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Unity 3:170:00/3:17
2021 Inaugural Edition
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Guyana in a Cup: A Story of Ancestral Caribbean Relics
by Jonathan “JCC” Chan-Choong
A brass cup. One could say there’s not much to it. But to me, it’s a teleportation device to my ancestral grounds.
Growing up in Canada, we’ve always had Heritage Minutes on TV during the late-90s and early-2000s, but to explain my own heritage was complicated. You see, I’m racially mixed; my parents came from Jamaica and Guyana, with roots in Africa, China, Lebanon, and Scotland.
Being a lot lighter toned and with physical characteristics differing to what most people envision of West Indians, I was constantly balancing expectation with actuality. Add to the equation that I didn’t have an accent, I was societally denied my identity growing up.
My mom made sure that my Jamaican heritage was deeply preserved, having us go to elders’ homes quite regularly; just talking and swapping stories, not so much an aggressive ear-lashing. This second-hand transferal of knowledge had a profound impact on me.
Peculiarly enough, on my dad’s side of the family, we didn’t talk much about Guyana, unless it was about food. Mind you, I loved being surrounded by Guyanese cuisine such as dhal puri, potato ball, pholourie, [insert your favourite ingredient] curry, clap roti, pepper pot, and garlic pork – but something was missing.
It was as if one side of my history was being glossed over, only dating back 100 years with everything else becoming a blur after that point.
I didn’t act on uncovering this void of chronology for a number of years – mostly because I was reckoning with the face that stared back at me in the mirror – but a then-girlfriend encouraged me to spend more time with my Grandmother.
Those 2-3 hour weekly sessions changed my life. I really fell in love with spending time with her. We would share stories about life: where I was going and where she came from.
I remember this one time I opened up about the intolerances I faced. She just kissed her teeth and retorted, “What kind of stupidness? Growing up, all kids – Black, Chiney, Puttugi*, Indian – would play together.”
I’m sure it wasn’t coincidental that around this time I found poetry; I decided that no matter what people thought about me, I would stay true to my identity and my ancestors. I wanted to speak narratives that were typically dismissed and not heard, in a progressive way.
When my grandmother passed, my aunt told us, the grandkids, that we could divvy up some of my Grandmother’s possessions. One of the items that I chose was this simple brass cup.
Something as unassuming as a cup reminds me daily of another time and place. Forged by those of Indian descent (manufacturer: Baboo Ram-Sawh & Co.) during a time of colonialism (British Guiana) and transferred to peoples of all ancestries throughout the country, this cup has been sipped from and polished hundreds of times.
It serves as a reminder of my history – one that society tried to deny me. I love and miss you, Grandma.
*Note: Chiney and Puttugi are Guyanese patois for Chinese and Portuguese.
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Artist bio:
Jonathan “JCC” Chan-Choong is a Guyanese-Jamaican-Canadian poet and writer, born in Scarborough, Ontario - Canada. Informed by a multicultural-racial background and one of the most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods in Canada, JCC's central themes include identity, the human condition, and a little bit of romance.
SABIEE discusses her relationship with music, identity and claiming her voice, and announces the release of her first EP, Self Talk.
by SABIEE (she/hers)
Pronounciation (Sah, Bee, Yay) Acronym: Shining, Awesome, Beautiful, Intelligent, Ever-Evolving
Songwriting is an escape to the truth. I find comfort in both the most unfathomable and affirming truths in this way. Music has been a touchstone for me to reflect. Growing up multi-racial, I developed while attempting to manage difficulties surrounding my identity. I spent most of my development, being informed about who I was rather than telling the world who I am. I am still developing! Lack of representation played a large part in affecting the way I viewed myself and what I believed I was capable of. When I saw Unmute’s call to BIPOC artists, I realized I have an opportunity to be part of the solution.
I have come to realize this past year, that music and art is more than a hobby, or something I do “on the side”. It is essential to my mental health, it helps me process, and allows me to communicate on a level that is unmatched, with others, but first with myself. For this reason, the EP I am about to release is entitled “Self Talk”. It will be out beginning of May on most streaming services. It is also the name of one of the songs included in the EP. It is a conscious decision to decide to release these songs. I do not want validation of my art to come to me externally, though I am aware now that sharing, is part of the process for me. I like the idea of it being out there, for someone to choose to engage with or not. Of course I want people to like it, but I want to empower myself to be the person that determines whether I have created something to be proud of. Below is my short introduction to each song, followed by a description of how I’m branching into visual art.
