Ku'wai Issue Number 1 December 2014

Kuwai’ ISSUE #1 | DECEMBER 2014

St. George’s:Wooden by Choice

or Circumstance?p.32

The Buxton FusionSchool of Music

p.21

Strange imagesof the Queenp.40

Amnesia & Mythin the Makingof the Pastp.49

YOUNGARTISTS

Featuring6 local

youngsters

A collection of stories and articles

about Guyanese culture

From the beginning, the school became highly recognized by different cultural and musical bodies. In just under two years we were given an Award by the Guyana Cultural Association of New York.

here is a legend about our interior that has been both a blessing and a curse. The legend of El Dorado ...

Contents25

29

04 The Buxton Fusion School of Music

The Myth of El Dorado

Preface

‘In the premises of the tongue dwells the anarchy of the ear; in the chaos of the vision

resolution of the purpose.’

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Contents

The High Artfulness of Hawley Harris

Strange imagesof the Queen

St. George’s Cathedral

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51

46

04. Preface

FEATURES

06. Moray House Trust

11. Young Artists

Andy Cummings, Aneeza Douglas, Chenney Wong, Courtney Douglas, Rondell Bess, Andrunie Harris

25. The Buxton Fusion School of Music

29. The Myth of El Dorado

DEPARTMENTS

Archaeology

33. Our Archaeology and the Imaginary

Architecture

36. St. George’s Cathedral

42. Fear and Triumphalism in 21st Century Guyanese Architecture

Art

46. Strange Images of the Queen

Contents

48. The Hustle

Books

51. ‘The Cat Behind the Grin’

55. Amnesia and Myth in the Making of the Past

Music

58. Guyanese Music in the Twentieth Century

Poetry

62. Dream Heron

64. Martin Carter

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41Frangipani

Cover image courtesy of Michael C.Lam (www.TheMichaelLamCollection.com)

Ku’wai is a Wapichan word. As with many Amerindian words, it is complex, layered with meaning. It can signify different things. It might mean news in general or stories from the past and/or the present. In its very ambiguity, it encompasses the purpose of this magazine. It could be said that culture is people telling stories to one other. Culture is, in essence, ‘a society talking to itself…processing the world’ as one of our speakers put it when he described Roy Heath’s barbershop intellectuals on Lombard Street. Paintings, writing, poems, songs, music, plays, sculptures, photographs, buildings, even clothes are cultural forms that seek to convey meaning. In a forthcoming book, ‘Women in Clothes’, an editor writes: “one of the ways that we talk to each other is through what we wear”.

About a year ago, and quite by coincidence, one of our Directors and a regular visitor to the Trust both suggested that Moray House Trust should produce a magazine. One of these gentlemen also

proposed that we choose an Amerindian title for the magazine as a form of tribute to our first peoples and our first cultures. Note the plurals. ‘Amerindian’ is a collective term of convenience used mainly by coastlanders. Amerindian languages, stories, myths, paintings, songs, symbols sculptures and other art forms are under-explored and undifferentiated within our culture. The few studies that have been made suggest a depth and complexity that many coastlanders can only dimly comprehend.

Names are important. As Michael Gilkes points out later in these pages, on a map of Guyana, the coastal names of “historical conquest” are vastly outnumbered by aboriginal names like Mazaruni, Kurupung, Tumatumari, Pomeroon, Ayangana. These names serve as a “constant reminder of earlier, deeper roots”.

We live in a land where six peoples have cohabited and intermingled for over three hundred years. Our

culture is similarly fluid, varied, multi-layered, shape-shifting. Our cultural influences can be traced to distant eras and distant corners of the globe: Professor Cambridge’s overview of Guyanese music in these pages illustrates how far flung and how numerous these influences can be. Our culture is an intricate patchwork of creations, distillations, adaptations, accommodations and blendings, of fragments of African, Amerindian, European, Indian and other cultures. It defies easy definition. It is not, as Naipaul would

Preface

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have it, wholly “derivative.” Nor can it be reduced to a few core concepts. It does not reside merely in the work of a few cultural icons nor only in the more established cultural forms (prose, poetry, art, music, drama). It is a messy, murky, constantly evolving mass of people and practices, constantly in flux, constantly assailed by and assimilating new influences. It is both magnificent and daunting in its complexity.

Moray House Trust was set up in December 2011 as a private, non-partisan, not-for-profit cultural initiative. Our core mission is the promotion of Guyanese culture in its many forms. Our motto is “Culture Matters”. To date, we have used mainly live performances such as readings, lectures, book launches, discussions, concerts and film screenings to try to promote local culture. We have set up a website and published over 200 clips of footage from these events on our YouTube channel.

The aim of this magazine is to convey samples and snippets of the complex and utterly fascinating mosaic that is Guyanese culture to a wider audience.

‘In the premises of the tongue dwells the anarchy of the ear; in the chaos of the vision resolution of the purpose.’

[A Mouth is Always Muzzled’, Martin Carter 1969]

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Editor: Isabelle de CairesCo-ordinating Editor: Russel Lancaster

Design & Production: Guyenterprise, (Wayne Cheong Kee-You)

Publishers: Moray House Trust

All photographs, writing, interviews, submissions and extracts published in this magazine have been contributed

pro-bono.Moray House Trust extends profound and

sincere thanks to our contributors for their commitment and generosity.

ContributorsSara Bharrat

Vibert CambridgeBert Carter

Kester ClarkeBrendan de CairesDavid FernandesMichael Gilkes

Han Granger-GaskinAndrunie Harris

Ras Michael JeuneHew Locke

Ian Mc DonaldDeo Persaud

Clem SeecharanChontelle Sewette

George SimonRupert Roopnaraine

Moray House Trust Trustees:Doreen de Caires

Isabelle de Caires (Chair)Yesu Persaud

Major General (rtd) Joe Singh

Directors:Elizabeth Alleyne

Nicola MendesNisa Surujbally (Secretary)

Raquel Thomas-CaesarWilliam Walker

Advisor: Dr Joyce JonasAdministrator: Joan Mc Donald

Telephone: (592) 226-0724Email: [email protected]: www.morayhousetrust.com

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6sdaywVZ80fX5QV2-

F3E7wTwitter: @MorayHouseTrust

Brendan de Caires

In 1948 the American critic Richard Weaver published a book about the decline of Western culture. A precursor of the Neo-Conservative jeremiads that would appear in the Reagan years, “Ideas Have Consequences” traced the origins of modernity’s lapse into “moral idiocy” and set out antidotes for the “mass psychosis” of the twentieth century. Weaver placed much of the blame on medieval philosophers who had grown sceptical of the reality “perceived by the intellect,” clearing the way for the eighteenth-century rationalists who believed that “man needed only to reason correctly upon evidence from nature.”

This erudite handwringing may look old-fashioned in the twenty-first century, but anyone who has pondered the fate of a postcolonial society will find Weaver’s arguments stimulating. Writing about the influence of behaviorism on modern life, for example, he observes: “there is no term proper to describe the condition in which [modern man] is now left unless it be “abysmality” … His life is practice without theory.

As problems crow[d] upon him, he deepens confusion by meeting them with ad hoc policies. Secretly he hungers for truth but consoles himself with the thought that life should be experimental. He sees his institutions crumbling and rationalizes with talk of emancipation.”

Weaver’s solutions need not detain us here, but his insights into an unravelling culture (“our single planetary globe is mocked by worlds of different understanding”) are instructive. Long before the Sixties

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ignited America’s “culture wars” its intellectuals knew the “world-view” of their fellow citizens was worth fighting for. They wanted to replace Weaver’s “abysmality” with arguments that strengthened, or undermined, assumptions about the Monroe doctrine, the Marshall plan, or visions of a “great society.” After outlasting one totalitarian view of the world (Fascism) they were committed to refuting another (Soviet Communism), or to innoculating their peers against the intolerance of men like Goldwater and Nixon. Twenty years after Weaver’s book was published, the literary critic Lionel Trilling can be found urging students to live up to the “moral responsibility to be intelligent” — which, in his case, meant cultivating a healthy skepticism towards the core values of Liberalism.

Georgetown used to be full of this sort of talk. In the late Fifties, when my father, David de Caires, returned from law school in London, he was thrilled by the “red-hot” Communists among his circle who were hell-bent on ridding themselves of the “mind-forged manacles” of British imperialism. Many of the friendships formed in these years lasted till his death, and he never harboured any doubts of the intellectual depth, or sincerity, of the Left. But while he broadly shared its concerns about the vacuum that Britain’s withdrawal was about to leave behind, he never bought into the dream of Marxism. Half-baked political ideas scared him, particularly the facile rhetoric that was being put about by people who ought to known better.

Many years later, recollecting the contributions of the New World Fortnightly magazine, he wrote

that “intellectuals must be prepared to accept responsibility for ideas they advance. If, for example, one puts forward the concept that the government is marginalizing a section of the population and this leads to hatred, hostility and even bloodshed, one cannot wash one’s hands of the matter. The intellectual is not a dilettante, he or she must take his or her job seriously and must not flirt frivolously with ideas as they can and often do have serious consequences in the real world.”

Throughout his life, David de Caires believed a robust public sphere was the only safeguard against the onset of moral idiocy that worried Weaver and Trilling. Freedom of expression, responsibly used, not only prevented intellectual dilettantism, it helped a society evolve. Lively debates kept citizens focussed on what mattered, and taught them to think for themselves. In another recollection of the New World years, he wrote: “Sometimes silence is not an option. When the Ayatollah pronounced a fatwa on Salman Rushdie for blasphemy, basic principles of free speech were at issue. Regrettably, there was far from universal condemnation among academics and writers for a variety of spurious reasons. There have been assaults on academic freedom in the Caribbean affecting several of our most distinguished scholars like Walter Rodney, Clive Thomas, George Beckford and Norman Girvan. To say nothing on such occasions is unacceptable. Intellectuals should speak out against oppression and injustice anywhere.”

Rupert Roopnaraine signs copies of “The Sky’s Wild Noise” at its launch.

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My father feared the intellectual pusillanimity that gave free rein to ideologues. He watched with horror as the public sphere in this country shrivelled up during the Burnham years. In the second half of his life much of his energy was taken up by a newspaper that sought to rekindle the conversations which had taken place in the Georgetown of his youth. Despite many discouragements, he never lost hope that a resurgence of intellectual energy could gradually move us beyond the generation-long parochialism of racial confrontation, rigged elections and ersatz Socialism.

Since his death in November 2008, Moray House – our family home for several generations – has served as a public venue for the sort of conversations that used to take place when my father and his friends gathered for one of their periodic dinners. In the first three years of its life the Trust has hosted over one hundred events and has tried to recirculate some of the consequential ideas which have lain dormant in this city for so long. It is hoped that the material collected in this magazine will give some sense of what these conversations, lectures, presentations and readings were like, and that it will help to illustrate how quickly a society can revisit the sources of its strength when its brightest minds are allowed to discharge the moral responsibility to be intelligent, and to talk with, and listen to, others who wish to do the same.

Clive Lloyd, Mike Atherton & Dr Winston Mc Gowan engage in “A Conversation about Cricket”.

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125 Carmichael Street, Georgetown, GuyanaTel: (592) 226-9916

Andy Cummings hails from the West Coast of Berbice and this, he says, has contributed in no small measure to the way he views life and his craft as an artist and fashion designer. At Designer’s Portfolio in 2012 he was adjudged Best Designer and this catapulted him into the limelight with a one year stint at the atelier of Sonia Noel. “Being at a working fashion house opened my eyes so much, the work is constant and I am working with a workaholic who motivates me so much, but it is always fun...” Andy commented.

