Dear Editor,
Sometimes unconsciously we save the best for last. In reading your Saturday 24th November edition, I took one glance at the editorial entitled “Thanksgiving”. I skipped it but took out the page, having made a decision to read it later. I did so on December 6th and what a fine editorial it was. I didn’t regret holding it back, what a pleasant piece of reading it made for that morning. I found many parts of it rather sentimental, whereby I paused between gaps and gave deep thought to your expressions.
You have certainly captured and epitomised the psyche of the Guyanese presence in America and those at home who equally long to go there regardless of what is being said. You have summarised our case so well, how could you not allow me to repeat some of the strokes of your pen for the reading public once more. “In most instances, there would have been distinctive Guyanese touches – a bit more spice, perhaps even a little curry on the side, and there would undoubtedly have been typical Guyanese enjoyment of a holiday feast, with friends and family around and the good times rolling, no matter how modest the home. Let’s face it, we Guyanese, wherever we are, love to party and a chance to enjoy good food and drink, no matter the occasion”. “For many Guyanese Americans too, Thanksgiving can be a particularly poignant celebration framed by feelings of regret at the circumstances that took them to the land of opportunity. Most, however, might tend to reflect on the hurdles .. that had to be overcome, the challenges of fitting in or simply of finding their space.. the frequently menial jobs, sometimes two a day, and the need to work twice as hard in each to prove themselves; the bitter cold and long dark nights of the first winter. All to earn a livable wage and provide for their families, to have not just a roof over their heads, but their own homes. And the supreme objective: to educate their children, to give them the opportunity and the promise of a better life sadly lacking in their own native land, our Guyana.”
“And so, Guyana’s tragedy is that of families separated and spread across the globe, of sons and daughters of the soil, toiling for greater reward in foreign fields. And we continue to export our greatest resources, our human capital, because successive governments have failed to provide the necessary guarantees of citizens’ security and national prosperity.”
There! The fullness thereof. No doubt, this is yet another of your editorials I will keep.
Yours faithfully,
Frank Fyffe
