SuriNews

Professor Ruben Karsters, Head of the Art Department at AlphaMax Academy, died on Tuesday. Karsters was 71 years old. He was teaching his students up to last Thursday. He took a turn for the worse on Monday and was rushed to the Intensive Unit of the Academic Hospital on Tuesday.

 Karsters spent nine years teaching the talented students at AlphaMax. Among his many achievements at the school was getting one of his students selected in 2007 as the Africa-Caribbean Art Scholar to Parson’s School of Art & Design in New York. In the last two weeks another of his students was offered a partial scholarship to the internationally-famous Savannah School of Art and Design (SCAD).

 Professor Karsters spent six years studying Fine Art in Holland in the 1960s. Art connoisseurs both in Suriname and abroad regard Ruben Karsters as a sublime portraitist at the highest level.

 The poet and writer, Ivan A. Khayiat, describes Karsters' approach in this way:

 "Karsters has spent the better part of sixty years seeking to perceive objects in ever-deepening clarity – to the point of seeking out ever-deeply every subtle, hidden nuance of tone, colour, shade and shadow – ever-present in the world of objective reality. This is the devout passion of Ruben Karsters’ artistic consciousness."

 The President of Suriname honored Karsters in 2010 by selecting the now famous “Portrait of Hope and Peace: The Four Ms” as his official state gift to the late President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, in November 2010. The Directors of the AlphaMax had commissioned this painting in 2007 to inspire young leaders with the outstanding life work of four of the most transformative leaders of the 20th century.

 Khayiat describes the Karsters’ masterpiece in his review, Indian Resonances in Suriname, thus:

 [The painting is]... a nostalgic reflective study of four masters of politics by the master of art himself. The glowing liberated faces of Mohandas Gandhi and Nelson Mandela appear above the contemplative, serious – almost troubled - busts of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, the American freedom fighters, also men of colour. Indeed, gazing to his left, the beaming, joyous face of the Mahatma, the apostle of peace, clad in white – the son of India and father of the modern independence movement – appears to have inoculated and infected his dancing counterpart, Nelson Mandela: both freedom fighters ironically were dramatically pitted at differing periods against entrenched Dutch supremacy and interests in Southern Africa.

 An MSNBC online poll in December 2010 voted Bouterse’s gift to Chavez as one of the top three ‘Most Appropriate Gifts” given by one head of state to another.

 ,As we learned that President Chavez had also passed away on Tuesday, we reflect that perhaps the divine forces want us to cement the link between President Bouterse, President Chavez, Ruben Karsters, and the ideals expressed in “A Portrait of Hope and Peace” which has been the focus of AlphaMax Academy's creative work since 2007.

 Professor Karsters was subsequently further honored by the government of Suriname who specially commissioned other paintings presented to heads of state.

 Ivan Khayiat , the poet, has been particularly inspired to write poems for each of these works. Non-coincidentally, Khayiat also chose a painting of Karsters' daughter as the cover for his award winning book of poetry “Msiba, My Love". The cover of a collection of AlphaMax Academy student writing, "Surviving the Ordeal” (2007) was also graced with a reproduction of a Karsters painting.

The President of Suriname Desi Bouterse has been an admirer of Karsters' work for several decades. Art connoisseurs know that Karsters executed two portraits of Desi Bouterse: One shows him as the young revolutionary leader of the 1980s, and the second, done in 2012, portrays the reflective, mature elder statesman, and international leader.

Ruben Karsters leaves behind his wife, Sabitrie and their three children, Cheranie, Vasilie, and Irina. He also has a son, Anthony, from a former marriage.

The AlphaMax community expresses its heartfelt thanks and deepest appreciation to Ruben Karsters for a life fully lived and devoted service he rendered in shaping the talents and ideals of youths.

From: Milton Drepaul [mailto:milton.drepaul@gmail.com]

Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2013 11:24 AM

To: Sean Taylor

A TRUE ICON OF SURINAME HAS PASSED: Ruben Karsters, Remembering the Legend

Yesterday, the Alphamax Academy and the nation of Suriname lost one of its living artistic Legends – Professor Ruben Karsters. Born on 22nd May, 1941, he passed away at the Academic Hospital following a short illness. Although he was rushed to the hospital earlier, efforts to revive him in the intensive care unit failed.

Professor Karsters was Head of the Art Department at the AlphaMax Academy where be began giving classes to young talented art students in the Academy in 2004. In 2007, one of his young scholars was selected as the Africa-Caribbean Art Scholar, granting him a summer scholarship to Parson’s School of Art & Design in New York. Very recently, another student, whom the art master had trained for many years, was offered a partial scholarship to a highly reputable art and design university in Georgia, U.S.A..

Ruben Karsters was an autodidact who stunned experienced artists of his time with his unschooled yet deft command of Fine Art Skills. At the tender age of seven he was clearly a young master without letters or credentials. Thus, before he entered his teenage years he had began giving lessons to students twice his age. It was in this period that young Ruben caught the attention of the Dutch-born artist, Nola Hatterman, who saw the extraordinary gifts of this brilliant, gifted, rising, artistic genius.

Until his passing, when engaged in serious conversation about art, it was with a degree of mild chagrin that Professor Karsters spoke of Nola Hattermann. While acknowledging the role she played at that time in perceiving his gifts, for Karsters, she was nonetheless a somewhat disparaging figure who took credit from the work of other gifted artists of that time in Suriname.

In 1963 Karsters became one of the first Surinamers who travelled to the Netherlands to study “Fine Art.” This art connoisseur made a clear distinction between ‘art’, “Art”, and “Fine Art”.

After six years of studying in the Netherlands he returned home Professor of Fine Art in 1968. Recently, the visibly aging artist would often tell his close students that the rigorous study he undertook in Europe was also done by two contemporary still living artists, Erwin de Vries and Soeki Irodikromo, whom he respected.