The Water: It starts with base notes that walk with energy and confidence. Someone once described it to me as an “outlaw in the wild West” and I wasn’t mad at it. You are taken along and invited to peek into a moment where I felt untouchable. Vocals/Guitar
Burn: CW: This song tackles some difficult experiences I have had in romantic relationships. Someone described it to me as “pointy” and another person as “scary”. At the time, I wrote it just to get it out. I never thought about the content because I was in denial. After all these years, I am now very clear about what it means. I barely play it in public. It is not a party starter, but it may strike a nerve. Vocals/Guitar
Bed Layers: Imagine falling down through your bed into a dark void where you are compelled to decipher your subconscious. It is beautiful, it is terrifying, and you return having learned something. Vocals/Guitar
Self Talk: The beginning sounds like gates opening with piercing light stabbing through the growing space. A path is revealed, every step along which the surroundings get weirder and weirder. It is setting a tone. Then it moves into parts unknown with homemade sounds and layered, interweaving vocals that talk to each other. This song is my first experimentation with using only my voice and miscellaneous sounds to lay an instrumental landscape underneath the main vocals. I have since made more in this style. Their release will be my next project.
It’s been over a year since I began making visual art to inform my music. I am still only beginning. I use acrylic paints, water color pencil, cardboard, and more. It is a disorganized process where I make a ton of mistakes and adapt each time. I am not experienced, I have no training, I am just doing it. That is enough for me and my purposes. I lean towards bright and warm colors, especially magenta, jewel tones, neon. I want to incorporate movement. I am working on that right now. In my picture you can see the mandala I painted and I made the vest I am wearing.
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Vanessa Albert-Moret (Sabiee) is introverted, kind, and quirky. Her love of humanity is a source of great pain, hope, and motivation. She honors that love by pursuing an MSW at CA State University of Long Beach via their distance program. Out of high school, she attended an immersion school in Salamanca, Spain, then lived briefly in L.A., and later moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico where she studied philosophy, history of mathematics, science, via analysis and discussion at St. John’s College. She has since returned to her hometown where she now lives with her partner and is completing her MSW degree.
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Candace Yogini
she/her
Candace is a Mama of many passions and expressions. Inspired by the polarities in life, she rhythmically communicates her deepest intentions and understandings through creative writing, while embracing Mother Nature as her muse and greatest teacher.
A teacher herself- an accredited Montessori teacher for nearly a decade and a Certified Meditation Teacher by Toronto’s Hoame Meditation Studio, Candace thrives within the student-teacher dynamic. Candace thoughtfully creates spaces to connect virtually by guiding live mindfulness meditations and poetry readings, where the foundation of her offerings are gratitude, honouring uniqueness and freedom of expression.
Forbidden Love
by Candace Yogini
Forbidden Love
So strong, so raw, gripping me tight
You came up and through me, one big gust of wind
‘Untouchable’ rang true
Yet there was a pursuit
Diving deep below the surface
Unsure when I would take my next sweet sip of air
In your arms I didn’t care
We entangled ourselves in the most unethical way
Our own little secret, for a period of time anyway
Lingering in the shadows of my mind
Tears in the shower to hide my lack of power
The highest of highs and the lowest of lows
Filling my heart with dread
Nothing could have prepared me for what would grow
A dark cloud that haunted me and sliced my Soul
A mirage keeping me up at night, You plus Me, We
Nightmares beyond compare
You sucked up
My Identity
My Vitality
My Safety
The internal fight struck me time and time again
Wanting something Untouchable
Trying for something that was Unchangeable
Drown my sorrows by the seaside
Wishing I could be taken along with the tide
Crying out for Release
Trembling, holding my sweet shattered heart
The calm only came when I cried out your name
When I allowed my heart to speak freely
My hand to translate a decade of weight my body had carried
Deeply and Divinely, Cracked Open
The day I honoured my heart
Was the day I let you go
No longer an untouchable, unruly, Forbidden Love