Whatever became of the village mother?
This Mother’s Day, Bridget Lewis, who writes for us occasionally, couldn’t help but reflect upon the good old days when ‘the village mother’ was critical to one’s upbringing. And, as we’re about to find out, that person did not necessarily have to be a woman!

Bridget has a quiet word with her eldest, Melinda, late January at Antigua’s VC Bird International Airport as she awaits her flight back home to Guyana.

Though somewhat older than I, there were marked similarities in our beliefs. For example, we were always taught to be respectful and helpful to our elders, regardless of race, colour or creed, and to greet them in love. If we were contemplating doing any unwholesome thing, we were always mindful to look over our shoulders to see that they were not around; lest we offend them and they tell our parents.

He told me that he’d lost his memory some years ago. He was only too glad to talk, because this conversation sort of activated it. In his opinion, the mothers of yesteryear played a more proactive role in the household; and even though the father was consulted on every matter, invariably he respected the mother’s views and they were usually carried. I did admire the strength of those mothers and how easy it was for them when, for some reason or other, they had to function as single parents. Judging from events of the past, I believe that marital relationships lasted even longer then than they do today.

Of baccoos ‘n ol’ higues ‘n mermaids
Intermittently, he would refer to the pair of ‘baccoos’ that wreaked havoc in Durey Lane around l971; the ‘ol’ higue’ on Sheriff Street; the ‘mermaid’ washing in the famous ‘forty-foot trench’; and the rape in the sawdust which occurred in Craig Street. I smiled as he rambled on excitedly. But the memories he cherished most were those of his mother. She used to say: “No living-home. If a man get a young girl pregnant, he must marry her, for if she good for breakfast, then she good for dinner too.”

I was pleasantly reminded of ‘Mother Bestie’ whose house over-looked ‘The Avenue’. From that location, she could see me and my friends coming out of the alley after having a ball with every guava, cherry, mango and psiduim tree we could find. My aunt never wanted me to have friends, so we parted company at the corner. (In any event, they had already gone beyond three streets of their destination). We lived four streets apart, so I would walk the final corner as if nothing happened. But Bestie used to see and know everything and everybody, and before you know it, she would confront me as I passed and chide me over my behaviour. Then she made it her duty to tell my aunt. Needless to say, I would get ‘licks’. And auntie used to beat badly!

An invaluable lesson
I spoke with ‘Fuzzy’ from the East Coast, another person whose number I accidentally dialed. She turned out to be a friend of my school mate. And this was a call ‘waiting to happen’. One thing led to another. As we reminisced, she eagerly shared her brief encounter with a widower who, temporarily assuming the role of a mother, had occasion once to ‘haul her over the coals’. Try as I might, I just couldn’t ignore this story. I kept thinking of the number of young people who could benefit from this testimony. Her boyfriend, Sam, used to pick her up from school every afternoon. Decked in her uniform, he pushing his cycle besides her, they walked hand-in-hand to take their seats at the round-about in Bel Air Park (in front of the Old Maharaja Oil Mill); oblivious of the fact that Mr George was looking on!

At an appropriate time, he approached her. His advice was: “Take your time. Concentrate on your education first.” Needless to say, ‘Fuzzy’ lived to see the wisdom of, and benefit from, that advice.

Ground-rules for everything…even dating
I remember when I attended Foundation School, that my aunt used to send me to school early so that she could get on with her work. (She had an interesting job. She ironed for a number of persons in Georgetown and its environs. She would wash and iron all week, and at week-ends, starting at 4.00 or 5.00 am, with a tray on her head, she delivered). Oftentimes, the school door was not open and I would wait at my friend’s house. Her mom saw to it that my aunt was informed about that arrangement.

And, speaking about dress, I could not leave the house without first getting the ‘nod’ from auntie. I had clothes for the various occasions, Church, market, party, to sleep in and for the house. Then there were morning and afternoon clothes, and I dared not leave home without proper underwear and tidying my bed.

I remember at 22, a young man visited me for the first time. He arrived at 9.00 pm. My aunt pushed her head out the window and told him he could not see me at that hour. He came back at 7.00 pm the next evening. He was welcomed and (as if he was visiting her) she sat in our midst and did all the talking. By the time she was finished with him, being fair-skinned, he was blushing. But she got to know his mother, where he worked, what ‘generation’ he came from, and even his idiosyncrasies. And when he paid subsequent visits, the rules were always the same. His cue to leave was either a clearing of the throat, a loud noise when closing the windows, or the turning of the pointer broom upside down. Sad to say, she did not live to see us get married years after.