Andy attended art school to study for a Diploma in Ceramics. While there, he began to work in costume design for Mashramani costumes in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture. He was to emerge as the best graduating student in Ceramics upon completion of the programme. While he considers himself an artist first, working in a variety of media, he

Designing DreamsRussel Lancaster interviews Andy Cummings

“An Andy Cummings Design” Photo courtesy of Stabroek News.

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has become entranced by the allure of fashion. His work in textiles, also pursued while at Art School, was the precursor to more extensive work in fashion design which has now become one of his most passionate pursuits.

Yet a career in fashion was not scripted. Cummings had an initial aversion to fashion - more to do with the stigma placed on males in the industry than on his ability to be creative. This changed when he was exposed to the work being done by Caribbean creative director Richard Young and Guyanese designer Paul Burnett. He then realized that he had to look past the negatives and focus on pursuing his creative urges.

Right now Andy wants to use what he has learnt over the last year at Noel’s fashion house to create a career that allows him to use all his artistic talents, and he wants to be able to use these skills to provide himself with an income.

Asked about what inspires him, Andy says that he is influenced by everything around him. His winning collection, showcased at Designers Portfolio was called “Hassar Curry” and contained echoes of one of his favourite pastimes, fishing in the country. All of the experience: the fish, the mud, the sunset at the end of the day, the people passing, contributed to the designs that eventually emerged. He is not particularly connected to any one colour or scheme but at the recently held Guyana Fashion Week, using inspiration from a dream about a Muslim couple, he used a blue palette for his line “Blue Intensity”. He also looks for the little elements like the buttons, the threads, beads, that will tell a story when he is doing the collection.

Andy thinks life would be way less interesting without designers since they bring creativity to the way we dress and help people to create their signature style. But Guyanese designers need to be marketed outside of Guyana to get noticed by the international community.

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Aneeza Christina Coelho Douglas Artist/ Designer

E. R Burrowes School of Art 2009-2012. (Diploma)

- Best Painting Student and the Best Sculpture Student.

- Winner of the Promise Award in the Guyana Visual Arts Competition 2012.

As a young artist inspired by my environment, I am mostly impressed to illustrate in my work the value of women. I know that they are divine and peculiar creatures but they lack the knowledge of their existence. As a legacy I would like to one day see women appreciate themselves more, realize their true potential spiritually because they are the cornerstone of humanity; without them man cannot be. They should have good values so that little ones can have outstanding role models throughout their lives.

I do hope that years from now before I die I get to see a bit of change in society through my art work.

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1. Drawing – Free of Nature | Chalk coal on paper | 14x 17 inches | 2012

2. Painting – Tree of Life | Acrylics on canvas | 14x 24 inches | 2012

3. Portrait painting | Acrylics on canvas 2012| 18x24 inches | 2012

4. Painting – Germination | Acrylics on canvas | 14X 24 inches | 2012

5. Bronze Sculpture – The Guardian | 24 inches (height) | 2012

6. Cement Sculpture – Transition | 36 inches (height) | 2012

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When Guyanese artist Aneeza Douglas puts colour to canvas, she creates vivid, ethereal collages of the Woman and Earth. These works of art carry a message which took birth deep within the confines of the artist’s soul. It is a message meant for all women, a resounding reminder that they are very valuable.

“I want to show girls that they are valuable and that they can have so many values. They tarnish their reputation and they don’t know how valuable they are,” the 23-year-old artist said. Her voice was a soft steady thing, her gaze unwavering as she sat alongside her husband, artist Courtney Douglas, at the Moray House Trust a few months ago.

The art and its content are almost always a product of the artist’s deepest beliefs. It is a product of those things that long ago and not so long ago shaped the artist’s heart and soul. Aneeza’s experience with feminist themes at the Burrowes School of Art and her belief in Christ have been primarily responsible for shaping the message she hopes her art will convey to a fellow soul. It is the combination of this feminist consciousness and her religious beliefs that gives life to her art.

“While I was at Burrowes, one of the projects I had to do revolved around the theme of women and nature,” Aneeza

explained. “And before I even started going to school, I went to church and they taught us about values, that as young women we have skills and values. So when I went there (Burrowes) and I really thought about it I realized that this is what I want to do. I want to empower young women through my art.”

But how did the artist and her message enter Guyana’s world of art? Aneeza gives an answer that deserves some thought: “I didn’t really know there was an art school in Guyana until I passed the place. I was dropping my sister to school.” And so it was that this young artist, who graduated as one of Burrowes’ elites, discovered the place that would add finesse to her skill.

Becoming an artist was not simply something that Aneeza wanted to do. In fact, it would seem that artists innately recognize that they cannot become what they already are long before they realize it. “It wasn’t something I wanted to do since I was little,” Aneeza revealed, “but it was something I used to do growing up. I studied business and so and after I finished school I was at home. Drawing is my hobby.”

While growing up in West Demerara and then Georgetown, Aneeza was always drawing and her family was always

aware of this. However, the recognition of her love for art and a recommendation that she develop her talent professionally did not come until Aneeza met a visiting uncle from England.

“My uncle told me a story about his son,” Aneeza recalled. “My cousin studied architectural design for six years but my uncle said that every time he looked at my cousin he only saw him looking unhappy. So he asked his son if he was happy and learnt that his son wanted to be a mechanic…this is what my cousin loves to do and this is what makes him happy. So my uncle told me I should do what makes me happy and for me that is drawing.”

History proves that the life of an artist is never an easy one and unfortunately, in some parts of the world, this continues to be a truth. Aneeza has recognized that it is difficult to earn a living from her art in Guyana. Currently, she works part time in a non-art related field. However, this does not stop her from expressing her passion, from indulging in her bit of happiness, from spreading her message.

“I did it because I love art and not because of the money,”

These words are proof of the propensity for nobility in the artist. Despite the struggle, she paints her message for fellow souls.

An artist and her messageSara Bharrat interviews Aneeza Douglas

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Chenney Wong’s designs are surprisingly mature for a youngster of just twenty-one. Sophisticated and relevant are some of the words that

come to mind when you look at the work of Chenney Wong. This young and upcoming talent is someone to watch as she navigates the fickle world of fashion. Born into a family of creative people; both her grandmothers were seamstresses and her mother loved arts and crafts, she herself started working on the sewing machine at the age of nineteen. Her first salvo into the world of design came five years ago when she entered a competition for young artists hosted by Michelle Cole and won. Winning the competition established that she had what it takes to make it in this arena and she realized that she was indeed passionate about design. In fact, she is interested not just in clothing but in designing shoes, handbags and jewellery as well.

The world is constantly changing and design must evolve to match the need for new things. Chenney is confident that she can make a difference in the fashion industry. “I feel that women must have as many choices as possible available to them so that they can demonstrate their unique style, and they must be able to do this at any age,” she observed. As such, her designs run the gamut, catering for children as young as two and going all the way to adulthood and older people.

Chenney considers that her signature is still not fully apparent but she wants to explore cut, proportion and the use of natural and synthetic fabrics and see where this will take her. In her last collection she used as her inspiration both her African and Amerindian heritage to create a line called “Tribal”. The colours used were black and white. During Fashion Week 2013 she was adjudged Most Promising Young Designer and offered the opportunity to exhibit with more established designers. She thinks that Guyanese designers

have the ability to make it on the international scene and that more must be done to support the development of the fashion industry here. We’ll be keeping our eyes on Chenney as she continues to make her mark in the industry.

Russel Lancaster interviews Chenney Wong

“A Chenney Wong Design” at Guyana Fashion Week 2013, Photo courtesy of Stabroek News.

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Courtney Mathium Douglas “Art is my life, every kid has a dream, I had a dream and I didn’t give up on it and I will not give up on it. I keep going because every day we learn something new and I am willing to learn and be successful.”

Courtney Mathium Douglas was named after West Indies legendary fast bowler Courtney Walsh by his dad. He enjoys painting, drawing and graphic designs. His dad wanted to develop his artistic skills but never got the opportunity to do so. His dad’s story sparked his interest to do art. He started to hone his talent from age 13, and won numerous art competitions throughout high school. In his heart he felt he was fulfilling his dad’s dream.

Born 24 August 1990 and raised in Bartica, Essequibo River Guyana. Courtney obtained a Hinterland Scholarship after graduating from secondary school in 2007 as the Best Technical Student, to attend the E.R Burrowes School of Art in Georgetown in 2008. He graduated from the Art School in 2011 with a Diploma in Fine Arts and as the Best Student in Painting, Drawing and Graphic Designs. Courtney works part time with Bravo Arts (a face and body

painting art group) and is currently pursuing his studies in the field of animation. He is the winner of the national coin design competition to commemorate 175th anniversary of Indian Immigration. His Favorite sports are cricket and soccer. He enjoys swimming and listening to music.

His favorite quotes are, “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” – Bruce Lee

“Go where your heart leads you, play, run, lead and have fun doing it. Be the one to set new records.” - Courtney M. Douglas

As he continues his quest to become a professional Animator, his goal each day is to do better than the day before.

As a legacy I would like to see changes in the characters and mind sets of the Guyanese people. Start thinking differently, for each other rather against each other. I love cricket and I think it is a sport that brings different cultures together for one common goal. Racial discrimination is preventing our country from progressing. The litter problem can only stop if everyone stops littering, in order for something to change we must make the change first. We can pray how much we want but if we are calling on Heavenly Father to help us we have to start helping ourselves first, keep our environment clean then he will come to dwell and help us. So before I complete my journey on earth I would like to see the people of Guyana being obedient to the laws, parents setting the right examples for their children to have better role models. In terms of art I will keep sending a positive message and continue to let my light shine so others will see and do the same, for we all are meant to shine as children of God.

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1. Painting: Sunset | Acrylics on Canvas | 34x 24 inches | 2012

2. Imaginative drawing in 2011

3. Drawing and painting ideas for work titled: PROLIFIC

4. Painting: The Passion and Pride for Cricket in Guyana the Land of Many Waters | Acrylics on canvas | 48x 96 inches | 2011

Courtney Mathium Douglas

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His art is a thing that is fuelled by the West Indian’s deep, deep passion for cricket and a man’s need to see his country become more than it is. At 23, artist and budding animator Courtney Douglas, is well aware of the local artist’s plight but it does not stop him from creating pieces which he hopes will carry positive messages to his people.

“I love cricket and I think it is a sport that brings different cultures together for one common goal. Racial discrimination is preventing our country from progressing. Littering is another big issue. I believe that art can bridge these things,” Courtney passionately declared during an interview at Moray House Trust in December.

Behind every artist there is always a unique story which leads them to what may very well be a destined path. For Douglas, the journey began during his 13th year of life. It was his father who recognised Courtney’s talent and encouraged its growth.

“I was 13 and I won a competition and my father said that I should go to art school. My father told me his story.” Courtney’s strong voice softens at this point and he continues in a manner that expresses a sort of awe for his parent. “He wanted to go to art school but he grew up with an uncle and aunt and they couldn’t afford to send him. He is a talented

The artist in love with cricketSara Bharrat interviews Courtney Douglas

man. Though his talent is not the refined sort that I acquired in art school, it is still a powerful thing.”

After completing his secondary education in 2007, Douglas won a Hinterland Scholarship to attend the E. R. Burrowes School of Art the following year. By 2011, he would graduate from the Georgetown art institute as the best student in Painting, Drawing and Graphic design.

“I have always been more into graphic designs,” Courtney said. “These days I’m an animation intern and I work part time with the face and body art painting group Bravo Arts.”

Despite the artistic opportunities that Douglas has sourced for himself he noted that he is still limited. Guyanese artists, he explained, must fend for themselves. There is still much more that Guyana can do for its artists.

“When it comes to managing your work, you have to do it yourself. But the problem isn’t so much that as it is the lack of available places to show your work. Castellani House is one of the few places that offers space but the waiting is long and you only get two weeks display time and then you have to take it down. Still, Castellani offers the space free of cost,” Douglas explained.

