I have been invited this afternoon to speak on a subject that is more difficult to understand than the politics of the day, and as intimidating as Mount Roraima. The singer/songwriter Dave Martins however not finding the subject as challenging as I do, did an excellent analysis of the Guyana culture in his celebrated song “Is We Own” when he sings:

“We come across the Caribbean Sea

mother, father, pickney

and we settle in GT

we tek off we boots

and put down we roots

Guyana is we own.”

This is the story of modern Guyana. All of us, save for our indigenous brothers and sisters, came across oceans and seas to be here. We established our roots and have for the past centuries sought to forge a Guyanese identity.

I have found this subject to be personally challenging because in me is the blood of the slave and slave owner, of the indentured and the indigenous. Yet I see myself just as much a Guyanese as the next person. Much of who I am today I owe to the teachings of a little man, and by little I mean in physical stature only, who hailed from Clonbrook village on the East Coast of Demerara. He was a fisherman, a gardener, and who was my mentor. His name was Harold Singh, and his values became my values. These I live by until today.

What is a Guyanese identity? The Oxford dictionary defines identity as “associating someone or something closely with; regarding oneself as sharing the same characteristics or thinking as someone else.”

I consider culture to be a living organism that is in perpetual motion and development, intangible yet open to being influenced. It is formed of the symbols, their meanings and behavioural patterns of people, but can live beyond the lives of those individual humans who carry it. Our identity and culture as a people are really formed by our history and experiences.

I need not regale you with examples as displayed boldly and unashamedly by other countries which proclaim that the promotion and indoctrination of their way of life is the way. Indeed the cold war was fought for the advancement of this very value system on both sides of the earth and even above in the skies. Until today we continue to witness on television and in the newspapers the daily onslaught of values and the replacement of others. In Sudan it is the group with the interesting name of Janjaweed, in Palestine it is the subjugation of the Palestinian way of life, in Iraq and Afghanistan it is no different.

Yes in every nook and cranny of the world there are value systems and identities that are worth not only fighting for, but dying for; and in every one of those nooks and crannies of the world there is some person, some group, some nation or group of nations that seeks to extinguish another’s identity, by any means necessary, and impose their own in its place.

Wordsworth Mc Andrew in his essay “A Cultural Look” as published in the journal Co-op Republic Guyana in 1970 identified 6 elements of Guyanese culture and identity. These are: language, rituals, music, folktales, ring play games and folklore. I juxtapose these against the words of our national motto: One People, One Nation, One Destiny, and ask the question: Do we have a culture and identity that truly embraces Mc Andrew’s definition, and gives true meaning to our motto? To many Guyanese these mean different things to different groups.

What do we know about our peoples and our culture? As students we are taught that Guiana was “re-discovered” by Christopher Columbus and that the European drive for world dominance saw the coming of millions of Africans across the treacherous Middle Passage. No one knows the exact date of arrival of the first Africans in Guyana, or the exact number, though it is believed that the first group of African slaves was brought by Dutch settlers who migrated from Tobago from as early as the mid-17th Century. An in-transit journey as it were.

On the abolition of the slave trade and of slavery itself, the arrival of our brothers and sisters from Europe and Asia commenced. In late 1834, a small group of Portuguese recruited from the Portuguese-owned island of Madeira arrived in Guyana to work on a sugar plantation in Demerara. Then on May 3rd 1835, 40 indentured peasants arrived from Madeira on the ship, Louisa Baillie. Interestingly, in 1835, in addition to the Portuguese who arrived, small groups of Germans and English farmers were also recruited. In 1836, 44 Irish and 47 English labourers landed in Guyana, and in following year 43 Scottish labourers arrived from Glasgow. In 1839, 209 Maltese and 121 Germans were added to the population. Between 1836 and 1839 the planters did not recruit any Portuguese, but this situation changed in 1840 when 15 Portuguese from Madeira arrived to be followed by 4,297 in 1841.

