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Monday, September 25, 2006

Meeting

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Chaconia, the national flower of T & T
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There will be an important Greenlight meeting this Thursday 28 September from 6:00 p.m. sharp at Glen's house, 21 Lyndon Street, Curepe. We will be discussing our present state of being and our immediate steps forward. Please try to attend.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Beauty and the Beast Exhibition

Dear Greenlights,

This Saturday 23 September, 2006 ... the Rights Action Group invites us to come down to the Chatham Camp (anti smelter) for a day of solidarity, conversation, creativity, performances, etc. with the residents of the area. Those of you who have never been to the southwestern peninsula, it is worth the drive. You'll understand in a much deeper way why these people are fighting so hard to protect their beautiful living space from ALCOA and the other industrial giants that want to 'set up shop'.

CAPTURING THE ESSENCE
As Greenlights, we project our messages through creative missions. The idea is that anyone coming on Saturday will bring a camera and capture things or moments that you find 'beautiful'. Please don't feel shy or intimdated or that you have to be 'a real' photographer to be a part of this. We want as many people as possible, with honest, heartfelt images of their experiences on the day. Out of the photos you take, choose one which you find the most moving or impactful, develop it to as large a size as possible (e.g. 8 x 12 is a good enough average size) and each of these pieces will be exhibited as a collective (details of venue, etc. to follow). Inevitably the pieces will reflect the 'beauty' of the area - however you choose to define beauty, whether it be in literal or abstract terms. Invite as many people as you want to come down and be a part of this venture. More people = more solidarity, more photos, more impact.

THE EXHIBITION
The name of the exhibition (working title): BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. We all know who 'THE BEAST' is ... but many people do not know 'THE BEAUTY'. The mission is to expose THE BEAUTY to a wider national audience by taking it out of Chatham in artistic form, through the travelling exhibition pieces. Through this artistic projection we can be informative about the struggle in a different way. (N.B. Those who prefer to 'capture' the beauty as a painting or drawing may also do so).

TRANSPORT TO GO DOWN TO CHATHAM
Those who wish to go may do so on their own or can choose to drive in convoy/ or car pool. If interested, please e-mail for further details and directions.

Monday, September 04, 2006

"I DO 2" trailer (literally)

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Click here to see a short video clip of the I DO 2 bride as she takes her first steps onto the streets of Arima on the morning of Saturday 2 September, 2006.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

I DO 2 - photo recap

This time around it felt like a real wedding. The "bride's" mother was fussing over her early in the morning, people were running late, some cancelled, a bouquet had to hurriedly be made by Terscha's (the bride) mother who happens to be a florist.
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Terscha helps her mother with the bouquet, crafted from an assortment of rubbish.
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Upon arrival in Arima
After a slightly later than anticipated start, we reached to Arima. The small entourage accompanied the bride along the designated route: From corner Queen & Sorzano Streets, Arima, down Queen, past the dial to the market and back up to Sorzano via the other block. We were joined along the way by a few other Greenlights and friends.
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Terscha's footwear made a fashion statement and kept her comfortable on her bridal trek
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Trying to find some shade.
It was a really hot day ... and it couldn't have been easy walking in that hot, heavy dress.
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The trail. By the time we reached the market, not many bottles were left.
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The bouquet
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Note the garbage in the drain. We stood here for a while talking to some people. During this time one of the women from the stores came and swept up the rubbish and put it in a bin. Talk about instant impact.
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Photos courtesy Elspeth
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GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
PUBLIC SUGGESTIONS
Generally the vibe in Arima was different from that in POS. Apart from having a different bride, different entourage of people, etc., the people seemed to be more interested in the idea and what was going on. Very many of them offered useful suggestions which we will incorporate the next time. Some of these included:
1. Have a sound system (e.g. megaphone) announcing her arrival, what she represents, reciting the pledge, etc.
2. Print the pledge to give to people along with Greenlight contact information for those who want to join
3. Have a bigger entourage to accompany the bride, along with music ( incidentally we were planning to have a rhythm section using rubbish items like tin cans and bottles. This will be incorporated in the next stint).
4. One man pointed out that awareness is one thing ... but people need bins in order to throw their garbage away. he was making a good point. There were hardly any bins ... but that doesn't mean the drain should act as a substitute.
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IRATE CITIZEN
A few people seemed to be not too taken with the idea of a bride walking on the sidewalk dragging bottles behind her. They either sucked their teeth and moved on when we explained what we were doing or simply cast disdainful looks as they passed us. One woman, perhaps not looking where she was going, tripped over the bottle trail and began shouting. Part of her brief tirade included: "What is dis?! CARIFESTA?!!!" (Well, actually we have discussed letting the bride make an apperance or two at selected CARIFESTA events)
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NOT AS DIRTY
Arima is not as dirty as POS. By the time we had finished the walk, the hem of the dress was only slightly dirty ... as opposed to when Gab did it (it was black).
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TRINI TIME
The police never turned up. They called as we were well on our way back home to ask where we had reached and to announce that their men had reached to work late. Oh well. (gayelle couldn;t make it, but ...) one of the TV stations called around the same time as the police to find out where we were! "We are on our way home ..." Did they both think we meant "Starting time 8:00 p.m.?"
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Special thanks to:
Mother Nature for great weather.
All who braved the hot sun and traffic to be a part of it.
Members of the public who participated and showed interest.
Terscha for playing the bride/Environment.
Terscha's mum for making the bouquet.
Glen for transporting the entourage.
Terscha's friends/relatives for letting us park in their yard.
Chanzo for the pistachios.