Tassarene’s Toshao found dead in hotel room

Tassarene’s Toshao Ridley Joseph, 37, was discovered in a pool of blood in his room at the Signature Inn Hotel in Queenstown on Monday morning. A police investigation is underway. Tassarene is located in Region Seven.

Joseph had traveled to Georgetown for the second executive meeting of the National Toshaos Conference (NTC). The meeting was scheduled for Monday with Joseph and 19 other executive members.

Joseph represented the Middle Mazaruni District.

Chairman of the NTC, Derrick John, spoke with reporters at the scene and said Joseph checked into the hotel on Sunday night.

“Toshao [Joseph] was a very dedicated leader, he had a lot of good potential,” John said and added that he was also a good family person.

John said it’s not just a loss for the indigenous communities but a national loss.

In an exclusive interview with the News Room in July, Toshao Joseph spoke about his plans to transform his community through progressive leadership and dynamic development initiatives.

His leadership agenda was comprehensive, encompassing infrastructure enhancement, housing improvements, regulation of mining activities, and the promotion of agricultural, educational, and cultural projects.

A pivotal aspect of his vision was the preservation and revitalization of the Akawaio culture and language.

In his interview, he highlighted the adverse impact of external influences on native language retention, particularly the exclusion of indigenous languages in schools.