Ruben Karsters was perhaps Suriname’s most celebrated and internationally recognized “Fine Artist” in the latter half of the 20th century. His techniques, methodology, extremely close, incisive study of any subject, combined with – his inimitable imaginative execution – was deeply reminiscent of the Flemish masters from the Renaissance. As art master, Professor Karsters had given art classes to scores of artists in Suriname, including Jules Brand-flu, Cliff San A Jong, and TMC’s Martin Slagtand – all of whom he fondly remembered as very gifted artists.

According to the Vice Chairman of the AlphaMax Board of Directors, Dr Eugene Merkus, “When you consider this man and his remarkable gifts, it is not an overstatement that Professor Karsters is irreplaceable. This holds true not just for our home-grown international school, the AlphaMax Academy, here in Paramaribo, but to our country, Suriname. Professor Karsters will be deeply missed in circles beyond the walls of this school and these shores where he lived.”

Ruben Karsters was the fine artist who executed in 2007 the now famous “Portrait of Hope & Peace: The Four Ms” which was made internationally famous when President Desire Bouterse presented the masterpiece-painting to the now-deceased President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela in November 2010. This work of art was commissioned by the Directors of the AlphaMax to inspire aspiring young leaders and the coming generation with exemplars of personal self-transformation, sacrifice, and service.

In an MSNBC public opinion poll, Bouterse’s gift to Chavez was voted as one of the top three ‘Most Appropriate Gifts” given in 2010 by one head of state to another. The Karsters-Bouterse-Chavez gift was preferred above other state gifts from leaders of the first world, including Putin and Obama.

Ironically, Professor Karsters passed away on the self-same day as President Hugo Chavez of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

After his highly successful Portrait of Hope & Peace , in 2011 and 2012, Professor Karsters also executed artworks which were presented internationally.One observer has stated that perhaps the year prior to his demise will be acknowledged as Karsters’ ‘annus mirabilis’.

Ruben Karsters has had the distinction of being perhaps the only fine artist in Suriname to have painted the current leader and President of the Republic, Desire Bouterse, twice: First, as the young revolutionary leader in the 1980s, and more recently, in 2012, the mature astute statesman playing his vital role on the international stage as the Father of his people.

Ruben Karsters is survived by his wife, Sabitrie Karsters-Sewpersad, and their three children, Cheranie, Vasilie, and Irina. He is also survived by his son, Anthony, from a previous marriage.

According to a Director of the AlphaMax which had commissioned the Karsters’Portrait of Hope and Peace , “The Rubens of Suriname is gone to the great beyond again!”

Presentation on slave ship book fills gaps, disrupts silence

AMSTERDAM–As he presented from his book “Het Slavenschip Leusden”, the Slave Ship Leusden that sank off Suriname’s coast in 1738, Dr. Leo Balai had his audience glued to his lips. Balai, who achieved his PhD with his research, brought the horrific reality for captured Africans to life in such a tangible manner that people could almost see the inhumanity happen. “It didn’t always leave me undone. I often had to remind myself that to be able to deal with the information I unveiled, I had to see it in light of the spirit of that day. The transatlantic slave trade was an industry aimed at making a profit. An organisation with intricate planning and execution that brought the European powers of those days together. Everybody played its part; Europeans who purchased captives in Africa and Africans who sold them and even travelled along as “Bombas” on the slave ships to work as intermediaries. The goods of this trade were not seen as people, but merely as merchandise. That’s why they were referred to as nappy cattle,” Balai said.

Balai’s presentation was held at the headquarters of the Foundation Ons (Our) Suriname, as part of a series of activities to commemorate 150 years abolition of slavery and to shine light on the slavery history of the Netherlands. Balai’s book is one of the few publications that focuses on the ships that enabled the transatlantic slave trade. The writer explained his motives: “Not much research has been done on slave ships, which were indispensable for the transport of African captives to the territories in the Americas. This is remarkable because the treatment of captives on the slave ships may give us a clearer picture of how this forced transport of people was organized.”

The researcher said that while the Leusden wasn’t the only subject of his research, his findings about the ship end the debate about whether during those days a large part of Holland’s economy centered on the slave trade. The prevailing views used to be that the Dutch did not build special slave ships and that with a few adjustments, ordinary merchant ships could be made suitable for the transport of slaves. Nevertheless, research into the Leusden has revealed that from the second decade of the eighteenth century (1718), the WIC signed special contracts for the building of slave ships. The ships were built according to specific measurements to be able to transport a specific cargo. “The Leusden was specially built as a slave ship and was used only for that purpose. All the necessary facilities were outfitted at the time of the construction of a ship meant for the transport of captives from Afirca,” Balai said.

One of the last slave ships of the Dutch West India Company (WIC) to embark on a slave-trading voyage, the Leusden made 10 slave-trading voyages with stops in Suriname and St. Eustatius. St, Eustatius served well as a trading post where many plantation owners from surrounding islands went to buy their slaves. “On one occasion the Governor of St. Eustatius bought at least 100 captives, which hints that he had a little side business, buying and selling slaves himself,” Balai said. During its 10 voyages the Leusden transported 6,564 captives, 1,639 of whom did not survive the passage. “Before sale, another 102 captives died in the slave warehouses, bringing the total number of deaths to 1,741, which represents 26.5% of the number of captives embarked in Africa, an inconceivable waste of human life,” Balai revealed.

On January 1st 1738, the year in which the WIC decided that it would no longer play an active role in the trade of African captives, the Leusden ran aground at the estuary of the Marowijne River, the border between Suriname and French Guiana. As it sank, the captain ordered his crew to seal the compartments of the slaves, which led to the deaths of 680 people. Some 16 captives who hadn’t been locked up survived; 14 were still sold in Paramaribo, and two –little boys- were sent on to the Netherlands as gifts to a company associate who had died by the time the boys reached. What happened to the boys afterward is not known.

“The WIC hardly paid any attention to this disaster and the many lives it claimed. The sinking of this ship and the fact that no attempts were made to save the captives’ lives make it clear that the captives transported were considered goods that could be lost due to calamities,” Balai said.

