More than a month has elapsed since the Carifesta X activities came to an end but several of the employees of the Secretariat as well as performers are still waiting to be paid.
Yesterday, two of these performers staged a protest outside of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport on Main Street. Godfrey Naughton and Sonia Yarde were two of the lead actors in Guyana’s signal dramatic presentation “The Legend of the Silk Cotton Tree. According to them, they were representing scores of people who are still awaiting payment for services rendered before and during Carifesta.
CEO of the Carifesta Secretariat Nigel Dharamlall told Stabroek News that those workers, who have not received their salaries, will be paid in full. He was, however, unable to say when. He was also unable to say how many persons have been paid so far and what criterion was used to determine who was paid first.
Naughton, who portrayed the character `Olum’ in the play, said that several participants had not been paid despite promises made by officials of the Ministry. He explained that the members of the cast had signed a contract with the Ministry through the Secretariat and under this agreement they were to be paid by September 8. He explained that every time he contacted the secretariat he was told they would be “paid next week.” Naughton said that the salaries ranged from $10,000 to as much as $60,000.
He also said that when he contacted the Ministry on Monday, he was told that they had to wait until President Bharrat Jagdeo returned to approve the distribution of the funds. Meanwhile, a source within the Ministry told this newspaper that money has been set aside for distribution but that approval was being sought before it was handed out.
Yarde said she is frustrated since in spite of the fact it is way past the September 8 deadline, the Ministry continues to push her around. She said that although the money is not much, she still needed to it to supplement her income. Yarde emphasised that she, like everyone else, had bills to pay.
Meanwhile, one person who provided technical support at several of the events confirmed that they too are yet to receive their salaries. He said that while they were in training for preparation for Carifesta, they received a stipend of $5,000. According to him, he and other members of the technical teams were told that they would be paid but were never told exactly when.
Another employee of the Secretariat told this newspaper that they had been promptly paid for the past two months but had not been paid for services rendered during the last month. The employee, however, was not upset, since she was sure that they would be paid eventually. This worker was among a group of employees who were contracted to continue working after the festival to “tie up some loose ends.”
However, while some are fuming over their non-payment others are satisfied since they have already been paid. One such performer was the calypso and shanto singer “Young Bill Rogers”, who performed at the opening ceremony and at some of the regional events. He told this newspaper that he had been promptly paid and had no problems with the Ministry in this regard.
The dancers who participated in Guyana’s signal dance performance have also been paid, this newspaper was informed. According to Kijana Lewis, who participated in this production, all financial obligations to this group have been settled. Lewis, though, is still awaiting payment for his participation in the dramatic presentation.