Even in these conditions, Douglas manages to make a living from his artistic skills. His art generally reflects Guyana’s raw and natural beauty. But what adds depth to some of Douglas’ more startling pieces is when he merges his passion for cricket with the soul of the land. The outcome is a warm thing which captures the essence of Guyaneseness.

“I grew up playing cricket. I had a talent for bowling. I asked my father where I got the name from and he said he named me after the great West Indian cricketer Courtney Walsh,” Douglas smiles as he recalls this.“But I’ve found that art is my life.”

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To find Rondell Bess, multimedia artist, one goes to Orange Walk, Georgetown. In the block just South of Bourda Market, there is a busy strip of stalls selling clothing, shoes, accessories, bootleg CDs and DVDs; there are hairdressers and drinking-spots. Rondell Bess maintains a small office and open working area next to ‘Sweet Point.’

Even though he has only formally exhibited at the Burrowes School of Art’s graduation show in 2001 – on completion of a four-year Diploma in which he majored in Painting, with a minor in Textile Design – he is an artist of some acclaim. But he does “mostly commercial art now”. He has worked with three different sign-making companies. Self-employed for the past 10 years, Bess’s graphics and custom design business Air Dimensions produces signage in metal and board for businesses. Bess also paints the signage for current shows at the National Cultural Centre.

“Through the years,” he says, he has “developed a rounded knowledge of all the disciplines” of aesthetic art. “I like to feel attached to the work I’m doing.” But he paints, mostly; working in all media, preferring acrylic paints to oils – because he finds the former easier to work with and tries to avoid the chemicals in the latter. “I like to dabble in charcoal, too.”

“But I don’t do much of that kind of work anymore; only on commission.” His repertoire is of landscapes and portraits, but he will paint what his customer requests.

Rondell Bess, 32, “born and grow” in the La Penitence area of Georgetown. He attended Stella Maris Primary and St Joseph’s High Schools before Art school. The University of Guyana is “on the back burner”, for now, but not completely dismissed.

When his wife tragically died in April 2012, he was left with the sole care of their three children, now 11, 8 and 6 years old. (The youngest, a girl, is the only one who shows an interest in art.) “It’s part of the reason I’m not painting anymore – I don’t find the time. It’s economic, too; but the signs and commercial art keep me busy.”

Now, when this writer went looking for Bess to interview him, he looked puzzled, so I explained that I wanted to interview him for this magazine, because of his work as an artist. Interestingly, it was his companion who reacted strongly. “Aha!” he exclaimed, adding: “Good! Because Rondell is a very good artist!,” before hurrying off to find me a chair.

Is this artist, and all that he could produce, entirely lost to the Arts in Guyana? Let us hope not. But in the meantime, we can admire the billboards at the National Cultural Centre as we pass them by.

The reluctant artistHan Granger-Gaskin interviews Rondell Bess

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Interview with

Andrunie HarrisWhere in Guyana are you from ? Do you think this influenced your development?

I was born in Georgetown, at Prashad’s Hospital, so I guess you could say I’m from Georgetown. However we lived in La Bonne Intention, ECD for the majority of my childhood. We moved quite a bit as I was growing up so I wouldn’t say any one place in particular influenced my development. My parents have influenced me and where we lived had very little to do with my development.

We did move to England when I was about five or six and lived there for about three years or so. But I can’t say that living there had much to do with my development either, except for the slight accent my brother and I picked up. The accent has long gone now.

Where did you go to school?

I attended Sacred Heart Primary School and then St. Stanislaus College.

Were there any teachers or subjects that inspired you?

There were a few teachers that inspired me in high school yes. Sir Khan, who always encouraged me with art and sport, and Sir Benjamin and Sir Christopher who also pushed me with sports. Phys Ed was one of my favorite subjects, along with Human and Social Biology and History.

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Ms Harris was also a teacher who inspired me, though she didn’t teach at Saints. I teach swimming part time, and Ms Harris’ method of teaching helps me even now with my swim classes.

Both your grandfather and your father are famous local cartoonists. Has this been a help or a hindrance in developing your own craft ?

It’s been a great help. Looking at my father work has taught me a lot. Reading and re-reading my grandfather’s cartoons has also been a big help.

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How old were you when you drew your first cartoon ?

I was 18 when I drew my first cartoon. It was for the Stabroek Scene.

Do you draw cartoons for a living now ?

I draw cartoons for the Stabroek Scene every Saturday, but I do have another full time job.

Do you practise any other art forms ?

I’m a graphic artist full time, and I doodle every now and again. A Graphic Artist basically creates pieces of artwork to suit a client’s specifications on a computer. I design signs, banners and brochures. Graphic artists can create many other pieces of artwork however, and generally it is all done on a computer.

On a typical day at work a client can walk in with or email their information, and based on that I put together a piece of artwork. Some pieces take mere minutes, while others can take a few hours or even a few days depending on the corrections a client wants to make.

In some instances I would have to visit the site that the sign is being erected at. This would help me to put together a sign that would complement the area it’s in, while at the same time meet my client’s requirements.

What skills do you think are most important for a cartoonist ?

I think a good sense of humour is important.

Is there such a thing as a Guyanese sense of humour ?

Yes, I think there is. It’s a little difficult to explain but I believe Guyanese have a special way with words. Our local comedians have found a way to use our creole “dialect” perfectly to produce a good laugh.

Should cartoons entertain or educate ?

Cartoons can both entertain and educate.

Are there any cartoonists whose work you admire ? If so, why ?

Other than my father and grandfather, no can’t say that I admire any other cartoonists. I have read a lot of the adapted English versions of the Asterix adventures, which is a series of French comics written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert

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rtists21Ku’wai

Uderzo. I’ve read the Tintin adventures and the Adventures of Lucky Luke as well, and some Andy Capp strips also. While I do admire the above mentioned comics, I’ve never looked into any other works by their creators.

Which of your own cartoons do you like most ?

This is a tough one. I don’t have a favorite cartoon of my own. I enjoy drawing, but I haven’t come close to my father’s level as yet. Though I don’t feel like I need to compete with Daddy, I do respect his art form and style of drawing, and when the day comes that I can draw like him, I’ll call that one my favorite.

Do cartoonists improve with experience or is it a question of topic and inspiration both firing at the same time?

Cartoonists improve with experience.

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ists

Is there anywhere in particular that you would like to visit ? Why?

There are lots of places I’d like to visit. Egypt, Rome and Greece to name a few, mainly for their ancient buildings, ruins and artifacts.

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24 Water Street, Georgetown, GuyanaTel: (592) 227-3344, 227-3350

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The Professionals with the Personal Touch

For all your shipping needs

thebuxtonfusion SCHOOLOFMUSICWhile living as a musician in London over a long period of time, I was fortunate to work with the master Drummers from Ghana and Nigeria. Dealing with the elders, I began to learn the traditions of music and, importantly, the transition of music into a cultural norm and its impact on human development and on the nation as a whole.

On my return to Guyana, I set up a music co-operative based in Buxton in 2007. In 2009, three members from our group were invited to perform at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting held in Trinidad. Two Buxtonians, Marlon Adams and Richard Stephens were accompanied by a Dholak player, Anand Nandan from the Ashram at Cove and John. The invitation came from an UK-based musical organization, Commonwealth Rescinds, run by a husband and wife team, Alison Cox and Marlon

Weis. Our music made a great impact: the fusion of Indian and African drummers enthralled the musical collective. We attended a rehearsal of the “Halleluiah Choir” by the Lydian Singers. The choir was practising with musical scripts and invited Buxton Fusion to set down the rhythmic part. Anand Nandan opened up with a solo on the Dholak, followed tightly by the two African drummers after which the singers and the pianists all put aside their musical scripts and launched into a mesmerizing performance of the Halleluiah Choir.

During our visit to Trinidad we also took part in several musical workshops across the country. One workshop was held at the Laventille Community Centre, chaired by Ms. Alison Cox and involved Eugene Skeete (a South African musician), Keith Waithe (a Guyanese flautist) and myself. Seeing Euguene’s presentation, ideas on teaching began to percolate in my mind. His conduct and teaching ability were inspiring, and from there the idea of a music school in Guyana was born. Part of the musical contingency was

FUSION:INDIAN AND AFRICAN

DRUMMERS

Deo Persaud

25Ku’wai

a Brazilian, Claudio Kron, a very innovative musician who uses all manner of percussive instruments indigenous to Brazil. At the end of workshop he and Keith Waite made a presentation of percussive instruments to the Buxton Fusion. I can safely say that this was the birth of the Buxton Fusion School of Music.

On returning to Guyana, we started recruiting children from the Buxton neighborhood. Their ages ranged from three years to late teens. The children are mainly Buxtonians. They come from poor families, with under-employed or unemployed parents, families caught up in the violence that permeated the village since the Mashramani prison break-out in 2002. The children are related to some of the families who were victims of the ensuing violence and this was clear to me just by observing their decorum, their mode of dress and importantly their behavioral patterns. Physical hunger was a major feature in their under-development. Discipline in their life was limited and this became a challenge for me and the elders of the school.

St. Matthias Spiritual Church is located on Middle Walk Buxton. The church, headed by Sister Desiree Adams, was a major source of attendees. The children’s parents and families are members of this church. Although African oriented, the church is all-embracing in that they celebrate the Christian, Hindu and Spiritual festivities. So, for example, the Church celebrated Diwali with the lighting of the Dias, the children eating seven curries in pooran leaves, the playing of drums and the singing of Hindu Bhajans. Seeing African Guyanese deeply involved in the devotion connected to Hinduism was for me, coming from a Hindu background, something to behold. It will always remain a precious memory for me, a life-changing moment.

Sister Desiree provided rehearsal space in the church and the school began to take shape. The first members of the school were the children and grandchildren of Sis. Desiree. Her son Marlon Adams became the drum tutor, his son Mark (Black Bhai) our first student. He has since performed to hundreds of Guyanese at our Independence Celebrations, corporate functions, numerous Kwe Kwe, cultural and educational workshops. He is now nine years old. The number of children grew. At any one class we were tutoring 15 or more students with rehearsals and practice being done twice a week, Mondays & Fridays after school.

Due to the lack of instruments we had to rotate the numbers who were on drums and percussive instruments. We practised non-stop for one to one and a half hours. This technique was used to develop the students’ physical strength and increase their powers of concentration. It is used by the master drummers of West Africa and also incorporates the use of their voices, a method adapted by the Akan peoples of Ghana. Voicing was our major hurdle and tuning had to be done by ear, taking the key note from Marlon Adams’s voice.

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There are six drumming patterns that are indigenous to Guyana. They are Sweet Hand, Klamity, Kan Bongo, Papa Haan, Yaga Pele and Indian.

Each student has to be able to play these different rhythm patterns and only a few have yet been able to perfect these rhythm patterns. This is work continually in progress.

After each rehearsal, the students receive a light snack consisting of proteins, carbohydrates and a local drink. Afterwards we discuss how the practice went. They are then driven back to their respective

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homes, some of them residing in the backlands of Buxton.

The quality of the music of the school grew. To test our progress we participated in the examination for the Guyana Music Festival. This festival was concerned with all the musical genres operating in Guyana. There are the classical section, jazz and folk components. Recently drumming was included in this musical forum: this was the section in which we competed. We came second. We overran by two beats. Interestingly, this outcome worked in our favour. The children were disappointed at this result knowing that they performed well. I reminded them that we overplayed by two beats and the consequence that followed was a loss. This had an impact on the children, and, for now, all of our songs are time-structured and the musical rules adhered to.