A caring heart
A mother does not have to be biological. She could be anyone who cares; a teacher, a passer-by, a mentor, a well-wisher and even a male single-parent. Whatever happened to the caring village mothers of yesteryear, who were brave enough to confront youths when they needed to be confronted, and go all the way to see them through to rehabilitation? We speak of the lack of discipline among youths today -- their outbursts of anger and their disagreements with their parents -- but how are we, as adults, helping them to cope with life’s struggles? And what can be responsible for the deterioration of standards in our society? Is it heartlessness, lack of knowledge and understanding, or downright disobedience to the word of God?

Randolph’s mother had a love for her son and for her intended daughter-in-law. Mother Bestie, though perceived by me in those days as being facetious and interfering, obviously cared for me. That widower in Fuzzy’s life had a mother’s caring heart, not only for his own children but for anyone who was heading in the wrong direction. I did not grow up with my mother, and auntie never had a child of her own, but ‘bless her heart’! She certainly mothered me and many others. It is my prayer that God would once again raise up village mothers like the ones Randolph, Fuzzy and I have known.
Happy Mother’s Day!

Auntie Cum-see, Rebel and Slingshot
for Guyana's 42nd Independence gala in New York
By Tangerine Clarke
Centre. Photos saved as: ‘Auntie Cum-see’, and ‘Impressions’
IN a gallant effort to promote unity among Guyana’s six races, New York-based Guyanese businessman Harry Bissoon will once again bring together a classic multi-ethnic group of performers to celebrate Guyana's 42nd anniversary as an independent nation.

Auntie Cum-See

According to Bissoon, who is hoping that the thoughts behind this year's theme will help bridge the cultural discord that continues to divide the races here in his native land, the cultural presentation will bring together peoples of all races from all across the US to learn about each other's culture and traditions.

The three-hour programme will have as its guests of honour Ambassador Bayney Karran, Consul General Brentnold Evans, and Queens Council member, Leroy Comrie, and will commence with the singing of the national anthem by Almira Brasse.

And as the event draws nigh, excitement is building says the Guyana Day Organizing Committee, which will, for the first time, bring to its stage all the way from Canada, Guyana's most respected character stage performer and spoken word folklorist, Pauline Thomas, better known as ‘Auntie Cum-see’.

Members of The Impressions Dance Theatre.

Also making their debut at the show this year, direct from Guyana, are Young Bill Rogers -- the reigning calypso monarch -- and Bisram Duraj, who will join seasoned campaigners Tony Ricardo, Adrian Dutchin, Miami Calypso Monarch, John ‘Slingshot’ Drepaul and popular Chutney singer, Terry Gajraj to put on quality entertainment.

Crowd-pleaser Geoffrey Phillips, aka ‘The Mighty Rebel’, is also part of the line-up of artistes this year, as are members of The Impressions Dance Theatre, The Nritya Kala Kendra International Dance Academy, and The Natraj Center for the Performing Arts.

Others on the programme include Rose October, Samuel London, Sammy Baksh, the Shri Mahakali Devi Youth Group, Ramdehal and Rudy Ramnarine, Courtney Noel, Yashokamini Seunarine and Sivraj Mahadeo.

Brooklyn-based Akoyah Rudder will evoke memories of the Afro-Guyanese side of our culture with some stirring renditions on the drum, while the Tassa Explosions will in turn mesmerize its audience with the unique sound of the Tassa and Tabla.

For more information, please call Chuck Mohan at 917-697-8142; Aftab Karimullah at 718-323-9792; or Colin Moore at 718-643-0285.

Queen and Eddy Grant to sing for Mandela
QUEEN, Leona Lewis, Annie Lennox and the Soweto Gospel Choir are among the acts that will appear at a concert for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday in June.

According to a BBC report, the former South African president will travel to London for the June 27 event, which will also feature Dame Shirley Bassey, Simple Minds and Razorlight.

Tickets were due to go on public sale Friday for the Hyde Park event which is hoping to attract a crowd of close to 46,664 – reportedly Mandela's old prison number and the name of his Aids charity to which the proceeds from the show will go.

Surprise stars
Organisers have promised further stars on the bill, with "several major artists keeping silent about their involvement in order to take both Mr Mandela and the audience by surprise," the BBC quotes a statement from the show’s organisers as saying.

Eminem, U2, Amy Winehouse and the Spice Girls are among the other acts who have been mentioned in the press.

The other confirmed performers include Sugababes, Andrea and Sharon Corr, Guyanese-born Eddy Grant who was raised in Britain, Italian star Zucchero and Spanish group Amaral. Queen is slated to perform with vocalist Paul Rodgers.

