Shana Yardan (10 April 1943 – 2 November 1989) was a Guyanese poet and broadcaster, whose work contributed to wider understanding of experiences of Guyanese women, the impact of
British colonialism
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. I ...
and the natural world.
Biography
Yardan was born on 10 April 1943 in
Mahaicony
Mahaicony is a community that is made up several villages in East Coast Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice, Guyana. Mahaicony's physical boundaries on the coast is from De Hoop village in the west to Calcutta village in the east.
Central Mahaicony incorpo ...
, Guyana. She attended St. John Baptist School in
Bartica
Bartica, Essequibo, is a town on the left bank of the Essequibo River in Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region 7), at the confluence of the Cuyuni and Mazaruni Rivers with the Essequibo River in Guyana. It is the regional capital of Cuyuni-Mazaruni.
Considere ...
and St. Joseph High School in Georgetown. She began to write poetry in the late 1960s, and she was published for the first time in ''An Anthology of Voices of Guyana,'' which was edited by Donald Trotman. In 1972 she and other Guyanese women poets published ''Guyana Drums,'' an anthology of their works. She subsequently published a volume of poetry in 1976, entitled ''The Listening of Eyes''. During the 1970s she became a member of the Messenger Group, a collective of Guyanese artists seeking greater recognition of the contributions of Indo-Guyanese people to the country's literature. Around the same time she also studied for a degree at the
University of Guyana
The University of Guyana, in Georgetown, Guyana, is Guyana's national higher education institution. It was established in April 1963 with the following Mission: "To discover, generate, disseminate, and apply knowledge of the highest standard for ...
, as well as working for the
Guyana Broadcasting Corporation
National Communications Network (NCN) is a national, state-owned television and radio broadcasting corporation in Guyana. It was formed in 2004 through the merger of the government radio service, Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), and the ...
. She died in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
from cancer on 2 November 1989.
Reception
Selwyn Cudjoe
Selwyn Cudjoe (born 1 December 1943) Encyclopedia.com. is a
Arthur J. Seymour. Her poetry explored themes such as gender inequality and discrimination, as well as love and the natural world. She addressed her Indo-Guyanese heritage and the impact of colonialism in her work; one such poem is ''Earth Is Brown''. This piece also deals with the legacies of being the descendant of indentured Indian servants. Other works addressed '' kala pani'' – the idea that Hindus are prohibited from crossing seas and oceans.