The Motto of the school is to keep our Cultural Traditions alive. Though the Buxton School is heavily African oriented, they also play Indian rhythms hence, the ability to fuse with Indian Drummers. Ghanaians and Nigerians like to perform with big ensembles. Fela Kuti was a great exponent of the big band sound. So was King Sunny Ade’. At performance, Fela would have 35 or more musicians on stage. It was not unusual to sit in with the African Drummers in a collective of ten or more drummers. The school was brought up in this musical atmosphere, ‘the big ban’ sound, so many things happening at just one time, everyone and everything happening in Fusion. This African musical tradition is an embodiment of the school.

Whenever we get a call for a performance the organizer will

always say, “Oh just bring two or three of the Drummers”. This I never do. The minimum I take is ten. This is after explaining to the organizer that the school is rooted in African traditions and that is how it is done. They always agree, and after their performance the children are well looked after. It is a known fact that most musicians become very nervous before a performance. Some will head for the toilet minutes before a performance, some a swig of alcohol, some drugs. Not these children. They are never fazed at an upcoming performance. Whether it is a small audience or a big crowd, to them it does not matter. Their concern is to do well.

At present the School has a core attendance of 15 children. Most of them I consider accomplished musicians. There is a dire need for equipment and instruments. Then there’s the cost for conducting the rehearsals, transport, refreshments. Recently Dr. Ifill from New York, a Buxtonian, heard about the school and in a short space of time he sent us four sets of drums. This has greatly enhanced the musical prowess of the children. We were also sent a range of percussive instruments by another patron, Mrs Marion Lake of New York. These contributions make a vast difference to the musical development of the children.

From the outset, around 40 students passed through the school. Some are still here and have progressed remarkably and are now the main core for public performances. The drop-out rate was due to some of them leaving for different locations and job opportunities and a few were expelled for gross indiscipline.

The future of the school is not in jeopardy: there is commitment. Funding in our main challenge and this can only come from the work we do ourselves. One of the major sources of potential funding is to have a recording of our work. From a recording there are possibilities of further bookings and performances that we desperately need.

The children sometimes give me an insight into what the music has done for them.

We’ve been places where we have never been before.When I have a school problem I tap my pen on the desk and the answer comes to me”.The children can be a delight to work with, notwithstanding that there are going to be some disruptions. The disruptive ones are given time to reflect and room is always there for their return.

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El DoradoTHE MYTH OF

Author: Michael GilkesGuyanese writer, poet, dramatist and film maker.

Source:This is an edited extract from a talk given by Michael Gilkes at Moray House Trust in February 2013 as part of a presentation to promote a film he hoped to make called “Maira and the Jaguar People.” An earlier version of this talk was first given in 2005 at a seminar on The Guianas at the Centre for Caribbean Studies, Warwick University, United Kingdom; and also appears in The Arts Journal Volume 8 Numbers 1 and 2.

We, as coastlanders, have our own attitudes and ideas about the interior; but ...

there is a legend about our interior that has been both a blessing and a curse. The legend of el Dorado ...

has helped to form our concept, the world’s concept, of the South American rainforest and of our interior.

The legend of El Dorado, the “Golden Man”, (an ancient Colombian Amerindian community’s ceremony for installing their new Caciques), morphed into a fabulous city of gold called Manoa, hidden somewhere in the Guiana rainforest. References to El Dorado appear in world literature. Shakespeare and Milton both refer to ‘eldorado’, Milton includes a reference to its inhabitants as ‘the sons of Geryon’ (Guyana). And we all know of

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Sir Walter Raleigh’s fruitless search for the golden city he believed existed in ‘the riche and bewtiful Empyre of Guiana.’

Today that dream of a Guyanese El Dorado in the interior persists. It doesn’t require actual evidence. It exists in our consciousness. It’s a landscape of dreams. As Mark McWatt puts it in a poem called ‘Heartland’:

That is the central spider in our web of dreams that weaves the net of El Dorado.

I grew up in colonial B.G. largely ignorant about the interior. Then as now, especially in the Caribbean Region, people saw Guyana as a fabulous but problematical country. The past and present difficulties of our co-operative Republic of Guyana, for instance, still appear to most observers as not only unfortunate, but also anomalous ; a peculiarly Guyanese problem. How can a land so rich in potential ever be economically or socially depressed? In fact ...

Guyana still remains a contradictory landscape even to those of us who live here.

History may explain some of the contradictions. The country suffered Dutch, French and British occupation. The capital was first called Stabroek, then Le Nouveau Ville, then Georgetown as it changed hands. Place names, like family names still reflect this polyglot historical inheritance. Le Repentir, Mon Repos, Plaisance, Vyrheid’s Lust, Onderneeming, Metenmeerzorg, Queenstown, Buxton, Bachelor’s Adventure. But these are names of historical conquest. Coastal names. Look at the map. Those names are dwarfed by the sheer weight of aboriginal names – mostly in the interior 90% of the country. They serve as a constant reminder of earlier, deeper roots. Mazaruni, Kurupung, Tumatumari, Pomeroon, Hosororo, Imbaimadai, Ayangana. Guyana.

Fortunately, there is a growing awareness among coastlanders – and Iwokrama plays an important role here - that there is indeed something special about our interior that needs to be preserved: something more precious than gold or diamonds or oil.

Guyana is also contradictory because it has been the stage for epic dramas of discovery and high adventure as well as (at the other extreme) of tragic disillusionment and loss. El Dorado and Jonestown. Yet these two extremes are related. Both stem from a persistent utopianism, encouraged by the lure of the primeval.

There is a hinterland to “Jonestown”. That hinterland is the universal human longing for another Eden, a prelapsarian, primeval world, a “shangri-la”, an “El Dorado” that would offer both religious happiness and material wealth. God and Gold. That is the contradiction that powers the myth. Today, perhaps, it’s God and black gold. But the legend of El Dorado persists as a desire for adventure and spiritual renewal as well as for economic expansion and material gain.

When I was a boy growing up in Georgetown, “British Guiana”, I remember being told about the unimaginable riches in the interior. The rainforest was teeming with wildlife. There were endless supplies of greenheart and hundreds of different and wondrous kinds of timber. There were numberless rivers and waterfalls. Kaieteur would never dry up. That image of

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vastness, of inexhaustible potential simply there, needing neither good husbandry nor concern was, and is, a fiction. And it is that El Doradan mind-set which still encourages the exploitation, pollution and destruction of our and the world’s natural resources, including the air we breathe.

The air and the sky above us depend on the rainforests and rivers. We’re using up or destroying those natural resources faster than Mother Nature can replenish them. Our human garbage is growing faster than the trees we’re cutting down. No one seems to care. No one is responsible. We avoid thinking about it as we simply avoid the growing hills of garbage. After a while, we don’t see them.

We have to begin to reclaim, to reconstruct our buried, Guyanese native traditions of community, the Tumatumari or “sleeping rocks” of our polyglot cultural identity. This is and has been a major concern of our artists and writers. Let me quote from the late Denis Williams. He is speaking about the Amerindian legacy of community, respect for and adaptation to the landscape. This legacy, he reminds us :

Is the element in our heritage that the Europeansneither discovered nor destroyed. We cannot ignore it without great loss to ourselves.

Research has shown us that the “jungle” of the Amazon basin gave rise to and supported flourishing, complex societies with highly developed art forms: this represents an indigenous cultural history spanning more than ten thousand

years. This is the background to the so-called ‘marginal’ Aboriginal presence in our region and in the world.

One important legacy of primal cultures is the connection they make between their arts of the imagination, the landscape and their way of life: a connection which most developed urban and coastal societies have lost.

We are part of a worldwide dilemma where wealth and cities grow and societies and people decay.

Let me give the last word to an important but neglected historian. Gordon Lewis’s brilliant study reminds us that our Amerindian societies are not “primitive”. They are primal, Ab-original; “…the final impression is one of a peaceful society at ease with its Environment.”

“A peaceful society at ease with its environment.” Surely, a universally desirable and achievable goal; perhaps that’s the El Dorado we should be seeking.

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gnarled tree

blackened branches

wind-awry

death coming

this year sure

sudden green filigree

bursts of red

rush of blood.

FlamboyantPOEM: Ian Mc Donald | PHOTOGRAPHY: Chontelle Sewette

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“My interest in archaeology has moved me to consider myself as an individual in this landscape, in this environment. This is a very harsh environment, a very difficult environment when you get out there.

I was in the Pakaraimas in 1992 with Neil (Whitehead, an anthropologist). In fact Neil and I abandoned that trip because he fell ill. We were going to spend a month in the Pakaraimas between the mountain and the Ireng river and we were going to do a survey there. The year before I had been looking at burial sites in the mountains, in caves. So I did a survey and Neil came with me the following year.

We landed on Friday in Paramakatoi and on Saturday morning, no wasting time here, I went into the forest, into this site.

To get to the site I had to climb a tree to locate the site and then climb down. My guides the year before had told me,

we don’t go very close to these sites. It’s over there, yuh see that tree over there? If you go over there you will find it. We don’t go because we’ll get sick and we don’t want to get sick and we don’t want our children to get sick.”

I went and I found huge pots with bones inside and I recorded it. But this time, there was no pottery, no bones nothing.

No pots, no sign of pots, no broken pots, no bones, nothing.

And I felt like “OK, sorry Neil, it was there you know.”

And I really pondered about this.

We came prepared to do archaeology so we had flashlights and so on.

I walked a short distance and, between two huge rocks, there was a gap just big enough for me to squeeze through and I flashed my light and I could see that it was an old mound, a cave.

I told Neil, “Look, I’m going to go down.” I went down, I dropped down. The bricks formed a step. I’m flashing the light around and way up there there is a tiny pot, a very small pot. Around the mouth of this pot is a serpent eating its tail, that famous serpent that you see in Egyptian caves, a serpent with its tail in its mouth. That blew my mind. I didn’t know anything about it but that blew my mind. That was very significant for me.

Since then, I have looked at the serpent and I understand that in Mexico there is a flying serpent, in China there is the dragon. For us here it’s the anaconda. And I became very interested and that led me on to look at Hindu mythology and spirituality and there is the kundalini

1 and the serpent that lies there dormant within.

Our Archaeology & The Imaginary

Speaker: George Simon, Guyanese artist and archaeologist.

Source: This is an edited extract from a talk and slideshow given at Moray House Trust in August 2012.

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And then there are the two serpents that are fighting in Greek mythology 2 . Mercury puts his staff between two fighting serpents and today we use that symbol in medicine of two serpents with the staff in between.

2 The Greek god Hermes, known to the Romans as Mercury, was the messenger of

the Gods and the guide of dead souls to the underworld. His symbol of office was a staff, originally a willow wand with entwined ribbons. The ribbons were eventually depicted as snakes

and a story evolved that Hermes/Mercury had used his staff to separate two fighting snakes which subsequently entwined themselves together in peace.

Some drug and pharmaceutical companies use a symbol of a short rod entwined by two snakes and topped by a pair of wings. This represents the magic wand of the Hermes / Mercury (protector of merchants) and symbolises commerce rather than medicine.

Many medical associations (such as the World Health Organisation) use the image of a single serpent encircling a rough-hewn tree limb or staff. This is the staff of Asclepius, a physician who practised in Greece around 1200 BC, is described in Homer’s Iliad and later came to be worshipped as the God of Healing.

So the serpent was a very powerful image in the past.

In this painting of course you see a serpent. I did the painting and I had to find a serpent because I felt the relationship between the serpent and the indigenous people’s spirituality. I wanted a snake that could harmonise the painting by its colours. That’s a straight artistic thing. The colour must be in harmony with the rest of the painting. So the land camoudie, the constrictor, with his spots and so on fit beautifully in this. There is another story, but I am not going to bore you with that one, that the land camoudie is associated with female energy.”

1 Kundalini is a dormant energy within most

people. In Hindu mythology, Kundalini is a serpent goddess who lies asleep at the base of the spine, coiled three and a half times around the first chakra. Her name is Kundalini Shakti, and she represents the unfolding of the divine Shakti energy, the energising potential of life itself, a living goddess who enlivens all things. Kundalini is a condensed primal force, similar to the potential energy found in water.