East Indians first arrived to work as indentured labourers on May 5th 1838 on the ships, Whitby and Hesperus. On that day, 936 Indian indentured workers arrived on the British Guiana shore after a hazardous journey from Calcutta.

The first boatload of Chinese arrived in 1853 numbering 262 and continued until 1879 after 39 ships had brought a total of 13,541.

It is my opinion that the debate as to the extent of the contribution of each ethnic group is useless and divisive as undeniably we all contributed in one way or another, and it is the total outcome that we should be interested in, rather than weighing and measuring who did what and how, and when.

In considering what a Guyanese identity is, we perhaps presumptuously suppose that at one time we had one, or that we even have one today. As I have stated before, this undoubtedly is a most sensitive and difficult subject to speak on. I can speak on numerous topics but this one has me stumped. For me, born in the year of our independence from Great Britain, 1966, I believe that if ever Guyana and Guyanese where ever dispersed needed an identity, it was at one minute past midnight on May 26, 1966. Hitherto, British Guiana as the name stated, defined Guiana as being part of the British dominion, not only politically, and militarily, but culturally no doubt.

Not being born in that pre-independent period I however have my parents, family members, and many friends who were, and who knew what life was then. We became ’free’ from our mother country when independence was granted. It was the type of freedom that Mahatma Gandhi spoke of when he said “I want freedom for the full expression of my personality.” This then gave Guyanese the aspiration to full expression of heir Guyaneseness.

It was, as I am told, appropriate to sing

“God save our gracious Queen

God Save our noble Queen

long may she reign

send her victorious happy and glorious to reign o’er us

God Save our Queen”

In schools, the average schoolgirl was made to learn the values and virtues of becoming a woman, but more essentially, a lady in the true Victorian sense. For boys, the values of truth and honour were the hallmarks by which all men, but moreover, all gentlemen, were measured. The Queens College boy was the quintessential boy by which all others were weighed and measured.

Somewhere between 1966 and today 2009, I believe as a people we got lost. Simply put, if we can’t definitively settle the issue as to who is the true father of the nation either Cheddi or Burnham then we are surely lost. Does it really have to be one or the other? Does it matter? Why can’t we hail them both as fathers and heroes of our nation?

It has become difficult to forge this identity because we have allowed ourselves to become unable and unwilling to acknowledge and recognise the hallmarks, and mileposts that were placed by our fore parents to guide us as we journeyed along the pathway towards political, cultural and economic independence. I am left to wonder what has become of the stirring words from our national song, Song of Guyana’s Children:

“Onward, upward, may we ever go,

day by day in strength and beauty grow

till at length we each of us may show

what Guyana’s sons and daughters can be”

We were in the 1970’s told that the “small man is the real man” and it is my humble view and opinion that we drifted too far from our established landmarks. Somewhere along the way, the captaincy we expected was abandoned.

I have asked my relatives, friends and associates what a ’Guyanese identity’ signifies to them, and of course and not surprisingly, to no one them, was the answer the same. My conclusion is that those of us with the responsibility of leadership have failed the youth of this generation. I say so because of the various perspectives put on the issue by diverse groups of men, women, and children.

My father, who considers himself very much Guyanese, opined that Guyanese identity has become blurred with the substantial exodus of Chinese and Portuguese. Did this disturb and distort that culture that was emerging, and has it changed it into something that even though unrecognizable, is yet a natural off spring of that era? In a sense, he believes, that we are not as whole and complete as we should be because of this exodus.

A much younger Guyanese states, “often with the trials and tribulations and struggles of daily life in Guyana, we are often oblivious of the fact that we as individuals are part of a unique cultural mix, that our unique cultural diversity is all around us, is running in our veins, is a vital part of our identity. It is sad to know that we are often not as appreciative of our culture as we should be and that we do not realize how important this is to us not only as individuals but collectively as a nation.”

Yet another profound point of view offered to me is: “I cannot think of any one action or behavioural pattern that the majority of Guyanese can be identified by. However, Guyanese probably have a reputation, or various labels, the only general description for which is not necessarily positive.”