British-born, South African-based pop star, Johnny Clegg is on the bill, as are a number of other African acts including Sipho Mabuse, Loyiso, Papa Wemba and Emmanuel Jal.

There will also be an appearance by The Children of Agape, a choir of Aids orphans who were the subject of the film We Are Together.

According to the report, anyone who registers on the 46664 website before 1800 BST on Tuesday will be able to buy pre-sale tickets from 0900 on Wednesday, before they go on general sale at 0900 on Friday.

It quotes Mandela as saying when the concert was announced: "You all know that I am supposed to be retired.

"But my friends and the charitable organisations that bear my name want to use my 90th birthday year to raise funds to continue our work and so of course I want to help them.

"So, we have a bargain - I am going to London and they will host a concert in Hyde Park, which will raise awareness of our continuing work and much needed funds."

The concert comes 20 years after the landmark spectacle at Wembley Stadium to call for his release from prison and to mark his 70th birthday.

Eurythmics, Sting, Whitney Houston, Simple Minds and Dire Straits were among the stars who performed at that event on June 11, 1988.

Another concert was held at Wembley after Mandela was released two years later.

Mildred Loving, by name and nature
By Norman Faria
Mildred Loving was an American widow who died last Friday in Virginia in the USA.

They fought the case to the Supreme Court level and won, getting their conviction quashed and leading to the removal of laws in other states banning inter-racial marriages.

It all started in the rural community of Central Point in Caroline County in the early 1950s. It was the US south and there was racism to be sure, encouraged by Jim Crow politicians and ill-trained preachers. But people are human, regardless of race.

Teenagers Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving went to different schools and churches but their families, like many poor whites and blacks at the time, knew each other. Mildred and Richard fell in love. But because of the anti-miscegenation (against inter-racial sex) laws in Virginia, they had to travel 80 miles north to Washington (where such unions were legal) to get married. Ironically, though Mildred was of majority black race, she had Amerindian blood (that of the Rappahannock tribe, the native ‘Indians’ who met and welcomed the first European colonists to the area in the 1600s).

The couple returned to Central Point, hoping to live happily as man and wife and raise a family. A few days after settling back in the only hometown they lived in and knew, they were awakened in the middle of the night by Sheriff R Garnett Brooks and his deputies and arrested. The couple pleaded guilty to "cohabiting as man and wife against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth."

Displaying an appalling ignorance of geo-biological historical development, Judge Leon Bazile, in handing down his sentence, noted in part: "Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, Malay and red and placed them on separate continents...the fact that he (God) separated the races shows that he did not intend the races to mix." The law was the Virginia Racial Integrity Act of 1924.

They initially received a one-year sentence, but this was suspended after they agreed to leave the State and stay out for the next 25 years. The Lovings went back to Washington where they were married, and where Richard found work in his field, which was bricklaying. Mildred, undoubtedly informed about the then Civil Rights campaigns to get justice and meaningful freedom for black Americans, wrote in 1964 to the then Attorney General Robert Kennedy.

Robert Kennedy, brother of former US President, the late John F Kennedy, contacted the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) about it. Assisted by the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), the case was brought before the courts, right up to the Supreme Court level. In a 1967 ruling, the highest court in the land, citing the Constitution giving freedom to persons to marry whomever they wanted, threw out the conviction. Equally racist laws were soon removed from the statute books in 17 other States.

The Lovings returned to Virginia where they raised their three children -- Donald, Peggy and Sidney. Sadly, they were to enjoy their wonderful loving relationship for only eight more years. In 1975, a drunk driver crashed his vehicle into theirs. Richard, 41, was killed and Mildred seriously injured. She not only lost her right eye, but was also stricken by arthritis which the doctors say was as a result of the accident. Mildred never remarried and lived in the house Richard built until she passed away last Friday.

Though the Lovings' example helped bring about the removal of racist, undemocratic and cruel legislation and led to more inter-racial unions, Mildred never saw herself as a heroine. She rarely gave press interviews.

She was once quoted as saying: "It wasn't my doing -- it was God's work." Today, things have changed somewhat. There are very few communities in the US and Canada where one doesn't see inter-racial couples and their children. The mixing is still, however, low -only seven per cent of the millions of marriages existing last year were inter-racial. The majority are probably black men marrying white women.

Interracial unions are likely higher, in relative terms, in countries such as Guyana and Trinidad where there are higher proportions of the two main racial groups (Indos and Afros).

Attitudes are changing in the South, said the Lovings' daughter, Peggy in an interview with the New York Times newspaper (June 12, 1992). But there were still some diehard reactionaries (at the time of interview).

