Dear Editor,
The death of Philip Alphonso Moore leaves Guyana with a great void, spiritually, artistically and culturally. His depiction of the 1763 Monument transformed the artistic landscape of Guyana and the Caribbean and will be a lasting legacy to our nation.
Philip Moore is an icon and Guyanese hero. He has asked us in his artistic works to remember we are “One People, One Nation, One Destiny.”
It is with this great sense of physical and emotional loss, the Pan African Movement of Guyana, the African Cultural &Development Association, the Commemoration Committee and the Friends of the Museum of African Heritage, the All African Guyanese Council, the Guyana United Apostolic Mystical Council, the St Peters African Apostolic Church and many African leaders in Guyana and the diaspora have humbly requested President Ramotar that Philip Alphonso Moore be granted a state funeral with all the protocols associated with it. We also request that this great Guyanese be buried next to another great Guyanese cultural icon, Martin Wylde Carter, at Seven Ponds in the Botanical Gardens so that future generations can pay homage to this special ‘son of the soil.‘
Rupert Roopnaraine has also added his voice as an expression of the general feelings of the public and was a signatory to the letter.
We are aware that President Ramotar is overseas and as such, time being of the essence, we have copied the request also to Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Minister of Culture Dr Frank Anthony and Director of Culture Dr James Rose, so that the government’s internal processes can run their due course.
Guyana is a nation of many cultures and we all seek the promise of a common Guyanese-ness and ‘culture.’ The Commission For Africa in 2005 has a very powerful definition of ‘culture.’The final report stated:
“When we speak of the culture of a place, we are talking about far more than its artistic or its ‘cultural products’ – literature, music, dance, art, sculpture, theatre, film and sport. All of these, of course, are important expressions of the culture of any social group and are part of its shared joy in the business of being alive. Culture is about shared patterns of identity, symbolic meaning, aspiration, and about the relationships between individuals and groups within that society. Culture is also about the relationships between ideas and perspectives, about self-respect and a sense of security, about how individuals are socialized and values are formed and transmitted. it is also deeply intertwined with structures of power and wealth.”
Culture is about “common bonding, common vision, shared values and shared goals.”
The honouring of Philip Alphonso Moore with a state funeral and burying him at Seven Ponds would give recognition and power to the plaque on the 1763 Monument which is entitled ‘Uniting the People’ and which depicts six hearts – the six peoples of Guyana.
May the decision of the Government of Guyana about this national hero assist us in the journey of our nation’s motto!
Yours faithfully,
Eric Phillips
