Balata craftsman and former primary school teacher George Tancredo of Nappi Village, Central Rupununi, who was known for seizing attention with his beautifully created pieces, died on October 30, following a tragic accident.
Speaking with The Scene, Tancredo’s grandson, Darius Joseph, explained that about 1 pm on that dreadful Friday, his grandfather was on his farm with his wife when a tree fell on him. Joseph, who is currently in the city, could not say for sure how it was that the tree fell.
Tancredo was removed from the scene of the accident by a nephew. He died before he could be transported to the hospital and was buried the following day. He was 74 years old.
In 2017, when The Scene spoke with Tancredo at the rodeo in Lethem, he was seated at a table crafting his pieces from the balata. The almost vacant space around his table quickly filled up with intrigued visitors observing how he made his pieces. Many went away with one of his variety of balata animals, balata couple or balata farmer.
Tancredo, a self-taught artist, who was 70 at the time he was interviewed, had shared about getting into balata crafting when he began teaching at Nappi Primary School at the age of 18.
He made his first piece, a palm tree, which won a prize at an exhibition at St Ignatius, Lethem. His win led to him venturing into balata art.
Since his passing, fans across Guyana and abroad have posted warm tributes about the late artist’s skill, his sense of humour, and his generosity. Many shared about being gifted some of his balata pieces instead of paying for them. His talent and kindness touched the lives of many.
“He was always a funny person and he was always kind,” Joseph said of his grandfather.
