Dear Editor,
I was recently reading the works of Kalidasa and Kabir when it occurred to me that our school system has an opportunity to better reflect the rich diversity of our ancestral cultures. These two poets are amongst the greatest and best known in the world, yet our school syllabus is dominated by Shakespeare.
There is an opportunity to further embrace our National Poets who have also enriched our culture and captured our history while placing on display Guyana’s contribution to the painted emotional canvas of life. Our school system, the National Cultural Centre (which needs to be more culturally diverse) and the Theatre Guild are still in their infancy. The vision of using them to enrich Guyana’s development while embracing & expressing our diverse cultural heritage in the performing arts such as poetry, music, dance and theatre is still worth pursuing. It is a great opportunity to learn more about each other, and with mutual understanding peaceful coexistence may have a better chance of success.
It should also be noted that the National Cultural Centre was a place that school children from diverse backgrounds would visit to view national and international shows such as the performance of a visiting Chinese Acrobatic Team. Yet today the display in front of the Centre does not reflect the diversity of our culture and to many it seems less inviting than it was before. We must not limit the cultural richness of our National Cultural Centre and we must ensure a true reflection of what our culturally rich society has to offer. After finishing the holiday season, many of our citizens can easily remember the influence of the various cultures on the kitchen table. The Amerindian Pepper Pot, the Portuguese Garlic Pork, the African Cookup Rice, the Indian Curry, the Chinese Chowmein and the European homemade bread all add to the range of culinary experiences offered in our multicultural society. The same cultural diversity should be on display at our multicultural national landmarks and within our school syllabus.
The performing arts are a tool if used well can provide an opportunity for cultural exploration and understanding. It is an enlightening endeavour worth pursuing and leveraging as we continue our journey towards social cohesion and peaceful coexistence.
Yours faithfully,
Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana
