On November 8th, the British High Commission celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of Cy Grant at a function hosted at the High Commis-sioner’s Residence in Bel Air Gardens.
Born in Beter-verwagting in then British Guiana on 08 November 1919, a release from the British High Commission said that Cy joined the Royal Air Force in 1941 and was commissioned as an Officer and Navigator on Lancaster bombers. He was shot down over the Netherlands in June 1943 and was held as a prisoner of war for two years.
After the war Cy qualified as a Barrister and pursued a successful singing and acting career appearing in a variety of films and TV shows, the release said. He was the first man of African descent to make regular appearances on British TV.
“He was a war hero, poet, musician, songwriter, broadcaster, actor and social activist. In the 1970s and 1980s Cy challenged discrimination, stood up for the rights of ethnic minorities in the UK, and worked tirelessly to foster improved race relations in the UK”, the release added.
He died aged 90 on 13 February 2010.
Speaking about Cy, the British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn, said:
‘Ten years after his death Cy remains an enduring example of the links between Guyana and the UK. Links which have continued through good times and through bad and which I am sure will continue in the years going forward. He was quite a character and deserves to be far better known in Guyana.’
Also speaking at the reception was Francis Quamina Farrier who read one of Cy’s poems – Steel Pan.
Further information about Cy can be found on the website of the Cy Grant Trust: Cy Grant – Celebrating the life and times of Cy Grant
