At the end of October, one imagines after much debate, the principals at Collins Dictionary chose permacrisis as its word of the year 2022. According to the dictionary, the definition of permacrisis, a noun, is “an extended period of instability and insecurity, especially one resulting from a series of catastrophic events”.
Indeed, one can see how the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath, the war in Ukraine along with other conflicts worldwide, protests against limitations on freedom, the looming climate disaster and global economic uncertainty among other things have engendered a permacrisis. Its choice, therefore, ahead of nine other noteworthy words, including favourites like sportswashing, partygate, and lawfare, is understandable.
Not everyone agrees, however, as is often the case these days and there have been rumblings against the choice. Some writers find it unhelpful and have argued that it seems to present the idea that there is no hope, which is ever evident regardless of the circumstances.
Notwithstanding that, according to the BBC, Head of Collins Learning Alex Beecroft explained that language can act as a mirror to what is going on in society and the wider world, and “this year has thrown up challenge after challenge…Our list this year reflects the state of the world right now — not much good news…”
He is not wrong. Assuredly, this should really be an ‘aha’ moment for many Guyanese, with the obvious exception, of course, of the myopic section decked out in their rose-coloured glasses. As a matter of fact, the Collins Dictionary should be extolled for perfectly describing what has been this country’s ongoing status for years – a permacrisis.
To jump in at the deep end, there is the simmering racism that boils over into vitriol every so often – brown against black, black against brown – and takes no prisoners. The prevailing public stance by the powers that be has been and continues to be to ignore it, gloss over it, and more recently, wrap it in a box with a bow called ‘One Guyana’. Tidy though this seems, it unfortunately does not erase the perception or reality of discrimination that portions of the population feel at times; or the exclusion and ‘otherness’ which can effectuate displacement. An issue this ugly has to be brought into the open to be addressed; policies are required at the government level to ensure systemic equality. Eventually, with education, the rest will fall into place.
Then there is the electricity situation in this country, which is unstable, insecure and catastrophic. It has been that way for at least four and a half decades, so much so that citizens prioritise planning their lives around load-shedding. No one is surprised that ‘blackout’ is among a baby’s first words these days. People laugh, but it’s no joking matter that the provision of electricity in Guyana, in the twenty-first century, is shambolic to put it mildly. What’s worse is perhaps the population’s seeming acceptance with the way things are.
Endemic flooding of the city and other parts of the country has also become likewise embraced. The Great Flood of 2005 was 17 years ago, but even before that, water accumulation had become an issue owing to poor maintenance of drainage. The problem worsened over the years as canals were filled in or narrowed to make way for roads – a mind-boggling occurrence prevailing even today. Citizens mutter against the inconvenience but for the most part have made adjustments in their lives to deal with flooding as a condition over which neither they nor the government have any control, rather than holding the authorities accountable. Staggering barely describes this phenomenon when one takes a step back and looks at it objectively.
Similarly, one can identify permacrises in examining varied issues like policing, potable water supply, sewage and waste disposal, and the penal system, to name a few. Societal ills like corruption, crime, gender-based violence, child abuse and femicide also fit the description.
Small wonder then that there is a growing mental health crisis. The fact is that people are suffering, particularly those whose psyches do not allow them to become acclimated to uncertainty. The answer, one might imagine, would be for those in authority to pick one issue, a big one, and really invest in addressing it sustainably. What a New Year resolution that would be! The truth is that the potential to create change exists, it always has. What is required is the will.