He saw room for further research into the transatlantic slave trade. “What happened to those little boys? Who were the Bombas exactly and what did they do in between voyages, like when they were stationed in the Netherlands? Is the wreckage of the ship accessible? I invite other researchers to pick that up; there’s a limit to what I can do myself,” he joked.

Dr. Guno Jones, Senior Researcher at the Free University of Amsterdam, characterized Balai’s presentation afterward as “a detailed overview and highly actual” that erupted quite some debate and filled a gap in history. “The story of these victims is not often mentioned, because history used to be written by the powerful. That’s silenced history, but silence can be disrupted. This is a must read,” Jones said. “

Promoting Guyana through film-making

June 8, 2012

By Venessa Deosaran

Mason Richards

US-based Guyanese writer and director, Mason Richards’ deftness, combined with his talent as a storyteller, has contributed to his push to someday becoming a world renowned filmmaker, and at the same time promote his beautiful country of birth.

In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, Richards said he was born and grew up in Georgetown. His fondest memories are playing cricket as a child at Redeemer Primary School, going to the seawall on Sundays with his family, going to the Starlight Drive-In cinema on the East Coast, and visiting the zoo. These memories would soon bring Richards back to his homeland to produce a short film that became his ticket to fame.

Richards was seven when he migrated with his family to the United States. He said they went to Brooklyn, New York, like many other Guyanese immigrants, to pursue the “American dream” and to be close to other relatives who were already there.

“Even though I was very young, I always missed the life I had in Guyana. There’s something about the Guyanese people in Guyana that’s very easy going, which is a bit of a sharp contrast to the hustle and bustle you have to do to make it and survive in America,” he disclosed.

The film director went to public schools in Brooklyn and Manhattan. For college, he earned his undergraduate degrees in English and Human and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University. He went to Vanderbilt on a full academic-leadership scholarship through The Posse Foundation.

Recently, he earned his Master’s Degree in Film Directing from California Institute of the Arts (CAL ARTS) in Los Angeles, California.

Although busy with the arts and life in general, Richards would often visit his relatives back home. A few years back after his visit to Guyana, he came up with the idea to write the script for his film, ‘The Seawall’. The film is the story of an older Guyanese woman and her 10-year-old grandson who share a very special bond.

After receiving a visa to live in America with his mother, whom he has not seen since he was a baby, the boy wrestles with leaving his grandma behind while contemplating a new life in the United States. Meanwhile, the grandmother struggles to convince her grandson that life in America would be better as she confronts her own feelings of loneliness and abandonment in a country that she loves.

“The story is not my story. I constructed the narrative and created the characters, but I can relate to their issues being that I am Guyanese man who immigrated to the United States at a very young age. I think the story is universal and relatable to people from all nationalities,” he said.

His film, Richards revealed, is the first narrative short film of its kind to be shot entirely on location in Georgetown.

Richards working with his crew in Guyana

The cast consisted of local Guyanese non-actors and non-professionals working alongside Richards and his crew from America.

Richards said he chose to work in the film industry because he always had an interest in telling stories. As a child, he was always looking for new ways to be creative. “I feel like my career as a film director is now taking shape. I worked in the film industry in New York City and Los Angeles for a few years, and when I took the big step to attend film school and started writing my own scripts, things started to shift. I’m happy that I’m able to write and direct films about subjects that interest me and hopefully will be interesting, or at least appealing, to others on some level,” he said.

Soon Richards would be receiving an award from the City of New York and The Guyanese Consulate in celebration of Guyana Independence this year. Also, he is very thrilled to be working on a video project with the Witness Project and The Margaret Clemons Foundation. These are doing cutting-edge work with young people in Guyana.

“I’ll be back in Guyana this summer, working with youths, creating public service announcement videos about issues they care about and affect their lives. It feels great to return to Guyana for such an important cause and a globally important project. So, look out for the projects,” he said elatedly.

Richards maintains that success comes when you’re doing the thing that you truly love to do and you dedicate your time becoming proficient and the best at whatever that thing is. He said he is successful because he is happy.

He advises Guyanese youths to “dare to dream” because anything and everything is possible.

He hopes that the youths are thinking of innovative ways to make Guyana an ever better place to live.

“There is a lot of beauty in Guyana, and it is our responsibility as Guyanese to maintain, preserve and protect that beauty. The grass is not always greener on the other side.” (Taken from Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

Jose Antonio Abreu on Venezuela's El Sistema miracle

In a rare interview, El Sistema founder José Antonio Abreu talks about his passion for Venezuela's extraordinary musical programme that gives children a route out of poverty

Young students with El Sistema founder Abreu (centre) and conductor Gustavo Dudamel in Caracas, Venezuela. Photograph: Sandra Bracho/PR company handout

Maestro José Antonio Abreu works in an office situated in an unremarkable shopping mall in central Caracas, a few steps from one of the city's major thoroughfares. On the afternoon we meet, the sun is shining and the streets are bustling. Nevertheless, to make the short journey by foot from a nearby car park, we are accompanied by three conspicuously armed guards.

This is Caracas, one of the most violent cities in the world. Venezuela's murder rate is three times that of Iraq and four times that of Mexico. On average, 53 people are murdered here every day.

This grisly statistic is on my mind as I am ushered in to meet Abreu, the 73-year-old former economist and conductor whose visionary philosophy has, since 1975, been based on the notion that a free, immersive classical musiceducation for the poorest of the poor might positively influence the social problems plaguing the country.

Abreu's hypothesis has been overwhelmingly vindicated, with more than 380,000 children engaged in national music programmes, more than 80% of whom come from low- or middle-income areas. Of the two million graduates of the programme since its inception, many have gone on to become not just musicians, but lawyers, teachers, doctors and civil servants. Yet it remains one of the great paradoxes of "El Sistema", as Abreu's Fundación Musical Simón Bolívar has come to be known, that no matter how successful it is, how manyGustavo Dudamels it creates, how many wealthier nations seek to emulate it, the Venezuelan crime rate still climbs.

