Dear Editor,
I am happy that Attorney General Basil Williams is moving to root out the institutions that “reek of selfishness” in Guyana and has set his sights on Red House which houses the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre, and which he says should be a museum for all of Guyana’s presidents.
I expect that he will be swooping down on the African Museum and shutting it down forthwith since it is exclusive to only the African race. The property in Bel Air that houses the museum was bought with state funds in 1985 from well-known Pan Africanist, Hubert Nicholson, and the African Museum with an African art collection and artefacts officially opened to the public in 1994.
Its personnel, programmes and acquisitions are all state funded and I am sure Williams recognises how selfish it is that this museum is not inclusive of the other five race groups of Guyana.
In fact, Williams would also want to shut down the Walter Roth Museum which houses artefacts and records of the country’s First Nations and move to establish a Guyanese Museum where every race and ethnic group will be represented under one roof.
Selfishness cannot be tolerated here, never mind that the world over leading politicians, artists, writers and other personalities have museums, libraries, and monuments that are exclusive to them, recognise their singular contributions and provide research facilities into their life and work.
Red House has always been associated with President Cheddi Jagan ever since he resided there as the first ever Premier of British Guiana when the country attained self-government. That is a notable historical point in itself and that the property should now house a Research Centre on this outstanding Guyanese far from being selfish is most warranted and absolutely proper.
Other leaders should also be afforded such facilities and one for President Burnham could be established at Castellani House which was his official residence during his Prime Ministership and Presidency.
I notice that some people are asking, quite rightly, that Martin Carter’s home on Lamaha Street be preserved as a national heritage site to honour our Poet Laureate. Martin Carter would have had a good guffaw over the Granger Government’s view that it would reek of selfishness for his home to be a memorial and research centre for only him and his poetry and that it should be shared with other late Guyanese poets.
The poet is not around to write a couple of succinct lines to sum up the preposterousness of the idea but these, from “Bastille Day – Georgetown”, written in 1970s at the height of the PNC dictatorship will suffice:
“I have at last started
to understand the origin
of our vileness, and being
unable to deny it, I suggest
its nativity.
In the shame of knowledge
of our vileness, we shall fight.”
Yours truly,
Shanie Jagessar