Sheriff Brooks, also interviewed, said he still agreed with the anti-miscegenation law he helped enforce. "I would have thought something about it. But with the calibre of those people (Mildred and Richard), it didn't matter. They were both low-class."

Last year, on the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling, Mildred gave a brief statement. Part of it is found on a Wikipedia website titled ‘Loving vs Virginia’ and for which I am indebted for some of the information in this article. She said she had lived long enough "to see big changes."

She continued in part: "Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don't think of Richard and our love, our right to marry and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the 'wrong kind of person' for me to marry."

"I'm still not a political person," she went on, "but I am proud that Richard's and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight, seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving, and loving, are all about."

Mildred, who was 68, had been recently hospitalised with pneumonia. Let us remember Mildred and Richard Loving, and may they rest in peace. (Norman Faria is Guyana's Honorary Consul in Barbados)

Preserving our Literary Heritage
Re-reading ‘They Came in Ships’
By Petamber Persaud
‘THEY Came in Ships’ is an anthology of Indo-Guyanese prose and poetry first published in 1998 by the British-based Peepal Tree Press in conjunction with the Indian Commemoration Trust (ICT) of Guyana.

Both organisations have influenced the development of the literature and culture of this country -- Peepal Tree commenced operation, giving voice to Guyanese writers of Indian ancestry, whilst the ICT, which has its origin in the activities to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians to Guyana from India, is “committed to a programme of publication.” Indeed, the ICT did do a reprint in 1988 of Peter Ruhomon’s ‘Centenary History of East Indians in British Guiana’ to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Guyana.

This anthology of Indo-Guyanese writings was given birth to fill a lacuna; it was felt that the contribution of Indians to the development of Guyana is well-documented, save and except their contribution to society in the Arts. This book maps “the development of an Indo-Guyanese expression in literature, beginning with the Indian theme in the writings of Europeans and others through to the remarkable literary flowering of current times.”

This mapping was no easy task for the editors/compilers, the late Lloyd Searwar, Laxhmie Kallicharan, and Joel Benjamin, and Ian McDonald. In the introduction, it is stated that: “Putting together an anthology is a difficult task, since the anthologist must largely rely on his own judgement, while always aware that his selections will be contested by others. But the anthologist’s task is made even more difficult when the anthology must reflect writings over a very long period”…to combine “quality with representativeness so as to show the evolution of expression from immigration and indenture to the present day.”

Despite the daunting task, the compilers of this volume declared: “We feel confident that this collection reflects, in its many aspects, the Indo-Guyanese contribution to national expression.” And indeed, that document remains an invaluable reference source, especially in the glaring absence of any other such material.

Considering the above, it is clear to see why the book is divided into sections. The sections, numbering six, actually show the development in an engaging manner, and are, namely:

Part 1: In the Eyes of Others; Part 2: the Growth of Self-Awareness; Part 3: Prose fiction; Part 4: Poetry; Part 5: Afterword and Part 6: Bibliography of Indo-Guyanese Imaginative Writing. Sections 1 to 4 are treated with erudite introductions.

In Part 1: In the Eyes of Others, there are samples from the writings of Europeans the likes of Edward Jenkins and J G Pearson who were studying the subject from as far back as the late 19th Century.

Part 2: The Growth of Self-Awareness, is given over mainly to the early Indian intellectuals discussing the issue of identity and loyalty, including the thoughts of Joseph Ruhomon, J A Luckhoo, Robert I Janki, Peter Ruhomon and Ayube Edun. Contributions to this section also came from Cheddi Jagan, S S Ramphal, Rajkumari Singh, Karna Singh, and Jeremy Poynting, proprietor and publisher of Peepal Tree Press.

Part 3: Prose Fiction, includes the work of pioneer Guyanese writers of Indian ancestry like Sheik Sadeek and Peter Kempadoo, along with contemporary practitioners like Sasenarine Persaud and Cyril Dabydeen. The work of two female writers also made this section -- Jan Shinebourne and Narmala Shewcharan.

Part 4: Poetry, features work going all the way back to the first major publication, ‘The Anthology of Local Indian Verse’, published in 1934. This large section, which includes the poetry of some 25 writers, effectively maps the development of poetry by Indians from then to the time of publication.

Part 6: Bibliography of Indo-Guyanese Imaginative Writing, is a crown to this impressive volume of literature. For the first time, such a comprehensive listing of writings by Guyanese of Indian ancestry was published.

All in all, ‘They Came in Ships’ is an invaluable source document. This book is out of print; a reprint (preferably with update from 1998 to 2008) is warranted.