Abreu agrees that the statistics are "extremely grave". But he points to evidence that also seems to prove that without El Sistema's extensive network of nucleos(community music schools), orchestras and choirs, they would be considerably grimmer. "The Inter-American Development Bank, the Venezuelan State and the Andean Development Corporation are continually supervising the foundation's projects," he says, "because they have invested so many resources. Wherever there is an impact evaluation study, the results are unanimous. Children engaged in the programme attain above-average results in school and show a tremendous capacity for collective community action. The orchestra and the choirs, the heart of the programme, help create a sense of solidarity. Involvement becomes a weapon against poverty and inequality, violence and drug abuse."

Abreu himself is a humble and ascetic figure who has dedicated his life to what he describes categorically as a "human development" project. "The idea came to me because I saw that in Venezuela, music education did not include orchestras for young people," he explains, "but I also could see, in the few existing music schools at that time, that the children who were participating in orchestras developed with a much more humane perception of their role within society. They had a completely different set of values."

The scheme was launched, famously, with just 11 kids in a local garage – a far cry from scenes at, say, the Royal Albert Hall 30-odd years later, but his conviction of the possibility of social transformation through music was absolute even then. "At our first rehearsal, I was certain of it," he says, beady brown eyes glittering. "I told those first 11 members of the orchestra that we were creating the beginning of a network that would eventually turn Venezuela into a musical power by rescuing children from low-income families."

A few days later, I ask Frank di Polo, the violinist and original leader of the orchestra, if he remembers the moment. "Of course," he laughs. "Maestro Abreu knew all along what he was creating and what it could achieve."

El Sistema, despite the nickname, is not actually a "system" of music education, but, as Abreu insists, "a conception regarding the function of music within society". It is a vast network of schools, orchestras and choirs that now extends to all 23 provinces in Venezuela, and touches an estimated three adults for every child engaged in the programme. Whether Hugo Chávez or Henrique Capriles triumphs in October's forthcoming presidential elections, it is inconceivable that they should withdraw support for the programme. Seven successive Venezuelan administrations from across the political spectrum have supported El Sistema – to the tune of around 90% of its operating budget. The funds, tellingly, have always been disbursed by the social services rather than culture departments. This is surely down to the laser political vision of Abreu, whose tiny form and Mother Theresa-esque manner belie a formidable, strategic intelligence. "The fundamental element that has determined support has been the results El Sistema has proved in the social field," he says. "For Venezuelans, music education is now a constitutional and legal right."

Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra in a performance of Bernstein's Mambo, one of the encores at this 2007 New Year's Eve concert in Caracas. Link to this video

Next week, the most visible and thrilling exponent of that principle returns to the UK, when Dudamel, 31-year-old music director of Los Angeles Philharmonic, brings his "other" orchestra, the Simón Bolívar Symphony, toRaploch, Scotland, for a concert alongside the El-Sistema-inspired initiative Big Noise. The gig launches the London 2012 Festival and, along with the orchestras' subsequent residency at the Southbank Centre, which will be live-streamed on the Guardian website, is likely to unleash a new wave of Dudamania in Britain.

Did Abreu always realise what he had on his hands with Gustavo? "Of course," he says; he knew "from the very beginning" that his was a "superlative" talent. Yet Dudamel is far from unique.

A young girl practises violin at home in a slum area of Caracas. Photograph: Carlos Cazalis

Take Christian Vasquez, 28-year-old music director designate of Stavanger Symphony Orchestra; or Diego Matheuz, who has taken over at La Fenice, Venice's legendary opera house, aged 27. It is not at all fanciful to propose that in coming years, many more European, American and Asian music institutions will have a spirited young Venezuelan at their helm, usually with terrifically emotive hair.

This represents something of a dilemma for Abreu, mentor and father figure to all these wildly gifted young maestri. One reason why El Sistema works so well is its familial mechanism: as soon as a child is accomplished enough, they begin to help teach younger generations. If the most talented teenagers leave as soon as the big musical agencies – including the Berlin Philharmonic, in the case of Sistema double bassist Ericson Ruiz – come calling, the system may falter.

Abreu admits it can be difficult to reconcile the need to allow his brightest proteges to spread their wings internationally with the need to keep them in Venezuela as all-important role models, but he repeats that this is a "human development project". El Sistema exists, he maintains, "to strengthen the moral and spiritual development of the country" in whichever form that takes.

There are many who believe this quietly charismatic man should be in line for the Nobel peace prize. Sir Simon Rattle, who describes El Sistema as "nothing less than a miracle", has been advocating it since 2008. But Abreu shakes his head. "The biggest reward is the opportunity to keep doing our work," he says. The international attention his system receives "creates a great sense of reward and responsibility". He indicates a poster on the wall emblazoned with the phrase "Tocar y Luchar", the official motto of the programme ever since that afternoon in the garage. "To play and to struggle: that came from our earliest experience when we had so many obstacles for undertaking the project – lack of spaces, instruments, financial resources," he explains. "To play – it's a form of striving, so we can show the validity of the efforts we are committing ourselves to. The struggle is against the obstacles that present themselves. So there was always this double meaning within the kids, to be both artists and social fighters."

The slogan is more applicable today than ever. "We are still facing the gravest social problems, and we have a challenge to incorporate as many excluded children as possible," Abreu admits. "We need more teachers, instruments, space, funding." The number of kids engaged in El Sistema programmes is estimated to hit the half-million mark by 2015, which seems mind-boggling; but Abreu points out that 33% of Venezuela's 30m population is under 14. I get the sense that he will not rest until every one of those children has access to a local nucleo.

"We know that the efforts we put into it are not enough, given the size of the challenge ahead. But this is our dream. And we will keep fighting for it, every day."

Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra open London 2012 Festival in Raploch on 21 June, then perform at the Royal Festival Hall on 23 and 26 June as part of Southbank Centre's Festival of the World. Both RFH concerts will be live-streamed atguardian.co.uk/bolivarlive. More about the Southbank Centre's Sounds Venezuela festival here.

