(That was the question at the heart of the debate between St. Lucian Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott and Guyana’s Head of State, President Bharrat Jagdeo during the opening CARIFESTA X symposium on Sunday. Walcott asked regional governments to do more for the arts, blaming them for keeping artists in a state of deprivation. President Jagdeo emphasised his government’s commitment to the arts, though at the same time he explained that in the context of development, meeting the immediate needs of the people in terms of social and infrastructure development takes priority. In reference to Walcott’s point of view, he said perhaps artists could meet with governments to re-educate them, while also helping them to find the money to inject into the arts. “It all boils down to money,” Jagdeo said. Walcott responded by telling him his line of thinking seemed to come straight out of the Communist Manifesto. “If you ask the man in the street who is more important… he will say [the artist],” he said.
Here is an edited sample of the comments entered on this news item on the Stabroek News website at www.stabroeknews.com )
● Satish
We don’t need another lame-duck hero. This is the clear message we must give to people like Derek Walcott. He may be a great artiste but he should get out of the way of fast-track development. Managers do not involve in advising Mr Walcott on his medium and Mr Walcott would do well to steer clear of giving business advice to managers.
The hypocrisy of a St Lucian gate-crashing this Carifesta with his negative spin is nothing short of a joke because his own country has become the plaything of the tourists as he so rightly puts it. If poor Guyana was to follow his prescription, then only God can help us uplift ourselves and God is currently busy elsewhere in the world.
Mr Walcott whines against the accelerating pace at which the region was being developed but spares no thought about our President’s wonderful gift of the Guyanese rainforest to the whole world as long as the world is willing to pay for it.
Mr Walcott even dared to argue with in public with our President! So much for protocol! I guess Mr Walcott needs to know that all Guyana gets for this beautiful rainforest offer is stonewalling by the rich countries.
Well Guyana will have to someday, say enough is enough and buy chain-saws from the Chinese. The Chinese can buy timber from Guyana. That is a formula which is guaranteed to work.
Mr Walcott calls it prostitution while the poor Guyanese citizen calls it survival.
● bharrat jagan
Satish next time please try commenting on something you actually know a little about. Walcott was right to put his junior Jagdeo in his place for proclaiming that he is an economist among other things and it’s fixing roads or culture
● MS_msprobe
From what you are saying clearly shows you hardly knows about management, developments and diversification. Mr. Walcott knows what he is talking about and you definitely need to put on your thinking cap. St.Lucia, his native land is indeed being prostituted to tourism, he knows what he is talking about for the survival issue, man get real! When will the Regional Governments work towards Caribbean unity, it is just there in words but not in reality. We’re tired of hearing this tune play over and over the pain that the region will suffer if it doesn’t change now trust me this beautiful soil of Guyana and the region will get worse than Somalia. Governments in the Caribbean are selling their soil to so called developers and let me say this, in the tourism industry especially in Walcott native land slavery still exist. Do some homework and you’ll find out
● jbrownboy14
A great paradox for the Caribbean, especially Guyana known for its wastage and corruption is blaming harsh economic realities for the abject conditions under which arts and sport are nurtured.
Poor excuse Mr President.
● bgsbny
…… allez toutsuit ,,,,,, salop ,, i wonder if he think he would have spoken to brown or bush the way he chose to speak to the president ! had i been there i would have recommended that walcott be sent back to st lucy ,, on a boat ! him with his nobel laurel an all !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he should retain his vision for Obama ,, if he gets an invitation to be at the ,,,,,
● stan bishop
HERE WE GO AGAIN! A TOUGH-TALKING CARIBBEAN CITIZEN SPEAKS UP FOR THE RIGHTS OF CARIBBEAN PEOPLE AND HE GETS CASTIGATED!!! THANK GOD THAT I’LL PROBABLY LIVE TO HEAR THE HYPOCRISY THOSE NOW CRITICIZING HIM WILL PREACH AFTER HE GOES TO HEAVEN.
SPEAKING AS SOMEONE WHO HAS PERSONALLY BEEN INFLUENCED BY THE LEGENDARY WALCOTT, I AM PROUD TO BE ONE OF THE GUYANESE NATIVES WHO CAN STAND UP AND SAY WALCOTT IS RIGHT IN HIS DECLARATIONS.
MAYBE PAYING A HIGH-PRICED EXPERT FOR DEREK’S FREE ADVICE WOULD HAVE SERVED US BETTER, I GUESS. THAT’S THE OLD COLONIAL THINKING, PEOPLE!!!
● sheik
Bharrat I am with you on this.Satish does not get Mr Walcott’s argument.It’s important for the region to record and preserve our art and culture.A good example is Europe. Once you enter those cities, clearly visualised is their history and culture.Yes museums is a great idea. Showcasing your culture is laudable ,but what about the development of the artiste after the show.
Satish it is ok to disagree, but respect should be maintained in the process
An apology is encouraged for Mr Walcott.
● Steel
Guyana is a poor country with untapped resources like a comforting bank account.. How much adults we have in Guyana? Like about 125,000? And the rest are children? With that populace and resources, Guyana gives to the world more than they get back. Yes…I agree with the president that it all boils down to money. Yet he will try to promote the arts as much as he can. But right now the arts are not more important than putting food on the table of all Guyanese. With the looming global food and water crisis…you’re gonna see what it all boils down to. The other Caribbean countries does not have the resources like Guyana so they developed their only resource…the arts and entertainment …pampering to the rich whims and fancies of the rich developed world. Its the old crab in barrel story. Guyana has to develop its own resources rather than outsourcing its development to foreign powers.