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Water Coconut

cutlass on high

brings down the ripened fruit

lop its green head off

white pith and shell

sip sweet and cool

what God called water

scoop soft jelly

eat and live forever.

POEM: Ian Mc Donald | PHOTOGRAPHY: Chontelle Sewette

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INTRODUCTION

In 1807 the Colonial Chaplain pronounced the small room serving as a “public church” in the Courts of Justice and Policy as totally inadequate. Shortly after, two lots of land were donated by the executor of the heirs of Joseph Bourda on the site where the St. George’s School now stands.

Wooden by choice or circumstance?ST. GEORGE’S

The first St. George’s Church, measuring 70 feet by 30 feet, soon proved to be too small for its growing congregation and was eventually sold to Matthew’s Parish, Providence on the East Bank of Demerara. In the 1830s a “substantial brick building of suitable dimensions” was agreed on but the site proposed, Parade Ground, was not popular with parishioners. Eventually, a second site, on the Company Path, and overlaying the continuation of the present day North St / Rd Canal, was chosen.

The second St. George’s, “a plain brick building, simple in its architectural features, with a square tower” was

consecrated as a Cathedral on December 1, 1842. Sadly, this imposing clay brick structure with the magnificent square tower proved to be a structural disaster. From the inception, serious weaknesses in the foundations were evident and large sums were expended on repairs. From an engineering design point of view it is obvious that the loading under the footing of the tower would be of a greater intensity than under any other part of the structure. Bearing in mind that the structure was built over a part of an in-filled canal, then that fact could only have lent to a compounding of the foundation problems whilst contributing to differential, if not accelerated, settlement under the tower proper.

The imposing structure of the second

St. George’s

Writer: Bert Carter, engineer and historian

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The third St. George’s, erected in 1877 as a ”pro – Cathedral”

Given that the structure was of bricks laid in beds of mortar, presumably, mainly limestone, it is understandable that planes of weakness could easily have been created by virtue of any differential settlement. Since the technology of soil mechanics, if it existed, would still have been in its infancy and, possibly, was not available in the

Colony at the time there must have been great speculation as to how much settlement would eventually take place before stability was achieved.

Rodway in his assessment states that “… unfortunately, a great mistake was made by laying one set of foundations for tower as well as building, the

natural consequence was that the tower, being heavier, sank more than the body of the church, and broke its back. This was a great misfortune and caused trouble soon after its completion. Many attempts were made to rectify the matter, in which a great deal of money was spent, but all without permanent benefit. ”

THE THIRD ST. GEORGE’S … A PRO- CATHEDRAL

At last the building became dangerous, and in 1877 it was suggested that a pro-Cathedral be constructed to cater for the displaced congregation until such time that a new structure could be erected to replace the edifice. It should be mentioned that a pro-cathedral is a parish church that is temporarily serving as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese. This structure was erected in the grounds of the Deanery on the western side of Carmichael Street, almost in the centre of the block, between what used to be the SPCK (Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge) Bookshop and the Bishop’s High School as the school is now known. The cost of construction was all of $10 000.

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THE FOURTH ST. GEORGE’S.

When it was realized that a new Cathedral would have to be built, two committees were formed, one to look at the finances and the other to look at the building “…. with authority to cooperate with any architect”. (See Ref 1.)

Plans and designs were invited and those for a building after the Italian style were almost accepted but the architect died before approval was given. The present structure was designed by Sir Arthur Bloomfield, a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, who never came to British Guiana as he had heard of the existence of mosquitoes as well as malaria and yellow fever. His original design proposed a stone structure with a central tower and two other towers to the west, but the design was rejected because of weight and financial considerations. Much to his credit, Sir. Arthur did send out a person knowledgeable in soils to advise on the foundations, but his findings were not respected by the leading engineers in the colony at that time as well as the building committee.

Up to this time, the first and only masonry structure of civil engineering worth was the Parliament Buildings which were completed in 1834. What followed thereafter was a series of beautiful structures mainly wooden in entirety, all of which however were preceded by St. Andrew’s Kirk as early as 1818. The Governor’s House (today’s State House) was opened in 1852, while the Sacred Heart Church was consecrated in December, 1861.

Surely of great concern and, no doubt, a very significant influencing factor amongst building clients and contractors around that time, would have been the structural integrity of substantial buildings erected entirely of masonry. The cause for concern would have stemmed from the foundation deficiencies experienced and exhibited by the second St. George’s, which would have been less than 20 years old up to that point in time, and all the attendant concerns with respect to safety.

The late 1860s saw a hive of construction activity financed by the respective denominational

clergy in the Colony, albeit to win souls while maintaining their respective flocks. The foundation stone of the new wooden Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the Glory of Georgetown, designed by Cesar Castellani was laid on April 21, 1868 and consecrated on August 25, 1878.

Not to be outdone, the insurance companies were also in the building arena. The Hand-in -Hand Insurance Co. was opened in 1879 and is still one of the best maintained structures from that period. It is completely made of stone but it is a low-rise building with a pretence of a basement, much like the Undercroft Centre of the present St. George’s.

About the same time, 1878, the planning of the Victoria Law Courts was commissioned under the supervision of Baron Hora van Siccama. Capable engineer that he was, he used his judgment to construct the building with a masonry ground floor and a superstructure entirely of wood. The Baron was very knowledgeable with respect to our coastal clays, having been responsible for the construction of the sea defence between Fort William Frederick (today’s Round House) and Kitty. The portion between Camp Street and Fort Groyne has never seen any major repairs. The Law Courts opened on the Queen’s birthday, May 24, 1887.

That same year, 1887, saw the laying of the cornerstone of the Town Hall. Here again the architect Fr. Scoles

The Cathedral as it looked in 1892

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along with the construction supervisor, Luke M. Hill saw it fit to construct the ground floor with masonry and the superstructure entirely of wood. With great fanfare the Town Hall was opened on July 1, 1889.

Interestingly, two years later, the Demerara Mutual Life Assurance Co. opened its doors which led to a structure with masonry on all of the ground floor, and wooden first and second floors. This boldness no doubt derived from a confidence founded on the experience of the recently opened Town Hall. Within a stone’s throw, less than 100 yards away, the British Guiana Mutual Co. laid its foundation on July 13, 1893. Like the Hand-in-Hand their structure admitted to a sort of basement, another bold step, but obviously fully aware of the high water-table in that location. Nevertheless, tribute must be paid to the quality of work and the level of supervision executed at that time.

The dominant factor that determined the finished designs was obviously the low (load) bearing capacity of the Demerara clays that was influencing these decisions, and how much of a chance, presumably based on calculated risks, each client was prepared to take. Interestingly all the Government structures financed by taxpayers money were more bold in their undertakings, e.g. Parliament Buildings (1834), Victoria Law courts (1887), Magistrates Court (1890). The Churches on the other hand were cautious, or rather of little faith, and so were content to stay with wooden edifices up to that time. The private sector was bold but cautious. They opted for partially subterranean structures based on the principle that the material excavated would be replaced by an equivalent or less weighty superstructure.

1 A Short History of St. George’s Georgetown Guyana by The Reverend Derek H. Goodrich.

2 The Story of Georgetown by James Rodway (Reprint Edition)

Still a beautiful wooden edifice, the present St. George’s

All of the above has been highlighted to show that Sir Arthur Bloomfield was probably not allowed to hedge his bets by taking a chance, or even being allowed with committee oversight, to risk another fiasco with respect to foundation issues.

As it was, there were enough problems from the beginning. According to the Rev. Goodrich “…the roof leaked badly and much money was spent on repairs.” The local architect John Bradshaw Sharples’ services were even sought with respect to correcting the roof leaks causing one observer to point out that “if he (Sir Arthur) had experienced tropical rain, it is doubtful he would have created so many gulleys in the roof”.

As can be seen from Fig. 3 the exterior of the Cathedral looked like the present interior with its Elizabethan “black and white” appearance as called for. The timber framing was in-

filled with white lime-cement panels, but the hot, humid, wet climate caused severe maintenance problems. It was decided to encase the building in a double layer of greenheart, square edged boards underneath and lap edged weatherboard on the outside. It is claimed that this modification has been successful. However a noticeable absence is that of any fascia boards; as a result all of the exposed corners of the building exhibit deterioration.

The Cathedral has been identified as a National Monument.

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intense colourwhite without flawpennants flyingin the sunspears aloftamid the greensharp white fragrance.

POETRY: Ian Mc Donald PHOTOGRAPHY: Chontelle Sewette

Frangipani

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Fear & Triumphalism in 21st Century Guyanese Architecture

What is the purpose of architecture? Roman architect Vitruvius in the early 1st century AD declared it should satisfy three principles: durability – it should stand up robustly and remain in good condition; utility – it should be useful and function well for the people using it; and beauty – it should delight people and raise their spirits.

Now why would the toga-wearing Vitruvius have anything relevant to say about modern day Guyana architecture ...until one considers the proliferation in this far away land of Roman columns. When one really starts looking they are everywhere, in all shapes and styles: Ionic, Doric, Tuscan on the grandest buildings, at the entrances to private homes, and even on the verandah of an East Coast spare parts store surrounded by second hand tyres.

Perhaps the building which best illustrates this Roman aesthetic is at Camp and Lamaha streets. Now in construction, this imposing five-storey monolith has a facade adorned by nine 60ft columns that support absolutely nothing. These punctuate a series of monotonously repeating square windows broken by what can only be described as a triumphal arch as its main entrance way. And then there is the tower, completely out of character with the rest of the building, with a spiral staircase winding around an elevator shaft. One suspects this will be clad in a blue mirror at some point.

The feeling one gets while standing in front of this building is of great heaviness. Not only the sense that the building is heavy but an internal heaviness caused perhaps by the way it dominates, even bullies, its surroundings, both in height, style and size. It is as depressing as it is high.

Writer: Samuel Peeps

This article has been published under a pseudonym

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One may also question the economic feasability of a building that conservatively must cost US$100 to US$150 per sq ft to construct, and there are more practical concerns such as the strain on an ancient sewerage system and parking.

Other examples of unfortunate architectural design include a store on Hadfield and High Streets which is similarly lumpen with graceless vertical slabs of concrete interspersed with glass and what appear to be non-functional flying buttresses. It is department store as mausoleum, and one wonders how it could have been allowed to sully an area that includes the historic parliament buildings.

Then there is the Fort at the Russian Embassy Turn. With its drum tower and battlements, this structure is actually far more modern than the Roman style buildings, if only that it hearkens back to the Middle Ages and looks more suited to fighting off chain-mail clad invaders than for living in. One could easily imagine the owner pouring hot oil over its walls. While this building is more about folly than about grandeur, it is a bizarre eyesore that belongs in a theme park rather than on the country’s seawall.

Private homes have also been infected by the Roman style, but with the watered down and quite innocuous designs that permeate Florida housing tracts. Only the grandest are reprehensible in their pomposity. More worrying is the insular and anonymous nature of the average design as exemplified by many homes at Le Ressouvenir.

The occasional small verandah is a nod to the old pass-time of sitting out there in the evenings and watching the road. But no one sits out there.

The homes have turned their backs on the world outside even as they cower behind high spiked walls, essentially becoming air-conditioned islands,

sealed and safe, the better to protect the interiors purchased straight out of an Ethan Allen catalogue.

More dangerously, many of these homes are now ensconced in gated communities with all the socio-economic maladies such developments have created worldwide: the isolation from less fortunate fellow citizens, and the lack of reliance on public services that creates an attitude of indifference to their efficient provision. If one lives in a gated community, does one really care about the local council’s garbage collection?