José Antonio Abreu on Venezuela's El Sistema miracle

In a rare interview, El Sistema founder José Antonio Abreu talks about his passion for Venezuela's extraordinary musical programme that gives children a route out of poverty

Young students with El Sistema founder Abreu (centre) and conductor Gustavo Dudamel in Caracas, Venezuela. Photograph: Sandra Bracho/PR company handout

Maestro José Antonio Abreu works in an office situated in an unremarkable shopping mall in central Caracas, a few steps from one of the city's major thoroughfares. On the afternoon we meet, the sun is shining and the streets are bustling. Nevertheless, to make the short journey by foot from a nearby car park, we are accompanied by three conspicuously armed guards.

This is Caracas, one of the most violent cities in the world. Venezuela's murder rate is three times that of Iraq and four times that of Mexico. On average, 53 people are murdered here every day.

This grisly statistic is on my mind as I am ushered in to meet Abreu, the 73-year-old former economist and conductor whose visionary philosophy has, since 1975, been based on the notion that a free, immersive classical musiceducation for the poorest of the poor might positively influence the social problems plaguing the country.

Abreu's hypothesis has been overwhelmingly vindicated, with more than 380,000 children engaged in national music programmes, more than 80% of whom come from low- or middle-income areas. Of the two million graduates of the programme since its inception, many have gone on to become not just musicians, but lawyers, teachers, doctors and civil servants. Yet it remains one of the great paradoxes of "El Sistema", as Abreu's Fundación Musical Simón Bolívar has come to be known, that no matter how successful it is, how manyGustavo Dudamels it creates, how many wealthier nations seek to emulate it, the Venezuelan crime rate still climbs.

Abreu agrees that the statistics are "extremely grave". But he points to evidence that also seems to prove that without El Sistema's extensive network of nucleos(community music schools), orchestras and choirs, they would be considerably grimmer. "The Inter-American Development Bank, the Venezuelan State and the Andean Development Corporation are continually supervising the foundation's projects," he says, "because they have invested so many resources. Wherever there is an impact evaluation study, the results are unanimous. Children engaged in the programme attain above-average results in school and show a tremendous capacity for collective community action. The orchestra and the choirs, the heart of the programme, help create a sense of solidarity. Involvement becomes a weapon against poverty and inequality, violence and drug abuse."

Abreu himself is a humble and ascetic figure who has dedicated his life to what he describes categorically as a "human development" project. "The idea came to me because I saw that in Venezuela, music education did not include orchestras for young people," he explains, "but I also could see, in the few existing music schools at that time, that the children who were participating in orchestras developed with a much more humane perception of their role within society. They had a completely different set of values."

The scheme was launched, famously, with just 11 kids in a local garage – a far cry from scenes at, say, the Royal Albert Hall 30-odd years later, but his conviction of the possibility of social transformation through music was absolute even then. "At our first rehearsal, I was certain of it," he says, beady brown eyes glittering. "I told those first 11 members of the orchestra that we were creating the beginning of a network that would eventually turn Venezuela into a musical power by rescuing children from low-income families."

A few days later, I ask Frank di Polo, the violinist and original leader of the orchestra, if he remembers the moment. "Of course," he laughs. "Maestro Abreu knew all along what he was creating and what it could achieve."

El Sistema, despite the nickname, is not actually a "system" of music education, but, as Abreu insists, "a conception regarding the function of music within society". It is a vast network of schools, orchestras and choirs that now extends to all 23 provinces in Venezuela, and touches an estimated three adults for every child engaged in the programme. Whether Hugo Chávez or Henrique Capriles triumphs in October's forthcoming presidential elections, it is inconceivable that they should withdraw support for the programme. Seven successive Venezuelan administrations from across the political spectrum have supported El Sistema – to the tune of around 90% of its operating budget. The funds, tellingly, have always been disbursed by the social services rather than culture departments. This is surely down to the laser political vision of Abreu, whose tiny form and Mother Theresa-esque manner belie a formidable, strategic intelligence. "The fundamental element that has determined support has been the results El Sistema has proved in the social field," he says. "For Venezuelans, music education is now a constitutional and legal right."

Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra in a performance of Bernstein's Mambo, one of the encores at this 2007 New Year's Eve concert in Caracas. Link to this video

Next week, the most visible and thrilling exponent of that principle returns to the UK, when Dudamel, 31-year-old music director of Los Angeles Philharmonic, brings his "other" orchestra, the Simón Bolívar Symphony, toRaploch, Scotland, for a concert alongside the El-Sistema-inspired initiative Big Noise. The gig launches the London 2012 Festival and, along with the orchestras' subsequent residency at the Southbank Centre, which will be live-streamed on the Guardian website, is likely to unleash a new wave of Dudamania in Britain.

Did Abreu always realise what he had on his hands with Gustavo? "Of course," he says; he knew "from the very beginning" that his was a "superlative" talent. Yet Dudamel is far from unique.

A young girl practises violin at home in a slum area of Caracas. Photograph: Carlos Cazalis

Take Christian Vasquez, 28-year-old music director designate of Stavanger Symphony Orchestra; or Diego Matheuz, who has taken over at La Fenice, Venice's legendary opera house, aged 27. It is not at all fanciful to propose that in coming years, many more European, American and Asian music institutions will have a spirited young Venezuelan at their helm, usually with terrifically emotive hair.

This represents something of a dilemma for Abreu, mentor and father figure to all these wildly gifted young maestri. One reason why El Sistema works so well is its familial mechanism: as soon as a child is accomplished enough, they begin to help teach younger generations. If the most talented teenagers leave as soon as the big musical agencies – including the Berlin Philharmonic, in the case of Sistema double bassist Ericson Ruiz – come calling, the system may falter.

Abreu admits it can be difficult to reconcile the need to allow his brightest proteges to spread their wings internationally with the need to keep them in Venezuela as all-important role models, but he repeats that this is a "human development project". El Sistema exists, he maintains, "to strengthen the moral and spiritual development of the country" in whichever form that takes.