Responses to this author can be made by telephone @ (592) 226-0065, or by e-mail @: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com

Literary update
* Please contact this writer on matters concerning THE LITERARY ARTS for CARIFESTA X, to be staged in Guyana from August 22 to August 31, 2008. Such matters include ‘Book Fairs’, ‘Book Launches’, ‘Readings’, the publication of ‘An Anthology of Caribbean Poetry’, ‘survey’ of 100 best books of the Caribbean and ‘audition’ for performance/dramatic poetry.

American film classics (Part III)
By Terence Roberts
‘HUMORESQUE’ - Warner Bros: 1946. B&W. Directed by Jean Negulesco.
Starring: Joan Crawford, John Garfield, and J Carroll Naish.
MOVIES, past or present, rarely get any better than ‘Humoresque’. Its male star, John Garfield, was one of the most important, profound and gifted Hollywood actors ever to exist. Brando’s social rebellion, and Gable’s productive individualism and ambition are both combined in Garfield’s brilliant humane acting style which reflects balanced physical and mental qualities.

It is John Garfield’s acting fame, made all the more precious because of his early death at 39, that inspired the critical style of character-acting found in great actors like Marlon Brando, James Dean, Montgomery Clift, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Alain Delon, and Marcello Mastroianni. Garfield’s list of unforgettable films and roles are 90% of the highest quality, especially films like: ‘Daughters Courageous’ 1939; ‘Juarez’ 1939; ‘Tortilla Flat’ 1941; ‘Body and Soul’ 1945; ‘Pride of the Marines’ 1945; ‘Force of Evil’ 1947; ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ 1947; and ‘Humoresque’, a film that raised film-making to one of its highest levels, in terms of artistic visual effects, dialogue, and the deepest exploration of human character and the human condition.

One of the obstacles which prevent many great works of art like ‘Humoresque’ from achieving their full public appreciation and understanding, is weak media reportage or review whether in the press or TV, but even Hollywood film studios are just as guilty by trying not to alienate or offend any potential film viewer in their advertisements and press promotions. No one ever dared call ‘Humoresque’ a bad, or even less than outstanding film in the media. However, it was placed in the ‘Film Noir’ category, which immediately suggests it was a crime drama; a film defined by unpleasant, dark, moody, emotional subject matter. Yet, there is no crime, no violence, or no bloodshed in ‘Humoresque’. What really made this film become conveniently categorised as ‘Film Noir’ is its uncompromising honesty, its personal and social truths about ambition, pride, and power. Poverty was not its topic, but rather the unreasonable, desperate, extreme lengths people will go to, in order to avoid or overcome poverty. Countless film masterpieces from 1940s Hollywood awakened and shocked various conventional and academic critics.

They were annoyed that simple works of art could analyse, explore and expose sensitive issues about human behaviour, attitudes and opinions. This resulted in media methods being used to belittle the actual depth and high quality of brilliant 1940s films which were classified in various books on Hollywood as being merely sentimental films about devotion to career, family values, and economic struggles.

Jean Negulesco, for example, the gifted stylish director of ‘Humoresque’, had his career conveniently divided into two periods by one cinema handbook, which said that all his films before cinemascope was invented were his only good ones, while the rest made in colour and cinemascope were forgettable.

Nothing of the sort. Negulesco was one of those rare Hollywood directors who made 31 films, all of which were intelligent, audacious, and exciting, right down to his final wonderfully entertaining last ones, like ‘Boy on a dolphin’, ‘A Certain Smile’, and ‘The Pleasure Seekers’. The truth is, Negulesco was not liked much after directing the masterpiece 1948 film ‘Johnny Belinda’ for Warner Bros, who refused to renew his contract but relented later when the film became a huge success and Negulesco was nominated for an Oscar. But Negulesco refused to return, and went to work instead on brilliant new films like ‘Roadhouse’ for 20th Century Fox. Similarly, Joan Crawford, one of Hollywood’s greatest actresses, whose total films have become a cornerstone of self-analysis and guidance for modern women, found herself defined more as a rebellious feminist rather than the great artist who explored all the highs and lows of personal and social female power in unforgettable roles in precious films like: ‘A Woman’s Face’, ‘I Live my Life’, ‘The Women’, ‘“Daisy Kenyon’, ‘Mildred Pierce’, ‘Possessed’, ‘Johnny Guitar’, and of course, ‘Humoresque’, one of her most smart, perfect pieces of acting.

Garfield lost the most, and was so stressed and black-listed by the House Of Un-American Activities Committee for the stunning socially critical roles he constructed in almost all his films, that he collapsed and died from heart failure at the young age of 39.

