(First of all, I’m hoping that this offering is one of my lazy-days, time-out pieces.)
Hundreds of thousands of Guyanese citizens live in the United States of America and Europe. Many local impressionable mindsets probably yearn to be there too – physically. Not making it yet, they therefore get there, psychologically. American styles, behaviours, events, even accents are imported here. I’ll fight a battle, however waning, to preserve Guyanese cultural traditions and identity. So I say “July-August school holidays” – not “su—-r”. (I’ll however keep an eye and ear out for our Guyana fall/autumn and winter. You never know – with the present local dot-com generation, advertisers and media.)
Frankly Speaking, this is my annual July/August nostalgia, as I recall the beautiful school vacation period past generations enjoyed. Really enjoyed. (Do today’s youths really live their school break in such a manner as to find clean fun, to be creative, to explore and to contribute to their own well-rounded personalities and character? You decide.)
Meanwhile, as usual, let me invoke the spirit of the late Charles deFlorimonte and Godfrey Chin to recall “August holidays” past.
Poor, innovative and creative
Today’s young are back to school “in August”. I mean as soon as schools close for the long July-August break pupils and students are back to “lessons”, vacation-classes and “job”. Not so in my long-ago time.
August, especially, was time for “country to come to town” – meaning young Guyanese from rural coastland villages or more far-flung communities would be brought or sent to “town” – New Amsterdam “MacKenzie” and especially, Georgetown. City children would then describe their country relatives and new friends as “country-come-to-town” or worse “country-boo-boo”. The “country–children” would perhaps laugh silently when the city youths spent their own holidays in the countryside or hinterland.
The late Charlie deFlorimonte captured the joys of poor youth in urban areas when he described bushcooks in Georgetown’s undeveloped areas – canal-banks and backdams. Stolen chickens, fish from trenches and ingredients “borrowed” from many moms’ kitchens supplied these pots for the boys and gangs in the main.
Scouts, cubs and girl guides attended well-organised camps. Real creativity and art skills produced “play-thing” toys – from spinning buck-tops, paper and wood boats, slingshots, wood guns, spinners (from nugget shoe–polish tins or milk tin tops) to games like cush, chink, jumming, marbles, hopscotch, cockfight, etc, etc; these activities provided endless hours of clean innovative fun.
I’ll skip the names of the confectionery (“sweetees”), the cakes, the real local drinks and other “eatables” we enjoyed, gorged upon in the forties, fifties, sixties, but would recall how mommies and grannies would administer those clean-outs as the “opening” of schools approached in early September. Remember bilious wash concocted by the dispenser at those early “doctor-shops”? Cure-for-all bush to rub and drink? Castor-oil and Glover salts?
But July/August of yore was time for another great joy for the poor young – Sunday school treats and more adult excursions. These were trips to enjoy out-of-town outings. You went by bus or train. Train? Yes, train.
Let me recommend, here and now that the new Minster of Tourism mobilise resources and personnel to provide local tourism. Somehow subsidise or reduce the cost of trips to the hinterland for Guyanese, especially the youth. Let the travel agencies, airlines and youth clubs, with help from religious organisations, police and army (?), organise hikes and trail-blazing to our eco-resorts and natural wonders. Allow our dot-com generation to really know and love this land. Even if they want to dress and speak like Jamaicans or Americans, still.
Our patrimony, wealth, assets…
Our national patrimony means, of course, the resources that should accrue to our benefit collectively. From the forests’ trees, the rivers’ and the land’s gold, diamonds, bauxite, manganese, precious stones, to spectrum, air-space and off-shore oil deposits, these products should be made to create a worthwhile life for us by those elected to manage those resources, raw or refined.
Alas, the organisation of our society – and many others – does not always produce such collective results. The richer portion can easily own and exploit the trees, the mines, the trawlers. They get the most (because they were able to “invest”); we poor get the least.
That’s why I am attracted to President Granger’s pre-victory pledge to create a sovereign wealth fund. Profits from oil, all the extractive industries, even a possible satellite launch site, will be accumulated for specific purposes in the interest of the Guyanese poor and vulnerable. This should have been done ages ago! So be impressed when you see the “gold company” giving back. But know that that “charity” should be compulsory and morally required.
In that regard, I wish Minister Harmon and Professor Clive Thomas much success with their state assets recovery programme. Professor Thomas may assemble knowledgeable Guyanese from the diaspora and officer-experts from the U.N. to assist. Locally, let the Finance Ministry, the SARU, the SOCU, the FIU persevere. Legislation is now in place. Let audits continue. I have read Maxwell Edwards and Carl Veecock outlining the challenges even when the perpetrators of fraud and embezzlement are identified. We can do it, however.
The “false fiduciaries” and their “laundered” investment must be exposed, prosecuted and the state’s resources returned to poor Aunty Rookmin, Uncle Benjie, and to a new village clinic or police station.
I now invite young active journalists to explore the concepts of sovereign wealth and state assets recovery.
Ponder well…
.1) Who really is our new GPF “Crime Chief Blanhum? Whatever happened to his well-spoken predecessor James?
.2) Pity Guyanese resident in Venezuela. What is their position these days?
.3) The Guyana Cook-up TV show should hit Linden in time for this Emancipation. Enjoy!
’Til next week!
(Comments? allanafenty@yahoo.com)