There are many who believe this quietly charismatic man should be in line for the Nobel peace prize. Sir Simon Rattle, who describes El Sistema as "nothing less than a miracle", has been advocating it since 2008. But Abreu shakes his head. "The biggest reward is the opportunity to keep doing our work," he says. The international attention his system receives "creates a great sense of reward and responsibility". He indicates a poster on the wall emblazoned with the phrase "Tocar y Luchar", the official motto of the programme ever since that afternoon in the garage. "To play and to struggle: that came from our earliest experience when we had so many obstacles for undertaking the project – lack of spaces, instruments, financial resources," he explains. "To play – it's a form of striving, so we can show the validity of the efforts we are committing ourselves to. The struggle is against the obstacles that present themselves. So there was always this double meaning within the kids, to be both artists and social fighters."

The slogan is more applicable today than ever. "We are still facing the gravest social problems, and we have a challenge to incorporate as many excluded children as possible," Abreu admits. "We need more teachers, instruments, space, funding." The number of kids engaged in El Sistema programmes is estimated to hit the half-million mark by 2015, which seems mind-boggling; but Abreu points out that 33% of Venezuela's 30m population is under 14. I get the sense that he will not rest until every one of those children has access to a local nucleo.

"We know that the efforts we put into it are not enough, given the size of the challenge ahead. But this is our dream. And we will keep fighting for it, every day."

Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra open London 2012 Festival in Raploch on 21 June, then perform at the Royal Festival Hall on 23 and 26 June as part of Southbank Centre's Festival of the World. Both RFH concerts will be live-streamed atguardian.co.uk/bolivarlive. More about the Southbank Centre's Sounds Venezuela festival here.

Caribbean Youth the Focus of CARICOM Meeting in Suriname

June 12 -- According to a news release by the CARICOM Secretariat, a Caribbean Community Youth Ambassadors (CYA) meeting opened in Suriname on Monday morning with a call by the country’s Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Hon. Ismantho Adna, for youth leaders to be vigilant and critical of the policies implemented in the region.

He told youth ambassadors that they were the voice of the Caribbean youth and should represent them very well, by ensuring that the interests of youth are integrated as a matter of priority in the broad development policies of the region.

The three-day meeting, which opened at the Torarica Hotel in Paramaribo, is convened to develop a three-year institutional framework for the CYA Program to guarantee its sustainability. This framework will be based on the research findings of the 2010 Report of the CARICOM Commission on Youth Development (CCYD) Eye on the Future, Invest in Youth Now for the Community Tomorrow and the commitments made by Heads of Government in the Paramaribo Declaration on the Future of Youth in the Caribbean Community.

The CARICOM Youth Ambassadors will also use the opportunity to develop an on-line regional social network that will be used as a vehicle to mobilize regional youth, share ideas and best practices. The meeting will also serve to equip CYAs with skills in New Media, marketing, branding and media relations.

The Minister told CYAs that the Government of Suriname - particularly the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs - “stands ready to implement the outcomes of the meeting and the recommendations in the Paramaribo Declaration and to integrate the outcomes in Suriname’s youth policy.

He pledged his commitment to working with youth leaders, noting that “together we have responsibility to create a better and safer CARICOM for its youth.”

In stating a rationale for the meeting, Dr Heather Johnson, Deputy Program Manager, Youth Development, CARICOM Secretariat, noted that in order to develop an effective administrative structure and institutional framework the CYAs need to understand the genesis of the program and appreciate the best practices and lessons learnt along the way.

She enumerated the several challenges of the CYAP, which include expanding national and regional youth networks, mobilizing scarce human and financial resources; sharing information and exchanging ideas with young people in the community and beyond and strengthening the administrative structure and institutional framework.

Notwithstanding these challenges however, Dr Johnson noted that it was the commitment dedication and talent of the CYAs that had propelled the program and deepened its impact since its inception in 1993. She added that “the program’s greatest strength lies in the fact that it is developed, implemented and managed by youth who are among their country’s brightest and best.”

The meeting is supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Youth Innovation (Youth-IN) project, which is a Caribbean Network for youth development work. The Coordinator for this project, Dr Paula Hildalgo-Sanchis, said youth were the force for progress and as such the Youth-IN project was designed to empower this force for the progress of CARICOM.

The Youth-IN project, she said, aimed to increase youth participation in governance processes; strengthened youth networks; create communication tools to reflect youth capabilities and strengthened youth planning and develop youth entrepreneurship initiatives.

Dean of the CARICOM Youth Ambassador Corps, Dwayne Gutzmer recalled that the CYAP was launched in Saint Lucia 19 years ago in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas and noted that over the years they “ have had many achievements but we … also had our fair share of challenges and lip service.”

He challenged his peers to continue to demonstrate the commitment and tenacity that was the stuff of which regional youth were made.

He pledged his commitment on behalf of the youth ambassador corps to help re-scope and redevelop the program and work towards ensuring that it was vibrant and effective.

Suriname’s Youth Ambassador, Raynel Fraser who gave the welcome address expressed his hope that the meeting would realize the objectives set. He also stated that the time had come for young people to get off the periphery and participate fully in the integration process.

The three year plan that will be developed at the meeting will guide the CYAP in making strategic interventions across the region.

Msiba, My Love has been chosen to be shown at Belize International Film Festival July 13-17 in the Short Film Animation Category.

More info on Msiba

Msiba, My Love was read in English by Therese Dover--A Tear of Joy and the poet Ivan Khayiat--A Tear of Sorrow. Both voices combine in the reading of Bitter/Sweet.

The DVD has stunning images of the earth and the rain forest. These images celebrate the beauty of Suriname's forest interior. It,hover, also evokes pain and sorrow as we see the threats to this pristine environment from indiscreet mining and logging.

The images and animation complements the reading and adds to the words of the poem. The film editor Shafeek Nazir hascarefully interpreted the poem. So the viewer has another layer of emotional intensity.

A specially composed sound track by Rohit Badatljawdharie with hypnotic and haunting tones is in the background. It gives its own signature to the DVD.

The pictures in the DVD were done by Rohit Badatljawdharie, Rudi Moredjan and Studio TMC

The poetry is by Ivan Khayiat.

Msiba was chosen a state gift by the government of Suriname and a copy of the book and DVD was given to 15 Caribbean heads of state.