Garfield, who grew up among poor black Americans and Latinos in New York, championed the dignity and education of the underdog, and refused to act in Hollywood films where black people had demeaning roles. He was also one of those rare white actors who were invited to give a lecture on the upliftment of the human condition of black Americans at the United Negro College. John Garfield paid a visit to British Guiana in the 1940s as well, which was reported in the Press, and it is recorded that when he stayed at Georgetown’s spacious Park Hotel on Main Street (destroyed by fire in the 1990s) his films were so popular among the Guyanese masses that crowds of men and women gathered on Main Street’s parapet and pedestrian avenue with their bicycles, stylishly dressed in felt hats etc, as Garfield leaned over the Park’s famous long veranda joking and gaffing with them.

Garfield’s film roles usually begin with sharp tense focus and basic human situations. In ‘Humoresque’ he is shown in a penthouse office, well dressed, with two professionals in the concert music business. In the scene before that, we see one of these men stride outside a concert house and paste a narrow sheet of paper on which the word CANCELLED is boldly printed across Garfield’s face. The screen brings Garfield’s face close-up as he speaks, unshaven, barely audible, tense, as though to himself, because something traumatic has just happened to him. Then the film leads us back to his childhood when he chose a violin as a present for himself, provoking dismay and harsh disinterest from his struggling shop-keeping father, but the delight and encouragement of his farsighted liberal mother. As the film progresses, we see him age in vibrant scenes, showing how an artist learns to develop with other artists, struggling on with little or no money.

The beauty of ‘Humoresque’ is the incredibly real, intense discussions and arguments Garfield has with his pianist friend, who introduces him to a posh social Club patronised by a sophisticated, cultured, wealthy, and dictatorial patron played by Joan Crawford and her debonair decadent husband, played by J Carroll Naish. Few films carry such realistic honesty about the isolation and ridicule artists experience when they cannot support themselves, but are dedicated to their art. When Garfield overhears his father complaining about the food he is eating without contributing to the family’s upkeep, it is a touching moment, in this film filled with much humiliation, struggle, ecstatic instrumental music, and success, which leaves you stunned. Most of all, however, it is how the screen becomes a profoundly visual work of art in scene after scene, like few films have ever achieved. When we see Garfield speak and play music for lengthy periods, we cannot believe acting can be this good; this real. In one scene, a playgirl leans on Garfield’s friend’s piano as he plays in the social club, and the way she silently primps her hair as she listens is simply unforgettable.

Garfield’s career takes off when Crawford notices him, loves his playing, and, challenged by his wit, decides to gain the upper hand by guiding his career, introducing him to all the right people, even buying him clothes. Garfield neglects the beautiful young girl-musician who really loves him and falls gradually for Crawford. But something is wrong with her, and she knows it deep inside. For her, love leads to a desire for total power.

‘Humoresque’ is about the resistance of art, the liberating qualities of art as demonstrated by Garfield against obsessive control. Garfield refuses to let his art and career become the underdog and servant of Crawford’s irrational inner need for obedience and submission from him, even though he really loves her. This film is, therefore, a metaphor for the altruistic cultural freedom and liberation the artist, as an individual can offer society. Crawford’s role, on the other hand, from a social viewpoint, is a brilliant exploration and study of a woman’s, or anyone’s, descent into madness, which develops from the impossibility of controlling another’s response to one’s demands. Crawford’s behaviour is a model of historical human responses to various abominable tragic acts committed by race against race, and culture against culture in history. The mentality of historical victims, or rather some of their descendants, aware, for example, of genocide against Native American Indians, African slavery, the Jewish Holocaust etc, can entertain a gradual madness built by quite logical means such as a prolonged obsessive brooding on irreversible traumatic events, or historical topics, in the remote or recent past.

‘Humoresque’ is a beautiful stylish exploration of psychological illness, or the breakdown of emotional stability usually leading up to extreme reactions like violence, murder, suicide. The beauty of the film exists in its endless carefully arranged scenes framed like complex magical Baroque paintings on the screen. Crawford lifts a glass designed with diamond patterns which sparkle at her lips as diamantes flicker on her dress. She throws her cocktail glass into a window framed with Baroque curves, and makes a perfect circle of broken glass, which is impossible. The circle we really see is the zero she feels herself to be, on the other side of the window from which she looks at us.

The relentless silver waves crashing on the beach, foaming in patterns, are held for minutes by the camera, bathing us in the music and divinity of the world, which draws Crawford towards what seems her salvation, not the self-destructive act which will be like her last extreme effort to implicate Garfield’s artistic dedication as the reason for her unhappiness.