My friend Clayton believes that Guyanese are losing their identity in their ethnic groupings as they look for a sense of identity and belonging. Why for example, he asks, do we need a special act for our Amerindian brothers and sisters in Guyana? Do we not recognise and accept them as equal? He proffers, that what we should be promoting is our birthright and not our individuality.

Today the language is changing. In fact I have to say that it is sometimes difficult to recognize the language of Guyana to be English anymore and even when it is spoken it sounds alien. ‘Speaking properly’ is now a thing of the past. Admittedly, however I quite like to hear rich Creolese such as was the case recently when the people of a certain village in Corentyne said of a certain Minister of Government, “we na want am tal tal”. Despite my admiration for this linguistic expressiveness, I still say we must be careful that we do not one day completely surrender ourselves completely in it’s emotional and descriptive style.

Following up on McAndrew’s characteristics of Guyanese culture and identity, our rituals and folktales have given way to Oprah and Halloween, and our ring play games have become the iPod, the Xbox, and the Gameboy, whilst our folklore is tied to a Western enculturation process based on a different value systems and structure.

Do we in Guyana then have an identity? Is this identity identifiable enough and can it be considered part of the national patrimony and heritage? Is it under threat by our own actions and omissions, negligence, and ignorance, or even by internal and external forces determined to alter our way of life to closely resemble theirs?

Our motto tells us that we are “One People, One Nation, One Destiny” yet we have to ask whether we have done enough to realise and embrace this identity of oneness, or have we become too immersed in our quest for ethic recognition?

Does a state have a duty to ensure that there is the promotion and protection of such a thing as a national identity? My answer to this question unhesitatingly, and unequivocally, is yes. I say unapologetically that successive governments of Guyana have failed to properly manage this sacred trust and responsibility to forge our national identity.

The task of preserving our culture and identity has been left largely to the people themselves whether here in Guyana or in the Diaspora. In many respects therefore, this presentation is dedicated to those who almost single-handedly, and with little or no resources and support, persevered patriotically to ensure that whatever we as individuals have claimed as a Guyanese identity, remains an everlasting legacy for us all to be proud of.

Indeed it is the within the commingling, the sharing of foods and music, and wisdom garnered from each other’s proverbs and colloquialisms, and even dialects, where such a uniquely Guyanese culture and identity must be found and defined. Even as we experience the daily melting pot within our nation’s markets; Bourda, Stabroek, Mon Repos, Rosehall, Golden Grove, Leonora, Mahaica, Parika, Charity, Rosignol, Linden, and Annandale, we acknowledge that they all highlight and contribute to our rich culture as it is being forged into a wholeness and oneness. The dialects, the colours, the interracial camaraderie, the foods, from cook-up to the Indian sweetmeat jilabee, Creole styled fried fish, pepperpot and chowmein and potato balls and puri on sale among our fruits, vegetables, and ground provisions make for a veritable pot-pourri of Guyanese cultural identity.

Thankfully, our culture is represented through our music, our food, our dances such as the Amerindian dances, our visual arts, and craft. Our wearable art as created by Liz Deane Hughes, Donna Ramsammy, Michelle Cole, Pat Coates, Andrea Braithwaite and Sharon Fraites, and Andrea McAdam to name a few. Their jewellery and clothing designs are famous throughout the region and have even exhibited on the world stage.

The outstanding pieces of pottery of the Correia family are collectibles with the reproduction of Amerindian motifs, petroglyphs and drawings.

The works of Stanley Greaves, Ras Camo Williams and Dudley Charles have been exhibited world wide.

The writings of Mittleholzer, Dabydeen, Wilson and Pauline Melville are internationally recognised as they drew on their uniquely Guyanese culture and places to produce writings that have won international awards.

The works of playwrights and producers Dr Paloma Mohamed, Ron Robinson, Harold Bascombe and Prof. Ken Danns have been internationally staged and Francis Quamina Farrier whose radio serial the Tides of Susanburg helped form my own childhood interest in creative works. Contemporary playwrights keep the arts alive supported by well known actors such as Henry Rodney, Desiree Edghill-Adams and Neaz Subhan to name a few.

