Désirée Patricia Bernard

This collection of speeches provides an opportunity to benefit from the excellent intellect, research and reasoning that make the author one of the leading contemporary judicial and legal thinkers in the Caribbean.

Désirée Bernard went into practice in Guyana and soon held office in the Guyana Bar Association. It was here that she showed her leadership and interest in the broader legal picture. Through the Organisation of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations, she was engaged in the discussions on the abolition of appeals to the Privy Council and the development of Caribbean jurisprudence, thinking which was the foundation of the Caribbean Court of Justice.

She was elevated to the Bench in Guyana becoming the first woman to be so appointed, and rapidly rose to the post of Chief Justice, becoming the first woman in the British Commonwealth to hold that office. She later became Head of the Judiciary of Guyana when she was appointed to the post of Chancellor. Upon its inauguration, Désirée Bernard was the first and only female judge to sit on the Caribbean Court of Justice.

This collection is replete with case law and legal reasoning, and addresses topics which could guide judicial and legal deliberations on many issues, making them valuable as a research tool, but delightfully written, making reading pleasurable. She also examines the role of women, “the power behind the throne” in the home, the society and in the legal profession, with characteristic and incisive humour as well.

Contained herein are the distilled thoughts and examinations of one of the contemporary Caribbean’s finest legal minds. These writings are of historical significance in that many of them commemorate milestones in the evolution of Guyanese law, in particular, and CARICOM law, in general.

It is important to acknowledge that much of the international legislation to which many of the world’s states are now signatories have benefited from the sterling contributions of Désirée Bernard.

“My admiration for this material is unbounded. I can give no higher recommendation to the reader.” Dennis Byron, President, Caribbean Court of Justice

• 228 x 152 mm
• 428 pages
• Paperback

Désirée Patricia Bernard, OR, CCH, is a former Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice

Luke Daniels

Domestic violence has been with us a very long time – it has a beginning and it must have an ending. The pace of change has been slow because men have failed to take responsibility for ending the violence. This book challenges men to take that responsibility seriously, especially the men in government throughout the region. Defeating Domestic Violence in the Americas – Men’s Work puts forward solutions for governments to bring an end to socialization for violence. The focus is the Americas since the problem of violence is most urgent there, where 42 of the world’s 50 most violent cities are located. The possibilities for progressive governments in the region to take up the proposed solutions are realistic and imperative.

This book argues that our history of violence is partly responsible for the “macho culture” endemic in the region, and which is directly linked to domestic violence. Raising awareness about our history of violence will help towards a positive change in attitudes and behaviour. Luke Daniels charts the region’s history of violence before and after the arrival of Columbus, looking at the effects of native genocide and slavery, and how that history impacts on the violence in our societies today.

“... this excellent book ... is about humanity, about injustice and suffering, [and] reminds us of the urgent need for gender equality and respect among all peoples.”

Rocío Maneiro, Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the UK

• 216 x 138 mm
• 234 pages
• Paperback

Luke Daniels is a social activist, counsellor and consultant on domestic violence, who was born in Guyana and settled with his family in the UK in the 1970s. A father of eight and grandfather of five, he believes passionately in the need for men to take an active role in parenting. His pioneering work with perpetrators of domestic violence at the Everyman Centre in London received national recognition in a 1992 television documentary, and he has trained men internationally in working with domestic violence perpetrators. His book, Pulling the Punches: Defeating Domestic Violence was the first self-help guide for perpetrators, grounded in theory as well as practice. As a one-time perpetrator, Daniels understands fully what causes men to use violence and is committed to helping other men to stop such behaviour. He believes that violence towards women is rooted in patriarchy, and so interprets domestic violence as a political act that requires political solutions.

Foreword by the Prime Minister of Barbados

Introduction by the Rt. Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers

Guy Hewitt

Barbados acquired the reputation of a country that punches above its weight. Ranked highest in the Caribbean and one of the highest globally as a developing country in the UN Human Development Index, this island paradise is the birthplace of The Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers, The Honourable George Lamming, and the multitalented Rihanna. It is also the ancestral home of Walter Tull, Shirley Chisholm, Irving Burgie, and Eric Holder Jr, among others.

It is also the birthplace of both the sugar cane industry in the then British Empire, then the most valued commodity, and rum, with the island producing some of the finest quality blends internationally.

The only country that George Washington, the first President of the United States, visited outside of the North American mainland; through its 1651 Declaration of Independence and 1652 Charter, Barbados is credited with influencing the Founding Fathers and the framing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.

On 30 November 1966, this phenomenal heritage was given focus and direction by The Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow, the first Prime Minister and a National Hero of Barbados. Proclaimed the “Father of Independence”, it was said that this close friend of the leaders of his era including Michael Manley, Pierre Trudeau, Lee Kuan Yew, and Seretse Khama, “found Barbados a collection of villages and transformed them into a proud nation.”