As I said at the start, the film is not about gangsters, violence, nor crime as in many Film Noirs. The ‘crime’ that this film investigates is the fall into human life, original sin, or whatever you want to call it; the human condition which no historical act will perfect or repair, since humans will always, forever and ever, create or find something else to be bitterly discontented about.

So, do we despair? Is everything already lost? No, it never is for Garfield, and in the final scene, he walks out the office we see at the film’s beginning, into the totally deserted, wet late-night streets of the city, his hands in his pockets, like a simple man into the imperfect human condition, because his art, his music, has been his salvation . It can be ours too, via this beautiful totally artistic and unforgettable 1940s film which brings us back to the creative sanity art can offer as one of its functions, for those who want it.

Student diagnosis and placement in schools
By P S Thakur, Ph D
Introduction
Placement in schools depends, to great extent, on the objectives, criteria and instruments used. So far our placement procedures are ill-defined and relatively unrefined. The single test such as the Caribbean Entrance Examination (CXC) and the former Secondary School Entrance Examination (SSEE) are quite inadequate and lack reliability as assessment tools. Too often also schools or the system have failed to specify program foundation. The teacher then is hampered, if not prevented, from affecting accurate placement. More use should be made of cumulative records, academic grades, etc. so as to locate the "best fit". The strengths and weaknesses of the students are not easily determined and so we play a guessing game. However, because students must be instructed some (or any) diagnosis and placement is employed.

Placement is the process of identifying the stage or point when and where students' instructions should begin in a program. The aim is to ensure efficient future learning. It is a vital mediating process between diagnosis and instruction. The information obtained from placement data can determine strengths and weaknesses. It can help to determine curriculum materials and pedagogy. Placement differs from selection and classification. Classification involves two or more criteria, e.g. where an individual in the police force or business is assigned a different job or training. Placement is biased on a single score, e.g. college placement score, and it is often done with one or more predictions with single or multiple criteria. By examining a different battery of scores one can predict if a trainee will be a good math scholar or a better science student.

Psychological tests come in different forms and they help to profile our individual socio-emotional traits. Intelligence tests are groups of aptitude tests viz. numerical aptitude, verbal aptitude, spatial aptitude, etc. An aptitude test is an area of intelligence with a specialized ability, knowledge or skill. Such specialized areas are mathematical aptitude, verbal aptitude, mechanical aptitude, etc. Each of these tests must have acceptable validity and reliability. Validity is the purpose or aim for which the test was designed. Each test is constructed for a special purpose. A test designed to predict future performance (such in high school) must have predictive validity. Reliability is the consistency with which the test or tests measure a particular trait, even with the lapse of time. These tests are different from achievement tests; tests where teachers give their students to find out if they have learned the materials taught. While it is not appropriate quite often teachers use achievement tests to predict high school, college or later performance. Why use a hammer to cut a piece of wood when a saw is more appropriate. The problem often is that teachers are not trained in these areas of testing.

Diagnosis and future placements are all testing only a small sample of behavior when the greater the number of items employed would come closer to help prediction. Diagnosis is the testing present of conditions or behaviors that has the potential to measure capacity or future performances. This is only done with an empirical tryout. "Diagnosis" is a Greek word that means "to discern" or "to distinguish". It was used to mean investigating a disease. "Di" means two and "gnosis" means "to know" and thus literally means "more to know the separate parts". It is an attempt to analyze the parts of behaviors. The aim of such practice is to correct or deal with the problem of learning and teaching. The aim of the diagnosis is to remedy the situation. By implication the word "diagnosis" is to help in placement. However, present behavior is used to predict future ones. These tests help to establish norms, to determine what is the average and those above and those below the norm. Such tests are also used for clinical purposes, to classify children with certain abnormal conditions, e.g. mental retardation or communication disorders.

Problems
Over present tests are not designed to yield placement information. They merely reflect a student's achievement in relationship to a group norm. These tests may have content validity but little predictive validity. While the former is estimated to determine present conditions, the latter is aimed at future performance. Besides, information gathered from these tests comes from a limited range of skills - viz. verbal and numerical. Even the verbal and math tests are often regulated. As a result, poor students do very poorly and "high flyers" do very well with little discrimination of aptitude or ability. Little information is gathered below or above the grade level assessed by the test. Further, these tests do not measure deficiencies but weakness and thus do not provide the data needed to remove or prevent the deficiencies. As a result, the teacher guesses where the student should be placed and he waits to see the results. Quite often students are crushed or lost in the program. Selection is where students are accepted or rejected. Screening is a form of rough selection.

