves, bathe, dress and brush their teeth.
There were many times when the finances were low but for Malcolm God provided and ensured that they were never hungry. “Wanting to see them succeed and grow strong is what motivated me to keep going. I have good kids, well mannered,” the proud father said as he recalled fond memories.
Fatherhood he added has taught him to never “brush off” children, always listen to what they say and instil discipline.
Malcolm said it is important for a boy to grow up with his father. He explained that growing up with a mother alone was difficult for him as there came a time when he needed that male figure to scold, hold and mould his young mind. He nevertheless commended his mother for the exceptional job she did.
“I urge all the fathers in Guyana to look into your children’s welfare even if the mom said she doesn’t need you… Once you deposit and withdraw, it’s a fixed account, one that you cannot delete,” he said in celebration of Father’s Day.
Mr Guyanese
Malcolm aka Mr Guyanese (a name given to him by Natural Black) is married to Sheranne Isaacs- Ferreira.
Born and raised in Albouystown, he was an only child for sixteen years and dubbed himself a “mama’s boy”. From an early age his community taught him the importance of education and he vowed not to stray onto the criminal paths many youths were walking on. “I vowed to make something better of myself as a life of crime didn’t suit me; given my humble upbringing and values instilled by my grandma and mom,” he told The Scene.
He attended the St Stephen’s Primary School and was later awarded a place at President’s College, where “I was taught/learnt to fend for and take care of myself”.
Having been born “with music in my blood”, Malcolm later decided to walk that path and ended up in a three-man group called Ghetto Voices. The group competed in the inaugural Carib Soca Monarch competition but realized that while the lyrics were good they were at a disadvantage because of limited air play.
He applied to NCN where he later got a job after an audition and it was through this medium he set about changing the perception that “GT music is crap”.
Malcolm told The Scene that many persons advised him not to play local music on the air waves but he was not discouraged as he believed that Guyanese were as good as anyone else. He started playing local music on air and during the five years he worked at NCN he was able to not only play the “GT music” and expand himself, but also speak with young people.
Malcolm’s eldest son Malique seems to be following in the footsteps of not only his father but grandfather Compton Garrett who is a founding member of the Mischievous Guys Band and First Born. One of the members of First Born, Trayon Garrett, is Malcom’s brother.
Malique has been performing on stage since the age of three and was even a guest artiste at the First Born anniversary show where he impressed all in attendance and was spotted by Jamaican producer Stephen Ventura.
Later, Malique and his brother Mennasseh along with the children of a former Mingles Band member formed a group called Young Fyah. The group recorded four songs including the children’s favourite, “Late for School”, which is like an anthem for young children.
Malcolm recalled that growing up in Albouystown and seeing the effects of cocaine on the population especially young people, allowed him to have a close look at addiction. As a young broadcaster he interviewed many drug addicts and stored the tapes.
Subsequently the Ministry of Health became interested and sponsored a series entitled “Tales from The Crack”. Malcolm sees this as his greatest accomplishment in broadcasting to date.
He said that there are so many people who helped him during his radio career and expressed profound gratitude to the late Ayube Hamid “who took me under his wing, Margaret Lawrence who always had words of correction, Dr. Deodat who was always there to lend assistance, Ron Robinson and Roddy Baird, a good friend and technical director.”
Mike Fung of the Mingles Band gave Malcolm the jump start he needed to MC shows and Carlton Joao and George Mc Donald of Banks DIH made investments. Ian Ramdeo of Giftland OfficeMax and GT&T helped to ensure that Young Fyah was successful.
“My only wish is to see Guyanese music rise to where I know it should be,” Malcolm said. “Thanks to the Guyanese public for their support throughout my years and my former colleagues at NCN.” (zoisa_f@yahoo.com)