In this, the 50th year of Barbados’ Independence, this publication, with contributions from national, regional and international leaders and key speeches by Barrow himself, is a tribute to this extraordinary man who gave Barbadians the ability to hold their heads high and proud in this world, as a people worthy of respect. Like George Washington, he, and his name, are revered for his fathering a nation.

This is a must read for citizens of the modern Caribbean and those interested in leadership and the history, economics, politics and international relations of small states.

• 215 x 152 mm
• 428 pages
• Hardback

Guy Hewitt has spent his entire career working in the public sector in Barbados, the Caribbean and internationally. Passionate about the development of Barbados, within a CARICOM context, he currently serves as the High Commissioner for Barbados to the United Kingdom and is also the Permanent Representative to the United Nations International Maritime Organisation and a Governor of the Commonwealth Secretariat. A graduate of the University of the West Indies and the University of Kent at Canterbury, this minister of religion has previously co-written and edited three books. He is married with two children.

Rituals and Festivals in Trinidad compared with selected counterparts in India, 1990-2014

Satnarine Balkaransingh

Trinidad and Tobago reflects the dynamic rhythm of a cosmopolitan mix of cultures where the Indo-Trinidadian contribution is significant. This has its genesis in the 19th and early 20th centuries when more than 500,000 contract workers, from various regions of India, were shipped to the Caribbean to arrest the labour crisis in these plantation economies. These Indian indentured immigrants brought their religions, languages, rituals, festivals, cultural practices and other performative traditions and planted them in its fertile soil.

The Shaping of a Culture: Rituals and Festivals in Trinidad compared with selected counterparts in India, 1990-2014 uses a multidisciplinary approach to examine the changes being simultaneously experienced within these rituals and festivals in Trinidad and their counterparts in the respective geographical areas in the ancestral country, at the turn of the 21st century. It also examines the Indo-Trinidadians’ influence on other festivals which they encountered in the local landscape.

The rituals and festivals examined are Ramleela, Divali, Christmas, Carnival, Shivaratri, Phagwa (or Holi), the observance of Muharram (or Hosay) and the Jhandi (or prayer flag) in its many manifestations and symbolic meanings. It identifies aspects of cultural persistence, assimilations, internal innovations and syncretisms taking place within these cultures. It presents for the first time, in a consolidated, integrated framework, multiple layers of fascinating images of some of these performative traditions as they contribute to the shaping of the cultural diversity of Trinbago and the Caribbean. It is a guide to understanding the ethos and collective consciousness of the Trinbagonian lifestyle and the Indo-Caribbean diaspora, now scattered across the globe.

“A work of scholarly distinction, this book sets a new benchmark in Indo-Caribbean scholarship.”  Clem Seecharan, Emeritus Professor of History, London Metropolitan University

“... unique and original ... .”  Bridget Brereton, Emeritus Professor of History, University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

• 240 x 164 mm
• 404 pages
• Paperback

The Venezuelan Challenge to Guyana’s Sovereignty

In its attempt to grab more than half of Guyana, Venezuela has relied persistently on fabrications, distortions, propaganda – and on wealth and power.

This booklet provides the facts withheld from the Venezuelan people. It reveals the reality of the Venezuelan crusade during the first fifty years of Guyana’s Independence. It shows how, once victims themselves, Venezuela has become the new ‘Conquistador’ in relation to Guyana. It reveals, also, how Guyana, as one of the smallest states in South America, has turned to the United Nations system and to international justice to liberate it from the plundering stratagems of the political and military forces in Caracas.

• 228 x 152 mm
• 80 pages
• Paperback

Tony Talburt

Foreword by Lord Herman Ouseley

Today, seeing Black footballers playing the game at the very highest level is considered very normal. This, certainly, was not the case one hundred and forty years ago, and this is what makes the story of Andrew Watson so remarkable.

It seems hard to imagine that a Guyanese-born Black man could head the Scottish national football team in 1881 in a game against England. Not only was he captain, but he also led them to a 6-1 victory in London – an achievement that still ranks as England’s heaviest ever defeat on home soil. If this were all that Watson had been able to accomplish, most people would agree that he should be commended for being the world’s first Black person to captain a national football team. But there was so much more. He was the world’s first Black football administrator, as well as the first Black player to win three national cup winners’ trophies.

During the 1870s and 1880s, when Watson played, he was regarded as one of the finest players in Britain. The word ‘pioneer’ is often used to describe certain players, but this would certainly be a most fitting expression to encapsulate the remarkable achievements of Andrew Watson.

This book reflects upon the legend, legacy and pioneering endeavours of a truly great Black British football superstar.