We have the poems of Martin Carter and Marc Matthews to be proud of. And we cannot forget the writings of the late Wordsworth McAndrew with his Ol Higue, or Mittleholzer’s My Bones and My Flute which enthralled and traumatized thousands of children when aired on national radio. We cannot forget the indefatigable work of Roopnandan Singh (father of Dr. Ashni Kumar Singh) who keeps the works of local poets alive in periodical publications of anthologies.

Choirs and local folk music and national songs were documented and performed under the stewardship of Billy Pilgrim and the legendary Woodside Choir and the late Derek Bernard who kept the offshoot folk group going until his untimely death. David Dewar accompanied by his wife Marilyn can still be heard singing the national anthem as our radio stations sign on and off. Others include the famous Police Male Voice Choirs and Band which kept the cultural music alive. Edith Pieters, Vesta Lowe, Ramjohn Holder, Sister Rose Magdalene and Peter Kempadoo were a few who kept the culture alive.

Uniquely, there has been a preservation of the Proverbs of Guyana written by my own aunt, Joyce Trotman, and an anthology of folk songs compiled and published as a labour of love, by a distinguished Guyanese culturalist and teacher, Lynette Dolphin. Many of these folk songs were written or made famous by De Weever, Campbell, Hemerding, Hooper and Chuck Girard. The folk songs are usually sung in the Guyanese Creolese and usually “censure, ridicule or are social commentary or love songs, and include primarily, ring-play songs, queh queh songs, love songs and work songs”(Introduction to 100 Folks Songs of Guyana, Lynette Dolphin. 1996)

Interestingly enough, Amerindians continue to sing their songs in their native dialects including Carib, Arawak, Akawaio and the Collection of Folk songs contain Amerindian ones which are written in dialect and then translated. They still perform the Mari Mari, the Hummingbird, the Parishara and other dances named after animals and creatures of their environment, which are performed mainly for celebratory reasons. The Mighty Chief of Kabakuburi is one of those whose contribution to our national culture and identity has not been fully recognised.

As the cultural icons of one generation pass to another, we remember personalities such as Laxshmi Kallicharan, Terry Nelson (Omar Farouk) who returned with a dream of a recording studio, Martin Carter and Rajkumarie Singh and more recently the man, Lorrie Alexander, who made the phrase “things plenty na regula” a household one. I refer also to persons such as past leaders such as Cheddi Jagan, Forbes Burnham, Arthur Chung, Desmond Hoyte, and now Janet Jagan (may her soul rest in peace). The famous Pork Knocker Mahaica who we are told struck gold and lost it all in wine, women and song. Col. Hartley Liverpool of the GDF who, legend says, was strapped to the turret of a light aircraft thereby having it designated a “fighter plane”. Some more modern personalities such as CN Sharma and Habeeb Khan have undeniably woven themselves into the rich fabric of Guyana’s tapestry.

Regrettably, I have to say that they and others like them have not been recognised and embraced for their creativity, or exalted by national awards. Those who have added to the folklore of our dear land of Guyana are the unsung heroes of our nation. What is noticeable is that a lot of our culturalists and heroes, though not well financially rewarded, were encouraged to excel by the national awards and recognition that were bestowed on them, and for which others still await their just recognition. It is my hope that those who still await recognition would be honoured for keeping our unique culture alive in this 21st Century thus strengthening the foundation for the preservation of our culture and identity. Alas, six years have passed since an Investiture Ceremony was held to honour Guyana’s sons and daughters even though they have shown what they can do. Despite the absence of recognition and reward, I implore the next generation of Guyanese culturalists to keep alive our rich heritage.

Our national identity is our national treasure. It is one thing to know it exists and not celebrate it, but it could be quite a tragedy if we allow it to be stolen, smeared, extinguished, and finally replaced with another or worse yet, by nothing at all.

