Dear Editor,
In response to Ms Ryhaan Shah’s letter on the Guyana Prize, published in both Stabroek News and Kaieteur News of February 2:
Ms Shah says,
“I think it is a serious disservice to emerging writers to have them believe that the primary or only reason to write is to produce competitive work in order to win a prize. This is wholly reductive and dishonours the fine worldwide tradition of writing and literature which has created enduring classics that have shaped our very thinking and civilization.”
That statement, if applied to my interventions, might itself be considered reductive and a disservice to the views expressed. I agree that prize-winning should not be the sole or primary reason for writing. A serious writer writes indeed to influence a particular society’s thinking and, by extension, that of humanity as a whole. That however is simply one aspect of the equation – a society committed to self-reflection and civilization seeks to accommodate and facilitate good writing.
Desmond Hoyte founded the Guyana Prize precisely in the spirit of that accommodation and facilitation, in particular where its objectives express a commitment to development. While I have in my latest engagement urged specifically that the date be extended and (more) workshops held to offer local writers a better chance at winning this year’s Prize, I also recommended that other measures be put in place beyond just winning the Prize, including the establishment of a standing mechanism for literary development, engaging schools, public education about the role of literature, and publication by a properly run Caribbean Press.
Ms Shah says:
“To win prizes for one’s book is, of course, always a happy occasion and the way the process usually works is that after a book is published the publishers might feel it is good enough to enter into a prize-giving competition and the work is then submitted.”
The problem with that formula of course is that there are no publishers in Guyana for emerging writers to take advantage of. The Caribbean Press ideally should have filled that role but under Dr Frank Anthony and Dr David Dabydeen’s complete lack of accountability and mismanagement this has not been done. To this day, the Minister cannot account for the number of books actually produced, not even when asked in Parliament, and only about four of the 70 titles published are by emerging writers, with one of those being the Minister’s daughter.
Ms Shah says:
“The integrity of a book is immediately compromised when a writer sets out to produce competitive work for the approbation of a panel of judges in order to win a prize and, most especially, if the prize is sponsored by a government agency. This would require more than a little self-censorship on the part of the writer if they really want to win.”
I won the last Guyana Prize for Best Book of Fiction. I am the last writer, and indeed one of the last people, in Guyana that can be accused of self-censorship. As I pointed out before, the entire cabinet boycotted the last award ceremonies, and to this day I can’t get my books published in Guyana, into the secondary school system, nor have I been invited to do so much as a presentation at the University of Guyana. One of the visionary things about Desmond Hoyte’s design of the Prize was the composition of the jury – three overseas-based judges and two local ones. It’s not a foolproof system, but it greatly mitigates government influence over the judging process.
Ms Shah is perfectly entitled to her opinion of the Prize, and her decision not to enter her work. I personally believe that the Guyana Prize management needs to be reformed, that as a national award its funding not dependent on the whims of the cabinet, that it fulfils its development role, and that greater scrutiny should be available on precisely how the money is spent and whether there is full value for what is paid for. However, if it is that the government insists on keeping the Prize, I insist that it at least pays attention to the development of local writers, both those who are fortunate enough to win, and those who simply want to write.
Yours faithfully,
Ruel Johnson
Janus Cultural Policy Initiative
