Your Eyewitness was a little taken aback by the buzz over which Guyanese artistes ere – or weren’t – “recognised” by the government. Now he’d always assumed that artistes had these creative urges from within that just had to be expressed in their work. And that they weren’t driven by the “name and fame” game – much less “filthy lucre”!! Weren’t we all raised on the trope of the starving artiste who gave up everything for his “art”?? Didn’t we learn that writers and such like back in the 18th century invariably lived in “garrets” – cold, damp and cramped attics that gave them permanent stoops??
Now while in these matters there might be some hyperbole, the reputation was never too far from the truth, eh? Didn’t the Beatles come out of the basements of Liverpool?? And that recent bio-pic of Elvis sure reminded us that he had to claw his way out of the ghetto!! Didn’t Andy Warhol – whose paintings of those Campbell Soup cans are now worth millions (US$, baby!!) bum around in Greenwich Village – with the likes of Madonna and that gang – before they hit it big time?? But why go all the way to the “metropoles”?? There’s the Caribbean example of Marley and the Wailers – along with Jimmy Cliff -who clawed their way out of the Kingston “gullies”, innit??
Now don’t get your Eyewitness wrong. He ain’t saying that our artistes shouldn’t be RECOGNISED by the government. But in whining about that recognition, isn’t that in some way subverting the entire idea of “artistic integrity”?? Didn’t our own Martin Carter – universally accepted as our greatest poet – realize this after he took a “wuk” as Information Minister under Burnham. Didn’t he then quit and wrote “the mouth is muzzled by the hand that feeds it”?? Do all these artistes queuing up for a pat on the head by the government – or more to the point, being hired for a gig or two – think there won’t be some kinda pro quid quo?? Even Shakespeare had to customise his portrayal of the English Monarchy!!
Now there were noises made about the Government going all out to honour Letisha Wright of Black Panther fame!! But where’s the comparison?? Letisha had ALREADY starred in one of the BIGGEST hit franchise in modern moviedom!! Honouring her was putting Guyana on the map – and not vice versa!! And that’s the point, innit?? If our artistes were to make it big time on the world stage, the government would be handing out honours to them faster than you can say, “Bangalee Babu”!!
So your Eyewitness’ advice to all the artistes lining up for governmental “recognition” is: stop it right now. It doesn’t look dignified – and in fact, its downright embarrassing!!
…Chips Guyana
We got a long history of “chips” in Guyana – especially plantain chips and cassava chips. After all, these were the staple basics as far back as slavery – when every plantation had their “provision ground” or “plantain walk”!! Now while they were prepared as “bile and fry”, your Eyewitness is pretty sure some were done as “chips” that could be taken to the backdam to provide sustenance under the brutal sun!!
Fast forward to when Burnham invited the riff raff of America -not only Jim Jones! – to buttress his regime, among them was Rabbi Washington, a criminal on the lam from the law. He formed the House of Israel, that provided muscle to break up opposition meetings. And killed Father Darke. Well, some might’ve forgotten but he kept up our “chips tradition” to run his outfit by having his followers sell plantain chips”!!
Now some company will be keeping up our tradition by manufacturing plantain and cassava chips for the local and overseas market!! If they add “sour” they’ll make a killing!!
…Cricket!!
The good folks of Reg 10 are up in arms over the government’s transforming the Mc Kenzie ground to ICC standards! We’re honouring the Canucks who created Mc Kenzie and didn’t play cricket?? But they had a “whites only” policy!!
