Interview with Guyanese Activist and Blogger Alysia Simone

SELECTA!!! Pull up di Chune!

REWIND AND COME AGAIN....

e hear our favorite local and international Reggae and Soca Djs/Vjs and sound systems use this term when the song “dem so sweeeeeet”, that it needs to be stopped and played from the beginning one more time! We, the people, "get on" so bad to the gesture of a "PULL UP" OR "REWIND AND COME AGAIN" it instantaneously takes the FETE, Jam, 'BASHMENT' or Dance to a whole different level!

Taking not only CARIBBEAN AMERICAN CULTURE to a "Higher Level" with one of my new favorite blogs, RACA (rewindandcomeagain.com) 'American Born, Caribbean Bred' Editor In Chief, the dedicated and multi-faceted, Miss Alysia Simone. Alysia, on top of having one of the most beloved and captivating blogs on the Net, also serves as project manager to international Guyanese Youth Art program, The WITNESS PROJECT (www.witnessprojectinternational.com), beckoning Guyanese youth to practice amnesty in their communities by taking their favorite artistic hobbies and turning them into activities that not only keep them and inspire their peers to stay out of trouble but enables them to be the ones to change not only their local GT area, but the Caribbean and the world.

I, encourage and challenge you to be inspired by this Q & A, as a personal WITNESS, I know you will be moved to check out not only her pages and projects, but probably to the closest Guyanese restaurant or friends' house as she shares her FAVORITE in her GT homeland cuisine and places to #jumpinthecab and LIME (hang out) in NYC!

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HAHA, I love that name, REWIND AND COME AGAIN! Where did you come up with this name, how does it apply to your blog?

In the 90's, there was an audio clip that selectas (DJs) would play that called out this phrase. So while spinning at a party. the selecta would drop a hot track and everyone would lose their minds. He'd then cut the music, play this clip, then drop the track again. Everyone in the dance would go wild! Yelling, jumping, banging on the walls. It was sheer madness and I loved it! Whenever I think of my youth, I always hear this phrase playing in the background. So when I started my blog, which began as an online diary of sorts, it was a no-brainer that I'd use this phrase as its title.

You have an amazing initiative working with Guyanese youth, what is it called and give us the inside SCOOP & what are the services.

For going on four years now, I've been a volunteer project manager for WITNESS Project(witnessprojectinternational.org), a youth arts initiative based in Guyana but with a small team here in New York. Our mission is to use the arts to change the culture of violence in Guyana and throughout the Caribbean. We started with a poster project done in conjunction with the global art project Inside Out (insideoutproject.net) and have since grown since.

In our second year we had a weekly youth page, WE SEE, in the leading Guyanese newspaper, Stabroek News, that ran for one year. In our third year the youth wrote, filmed and directed a short film about family violence that won an honorable mention in the Paul Robeson Awards at the Newark Black Film Festival and will also be screened at the Belize International Film Festival in July. This year the kids are filming two PSAs that address street harassment and are launching a youth blogging program.

I'm blown away by what these youth has accomplished. They are an amazing group of kids that will change the face of the Guyana and the Caribbean in the coming years.

Why do you think the ARTS is just important as academics?

Pure academics equip you with the skills needed to build a life for yourself. But the an arts education equips you with the skills to fully participate in and truly enjoy the life that you have built. The arts encourage out of the box thinking and creative approaches to situations. It also enables people with a way to access and express their thoughts and emotions that they may not otherwise be able to do. To truly enjoy this life, it's important to become a multi-faceted person and the arts is one way that that can be achieved.

What, other than your own Caribbean culture that intrigues you and why.?

I'm a huge bookworm. Sci-fi and Fantasy are my favorite genres (Game of Throne anyone?), though I'll read almost anything. As a kid, I used to ask for books for Christmas instead of toys. Reading is like entering another world for me. I still remember my mother asking me why I buy books. Why don't I go to the library. My books (yes, real books not the digital versions) are some of my most treasured possessions. They're like old friends who I visit with over and over again.

What's the most proudest you've felt as a Guyanese woman?

It was during the first year of WITNESS project. When our poster project was complete, the youth was publicly recognized by the founder of the Inside Out project, the French artist, JR. To know that this international powerhouse in the art world saw what we were doing and personally took the time to congratulate the kids on their work was amazing.

What are a few of your favorite dishes from GT?

#1 is Pepperpot. It's a dark brown Amerindian stew that gets its color and flavor from Casreep. You can eat it with rice, but it's best with bread (Wonderbread white bread is my favorite to eat it with - that's my American side showing LOL). It's generally only made on Easter and Christmas. I'm determined to learn to make it this year so I can have it whenever I want.

I love curry with Dal Puri. In particular curry duck, which I've only ever had when visiting Guyana. The curry chicken is a close second, but there's something about the taste of duck. And plain Roti is good, but the split pea filling of the Puri makes it extra yummy.

Last but not least is Cheesstraw, a pastry made of cheese, flour and butter. And not just any Cheesestraw. My mother's Cheesestraw is the best, hands down. That's another recipe I'm going to learn to make this year.

Where are your favorite places to LIME in NY?

I don't go out too often. I'm very much a homebody, preferring quiet times with friends at home or in a backyard somewhere. But every couple of weeks I does feel to get up and out so you might find me at Mangoseed Restaurant in Brooklyn. The food is amazing. Plus, I love the backyard area to chat with during the summers.

Franklin Park, also in Brooklyn, for lunch with friends is cool. I found out recently that they have a pretty cool party scene on some weekends. Very diverse crowd and good music.

And of course “my go” to sushi spot, Cherin on East 6th in the city. My crew and I hit it up every few weeks for the evening special. It's small but a great spot to chat and hang. Plus, it's BYOB. Can't go wrong with that.

And when I just want to dance, I head to Bob's Bar in the LES. I wish they would expand, it's way too small to dance properly, but the DJ is amazing! Kills it every time.

Take a breath... You close your eyes... open them back up... You are on a plane about touchdown in GUYANA. What's the first thing that comes to your mind, (in one word)...

Beautiful.

By: SharLisa Peterson