So what do all these Roman columns, these grand edifices, and the plush interiors speak of Guyana in the early years of the 21st century? Many things but firstly of triumphalism ... hence the grand arches. The emphasis on height is no accident. It is at its most banal level a statement of socio-economic status. In Guyanese parlance the owner has literally “gone up”. After all ...

in modern Guyana the acquisition of wealth by any means necessary and its ostentatious consumption are considered virtues

(and the lack thereof is some moral failing.) The grander buildings are really celebrations of the new commercial elite signifying their arrival. However, in their insistence on size and solidity, these structures also betray fears about how permanent this elite’s supremacy might be.

Secondly, the ornaments of ancient Rome serve as merely lazy borrowed and unimaginative symbols of refinement, respectability and taste. They are tokens for the individual to purchase and display, but offer no inkling of individual style or thought. In that regard they show a lack of knowledge and respect for one’s own culture. And this is also perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the modern Guyanese home in its complete absence of local or family furniture – a wardrobe from the family home, a grandfather’s Berbice Chair. This absence seems to be saying not only how far one has come, to be able to afford all these new belongings, but how far the occupants have run from their past, to create a new persona, a new way of life with no reference to their history, their roots.

And the high walls of the gated communities simply reflect the fears of those more fortunate, another barrier of protection, but one that also separates a society increasingly divided between the haves and have-nots.

Architecture is not just about buildings, it speaks of a nation’s culture, its mindset.

In this regard modern Guyana architecture offers some troubling pointers to the socio-economic health of this country.

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I started working in cardboard. I had run out of money, and as everybody knows, for art you need money. But sometimes I wonder, do you? How much money you need and how much money you don’t need, that’s something I debate with myself all the time. But that’s another story. That’s a long, long story.

I would go down the road in Brick Lane in London, where the Bangladeshi community lives. All the fruit from my childhood that I thought of as being purely Guyanese was being imported from Thailand. It gave me a wider idea of colonialism and a wider idea of what the system was.

I started packaging old pieces of my sculpture in cardboard. It was the idea of, well, if people are trying to package me (“we don’t know where you come from, we don’t know where to fit you”), fine, I will package myself.

And soon this is what came about. I started making these massive cardboard environments – This is Cardboard Palace. It is massive. It’s like a maze, you walk all the way around it. Images of the Queen and Princess Margaret are cutout in cardboard, a very simple technique, with a light behind so it shines out. It is like old wooden Guyanese houses light up like lanterns at night. The patterns cut out in cardboard are like the fretwork on Guyanese wooden houses, and the perforated concrete blocks in concrete houses.

Cardboard Palace was made in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee year in England. I started doing these images of the Queen, I didn’t quite know why. It’s a complex thing about identity. I’m part of diaspora, but I’m living in London, so I’m living with the Queen as monarch. Fair enough.Detail of ‘Cardboard Palace’ 2002, Photo by Steve White.

4 x 11 x 20 m

Strange Images of theQUEEN

Speaker: Hew Locke, Guyanese artist resident in the UK

Source: This is an edited extract from a talk given at Moray House Trust in January 2013.

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I started remembering what it was like when I was at St. Gabriel’s school in Georgetown. As a child it’s a standard thing that you have exercise books with the President’s face or the Queen’s face on the cover. It doesn’t matter which, if you are a figure of power, you will get spectacles, moustache and all this kind of stuff drawn on you. And so, in my images of the Queen I was reworking these kinds of ideas. But it’s easy for people to think, Oh, you’re tearing the Queen to bits, but no, no. It’s an examination of a system. And also it’s about memories of collecting stamps as a boy. I could go on about the ideas and influences for a long time.

‘Eldorado’ 2005, photo by FXP photography. 290 x 175 x 60cms

I was looking into the whole idea of royalty, which I got quite fascinated by, and ideas of power. Also the fact that if you’re Princess Margaret - the sister of the Queen - two or three years is the difference between you being the top of the tree or being somebody searching for your own place in life.

This is ‘Eldorado’, made of plastic swords, plastic toys, all screwed down onto plywood. Part of this work is about me going back to a childhood thing. OK, well, now I can afford all these guns, now I can afford all these swords, I’ll buy them all. So for a while my studio looked like a toyshop.

When I was a kid, I used to have fantasies. “One day, I will go around the corner in the bush, some trail or the other, and there it will be, this golden city, just glinting through the trees...” I got fascinated with that idea, with the idea of something unattainable. Also, if you go to Spain or most Latin countries with a cathedral, a church, you’ll see Madonna images with rays of light coming off it, and that’s what these are, these swords are my rays of light. I was trying to reinvent the royal portrait, the royal image.

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Guyana has produced some exceptional artists in every field of artistic endeavour. They have been persons of talent and invariably men of compassion. To be an artist in the true sense requires a compassionate heart. Creativity does not reside in the mind or heart of he who mainly seeks after “filthy lucre”. We have been blessed with a pantheon that includes Martin Carter, Edgar Mittelholzer, Aubrey and Denis Williams, Ivan Forrester, A.J. Seymour, Philip Moore and others. They were men of distinction, and most prominent among them all was an old friend of mine, Bill Rogers. With the exception of Mittelholzer and Aubrey Williams, I have had close relationships with all of the above-mentioned.

Bill Rogers and I walked together many mornings, he taking young Bill to school and I holding the hands of Sekou and Nkosi, en route to the school in Queenstown where they all were students. I didn’t know it then but Bill Rogers had already achieved worldwide fame as a singer. He never spoke of this but was more interested in what I did and how I proposed going about what I desired by way of my involvement in theatre and the arts.

Young men are vain and think the world revolves only for them

and so I never asked the elder Bill much about himself but I did learn years after who he really was and what he meant to the development of art, culture and education in Guyana.

Years later, I interviewed his wife and son, Young Bill Rogers. I learnt that Bill Rogers had been the first Guyanese to earn a recording contract (with the top Canadian company, RCA Victor Bluebird Record Company) in 1934. He was also the first Guyanese to sing at the Royal Albert Hall in London on invitation. He was the only member of the performing group to receive an encore that night. However, the greatest achievement of Bill Rogers, for me, was the fact that he assisted in the educational process by giving scholarships to several promising Guyanese students for studies in the USA and England. The family cannot recall any of them returning to thank Bill Rogers for his kindness.

The efforts of Bill Rogers and the poetry of Martin Carter were much more than vanity. Their art ignored the domination of money over the development of their people. Philip Moore also saw the evil rear its head. His Museum of Meditation, which I first visited on Cummings Street, was designed to provide creative content for young writers, sculptors and others. The efforts of these men were indeed devoted to the development of people, and specifically the poor and working class persons. The culture arising during their time had a place for the working class. Even in the sixties, seventies and unto the 1980s, the culture of

The HustleRas Michael Jeune

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the working class was given artistic expression in many creative voices.

As a young writer, I shared some of my happiest moments in the company of those above-mentioned artists. I found that, irrespective of the art form in which he is engaged, the talented creative artist rises above all other practitioners by virtue of his commitment and discipline to the promulgation of his artistic expression. He is particularly concerned with the education of the lumpen proletariat and is concerned about the welfare of the society in which he himself dwells. In this Bill Rogers surpassed all, but each of the individuals named above did possess this quality.

At this particular point of our history as a Republic however, the commitment to art and the application to its discipline does not seem to match those whose names I have mentioned with reverence. Is it as a result of the now entrenched corruption in the society? Is it a result of the abundance of drugs and drug-related crimes in our society?

Is it because the artist is now afraid for his own safety and his ability to earn in what has become a cash-based economy?

Is it this insecurity of earning that threatens the existence of art in Guyana where no one dares to promulgate truth for the fear of reprisals?My friends think so. I have spoken with young artists and older artists and that is their opinion.

Although there are many artists or rather practitioners of art, yet only a few succeed to make an impact in the society. My sources say it is because of the insecurity that an artist feels that forces him to produce work that

will not “rock the boat”. They are more committed to making money than to producing great art.

Guyana has become a cash based society where if you have little or no money you become a despised being.

Therefore our artists write and sculpt and paint what they think would sell. The creative conceit has been removed. The artist now works for ‘cash’.

The problem today is that not only is culture being controlled centrally through favouritism and administrative patronage but by a wanton exhibition of non-artistic presentations depending on lewd and bawdy shows to excite and influence spectators.

Young people have become the targets of avaricious businessmen who offer foreign singers and performers to the public, enticing youths with attractive prices for beer, stout etc. Their shows proliferate with music and lyrics that can be considered the most immoral of all immorality, for example, the recent popular song “Kick In She Back Door”. Youths are easily influenced and fall for these cheap lyrics of immorality and the opportunity of having four beers for G$1000 (the equivalent of US$ 5). Such events do nothing for the local artist, nor the public, but to entice young people into believing that a certain behaviour is acceptable, and that beer and other alcoholic beverages are good to drink, especially if cheap.

Every once in a while the administration will spout insincere platitudes such as “Education Month” etc but the truth is that only the artist, the real artist in the society, has the power to change minds, and he must not be willing to bow for a few dollars to the influence administrators exert on the society.

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WATER LILY

soft evening lightsun dance of birdsthey skip and peckbright and joyousleaf to leafgreen to greenfloat on silverwhite blossomsbeneath their feet.

POETRY: Ian Mc DonaldPHOTOGRAPHY: Chontelle Sewette

This page has been sponsored by a private donor.

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The High Artfulness of

Hawley Harris

“Well! I’ve often seen a cat without a grin,” thought Alice, “but a grin without a cat! It’s the most curious thing I ever saw in all my life!”

Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Alice’s cat that vanishes into thin air and leaves behind only its grin expresses perfectly the essence of the caricaturist’s art: it is an art of reduction and concentration. A leading art scholar calls it an art of “sublime simplification.” There is mischief in Alice’s cat; it is also an art which had its origins in simple mischief and simple spite.

When the young Harris, in the early 1960s, took up his pen and brush, he was taking up a hundred-year-old profession established by men of genius and social passion who had changed the face of modern journalism, and in some notable instances, the face of the world. I am of the view - and it is a view shared by many - that in Hawley Harris, Guyana has yielded up a cartoonist of

Author: Rupert Roopnaraine

Source: This is an edited extract of a piece written for Stabroek News in 1995 and

reprinted in Dr. Roopnaraine’s book of essays, The Sky’s Wild Noise. The book was launched

at Moray House Trust in April 2013.

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the first rank, worthy of his place at the high table, in the company of the masters who have wielded the pen of righteousness against humbug and injustice.

When Hawley [Harris] was a boy of ten, his father, a strict fellow, would keep him indoors when his friends were playing outside.

“He would say you have to pick up your books and read, that sort of thing. But I used to pick up my book and draw and scribble little things. I enjoyed it. In later life now, when you’re working...I never wanted to be an employee of anybody. My father’s total ambition for me was to get through my Senior Cambridge and then become a Public Servant, go into Customs or that sort of thing. But that wasn’t for me. I wanted for years to go off on my own.”

In the course of a session at the Las Vegas nightclub, Harris was recruited to the Mirror by Mr. Mcdonald Dash. He worked there under the editorship of Mrs. Janet Jagan for many years until the late President Burnham, who knew a weapon when he felt one, made him an offer which the Mirror could not match and lured him away to the New Nation. He remained at the New Nation until Mr. David de Caires and the new Stabroek team, old admirers all, took him gleefully on board the newly launched Stabroek News. “Right away I saw a bit of freedom there. I could do what I liked.”

The Harris strengths are apparent from the outset: strong lines, a dramatic and effective use of black and white, the integration of the text or caption into the composition of the cartoon as a whole, the use of perspective and composition, the big close-up occupying the entire cartoon, the deft caricatures of the leaders, at times, the biting wit. The defence of the underdog runs like a bright red thread through all of Harris’ work.

