Special Episode: Together in Grief – Remembering the MV Barima

On July 18, 2026, Guyana was shaken by one of the deadliest maritime disasters in the nation’s history when the MV Barima ferry capsized while traveling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. The vessel was carrying an estimated 179 people when it sank, leaving dozens dead and many others missing. Survivors described a chaotic and heartbreaking scene, while questions quickly emerged about possible overcrowding, safety procedures, and the condition and operation of the aging vessel. As families mourn their loved ones, authorities continue investigating the tragedy and seeking answers about how such a devastating loss of life occurred.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:47

Greetings and peace and love be with you all. This evening, I do not want uh to begin with a speech. I want to begin with a question. Have any one of you walked through a garden after a powerful storm? You will observe if you did that the flowers are bent and the branches are broken and leaves are scattered all over. For a moment it almost feel as though the storm has won. But if you return weeks later, you will see something quite different, something remarkable happens. You will see new shoots begin to appear, and flowers bloom again, and life you will also observe that it quietly returns. Not because the storm never happened, there is no des disputation in that. But because life possesses an extraordinary ability to heal, our hearts, I will say, are much like that garden. Today the storm has a name. That storm, the name of it is Envy Barrima Tragedy. A journey that should have ended with families embracing one another. Ended up differently. It ended up with unimaginable heartbreak. Homes that are expected laughter. Something different happens. It's filled with silence. Children wait for voices they may never hear again. The voices of their loved ones, their mothers, their fathers. And parents carry an emptiness that words can never ever reach. Communities search for meaning where there seem to be no answers at all. There are moments when we discover that language has no limits, right? They're pains that no speech can actually erase. Every tear tells a story of a relationship. Every silence carries the memory of a conversation that will never happen again. Because that person is no longer there. Every empty chair reminds us that someone wants filled that space with laughter, with kindness, and also with life. Tonight, we honor not only those who live their lives and losses, we honor the loved ones that they leave behind, and the love they also give. The dreams that they carry that was just shattered. The kindness that they shared. The memories they leave behind. Because one thing I have learned that I want to share with you that love never truly disappears. It changes form. It lives in stories, in values, in children, and also in acts of kindness inspired by their memories. Many choose to light candles, and I want to share this with you. One candle can light another without losing its own flame. And we observe that. And perhaps that is what remembrance is all about. We become the light that those we lost ignited within us. And there is another lesson grief quietly teaches us. It strips away the illusion that often defies us. Your titles no longer matter. And also politics no longer matter. Your status that you're so proud of no longer matters. In the presence of profound loss, we remember something we should never have forgotten. That we are all interconnected and we belong to one another. Live with that principle, be aware of that. When one family grieves, humanity is diminished. When one community suffers, every compassionate heart feels the weight of that suffering. The water. Nor the language we choose to speak, nor the wealth that we possess, nor our political beliefs. And I emphasize, nor our political beliefs. Tragedy reminds us of what our value truly is. Where do you stand? Where is your heart in times of tragedy? Tragedy reminds us of what our better nature has always known. Our shared humanity's brothers and sisters is greater than our differences. Be that person that is willing to extend a hand that will bring comfort to others and your presence that bring comfort to others. If there's one legacy we can choose from this heartbreaking moment, let it be this. Let it be that we live here more compassionate than we have arrived. You become more compassionate and more loving. We become more gentle in our approach, we speak more gently, we forgive more quickly, and we listen more empathetically and deeply. We show love more openly, we open up our hearts. Let us never postpone words of appreciation to one another as a nation. If you have to reconcile with one another, reconcile, do not delay, do not procrastinate. Never assume there will always be another tomorrow. Life is precious because it is fragile. Tonight, we cannot change what happened. But I'll say this we can choose what this tragedy awakens inside of us. We can choose who we become after this tragedy, and I pray that it awakens our compassion instead of routing and advocating division, service instead of indifference. May it awaken awaken unity instead of blame and hope instead of despair as well. The storm has passed through our community and our nation, but together with courage, with compassion and love, we will help one another plant that garden again. And one day, though we will never forget those we have lost, while we see flowers growing, where today we only see tears, I pray that their memory become a source of healing and a source of unity, hope for generations to come. I ask you to join me as I offer prayers in the Islamic theology, and thereafter followed by prayers and reflection from other religious communities. O God Almighty, O most merciful Allah, O Most Compassionate Allah, we turn to you with hearts that are heavy and eyes filled with tears, Ya Allah. Have mercy upon every soul we lost and every soul who lost their lives in the M V Barima tragedy. Have mercy on them and grant them eternal peace and your divine mercy. Bring comfort to every grief in family, every parent, every child, every spouse, every relative, every friend, every heart that is broken. Grant them the strength for today and hope for tomorrow and patience for the days ahead. Heal those who have survived physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The leadership and those around the leadership of our beautiful land. Heal our country. Comfort the hearts, unite the people of Guyana, Ya Allah, and all those who mourn this tragedy. O Allah remove anger. O Allah, remove anger and hatred and division from our hearts, and fill it with compassion, fill it with wisdom, kindness, and love for one another. Ya Allah, help us to honor those we have lost by becoming better human beings, more generous, more forgiving, and most caring. Grant us, O Allah, hearts that comfort the grief in. And grant us, Ya Allah, the hands that serve those in need and lives that leave behind goodness wherever we go. And when our own journey in this world comes to an end, Ya Allah, let us depart with faith, let us depart with peace and hope in your infinite mercy. I now invite you to listen to religious leaders from the Hindu and Christian community. Good evening, everyone.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Before I begin, I would like to offer a prayer.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

Om treyam kami sugandim oshtiva danamadukame shiamita shanti shantiyom.