The DVD now has the poem read in 6 languages (Dutch, French,

Spanish,Portuguese, Sarmakan ( the language of the tribe which was

displaced) and Saran Tongo( the Surinamese Language). Translations are

being completed in Hindi and Mandarin Chinese.

A group in Brazil has invited us to be part of their RIo 20 +

participation in June.

The DVD now has the poem read in 7 languages (Dutch, French,

Spanish,Portuguese,Hindi, Sarmakan ( the language of the tribe which was

displaced) and Saran Tongo( the Surinamese Language).

The book and DVD was given to 15 Caribbean heads of state as a State gift from The President of Suriname..

http://www.belizefilmfestival.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=164:short-animation&catid=59&Itemid=80

All Hail The State Visit of Emperor Haile Selassie I -The first 500 years in Jamaica

All Hail

The State Visit of Emperor Haile Selassie I

A student from Glen Stuart Primary School was awarded a souvenir coin by the Emperor when he visited Maggotty, St. Elizabeth.

All Hail the King of Kings, the Lion of Judah, the Almighty One, Ye shall break every chain again and again...

Text of a welcome banner held aloft at Montego Bay's civic reception for Emperor Haile Selassie I, April 23, 1966.

THE HEAT that rose from the tarmac of Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport was nothing compared to the level of expectation that was seeping through the thousands gathered on the tarmac that 21st day of April, 1966. The day was declared a public holiday in honour of the Emperor and people had started arriving from Wednesday night from places near and far, to form the largest crowd to have ever assembled at the Norman Manley International Airport. They came to the airport any way they could ­ by car, by truck, by bus, by bicycle, by foot. Drum beats and chants were heard almost non-stop, providing an almost hypnotic rhythm. The smell of ganja wafted through the air completing a welcome unprecedented in size and expectation for the Emperor on his first state visit to Jamaica.

Interpreter at right translates the speech of Emperor Haile Selassie, given in Arabic, as he addressed both houses of Parliament at Gordon House. On the throne with His Imperial Majesty is Governor-General Sir Clifford Campbell. Seated at left is Lady Campbell.

Brother George Huggins of Accompong, explained the enthusiastic welcome, "it is hard to put in words what seeing this man, this great man, the Lord of lords, in Jamaica meant to us in the Rastafarian community. We had heard so much about him for so long." On the tarmac, some waved palm leaves, some red, green and gold Ethiopian flags, and some blew the Maroon cowhorn known as the abeng in welcome. Everyone kept their eyes on the sky wondering when the plane carrying His Imperial Majesty from Trinidad and Tobago would arrive. Rain began to fall and the crowd continued to wait, hoping even for just a glimpse of the plane through the thick clouds that had formed.

When the insignia of a roaring lion and stripes of red, green and gold finally came into view, the rain stopped. People shouted, "See how God stop de rain." The sound from the crowd was deafening as masses of people rushed to get closer to the island's distinguished visitor. The crowd simply broke down any barriers that stood in their way in their eagerness to position themselves as close as possible to the "King of Kings." But the Lion of Judah did not appear immediately as expected. Instead the plane stood there, silent in a sea of activity and sound. No movement could be seen from within the cabin. The door to the plane finally opened forty-five minutes later, close to 2:15 p.m., and His Imperial Majesty came to the top of the stairs to deplane. The crowd responded with a roar that "was louder than the sound of thunder rolling, louder even than an explosion" recalls Mitsy Seaga who accompanied her husband, Edward Seaga, the then Minister of Development and Welfare. Seaga himself remembers the event as awesome in every sense of the word.

Start of the stampede of Rastafarians who surrounded the Emperor's plane. Their enthusiasm kept the door from opening for forty-five minutes.

The sight must have surpassed even the Emperor's wildest imagination, as tears came to his eyes as he held up his hands in what could have been half a royal gesture and half a call for calm. The crowd, thrilled beyond reason, continued to cry out, " God is with us. Mek me touch his garment," paying no heed to the call for calm.

Mr. Mortimer Planno, A Ras Tafarian leader, mounted the landing steps at the request of officials, bowed to the Emperor and also beseeched the crowd to be calm and let the Emperor pass. With assistance from the military and the police, the Emperor, his daughter and the rest of his entourage were able to leave the airport. They were whisked away to a 5 p.m. civic reception at the National Stadium where another large, excited crowd awaited. The Ethiopian and Jamaican National Anthems were played and the Emperor was presented with the keys to the city by then Commissioner of the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC), Mr. Eustace Bird. The Emperor was welcomed by acting Prime Minister, Sir Donald Sangster. The Emperor replied in Amharic calling the visit the fulfilment of a lifelong desire, and thanking the people of Jamaica for their outpouring of affection. The ceremony was, however, marked my human rights protestors bearing large placards with anti-government slogans. The Emperor later attended a state dinner at Kings House where extra police were placed on duty, in response to the enthusiasm of the people of Jamaica.

The next day the Emperor embarked on a packed schedule that included visits to downtown Kingston where he would lay a wreath at the War Memorial in what was then King George VI Memorial Park and attend a sitting of Parliament, again speaking through a translator. He told a small gathering of the press at Kings House that he was particularly happy to be in Jamaica so soon after the island had gained independence. That afternoon the Emperor also visited Vale Royal to see an exhibition of local craft by the Rastafarian Brethren Association which he was advised were his to take back to Ethiopia should he so desire, and that evening he received an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of the West Indies in a special ceremony.

On Saturday, April 23, the Emperor and his entourage embarked on a train trip to see the western side of the island. Crowds turned out to greet him along the eight-hour journey where stops were made at Denbigh, Williamsfield, Maggotty and Montpelier before ending in Montego Bay close to 4 p.m. At Spanish Town, when officials tried to hold a presentation ceremony involving the Emperor, a schoolboy and a few policemen were injured and a police car damaged in a stone and bottle throwing incident that may have resulted from one of two reasons according to The Gleaner report of that day: (i) a general sense that police were trying to keep Rastafarians away from the immediate vicinity of the Emperor and (ii) a rumour that the Emperor was not Haile Selassie at all but an impostor foisted on the Jamaican people by the government. The police were forced to resort to the use of tear gas to regain control.