It is patently apparent that cultural penetration from the Jamaican dancehall culture and American rap music have begun to rob us of our own cultural identity.

There needs to be a resurgence of the singing of national songs depicting the beauty of our land and collective strengths of all our people, a resurgence of national folk songs, all now being eclipsed by the songs from far and away.

What is the national policy on culture and what programmatic efforts are being made to implement it? Are our teachers teaching compulsory courses on our local culture and utilising our songs and other aspects of cultural heritage and linking these in creative ways to our history?

Not because I am a politician, but because I am a patriot, I say that a government, seeing itself as the custodian of the national culture and heritage, which are parts of our national patrimony, has a duty to ensure that this nation’s culture and identity are not only clearly discernable, but also secure from threat. In this regard, I believe that we must recognise and ensure that through religion, music, sport, the arts, and the people who populate them, that our culture and identity are cherished like national treasures, and supported accordingly.

By way of specific recommendations I propose:

That there be a state-sponsored festival for the performing arts

That we resuscitate the event once known as the National Agricultural Exhibition

That we pay particular attention to the programming offered on radio and television so as to ensure that local culture and talent are promoted and that people have full access to information through all media on Guyana, and things Guyanese

That we harness the unifying power of sport to guide our youth towards a greater sense of togetherness and national pride

That the museum of Guyana be reconfigured to house all of the various artifacts and exhibits in one building. The National Art Collection, should also include not just paintings and sculptures, but an archive of all Guyanese music

That there be a prominent place set aside for our national heroes to be recognised, both living and deceased

That we establish the national film centre or a similar institution to document our national events and also, just as importantly, to act as an incubator for young aspiring film producers whose talents need not be explored only in North America

That the Guyana Prize for Literature begun by former President Hoyte be accorded its rightful place as the standard bearer for literature in Guyana

That the annual ceremony of granting national awards be recommenced

That we begin a process in earnest of naming of buildings, streets, and places after people who have helped to shape our society and its values

These are my suggestions and recommendations made as a caring citizen of Guyana. They cannot be accomplished without the support of governments, leading personalities, and members of civil society all working together unselfishly and patriotically.

I come to the end, by remembering our celebrated poet Martin Carter, who, looking towards the future, as I do, penned his poem “I Come From The Nigger Yard”. This poem, in my humble view, embraces the history of all Guyanese who came across the oceans, and the pain, suffering, and squalor that accompanied their lives as they existed in places known then as “nigger yards”. It was in these yards that Guyanese culture and identity first took shape. We share, without a doubt, a common past and a common future:

“Until to-day in the middle of the tumult

when the land changes and the world’s all convulsed

when different voices join to say the same

and different hearts beat out in unison

where the aching floor of where I live

the shifting earth is twisting into shape

I take again my nigger life, my scorn

and fling it in the face of those who hate me.

It is me the nigger boy turning to manhood

linking my fingers, welding my flesh to freedom.

I come from the nigger yard of yesterday

leaping from the oppressors’ hate

and the scorn of myself

I come to the world with scars upon my soul

wounds on my body, fury in my hands

I turn to the histories of men and the lives of peoples.

I examine the shower of sparks the wealth of the dreams.

I am pleased with the glories and sad with the sorrows

rich with the riches, poor with the loss.

From the nigger yard of yesterday I come with my burden.

To the world of to-morrow I turn with my strength.”

I wish to expressly and purposefully thank Mrs. Malti Sahai of the Indian Culture Centre for organising this lecture series not only because I want to be courteous, but more importantly for being brave and concerned and inquisitive enough to want to delve into a subject that we Guyanese are either too shy, or disinterested in getting into for whatever reason(s). A nation without an identifiable culture is a nation without an identity, and a people without an identity are a people without a soul. Let us “turn to the histories of men (and women), and the lives of people” and leap into the future being both certain and secure of who we are: Guyanese to the bone and proud of it.

I hope that I have stimulated you enough to want to join me to influence and shape that identity that is undoubtedly Guyanese and “ is we own”.