Benefits
There are numerous benefits to efficiently diagnosis and placement. When students are correctly placed there is greater probability of learning. This is done because there is more accuracy in understanding the skill base. This is the collection of program skills that a student has previously mastered and can master or apply to a higher level of difficulty. The more efficient the placement the more probable the student will be able to apply prior learning to the new skills. Where errors are made in the placement a teacher may be able to adjust. Another important factor in effective placement is the identification of skill weakness. In some instances the skill weakness may be single or a group. In such instances the child may not fail but there is consistent mediocre performance and there seems to be no explanation.

A third importance in the placement is the elimination of extraneous factors from the teacher's consideration when instructing students. A student wrongly place may cause a breakdown in the learning process, even when a motivated teacher and an efficient lesson is presented. Learning often is built on prior learning and when there are gaps, the efficiency will break down. In mathematics the first four rules of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are basic and must be mastered. Gaps in any of these four rules may hinder the application of these rulers to a higher learning order. A fourth importance is the establishing of instructional groups. With proper placement students may be grouped more efficiently according to their strengths and weaknesses. Learning then becomes more efficient and the work of the teacher is made easier. Where students are placed often depends on the program to be administered. Different techniques may be needed with different ability groups and proper sequence may be established. Another useful result of efficient placement is the appropriate selection of materials suitable to meet the needs of the individuals or groups. Slower learners may need more visual or hands-on learning. Time may be saved when students are placed, suitable materials selected and students learn more efficiently. The end product in this all is that the student is efficiently guided from one step to the other.

Curriculum
Sequencing of the curriculum materials. Apart from the location and use of appropriate materials the teacher can move at a pace that is suitable to the group or individuals:

establishing a base skill movement from one level to another redeeming value of the skill at any time in the program the suitability of the materials to the teacher for a particular skill or skills.establishing appropriate assessment levels and procedures

The sequencing must be tied to flexibility and to allow for individual differences, the pace at which children will learn; not only as individuals but as groups. Too often only lip service is given to this ideal because of too much opposition to change from an established system and experienced and entrenched educators.

Designing Effective Instructional Systems
The two most important criteria for effective placements are the development of program foundations and criterion-reference tests (based on its criteria or objectives).

(a) The aim of a placement program is to help teachers to link student diagnostic scores to the program foundation. These are to be specific to help determine

the students' strengths or weaknesses. Teacher should not guess the location of the program skills or it will adversely affect instructions.

Criterion reference tests. This is when the children are evaluated based on the group performance. In this instance, it is the skills to be learned, instructional format, program offerings, etc. The appropriate content of the curriculum is judged from the group performance.

Placement parameters. Each system may develop its own parameters for placing students. There are points, for example, where students should not be placed. The aim is to reduce student failure because of misplacement and to increase probability of passes. It may be used to develop a set of criteria or conditions before the test is administered.

Placement parameters may be hierarchical or cyclical where one skill is built on another with a sequence. A child will then move to a higher level of competency. Learning is often built in units with mastering of one and then to the next. There is no movement if a pre-determined number of skills are not mastered. The degree of stringency and flexibility must be considered by teachers and test designers. The more restrictive the placement parameters, the less chance there will be of over placement. Similarly, undue stringency may mean under placement.

Conclusion
The issues of psychological testing has long been a controversy, especially to children of minorities and the disadvantaged. Because much resides with tests scores, parents and teachers are understandably cognizant. They are used for placement in colleges, to determine scholarships and educational diagnosis. Over the years the instruments have become more sophisticated and while some are calling to end its abuse, others are asking not to throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater. Our psychometricans, psychologists and teachers need to become more skillful in the use of diagnostic and placement of evaluative tools. It is the way to become more systematic and efficient in adequate diagnosis test and proper placement of our students.

This week on Merundoi
THIS year’s Mother’s Day is being celebrated in Merundoi with a grand Take-away Lunch & Lime at the Community Centre. Monica is the chief ‘cook and bottle-washer’ and is ably supported by Lawrence, Rosie and Boy-O.

Devine surprises Monica and Lawrence by volunteering her services and starts to bond with Monica, much to Lawrence’s relief.

Sunita comes down from Wakenaam to spend the day with Bibi and is quite upset at Anil’s disrespect towards his mother.

Dinah is determined to show her love for her daughter, seeing that it’s Mothers’ Day, but when June arrives to collect her lunches, the atmosphere becomes decidedly chilly. This enrages Lucille who decides there and then she’s going to settle this thing with Dinah once and for all.

Rhonda tries her best to communicate with Unique, who is rather withdrawn at the Lunch, and is advised by Aubrey who calls to wish her a Happy Mothers’ Day!

Ah tell yuh, is real bacchanal down deh!

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