In very recent history Guyana has developed distinct advantages in the field of culture and the arts. Some of these have been the pride (and envy) of the Caribbean, winning praise, respect and international image for the nation. In addition, these advantages have played a valued role in the development of their respective fields in Guyana.
One of these advantages is in the field of drama. (The National Drama Festival was analysed here last week.) The festival stands out among Caricom nations for its uniqueness and is unprecedented in Guyana for its impact. It has helped Guyana to jump places, to exhibit the best drama at two Carifestas (2015, 2017) and be on par with the best at another (2019); and to have more plays performed in a year’s schedule than all except Jamaica.
Another advantage is in the field of literature – as in the Guyana Prize for Literature. This one is larger, more wide-reaching and has developed international impact. Lauded internationally and acknowledged among the world’s literary prizes, its value has not been equally appreciated in Guyana.
Both of these advantages have been allowed to enter the classification of endangered. As it stands today, the Guyana Prize has been discontinued. Applications were made, there was a stakeholder consultation at the Theatre Guild, recommendations were made, but funds have not been released to allow its continuation, and there is no word on when or whether that will happen.
But why should the prize continue? Why should public money be spent on it? Has it done anything for local writers in Guyana? Anything for Guyanese literature?
In order to appreciate the value of the prize and what it has done, a full understanding of its origins and its upward march over the decades is necessary. It was created by the Guyana government for the advancement of “good literature in the Caribbean in general and in Guyana in particular”. However, it was very clear in its design at that time that its function was to reward the best Guyanese literature. Reading the strict regulations, it is seen that only published books of poetry and fiction were allowed to compete. Its focus was on the top tier of the literature and its established writers, the overwhelming majority of whom lived overseas.
On the surface, nothing is very wrong with that. That is the role of the leading literary prizes around the world. The Guyana Prize regulations followed theirs. Another thing that is often missed, is that, like those other big prizes, its business was to award prizes, to reward the production of good literature. It has not been the function of literary prizes to train writers, to assist the beginners. None of them does it, except the Commonwealth Foundation, which runs the Commonwealth Writers Prizes, and the Guyana Prize (in its current, not in its original dispensation).
These large established awards hold no workshops, it is not their business to publish, or even to recognise, unpublished works. They are not in the business of publishing – they leave publishing to the publishers. They reward a finished work, which is well written and well edited. “After you have learned to write, your work is well edited and good enough to interest a publisher, then you can talk to us,” is their attitude.
I have never heard any Guyanese criticise the Man Booker, the Whitbread or the Pulitzer prizes for not holding workshops, or for admitting only published works. On the contrary, they are held in awe for high quality. Not even the hottest prize in the Caribbean right now – the OCM Bocas, is blamed for doing the same thing. On the contrary it is held up as exemplary and praised by those who come back home and inhibit, and close down the Guyana Prize. To continue, the Guyana Prize is blamed for not doing those things that the other prizes are not doing.
Yet, in the beginning, the Guyana Prize was just like the others. The government deserves the highest praise for establishing it in the first place and considering it sufficiently important to spend public money on it. But in the Guyanese (and even the Caribbean) context simply doing like the other prizes was not enough.
As examples of how the Guyana Prize has advanced considerably and become much more valuable since the years of its founding, we may mention First Book prizes, and Drama. The inaugural Guyana Prize in 1987 offered only one prize for Best First Book, and both fiction and poetry had to compete for it. This shows the original orientation, which did not put the emphasis on upcoming, developing new writers. It was about the established. It was after further deliberation that the prize was split and there was one each for Best First Book of Poetry and Best First Book of Fiction.
Originally, there was no prize for Drama, which has always been the trend in the grand prizes. The various prize committees around the world find it difficult to handle Drama, and do not consider it at all. The one exception is the Pulitzer, which, however, has its own structure, and gives the award for a performed play, not a printed script. The Guyana Prize, however, took the forward step of adding drama to its list of awards. It still remains virtually alone in this regard.
The OCM Bocas does not touch drama. Guyana is the only country that allows dramatists an opportunity for a large regional prize – in the Guyana Prize Caribbean Award for Drama. Guyanese playwrights have been able to compete and to win prizes; the playwrights of other countries do not have such a benefit. But no one, none of the critics of the Guyana Prize have noticed that advantage.
The Management Committee, who Guyanese curse, has been responsible for immeasurable progress and advancements in the prize over the past years, making it much more multifunctional and helpful to local Guyanese writers than it was in its early years. There have been continuing series of innovations and revisions that took it to where it is now before it was stopped.
One good reason why the Guyana Prize cannot be content to do just what the most established international prizes are doing is because of the role the committee recognises that the prize has to play in the development of Guyanese literature and writers. Not much would be achieved merely by rewarding the best. The biggest established prizes do not have the same responsibilities. The Commonwealth Foundation has policies and interests in developing literature in Commonwealth countries, particularly those that are not first world countries. It sees itself as having a commitment to member countries and a responsibility because it is run by public funds and has a mission.
It is a similar situation with the Guyana Prize. The committee realised that several things had to be done if good writing was to be promoted and writers were to be assisted in producing it. Thus, the rules were changed to allow self-published or privately published works to be entered. This was further expanded to make unpublished manuscripts eligible for entry. It was decided that writers who live in Guyana could enter manuscripts while those living overseas had to enter published works.
Thus, many things were done that literary prizes do not normally do. The committee took on the responsibility of promoting Guyanese literature and writers at Carifesta (and locally) by joining with the University of Guyana Library to mount the largest and most impressive exhibitions of literature ever seen in Carifesta. Then the next move was made to do even better. The unprecedented step was taken to take writers – Guyana Prize Winners – to Carifesta to show their work so they could gain exposure.
Training of writers was seen as essential by the committee, although that is not a task undertaken by any literary prize. In the context of a developing country like Guyana this was thought to be an important area of help to emerging writers. The Guyana Prize has a long history of writers’ workshops, and at one time these were conducted by members of the Jury when they visited. However, this practice was not found to be sufficiently frequent and had to be done in short sessions. All told, the overall workshops were insufficient.
But matters were not left there. The Department of Culture in Guyana established the Institute of Creative Arts and one of the visions was to have a School of Creative Writing. That proved a bit difficult to realise, so the Director of Culture collaborated with the Guyana Prize and found a solution to the problem of insufficient workshops. The National School of Theatre Arts and Drama (NSTAD), whose Director is the Secretary of the Guyana Prize, was asked to inaugurate formal certified training in Creative Writing.
A Diploma in Creative Writing was therefore set up in the NSTAD as a more viable substitute for occasional workshops by the Guyana Prize. This programme started in the 2016 /2017 academic year and has so far graduated 11 writers with the ICA Diploma. It is the first time in Guyana’s history that formal certified programmes in Creative Writing are in existence.
It is inconceivable that this priceless institution should be shut down.
