When sharing on Guyana’s progressive abortion act with civil society leaders in other countries, I am often asked about what that process looked like as they seek out strategies to push for safe abortions in their own countries.
Black hair has long been a contentious issue in Guyana. While we can frequently hear that hair is just hair, hair and texture discrimination is a very real issue that plagues Black persons, especially Black women and girls.
Due to a history of violent colonialist expansion, Guyana is a diverse mix of Indigenous, African, East Indian, Chinese, Portuguese and mixed-race people, resulting in a population of 786,559 persons, of which 78,500 identify as Indigenous (2012 Census).
In 2021, the Guyana parliament approved an amendment to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Bill, resulting in the removal of custodial sentences for persons in possession of 30 grammes or less of cannabis.
Squatting in the media is always framed in contentious terms. Mainly, the topic comes up when those residing on lands that were not titled to them, are being forced out by the government or private citizens.
One thing that is absolutely loved by governments who care more about staying perpetually fixed in their re-election campaigns rather than implementing progressive changes, is the allure of consultations.
There is a worrying regularity with which unexplained deaths of mothers and their infants occur within both the public and private health systems in Guyana.
“I don’t do breakfast or dinner, dinner is only when I feel hungry if not I mostly do a snack in the evening just to manage the rations for the month.”
Grounded in pro-democracy movements during the US-backed dictatorship in 1986, the Haitian Creole word, “Dechoukaj” became a clarion call for Haitian resistance.
Land ownership has always been seen as a symbol of generational wealth and security, due to the important role in personal and collective development that it is seen to play.