QUEENS COLLEGE THE PERCY E. SUTTON SEEK PROGRAM SEEK STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER Volume 3, Issue 1 Tuesday, April 9th, 2013 INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES A Political Profile of Janet Jagan By Ashleigh Rashid Janet Jagan was the daughter Guyana's government was of a Jewish family living in Chicago. controlled by the British. The She was born on October 20, 1920. British feared that Janet and Cheddi's Her life took a turn of events when political ideas could over throw the she met Cheddi Jagan. Janet became British control of the country. Janet influential in a foreign country after and her husband spent time in jail Delany Hallway 2012 she married Cheddi Jagan. Both because of their growing political Photograph by Marie-Ann Saldanha Jagans' were involved in Guyana's ideas gaining support. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: political struggles during the 1940's. When Guyana finally won During this time Guyana was independence from the British in HISTORICAL PROFILES 1-2 not an independent country and con- 1966, the PPP was replaced by PNC flicts rose amongst the Indian Guya- and governed by Forbes Burnham NON-FICTION ESSAYS 2-3 nese and Afro Guyanese. Many labor- for twenty five years. After Burn- ers were not being treated fairly MEDIA AND 3-4 ham ran the country poorly, Janet's ENTERTAINMENT which resulted in Mrs. Jagan becom- husband, Cheddi, became president ing involved in Guyana's labor strug- and she became the first lady in of- UPCOMING CAMPUS 4 EVENTS gles. Cheddi and Janet Jagan served fice. in Guyana's first multi-racial political UPCOMING EVENTS party, the People's Progressive Party After her husband died, she (PPP). She was the first woman to made history by becoming the coun- hold high positions in Guyana's polit- try's first woman president. Later on, April 10 —SEEK Priority she suffered a mild stroke she ical system. Registration stepped down from office and died Some of these position in- in 2009 at the age of 88 . Janet Jagan cluded being the first woman to be is an important figure because April 17— SEW Session 6 elected in Georgetown City Council, through the country’s developing FREE HOUR serving as the general secretary of times she fought for the foreign low- PPP and minister of labor, health and er class people. She connected with April 22— SEW Session 6 housing. Guyana's government was the people and tried to help the coun- controlled by the British. try strive for success. ¤ FREE HOUR PAGE 2 SEEK STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER Inspiration from Guyana The Pancho Villa I Know: A Historical Profile By Bheshan Persaud By Lois Muñoz Guyana is the land of many “A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found a thousand, waters. It is located on the north but an accomplished one might not be found even among hundred thousand men.” –Plato coast of South America and boarder of Brazil, Suriname and Venezuela. Pancho Villa is a perfect example of this quote. Pancho Guyana is the one of the few Villa was the epitome of a courageous folk hero for the indigenous countries in South America that the people of Mexico. Villa possessed strong, courageous and helpful official language is English. qualities and traits that deemed him a hero of the people. However, many individuals don’t agree with all of Villa’s actions and tactics. I was born in Guyana and In spite of Villa’s bandit nature he would always be remembered while I was in Guyana a person that as a heroic leader. I looked up to was former president Bharrat Jagdeo, because he was one Pancho Villa was a Mexican revolutionary leader who the world’s youngest head of advocated for the poor. He became an important figure to my government when he first got elect- parents and the people of Mexico because of his effort to help his ed to office in 1999 at the age of 35. people and fight for his country. Although Pancho Villa was a I still look up to him because this bandit, people looked up to him. He fought for equal treatment of showed me that if you work hard those who were poor and forgotten. In addition, fought to unify and follow your goals you can do Mexico and bring back pride and nationalism. He helped the indigenous people of Mexico gain freedom and a voice in the great things. government. Many of the poor didn’t speak Spanish but dialects. Former President Jagdeo Also, weren’t aware of laws and the politics. One particular event first entered public service at the that made him stand out was around the year of 1910 when his young age of 13 when he joined the main focus was to help the poor gain more resources such as wool People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and food. He was considered a modern day Robin Hood. His heroic traits and his power to help his community made him stand after which he later rose to leader of out the most to me. ¤ the PPP. In 1993, he was appointed junior minister of finance and in 1995 he was promoted to senior Non-fiction Essays minister of finance. On August 9,1999, Jagdeo was appointed to the Cultural and Political Perspectives office of Prime Minister because Traditional China when the then president, Janet Jagan, said that she would be re- By Yuli Lin signing from office due to her China was a completely feudal country in the past. health the prime minister was the People had no power to decide who they wanted to marry and only successor. And on August 11, women were less powerful than men. However, both men and 1999 he became the president and women did not have any say in their marriage. Marriage was ar- my greatest influence. ¤ ranged by parents, or the couple had to obey the matchmaker. I was listening to the elderly, and women chat. On day after in came home from Junior High School, I saw a group of peo- ple gathered chatting at the gate. Naturally, I stopped on the walk home, and joined them to listen. They were talking about a tragic VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 PAGE 3 Traditional China cont’d... Media and Entertainment story in the past. The protagonist of the story was the A Slice of ‘Pi’ for Director Ang Lee grandmother of my friend, so I was more interest- ed in it. A couple of lovers just fell in love, and really Enyu Chang loved each other. Sadly, they grew up in different I am a Taiwanese; my family and I came backgrounds. from Taiwan to the United States in the year of The girl was daughter of a landowner, but the 2008. A Taiwanese director, by the name of Ang boy had nothing. Of course, their family did not Lee, just recently won the Oscar award for the match. After the girl’s parent realized that their best director of the film “Life of Pi” (2012). He is daughter loved a poor boy, they quickly found a per- also the first person of Asian descent to win an son that matched their family background to be their Oscar award. Ang Lee also won many interna- daughter’s husband. Certainly, the pair of lovers tional awards for the films he directed: broke up. “Brokeback Mountain” (2005) and “Crouching The woman spent her whole life with a per- Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000). However, his life son she did not love, and the man never looked for as a director was not always so prosperous. another woman again. The reason that the groups of Lee was born in Pingtung, the southern women gather to talk about the history of the man region of Taiwan, on 23 October 1954. He was was because he died on that day. I appreciate that I not a good academic student, and he actually live in our current time, and have no restrictions.¤ failed the exam for Taiwan’s College/University Entrance Examination two times. Finally, he entered National Taiwan University of Arts, a college for professional training of arts such as drama. Lee came to the United States in 1978 My Perspective on Karimov and studied film production at New York Univer- By Daniel Yusupov sity. However, after he graduated from NYU, he did not receive any directing jobs and was subse- quently unemployed for six years. Nevertheless, I was born in Uzbekistan. My family and I he did not give up his dream of being a director moved to the United States in 2003. When I first and he continued gathering new ideas for movies. learned of the American government I was confused Eventually he got a chance to direct a film because it sounded really complex and confusing. “Pushing Hands” in 1992. He continued to direct Over time I really learned to appreciate the American films and had obtained great success with many government, mainly because of checks and balance of them, which culminated in his Oscar for “Life system. of Pi”. In Uzbekistan, President Karimov This is a very significant thing about Lee; acts like he is a democrat but he is actually a after an intense competition between many great tyrant. He has been the president since 1989. I think directors for Lee to have won the Academy that he is actually preventing Uzbekistan from reach- Award for best director was and is an historical ing its full potential. One reason why the United event for Taiwanese people. No Asian director States is successful is because people have the power had ever won this outstanding Award before him.