The Bel Air residence of two now-deceased presidents of Guyana, Dr Cheddi Jagan and Mrs Janet Jagan, has been converted into a heritage home.
At a brief ceremony held at the Jagans’ residence yesterday, their daughter Nadira Jagan-Brancier told those gathered that the home is a simple dwelling where the couple lived most of their lives. She said her parents moved into the house soon after her father returned to Guyana in the 1950s with her mother and they lived there for long periods until 1992.
That was the year the PPP/C won free and fair elections making her father president. The couple then moved into State House. After her father’s death in 1996, Jagan-Brancier said, her mother moved back to their Bel Air home in 1997 and lived there until her death last month.
Jagan-Brancier said she along with her brother Cheddi(Joey) Jagan Jr grew up at the house and spent many memorable times there with her parents.
The late leaders’ only daughter explained that the plants found within the environs of the home were attended to by her father when he was alive. She said he spent a lot of time grooming the plants which include flowers, sugar cane and a few fruit trees.
Jagan-Brancier said the interior of the house is modest with the study being the most important area of the building. She said her parents dedicated most of their lives to the development of Guyana and as such they spent most of their time in the study where ideas for the development of Guyana were conceptualised.
Those in attendance at the simple ceremony included President Bharrat Jagdeo, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony, Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee and Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai among others.
President Jagdeo, in a brief speech, said he endorsed the venture for which he particularly thanked the late leaders’ daughter noting that it was a generous undertaking on her part. Jagdeo said Guyanese will have a more complete understanding of the life the Jagans lived as he noted that the couple made a tremendous contribution to the development of Guyana. The president expressed hope that all Guyanese, especially children, would make use of the opportunity offered by the heritage home to understand the life the couple lived.
He then thanked Jagan-Brancier on behalf of the nation for opening her parents’ home to the public.
Inside the Jagans modest three-bedroom home, many art pieces are displayed on the walls. Jagan-Brancier said her late mother influenced the inclusion of the art pieces, which include sculptures and decades-old paintings. The study, which is quite large considering the rest of the house, includes a huge book collection consisting of, among others, historical and fictional books as well as photographs depicting the Jagans throughout their lives.
Quite noticeable is a hammock which hangs in the centre of the study and according to Jagan-Brancier, her father always had a hammock at his home as well as at State House and Freedom House when he was alive.
Chairperson of yesterday’s proceedings, Navin Chandarpal, said the authorities will ensure that the heritage home is managed properly.
The building will be open to the general public from Tuesday of next week on staggered days and arrangements are still being finalized regarding opening hours. No photographers will be allowed inside during visiting hours.