It is with sadness and disbelief that I read of the death of Professor Nettleford. He was our honoured guest at the University of Warwick at Conferences on Caribbean Culture, and his learning and flair for words always inspired me. He was a charismatic presence, his stylishness and eloquence giving sparkle to the proceedings. Our views on Caribbean culture were, at times, contrary, given that we were informed by differences between Jamaican and Guyanese experiences, but Rex was a true scholar, revelling in debate; for all his charisma, he lacked egoism, especially when it involved discussions with younger academics.
Rex and I served on the Executive Board of UNESCO between 1993 and 1997. He realised that I was young and inexperienced in international diplomacy, and wrote to me from Jamaica with detailed guidance as to how the Executive Board worked. Such kindness and regard for a new colleague moved me at the time. In the four years working together, he was always at hand to render assistance when approached. He was hugely respected at UNESCO, and very influential. In fact, during the general debate, there was always a pronounced silence when Rex took the microphone. We all waited keenly (and, in my case, with rising excitement) for him to address us, and he never failed to move us by his oratory. Batting for Guyana, I was impelled to rival his performance, and I flattered myself on a few occasions in thinking I had outscored him! At UNESCO we were West Indians, far from home and outnumbered, but still playing our strokes. Professor Lawrence Carrington, also a member of the Executive Board, was himself a superb representative of the region.
Before I left the board, Rex brought from Jamaica a present for me, a special edition of Caribbean Quarterly dealing with Indo-Caribbean history and culture. It was extremely thoughtful of him. I knew how busy he was in Jamaica, and for him to have ferried the journal in his suitcase all the way across the Atlantic, renewed my appreciation of the graciousness of the man. Dancer, journalist, essayist, scholar, academic manager, diplomat – we will continue to be inspired by his dynamism and multiple talents.
Yours faithfully,
David Dabydeen