● miltonbruce
Tourism — Prostitution, and the regulations catering for casinos. Tourism was never a big thing under Burnham, because he saw exactly what Mr Walcott is talking about. Of course the die is cast, but it’s good to know that someone with intelligence cares.
● A_mieczkiewicz
Well,well what a discussion!!! I wonder what the people of such countries like Turkey, Tunisia would have to say about development via tourism and the preservation of native culture. It brings us back to the old economic question of what can be defined as a ‘resource’. Maybe Mr. Walcott as a poet, has never had to face this question. In a globalising world, it would be extremely unwise to seek isolation. As ‘poor’ countries we really don’t have a choice, as to the direction of economic development we may want to pursue. We also have other restrictions such as access to capital and human resources.
The Caribbean isn’t China.It may hurt many to see the ‘white people’ coming back and we ‘gat to serve them’, maybe even with the ‘Yes Massa’. As the old adage goes ‘beggars cannot be choosers’
● popeoplefedup
The artist in the West Indies has always received minimal to no recognition of his burgeoning efforts. Hence, people like Naipaul, Selvon and our own Harris, have had to seek other shores to hone their skills.
For those preoccupied with insular, retrogressive West Indian or Guyanese politics, and perhaps simultaneously illiterate about the true state of affairs of the arts in this region, you would all do well to listen to pre eminent voices such as Walcott’s.
Members of the literary intelligentsia are always unburdened by the partisan and sometimes autocratic politics of their countries or region, hence they critically dissect the flaws they see in those locales. To say that Walcott was irreverent to Jagdeo is to say that Wole Soyinka blasphemed his country when he categorised it as “sadomasochistic’.
Because of literary giants such as Walcott, we have an opportunity to evaluate our social conditions. Art is that mirror which allows us introspection, and the works as well as the words of serious artists, however seemingly caustic, nudge us awake as to our condition.
Where is the untruth in Walcott pinpointing the whorish economical obsessions of West Indian leaders? Sure, there has to be economic development, but why must the Arts be denied in the process? Why should the Arts be demoted and not seen as equally integral to national development?
I believe some bloggers here have become incensed because Jagdeo, representative of this congolomerate of leaders, has been humiliated, not worshipped for once. Why shouldn’t a man who labelled an eminent entrepreneur as “ignorant” not be justifiably subject to a recognition of the truth?
We should all be inspired by Walcott’s objective criticism and be men and women enough to hold our leaders accountable. Being candid in the interest of a vital element of our existence should not be inanely misconstrued as insurrection.
Shame on those here who speak about how impoverished we are, yet cannot attribute some of that to the corruptibility which is exemplified in nepotistic awarding of contracts, pay offs, theft and bribery.
Vibrant, fearless artists like Walcott have done us a favour by confronting the economic whorishness prevailing to the detriment of the arts.
Shame also on those who see no correlation between the arts and economics. What do the ancient relics of Greece and Egypt represent? What does Rap and Hip Hop represent? What does Hollywood and Bollywood represent? What does Harry Potter represent?
I shall advance that some of us have prostituted ourselves to our leaders, being their automatons, fulfilling their every electoral wish while our countries burn.
Thank you, Derek Walcott. Thank you for your stinging remarks. Some are incensed, but through your words, Carifesta has been saved. Without your erudite criticism, Carifesta would have been just another Banks Beer Super Concert.
● eloise
Mr Walcott is right, but remember the people of Guyana come first food on the table, good road, good water supply all over Guyana, good lights all over Guyana, good schools, good doctors and nurses Guyanese people suffers enough.
Tourist is very good for Guyana, it brings money in the country too, our art and culture must be preserved
We need in Guyana cheaper shops in every part of the country where poor people could buy food.
● Ron G. Elcock
It never ceases to amaze me how shallow and complacent we as West Indians are. It’s like the leaders (and I say this with every ounce of sarcasm i can muster) of our countries put forward a national agenda and we march towards it, no matter the fallacy of the argument.
Mr Walcott is correct is his disdain for Caribbean leaders prostituting their own countries in the name of development. A word that has become synonymous with failed policies, and ridiculous projects that still stand as monuments to our stupidity.
The Caribbean has become the playground of the developed countries and every assistance they lend, it is with that in mind; how can they prosper from that. Whether it’s secluded beaches where natives aren’t even allowed to visit, Huge hotels that change the shorelines while having the respective country looking like Walter Raleigh Riviera.
All this so-called development never benefits the local population other than some job cooking and cleaning in the same hotel that was supposed to provide development for us; ridiculous.
Jagdeo’s idea of development is firmly rooted in his experience as a Caribbean leader…beg beg beg, and show them what they will reap as rewards. So we end up with projects where foreign companies come in, rape the land, exploit the local communities, and leave with the loot, while paying little or nothing in return.
That’s development for you, but my man Mr. Walcott sees is just as it is…..PROSTITUTION.
● Mainlandweb.com
Let try not to be biased here. Walcott should not have used such a forum to take a pot shot at Jagdeo. There are many other avenues that he could have used to vent his anger.
Red Lion
