Honorary Guyanese Consulate to Barbados Norman Faria Passes Away

by ERIC SMITH

ALMOST EVERYTHING HE UNDERTOOK he did passionately, whether it was sailing and fishing, journalism, or speaking out in defence of the voiceless.

Norman Richard Faria, who passed away yesterday at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital following a brief illness, became a household name in recent years as he defended the interests of Guyanese in Barbados. Up to the time of his death, Faria, a Barbadian, was the Honorary Consul of Guyana.

Keith Arno, president of the Guyana Association of Barbados Inc., said yesterday: "On behalf of the association, we regret the passing of Mr Faria. He was a strong advocate of Guyanese in Barbados," adding that he was a loyal representative of the Guyana government since he took up duties in 1992. His position often aggrieved many, but he stood his ground.

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Latin America warns about immigration at EU summit

MADRID -- Argentina's president (pictured to the right) urged the EU on Tuesday not to discriminate against immigrants from Latin America, saying it was easy to make them scapegoats during times of crisis.

Cristina Fernandez Kirchner's comments marked a somewhat discordant note at the opening of a summit between the European Union and countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Kirchner said wealthy European countries often treat immigrants as "the enemy."

She noted that Argentina had a history of welcoming people from Europe during hard times.


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"Do So!" is the new Caribbean pose - Trini style

Gabrielle Jamela Hosein is a feminist, activist, poet and Lecturer at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.

By Gabrielle Jamela Hosein
The 2010 Trinidad and Tobago general election campaign is worth remembering for several reasons. It is the first campaign where an attack on the glass ceiling is being seriously waged, and where the nation may make history by electing a female, Indian Prime Minister. It is the first time in Trinidad’s post-independence history that a coalition of four political parties and a union are battling for power on a unified platform, fully aware that the population is still hurting from cleavages in the 1986 coalition government of the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR). Finally, it is the first time since 1956 that a People’s National Movement (PNM) government has collapsed so quickly, with no explanation by the Prime Minister, so early in its term. Yet, by far, the most memorable thing about this election, and its campaigns, is ‘the Villafana.’ Caribbean people everywhere will love this story. The Villafana is a pose. It has become a dance. It is a symbol that needs no words. The ‘massive’ at rallies enact it simultaneously, making Jamaica’s choreographed passa passas look small and scraggly. It is inspiration for an exceptional Caribbean-style take-off on the Obama campaign slogan, ‘Yes We Can.’

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30 years of immigration issues

OUR IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT last month marked its 30th anniversary as a stand-alone institution in an environment far different since it ceased being an appendage of the Royal Barbados Police Force.

Over that time, the department has had to face its share of challenges as the nation's growth and development brought with them increasingly complex issues of national, regional and international dimensions.

That first generation of issues would have severely tested the resilience of the department, called upon in recent years to play an increasingly vital role in safeguarding Barbados' national security and sovereignty. These have been relentlessly threatened by such nefarious forces as the illegal drugs trade, money laundering, terrorism, illegal firearms, human trafficking and other seamy and dangerous aspects of modern life.

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