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At least one interviewer, he told me, was shocked that he saw no contradiction in working for the Mirror and the New Nation, for a brief period even simultaneously. And indeed, the most striking thing about the work he did for these two papers is a certain sameness of idiom and manner. The ideas and slogans were different, at times the exact opposite, but the visual syntax was identical.

Comparing the Mirror and New Nation cartoons, an important truth emerges, a law of the genre:

cartoons are most effective when drawn against rather than for something.

Those done for the Mirror have an energy that derives from their oppositional nature and mission. They are attacking authority. The New Nation work is derivative

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and, for long periods, sterile and unimaginative. They are enforcing authority.

In the new conditions of freedom he found and continues to relish at Stabroek News, Harris came into his own and entered his golden period. For the last ten years he has treated us to hundreds and hundreds of cartoons. They have come flowing out of his mind, black lines in white space, week after week, extracting the humour from the most humourless of situations, going straight to the single simple truth at the heart of some jumbled confusion, provoking us to another way of seeing, of thinking.

Hawley Harris’ output has been prodigious. His accumulated work stands as an epic achievement ...

... a vivid documentation, in the simplest of forms, of our national and human condition.He told me he was pleased to receive a national honour, because it gave recognition and respectability to cartooning. A modest reply from a modest man.

Editor’s note: This piece was written in 1995. Hawley Harris was with Stabroek News from its launch in 1985 until he retired in 2001 and was succeeded by his son, Paul Harris, also a cartoonist. Hawley died, at the age of 77, in 2008. His grand-daughter, Andrunie Harris, is a cartoonist as well.

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AMNESIA & MYTH IN THE MAKING OF THE PASTAuthor: Clem Seecharan

Source: This is an edited extract from Mother India’s Shadow over El Dorado: Indo-Guyanese Politics and Identity 1890s-1930s. Professor Seecharan’s readings from this book were the inaugural event at Moray House Trust in August 2012.

The general absence of a sense of history among Indo-Caribbean people – their conception of the past as timeless, an unfathomable void in ancestral space - has compounded the layers of encrusted myth enveloping that not-so-distant past in India. It is an opaque universe that bears no dates, no named places, no pictures or records to make sense of the life - a blur evocative of no place in particular - unvalidated. Yet my maternal great-grandmother, Kaila (1889 - 1956; possibly from kala:black), a little dark woman from a low Shudra caste (Pasi), who went to British Guiana alone, in 1909 aged 20, was very real. Hers was a seminal influence - her industry, generosity and deep sense of family responsibility. Yet neither I nor any member of my family, including her only daughter with whom she was intimate, knew where she came from, beyond our instinctual location of her in an imagined India, ever eclectic and elusive of concrete definition. We were not sure why she left home, alone, though a perfunctory narrative that spoke of deception into going to the colony, “to sift sugar”, was extracted from her from time to time. My family seemed not to have persisted; inquiry was consumed by an unmalleable reticence. The subject was obviously taboo and it was left at that.

Some 30 years after Kaila’s death, I discovered, in the ships’ register in Georgetown, that she was from Gonda in eastern Uttar Pradesh, a place that meant absolutely nothing to me. She died when I was six but sometimes I can still coax a fleeting image of Kaila, from my boyhood imagination, almost a mythical figure melded with our heroes of the great Hindu classic, the Ramayana. Kaila was beyond history, beyond family, she transcended the India she had left less than five decades before.

Fact and fantasy are interwoven in Indo-Guyanese memory.

It was eighty thousand square miles, about the size of Great Britain, but with a population of only half a million ... Guyana has always been a land of fantasy. It was the land of El Dorado.

V.S Naipaul 1991

British Guiana is a country of visionary schemes. It is a poor politician that has not got up his sleeves at least one plan to produce the Millennium ... whether a railway to the moon or the establishment of a Garveyite republic.

Leader, Daily Argosy, June 14, 1927

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I grew up with no sense of history. Such vague notions of the past that I did collect, had their roots in the Ramayana, the great classic of Hinduism; for the “bound coolies”, this story, set largely in the region whence they came, was the one they chose to remember and wanted their descendants to absorb. It answered their need to construct a different kind of India and was central to their crafting of a new self. Images of the real India, from the 1890s onwards, would reach British Guiana, but these, too, would be heroic ones engendered by Indian nationalism and congruent with the tenor of the great epic tale of exile and triumphal return marking the dawn of a Golden Age. Fantasy, therefore, was at the core of the seminal construction of Indo-Caribbean identity.

The Ramayana tells the story of Lord Rama, who was born in Ayodhya (eastern United Provinces). It was the closest most Hindus in British Guiana came to a sense of their past - the story of the Kosalas of Oudh (UP) and Videhas of northern Bihar.

On the plantations and in the villages of Guyana, Surinam and Trinidad, the Ram Lila, the dramatisation of the Ramayana, was central to the reproduction of popular Hindu culture. In planting the main characters of the work in the imagination of ordinary folk, the text became an instrument of “cultural power” that was crucial in their resistance to Christian proselytisers. It was a foundation of Indian identity in British Guiana, as it was to a Hindu one in many parts of India.

In British Guiana and Trinidad the plantation rationale destroyed the roots of the Hindu caste system - hereditary, occupational specialisation; taboos against commensality; caste endogamy; the efficacy of caste councils (panchayats); untouchability. However, the power of the old religions, Hinduism and Islam, was not diminished in the new environment; it acquired a pivotal role in shaping identity among the Indian people. Indeed, Brahmins, the sole ritual interpreters of the Hindu texts with the monopoly to officiate at religious functions, became unlikely revolutionaries. Confronted with a spate of Christian proselytisers after the 1860s, they started to minister even to the lowest castes, Chamars, Dusadhs, Doms, Bhangis, etc - in their own homes, partaking of their cooked food. In India such apostasy would have made the Brahmin an outcaste. In the Caribbean the Brahmin’s iconoclasm, an exercise in self-preservation, hastened the emergence of an infinitely more egalitarian Indian society, while accelerating the cohering of a cultural and racial identity.

My maternal great-grandmother, Kaila, could not read Hindi or English; yet she kept, to the end of her life, a copy of the Hanuman Chalisa, a slim excerpt from the Ramayana, among her framed pictures of Hindu deities mounted on a shelf. I recall, as if it were yesterday, this tattered booklet, smeared with incense, obviously used, but certainly unread. This was no nostalgic eccentricity of an old woman. We were told that it came from India and for years after her death on December 6, 1956, it was brought out on auspicious days, placed among the religious paraphernalia and ritually touched (reading would have profaned it), as if it were the last link to an ancestral essence - the key to who we are. It seemed to give meaning to the new life on this flat land, amidst a sea of sugar cane, far away from Mother India. This rag of a booklet gave us fragments of the old - selective memory - to enable us to shape our new world. We were only 50 years away from Kaila’s India but that world whence she came was shrouded by a collective amnesia: prehistoric. Aspects of the ancient, imagined homeland, however, were readily apprehensible. It was easier to possess

Demerara Coolie Girl

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the utopian India of the Ramayana than to conjure up the real Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, because Kaila’s world contained too many secrets, imponderables that would have prolonged the pain of separation, resurrecting truths subversive of the endeavour for a new beginning.

Kaila was born in Bhagwanpur Village, Gonda District, in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Kaila was 20 when she went to the colony in 1909. She was “single” and travelled alone although girls in India, at that time, were invariably married by 13 or 14. Was she married in India? Did she have any children or sibling? What was her mother like? Did she have a happy childhood? What did they do for a living? Did she miss those she would never see again? Why did she leave home? Did she tell anyone that she was going away, possibly never to return? Why did she travel alone, unaccompanied by any relatives? What was the source

of her strength that enabled her to break comprehensively with that submerged past? These gnawing secrets were interred with her. She was not alone.

Virtually every ‘bound coolie’ was shrouded in this cultivated historical darkness,

they all had secrets that must have occasioned unimaginable private pain. They all had much to hide. Forgetting - the deliberate loss of memory - must have lessened the pain; the fact that they were all basically in the same boat made it easier for them to cultivate amnesia with regard to their real motherland.

By lodging all the blame for their flight from India on the machinations of the arkatis, the infamous recruiters, they could absolve themselves of guilt. They could construct new personas, unencumbered by the old intimacies, the tragic memories. Besides they could seek penance by constructing themselves as “the new slaves” under indentureship, not as scabs undermining the bargaining position of Africans, as the latter were inclined to define them. Their descendants would find double billing in the historiography of oppression very palatable; indentureship would be equated with slavery. They too, had paid their dues in making the colony; some would even deflect African criticism of their presence by claiming that they alone rescued British Guiana from returning to the bush after emancipation. They had therefore earned the right to belong.

Ramayana: Battle between Monkey and Demon Armies [Eleventh Century Stone Relief from Cambodia]

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“Over the twentieth century Guyanese have produced music in every genre.

We have produced in the classical genre, we have produced art songs (Valerie Rodway’s work, the Loncke family) we have composed concertos and we have composed marches.

Pilgrim’s “Legend of Kaieteur” 1 is an example of musical theatre and Helen Taitt also did some work in this field.

1 ”The Legend of Kaieteur” is a narrative poem written by

A.J. Seymour in 1940 for the children of Guyana. In 1944 it was

Guyanese music in the

Twentieth Century

Speaker: Professor Vibert Cambridge

Source: This is an edited extract from a presentation given by Professor Cambridge at Moray House Trust in 2012. Professor Cambridge teaches at Ohio University. His book, “Musical Life in Guyana: History and Politics of Controlling Creativity” will be published by the University of Mississippi Press in June 2015.

set to music by the Guyanese composer, Philip Pilgrim and performed at the Assembly Rooms (where the Bank of Guyana now stands) and in New Amsterdam. Philip Pilgrim died shortly after and his brother, Bill Pilgrim, adapted the score and the celebrated Guyanese pianist Ray Luck was invited to return to Guyana to perform it for Guyana’s Republic Celebrations. “The Legend” was performed twice at Queen’s College in February 1970 with three soloists, two pianos and a choir of 144 conducted by Bill Pilgrim. It was then suggested that “The Legend” should be performed at Carifesta (which Guyana hosted in 1972) and the music was re-written for two pianos and a steel band - believed to be the first time that a steel orchestra was used in an extended work of this kind. The GuyBau Invaders, the steel band chosen to perform the work, were reigning champions and one of the oldest steelbands in Guyana. Bill Pilgrim worked at the Guyana Bauxite Company.

[Notes from the Programme for the 1972 Performance at the Cultural Centre]

We have composed operas, symphonies, tone poems and taan. Taan 2 is a very special form of classical music, an Indian classical music form that is almost unique to the New World Indian.

2 Taan involves the singing of very rapid melodic passages

using vowels, often the long “a” as in the word “far”.

We’ve composed in the folk genre, with multiple elements such as African creole folk such as Queh Queh, Amerindian folk music, Indian creole chutney and masquerade.

We have composed work songs, we have composed chantis and thanks to the Yoruba singers we’ve got neo-folk traditions.

We have composed in the popular genres of Bollywood, funk, hip hop, jazz, R&B, rock and soul.

We have composed in Latin American and Caribbean idiom; calypso, soca, reggae, dub, cha cha cha, mambo, bossanova, “Bion” (which is a special genre created by Al Seales 3 )

3 The late Al Seales is intimately associated with

the recording of “Happy Holiday” and the start of a recording industry in Guyana. He led Al Seales and the Washboards and later established the GEMS and the Caribbean GEMS record labels. Al Seales’ recording studio was a magnet for Guyanese and Caribbean artists. Seales was known and respected for his

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innovation and his quest for perfection.

