Dear Editor,
Unlike some of my Guyanese compatriots who are so embittered, filled with anger and hatred around this election period, the content of my letter has more to do with national reconciliation around our own common historical experience.
When I returned to Guyana from the Andean countries of South America I came back with the intention of doing something purposefully for the country of my birth, and I do not for one moment regret having stayed here for 23 years to see Guyanese unite under one banner.
With a little help of my friends and permission from the Chairman of Castellani House, Mrs. Janet Jagan, I built the National Unity Monument on the lawns of Castellani House to celebrate the contributions made by generations of Guyanese of all races in the building of our country. The monument was declared open by the late President Cheddi Jagan on June 13th 1995 in memory of the internationally acclaimed Guyanese historian and freedom fighter Dr. Walter Rodney, for his indelible contribution to the promotion of racial harmony.
Some years later I visited Minister of Culture Dr. Frank Anthony to outline to him what was my purpose behind the production of the purple heart sculptures titled ‘The History of Guyanese Struggle 1953-2011 – The Great Betrayal”. The Minister was quite polite but simply put he could not comprehend how art can be instrumental in the social transformation of Guyanese society. On the carvings were inscribed important historical dates that social historians can reexamine to realize our pitfalls in charting the way forward.
Of course, the Minister is not singular in this respect. There are lots of political theoreticians who are either ignorant of what I am saying or are too conceited to admit this. After a lengthy discussion with the Minister, he referred me to Castellani House and that was the end.
Undaunted I continued to explore Guyanese history in the Visual Arts. I have since produced a series of paintings titled; ‘Anatomy of the PNC Dictatorship 1964-1992”, “Anatomy of the PPP Dictatorship 2000-20015” in two parts. Part (1) “Guyana- killing field in the Americas” and (2) “End of Days of the PPP Dictatorship” (can be seen on Facebook).
When I worked on these pieces I did so with the hope that Guyanese would have a greater sense of appreciation of our own history hence a greater respect for one another. It is our common historical experience that brings us together as a nation and it is a lack of knowledge of this experience that politicians have exploited to keep us apart.
The more we learn of our past and the great contributions generations of Guyanese of all races have made to the building of our country, the greater will be our appreciation for each other.
Yours faithfully,
Desmond Alli
General Secretary,
Guyana United Artists