In December, Jemima Chottu was awarded the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport for her poem “Guyana the Fighter”, a spoken word piece she wrote following the arrival of the pandemic last year.
That, along with the effects of Guyana’s general elections, last year went far from normal and Guyanese put more than double the effort to find stability in their lives. This prompted Jemima to cap off the piece on the events and for Guyana who never gives up. The poem featured on National Poetry Network’s World Poetry Day, which was celebrated on March 21st.
Jemima was sexually abused at the age of seven, and her abuser was a woman. Instead of letting that tragic experience take her on a downward spiral like many other abused women or letting her remain secret, Jemima channeled the pain into writing poetry. She was 12 when she found this way of expressing herself and pouring her heart out through her pen.
“When I was sexually abused, I was scared that told me I wasn’t good enough or fit to do anything in this world. But that didn’t make me give up … My parents and sisters have [also] has been my motivation for writing poems…, ”says Jemima.
Another of her biggest supporters was her former English teacher Jamin Hatton, who always encouraged Jemima to write. He always referred to her as his best student, she shared.
The oldest of five daughters, Jemima did lots of fun things with her sisters and parents while growing up. Many of her greatest adventures came through the books she read. She was 11 when she first read Shakespeare and she continually returns to her writings when she needs inspiration. Shakespeare is one of her two inspirations; the second is the English poet John Milton, whose book he found in the huge library of his late grandfather, the Rev. Chandradat Chottu. It was one of his favorite places to be, a book worm. One of his favorite books, says the novel Pyramids.
Her late grandfather, he said, was a very literate man, who grew up in a plantation village and was of a Hindu background. He was said to be a great mentor in literature and a great spokesperson. “[He] an inspiration, a walking legend in literature, it was a masterpiece of its own, ”remembered Jemima fondly.
A patriot, the 22-year-old poet loves to write poems on politics, Guyana, women’s rights, love and social issues.
Jemima said she admires Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who is her role model and inspiration. Some time ago, she wrote a poem about him entitled “Son of the Horizon” in which she assumes the former president is a “warrior of peace and integrity” and a “champion of the earth” as well as her hero. One of her poems usually takes an hour to complete but this particular piece took her several days.
“Beauty of the mind, expression of heart and words of wisdom to the ears,” he said of poetry.
Jemima is also a social media personality who uses online platforms to educate the public about Guyana’s history as well as trending social topics. A theology student, Jemima sometimes shares the word of God through videos.
Writing, she says, is not difficult for her, adding that her best writing comes through her emotional pieces. Every now and again, like any other writer, Jemima is challenged by a writer’s block and her best way to fix this is to sleep on it before it’s all gone again.
As a social media personality and poet, the internet plays a central role in her life as it is about choosing a topic to talk about or write about. He is also resourceful for researching the topics he chooses to talk about.
Jemima hopes that her pieces help someone escape the burdens of their life or get them motivated to want a better life for themselves. Whether as entertainment or information, Jemima hopes to touch people’s lives and bring them hope.
She is currently writing a piece on women’s rights. Aside from wishing to become more advanced in her writing, Jemima hopes to become a great leader and role model for other young women one day.
In her free time, a former Hope High School student enjoys acting, dabbling in freelance journalism and spending time with her family. She also likes to listen to music, sing, go on adventures and help other women.
The poet can be followed on Facebook at Jemima Chottu (Nadia theboss)
Guyana the Fighter
Guyana the fighter,
This is my homeland,
Free country,
Country of six ethnic groups,
A country of democracy.
Guyana the fighter,
Be it a battle against
The COVID monster 19,
Or be it a struggle for Independence,
This is the land of the Patriots,
The land called El Dorado.
Although COVID 19 tried
Invasion of the world,
Guyana will fight this monster
With her strength and her people
The land of colors,
A country of unity,
The land of love,
The bread basket,
This is the land of the free.
Guyana the fighter,
In the ring with COVID
Or war,
She never abandons a battle,
For these two undertakers,
Guyana’s golden country,
Land of many waters,
Golden Arrowhead Country,
Will the survivor always,
I love you Oh Guyana El Dorado
Guyana the fighter.
Son of the Horizon (quote)
From the grassy fields of the plantation,
Raising the son of the horizon,
Unity, Unity, From a beautiful place
You’ve grown a young warrior
From this beautiful El Dorado.
This brave warrior thirteen innocent,
Joins the red freedom fighters,
They know little about the lion inside,
Rising from the grassy fields to the
Red capital ‘P’ son of the horizon,
Jobs again with the package,
Yet I have a lion’s heart inside,
Time horizon …