Hubert Newton Seales, nicknamed Al, started his working life as a sailor on the Demerara River and was given a quatro by an Amerindian man. From the quatro he graduated to the banjo and joined the Washboard Orchestra in the 1920s. As he acquired seniority and became a leader in the band, he took up the saxophone. During the war years, Al Seales and the Washboards became popular with the US Military stationed at Atkinson Air Base. This was Seales’ initiation to big band orchestration.

Seales’ love for music was multidimensional. He set up a beer garden that featured a record player and a collection of contemporary jazz and pop records obtained by old friends who were still working on ships coming from North America and Europe. This feature attracted a loyal clientele who constantly offered to buy

the record player and the records. Seales, the entrepreneur who never drank or smoked, saw a business opportunity and a way to get out of selling alcohol. He opened General Electrical Musical Supplies (GEMS) at 40 Robb Street. After a few years, he purchased the property, which has remained in the Seales family since. Over the years the business grew from selling records and musical instruments to include a recording studio and a music label, “Caribbean Carnival”. Seales never established a pressing plant: his recordings were pressed by Melodisc in the United Kingdom.

Important Caribbean musicians such as Lord Melody preferred to record their music at the studio at 40 Robb Street. The Mighty Sparrow’s first recording was also done there. Seales assembled a powerful studio band, The Caribbean All Stars, which included Bassie Thomas (pianist/arranger), Harry Whittaker (Alto sax), Sydney Prince (Tenor sax), Sabu Lall (bass), Simpson (bass), Messiah (Drums), Charlie Agard (Bongos), Rector Schultz (Guitar). He and his arranger Bassie Thomas experimented with a beat that reflected the intermingling of Guyana’s West Indian and Latin American heritage—the “Bion.”

It was in this environment that Lord Melody (Fitzroy Alexander) approached Seales with the lyrics for “Happy Holiday.” He wanted to produce a seasonal calypso to compete with Lord Kitchener’s “Drink a Rum,” which was the dominant Christmas calypso among West Indians at home and abroad. He was advised against going the calypso route but encouraged to use the “Bion” beat. Further, it was agreed that the Four Lords, which included Neville Rose and Billy Moore, would record the song. Rose was the lead singer and Billy Moore arranged the harmonies. Moore was trying to develop tight harmonies in Guyanese popular music. His

Al Seales and the Washboards

Al Seales Album Covers

59Ku’wai

success is evident in “Happy Holiday.”

The GEMS studio made many of the seminal Guyanese and West Indian recordings. Among these was Doreen Gravesande’s “Ting a ling,” which is considered the first recording of a ping pong and voice in the West Indies. “Ting a ling” is another example of the “Biaon” beat developed by Seales and his arranger, pianist Bassie Thomas.

Ray Seales remembers Christmas in the Seales household: “Every Christmas morning my father would wake up Robb Street with “Drink a Rum:” by Lord Kitchener, blasting loud from the sound system. Monkey, Barney and Big Nose Eddie would [emerge] from Metropole Cinema yard. Mr. Boyer next door would open his windows. The Fernandes family across the street along with the Goodings and Dr. Chan-A-Sue and Mrs. Hugh, would start to move around. And then the beautiful aroma of pepper pot and garlic pork blending with some nice home made break would fill the air.

Edited extract from an article by Professor Vibert Cambridge] [Additional research: Al Seales and Caribbean Carnival by Ray Seales]

We’ve done a lot of fusion; Afro-Indie, Afrugu (Eddie Hooper), Banshikilli (Amerindian fusion), The Boom Tom Charles 4 at Independence playing on that masquerade riff, chutney.

4 Dancing was popular at the Clubs with Tom Charles

Syncopators, Al Seales Washboards, Sonny Thomas – Cecil Nelson Lucky Strike – having popular fan bases. Venues such as Haley’s, Rest Hall; Above the Laundry, Frolic Hall, N. P.C. the Friendly Burial Societies and Lodge Halls were popular venues. “Waist lines” were measured and patrons paid by the “inch” Man..if this happened today – Promoters

would all become Rockfellers with the present refrigerator waists.

[The Forties in British Guiana, Our Age of Innocence by Godfrey Chin]

In the religious areas we have composed Bhajans (Hindu devotional music), we have done work on the Christian liturgical gospel, chutney gospel, hymns and Quaseedas.

We have done a lot of ideological work. There is one particular individual who stands out in Guyana’s ideological music and that is Eusi Kwayana. 5 He has created the party song for all of the major political parties in Guyana. He has created for the PPP (Oh Fighting Men, Oh Fighting Men), he created the PNC (The Battle Song) and then he shifted his rhythm and melody and composed for the WPA (People’s Power).

5 Eusi Kwayana grew up in Buxton, East Coast Demerara.

In this village, music had other purposes beyond entertainment. Folk songs such as Makantani, Itanami, Timber Man, and Janey Gal are among his favourites. For him, these songs encapsulate history, give advice, and articulate aspirations. His engagement in the

performing arts could be traced back to initiatives started by Rev. D.W.H. Pollard, a Congregational minister in Buxton, and the Diocesan Youth Movement. His contemporaries in Buxton’s vibrant drama scene included Maude Gardner, G.S.L. Payne, Martin Stevenson, and Mrs. G.S.T. Hodge (nee Seaforth). It was during his membership of the Diocesan Youth Movement that he wrote his first play, The Prodigal Daughter.

His commitment to using music and drama to raise political consciousness and promote social change was further honed in the Demerara Youth Rally (DYR) on the East Coast of Demerara. Among Kwayana’s colleagues in the DYR was the late Cecilene Baird, musician, scholar, and Minister of Education. Eusi Kwayana and Cecilene Baird collaborated on the production Christus the Messiah, which included original music. The play and lyrics were written by Kwayana, and the music was composed by Cecilene Baird who hailed from BV. The aim of the work was to demonstrate Christ’s connection with the masses - a connection that had relevance to political struggles that were taking place in British Guiana during the mid and late 1950s.

Kwayana’s early works were oriented to mobilizing youth on the East Coast to be in the vanguard in Guyana’s political future. The late 1940s to early 1950s was a period of active grassroots mobilisation in British Guiana, and music was an important tool in this process. The Demerara Youth Rally became the youth arm of the PPP on the East Coast. Drama and music were central elements in this process.

[Edited extract from an article by Professor Vibert Cambridge]

So we have this wide creative tradition in music in Guyana.”

60 Ku’wai

Bone-trip, he called it, his brutal name

for dying: “The bone is always hard.”

I remember his face lit by fire,

cracked into a thousand creases

as he bent over, hardening nails:

he repaired boots for working men in Gentle street.

One day his smiling partner wasn’t there.

“Well, bruds gone to make his bone-trip now.”

Wiped his sweaty face with rag

went on nailing the rough, strong boots.

POEM: Ian Mc Donald

PHOTOGRAPHY: Chontelle Sewette

The Bone-Trip

61Ku’wai

The glory, the shining, the certainty, the silence,

the marvellous peace, the gleam of water-glade.

Age grips me but I feel young again,

such beauty is the spur to live forever.

The great white bird tugs itself to heaven,

it seems to step upwards in the morning air.

In my memory it lives, my eyes are clear

as when I was a boy all the days before me,

time still in the shadow of green trees,

flowers pouring from the freshened earth,

a froth of colours, a cauldron rush of brightness,

that white ascension! Life intact and new

summoned from an empty season.

POEM: Ian Mc Donald

PHOTOGRAPHY: Kester Clarke

62 Ku’wai

63Ku’wai

Martin CarterMartin died 14 years ago. It seems hardly any time at all since he died and yet it seems a long, long time. When death seems like that it is because every day the death is still heavy in our lives and because simultaneously the time before the death seems agonizingly far and irretrievably lost. It is the feeling anyone has when someone close and deeply loved for a long time dies and you know at once and forever with a thud of dreadful loss that the world for you will never be the same again, never so good, never so true, never so comprehensible. Some essence, some pith, has gone and will not return. Martin’s death was one of those rare deaths when the loss is seen to grow heavier as time passes. Heavy for the nation it certainly remains. He was Guyana’s greatest poet. That is simply said but somehow not half enough is said in saying it. In his poems he always told the truth about himself and his people and the world so we all came to trust his words beyond all others. Why do you think Martin Carter was, and is, quoted by

every sort of person in every kind of situation? The truth is that his poetry verifies all manner of things.

There is a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke about an antique marble torso of the god Apollo the beauty of which impresses on the onlooker for all time the need to change one’s life forever. The poem’s central line

proclaims, “You have to change your life.” To this day I read Martin’s poetry remembering he once told me about that poem and that line.

At the time of Martin’s death I thought about the man I had known for so long and tried to capture for myself the aura which surrounded him, the unique impression which

Speaker: Ian Mc Donald

Source: This is an edited extract from Ian Mc Donald’s tribute to Martin Carter at the launch of Moray House Trust on 13th December 2011.

64 Ku’wai

all who met him felt in his presence. It was not just the effect of the unforgettable poetry he had written. I cannot find better words than I used then to express my sense of Martin’s presence:

“There was an unique seriousness in Martin which captured one’s attention and love. It was a deep seriousness about his tasks in life, about life itself, about life’s meaning, that went beyond anything I have felt in anyone else I have known. The task of the poet is sacred, one’s integrity is sacred, the loyalties of love and friendship are sacred, the rights of men are sacred and are too often abused, the wonder of the world is sacred and why is it that it is so often neglected?

A counter-aspect of his abiding seriousness about such things was the bitterness and despair he felt and often expressed about the brutishness of men, the extraordinary superficiality and hollowness of public affairs, the spiritual desolation that seems to have entrenched itself everywhere, the plunge of the world into hatred and ignorance. All this may make him seem a heavy and humourless man. Far from it.He could laugh and carouse with the very, very best of the laughers and carousers. But there was that core of seriousness about the sacred, the sacredness of the word, the sacredness of the works of man in the world, that never left him and that I will never forget.”

And now l will add a memory which is very vivid to me. It is of dining one night with Martin in the company of David de Caires, Miles Fitzpatrick, Lloyd Searwar and Rupert Roopnaraine. It was not long before Martin died. He had not fully recovered from the stroke he suffered some years before but still he could be eloquent and now he gave us a magnificent burst of talk in praise of the Irish poet W.B.Yeats. He ended by calling for someone to read Yeats’s poem “Among School Children” which he said was perhaps the greatest poem ever written. Miles went to get Yeats’s Collected Poems from his library and Rupert found and read the great poem most movingly. And forever I have this picture of Martin in his seat leaning forward thumb pressed to his cheek and fore-finger at his forehead tears coming to his eyes as the poem came to its marvelous end.

O chestnut-tree, great-rooted blossomer,Are you the leaf, the blossom or the bole?O body swayed to music, O brightening glance, How can we know the dancer from the dance?

‘Poetry: a way of surviving: If life is the question asking what is the way to die; poetry is the question asking what is the way to live.”

[Martin Carter, unpublished notebooks, quoted by Gemma Robinson in Stabroek News,

13 December 2011]

65Ku’wai

They call here, – Magnificent Province! Province of mud! Province of flood! Plantation –feudal coast!

Who are the magnificent here? Not I with this torn shirtbut they, in their white mansionsby the trench of blood!

I tell youthis is no magnificent provinceno El Dorado for meno streets paved with goldbut a bruising and battering for self-preservationin the white dust and grey mud.

I tell you and I tell no secret -now is long past time for worshiplong past time for kneelingwith clasped hands at altars of poverty.

How are the mighty slain? by this hammer of my hand! by this anger in my life! by this new science of men aliveeverywhere in this province! thus are the mighty slain!

Not I WithThis Torn Shirt

POEM: Martin Carter [reprinted with permission of the Carter family]

PHOTOGRAPH: Roshana Mahadeo

66 Ku’wai

Not I WithThis Torn Shirt

67Ku’wai

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Kuwai’ISSUE #1 | DECEMBER 2014

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