• 216 x 138 mm
• 136 pages
• Paperback

The First of the First Fifty Years and the Predatory Challenge

Shridath Ramphal

As Guyana marks the 50th Anniversary of its Independence on 26 May 2016, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs has produced an essay on Guyana’s engagement with the world – in two Parts. First, the highlights of its regional and international encounters in the earliest years of Independence; and secondly, the ‘predatory’ challenges it has faced on its borders, particularly from Venezuela. The Venezuelan challenge has preceded Independence and lasted with increasing intensity all of the last fifty years. Sir Shridath Ramphal who was invited to write the essay, has had experience of Guyana’s international experience over the full period of fifty years and has been an active player in both areas of internationalism – the early years and the frontier issues. The essay throws new light on several areas of the Venezuelan challenge and looks to its resolution by judicial settlement under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary General.

• 228 x 152 mm
• 96 pages
• Hardback

Courtney Alexander Smith, Ph.D

This innovative self-help book is designed to help you find your purpose and use your unique gifts and talents to create your ideal life. Based on practical experience, inspirational case studies, metaphysical insights and cutting-edge research, the author provides tried-and-tested guidance to help you achieve extraordinary success in all areas of your life.

Know who you REALLY are

Live your life from a place of high self-esteem

Set goals to turn your vision into reality

Banish fear and develop self-empowering beliefs

Forgive and let go of negative emotions

Experience happiness from the daily practice of gratitude

Develop resilience skills to overcome adversities

Knowledge is only powerful when it is used. Read this book with an Open mind and transform your life.

• 216 x 138 mm
• 248 pages
• Paperback

Frank Birbalsingh

Guyana: History and Literature examines Guyana’s growth as a nation over three hundred and fifty years. Sixty-four reviews of works of history, biography, memoirs, fiction, even a play and an interview, discuss politics, ethnicity, culture, African slavery, Indian indenture, and fortunes of the two best known Guyanese politicians – Dr Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham. The volume offers the variety and scope of an anthology, perceptions and insights of a literary critic, elegance and style of fine writing, and the thrill of fresh revelation and discovery.

From travelogues by Dr George Pinckard and Henry Bolingbroke to books by James Rodway and the Roths, father and son, Guyana: History and Literature encompasses wide facets of Guyanese experience and specific studies such as Juanita de Barros’s spectacular evocation of Guyana’s capital city in Order and Place in a Colonial City: Patterns of Struggle and Resistance in Georgetown. African-Guyanese contributions by Eusi Kwayana and his wife Tchaiko also match a ground-breaking exposé of sexist violence against Indian indentured women by Giautra Bahadur, while a revealing biography of A.R.F. Webber confirms him as Guyana’s major political pioneer. Comments on Fred D’Aguiar’s fictional portrait of “Jonestown,” or novels by Sharon Maas and Ryhaan Shah exploring Hindu metaphysics, enhance Guyana: History and Literature, as do perspectives on diasporic fiction by Brenda Chester DoHarris and Barney Singh, one in New York and the other in Toronto, and unforgettable memoirs by Roy Heath and Charlotte Williams, daughter of Denis Williams.

• 216 x 138 mm
• 352 pages
• Paperback

Clem Seecharan

This is the first volume of a major study of the social history of cricket in Guyana from 1865 to 1966, when the country became independent. It is a legacy project to mark the 150th anniversary of one of the great institutions in the region, the Hand-in-Hand Fire Insurance Company. The year 2015 is also the 150th anniversary of first-class cricket in the West Indies: Barbados v British Guiana in February 1865.

This volume pursues the gradual evolution of the game from 1865 to the late 1890s, in the context of the colony’s ethnic and social diversity. It explores the origin of the Guyanese-Barbadian rivalry which enriched West Indies cricket for more than a century, and the emergence of the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) and its famous Bourda Ground in 1858 and 1885 respectively. It encompasses the GCC’s seminal role in inter-colonial cricket; its instrumentality in the first West Indies tour overseas, to North America in 1886; and its hosting of two English teams in the 1890s, notably Lord Hawke’s in 1897. The latter was a watershed for black cricketers. Yet the GCC was enmeshed in the race and class prejudices of the age, and (unlike Trinidad) tardy in engaging with or selecting non-white cricketers in the colony’s team. Consequently, the game’s potential was stifled, although non-whites throughout British Guiana took to cricket with passion, celebrating it as a vindication of their credentials as creoles – authentic English colonials.

“… a unique scholarly study”  Mike Atherton

“A work of scholarship that, in the manner of his mentor, C.L.R. James, goes deftly beyond the boundary crafting a superb portrait of Guyana in the late 19th century.”   Mike Brearley

• 228 x 152 mm
• 488 pages
• Paperback