At around 4:15 p.m. the Emperor's car came into view, cheers from the crowd gathered to welcome the Emperor in a 30 minute civic reception in what was then called Charles Square (now known as Sam Sharpe Square). Emperor Selassie I left Jamaica on Sunday, April 24 at 9 a.m. for a state visit to Haiti after inspecting a guard of honour mounted by the First Battalion, the Jamaica Regiment. In contrast to his boisterous welcome, his departure was a sombre scene, with only a few hundred solemn-faced persons on hand to say farewell at the Montego Bay Airport.

Rebecca Tortello

NOTES:

According to Rastafarian belief, Emperor Haile Selassie I is the only true God (originally known as Ras Tafari), and Ethiopia is their spiritual homeland, the true Zion.

Haile Selassie I (1892-1975) was the last emperor of Ethiopia (1930-1974). Born near Harar on July 23, 1892, Selassie’s original name was Lij Tafari Makonnen. He was a grandnephew of Emperor Menelik II. In 1916, when he was 24-years-old, he ousted Lij, Iyasu, Menelik's successor, replacing him with Zauditu, the old emperor's daughter. Selassie made himself regent. When Zauditu died in 1930, he succeeded her, taking the name Haile Selassie I, which means “Might of the Trinity.” His other titles included Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Elect of God, and King of Kings.

In 1935 the Italians invaded Ethiopia. Selassie made an impressive plea for help before the League of Nations, but was unsuccessful. He went into exile in England in May 1936 and from there he helped the British plan a campaign that led to the liberation of Ethiopia. He returned to power in 1942. Another attempt to overthrow Selassie was made in 1960 but was quickly stopped. By 1974, however, worsening conditions in Ethiopia— government corruption, inflation, drought, starvation, and Selassie’s perceived hesitancy in dealing with these and other issues — led the army to revolt. Once again, Selassie was removed from power. He was formally deposed in September 1974 and died in Addis Abeba on August 27, 1975. He was 83 years old. Today, some Rastafarians say they are looking forward to the worlds they know he is laying down on their behalf.

Among Selassie’s accomplishments were major land reform, (1942 and 1944), emancipation of slaves (1942), and a revised and somewhat broadened constitution (1955) that provided for universal suffrage. He also played a leading role in the formation of the Organization of African Unity in the 1960s.

Ethiopia, formerly Abyssinia, is a republic in eastern Africa, bounded on the northeast by Eritrea and Djibouti, on the east and southeast by Somalia, on the southwest by Kenya, and on the west and northwest by Sudan. The area of the country is 1,128,176 sq km (435,606 sq mi).

While in Jamaica the Emperor received many gifts including portraits, maps, scrolls and a sculpture presented to him the artist himself, Mallica ‘Kapo’ Reynolds. The Emperor, so touched by the gift, thanked Kapo in English, one of the few occasions in which he did not speak his native Amharic while in Jamaica. Selassie also gave many gifts including gold coins that bore his head, gold cigarette cases and a school at Delacree Pen in Kingston’s west end. WHAT IS IT CALLED? While on his way to Montego Bay, he stopped en route to the Spanish Town Railway Station and laid a stone for the school. In response the Jamaican government announced the award of a scholarship for an Ethiopian tenable at the University of the West Indies.

Other distinguished royal visitors to Jamaica include: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip (who came most recently in Feb 2002), Princess Margaret (1962), Princess Anne (1966), Prince Charles (1966, 2000).

Other distinguished visitors include: Fidel Castro (1998, 2000), The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1965), Pele (1971), Pope John Paul II (1993), Bishop Desmond Tutu (1986), Nelson and Winnie Mandela (1991), Mohammed Ali (1967), Margaret Thatcher (1987) and Mother Teresa (1966, 1986).

Sources: The Gleaner, 21-24, April, 1966.

The Gleaner. (1995) A Geography and History of Jamaica. (Kingston: The Gleaner Co. Ltd.) Http://www.bobartsinstitute.edu/Ethiopia1.htm

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And the new Miss India Worldwide 2012 is...

Published Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Miss India Worldwide contestants Alana Seebarran of Guyana (L) and Eram Karim of India compete in the evening gown segment of the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo, late. Seebarran was crowned as the new Miss India Worldwide 2012, after contestants of Indian origin but from 35 different countries competed in the pageant. (REUTERS)

Contestant Alana Seebarran of Guyana is applauded by Bollywood actor Aftab Shivdasani (R), after being crowned the new Miss India Worldwide 2012 in the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)

Miss India Worldwide contestant Alana Seebarran of Guyana is crowned as the new Miss India Worldwide 2012 in the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)

Contestant Alana Seebarran of Guyana is applauded by other contestants after she was crowned the new Miss India Worldwide 2012 in the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)

Miss India Worldwide contestant Alana Seebarran of Guyana is crowned as the new Miss India Worldwide 2012 in the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin but from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)

Contestant Alana Seebarran of Guyana (R) reacts next to contestant Varsha Ramrattan of Suriname as Seebarran is crowned the new Miss India Worldwide 2012 in the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)

Contestant Alana Seebarran of Guyana is crowned as the new Miss India Worldwide 2012 by her predecessor Ankita Ghazan from Australia in the 23rd edition of the pageant, next to contestant Varsha Ramrattan of Suriname (L), in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)

Miss India Worldwide 2012 Alana Seebarran of Guyana (C) poses with runner-up Anvita Sudarshan of Kuwait (R) and second runner-up Olivia Rose of Australia, after the judging of the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)

Miss India Worldwide 2012 Alana Seebarran of Guyana (C), poses with runner-up Anvita Sudarshan of Kuwait (R) and second runner-up Olivia Rose of Australia, after the judging of the 23rd edition of the pageant in Paramaribo. Contestants of Indian origin but from 35 different countries competed in the Miss India Worldwide Pageant 2012. (REUTERS)