SPEAKER_01 15:56

May the divide bless all the souls who departed in the MV Barima tragedy and grant them eternal peace. May they rest in light and may God give them strength, courage, and comfort to every family still carrying the pain of loss. At this time, I would like to share a few words about a bhajan. The bhajan speaks of devotion, surrender, and peace. It is especially fitting for today because it helps turn our hearts toward God in times of sorrow. Today, we gather to remember the lives lost in that tragedy that has struck the beautiful land of Guyana. They remind us how fragile life is. One moment everything is ordinary, and the next a family's world has changed forever. As a first-generation Guyanese American, this memorial and occasion is deeply personal to me. Both sides of my family are from Guyana, our grandparents loved their lives there, and my father was born there. Even though I was born in the US, Guyana has been a part of who I am, and it changes everything for everybody. Growing up, we've all heard the Guyanese people stand together in times of hardship. No matter where we live, we remain one family connected by our heritage and by love for our homeland. And also, as Hindus, we believe the soul is eternal. The Bhagavad Gita teaches us that the soul is never born and never dies. While this truth brings comfort, it does not erase grief. Grief is the price of love, and today we feel both at the same time. Guyana is a land of many cultures and faiths, and in times of tragedy, what stands out most is our shared humanity. Whether Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or any other faith, we all deserve to be honored and every grouping family deserves comfort. As we leave here today, let us support one another, cherish our families, and never take a single day for granted. May the memories of those who were perished aboard the envy Barima inspire compassion, unity, and love among all Vinese people around the world. Thank you, and Jai Shi Rong.

SPEAKER_03 18:22

Good afternoon, my Your Excellency. I mean to you. My mom killed for that. My wife's eyes, but dear neighbors. Um The Bible says that we are to mourn with go to mourn. And so this is difficult even for people. I'll say. And I would not have you mourn without So I've come tonight to remind you a little bit of one word. John the Revelator. John the Revelator. The last book of the sacred facts of the Bible. That's in Revelation 21. 21.1. And I saw a new heaven. And a new earth. So the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. And there was no word. And behold John Sol. A new root man coming down from God out of heaven. Prepare that the bride of Lord. And I heard a great voice out of heaven. Behold the tabernacle of God is with men. I don't even mention. And that will fell with them. And they will be with me. And God himself shall be with them. And shall be no more fear. No more time. No more time. I've come tonight to first of all. Pray to God. And then give. Eternal suffered an almighty God. God, you know all things. Where can we sleep from your friends? Where can we sleep from your love? Good God of comfort to those whom are. You hear the anguish of a community that is suffering. You give light a life eternal. And so God we come in the bitterness of this craft. Looking on to you who is the author, the enabler, and the finisher of our. We hope we come before you're drunk. I think that you will give grid to all of us. To the mothers and the fathers who are mourning. To grandmothers and grandfathers who are mourning. To children who are monster. To a community that is devastated. Father, we first ask that your unconditional love rest with those who mourn. You have promised in your word. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. And Father, we are trusting in you for it. And then, God, I think about our brothers and sisters, our leaders, our political leaders back home, our leaders here in the diaspora. Father, we mourn as well. And so, God, I pray that you will give strength to those who are mourning. That you will give courage to those who will stand and make difficult decisions so that this situation would not occur again. Lord, forgive us for the sins of our present and past. Forgive us for the missteps. Give courage to those who are working. And God, even as we gather here tonight as a collective, as we stand in solidarity, as we come together in national mourning and international support, we come, God, recognizing that you alone are the author and finisher of our faith. So we lament, we mourn, but yet we will do so with hope. Because we will stand before you one day, because you are the righteous God who loves us. We will stand before you one day, united as a people, because you brought us out of darkness into your marvelous light. We will stand one day as neighbors who love our God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We will stand one day, not divided by the fragments of our past or this moment in time, but the people who have been brought together by the hand of God in this mystical moment to continue to press forward, come what may. So God grant peace to us all. Grant peace to the families, grant peace to children who will walk and sojourn on this earth without parents because they lost them in that tragedy. Give peace to matriarchs who will have to continue on, pressing on, because mothers are no longer there. Give peace to grandfathers and uncles who will have to step up in the role of surrogate fathers for those children who no longer have their earthy parents and give wisdom to our leaders so that they would make decisions that will help the least, the forsaken, and the lost.

unknown 24:58

And then, God, we thank you.

SPEAKER_03 25:00

We thank you for the brave men and women who stepped out into the water to rescue those survivors. We thank you, God, for men and women who are still targeting today to take care of homegoing celebrations. We pray to dignify burial for everyone whose body was recovered. And then, God, our eyes are on you. You are the Lord of hosts. You are God, and you forever will be God. We ask that tonight. All of us that we may, that you will teach us to number our days. Help us to walk in humility and to love each other because you first loved us. God bless you all.

SPEAKER_05 27:38

And grace my feelings are precious with that grave, I forgot the Lord has promised to me. I shall and peace and single race how sweet the sound accent I was, but now I'm found was blind, but now I see was blind, but now I see