Dear Editor,
CARIFESTA XV, the Regional Cultural Festival is scheduled to be held in Antigua and Barbuda from August 11th to the 21st. CARIFESTA depicts the lifestyle of the people of the Region, their traditions, beliefs, creativity, myths and their manner of expression. The success of the first CARIFESTA held in Guyana in 1972 was the impetus that led to the Festival being institutionalized in the Region.
The importance of the Visual Arts in the affirmation of our Caribbean Identity is evident. I wrote to the Minister of Culture earlier in the year concerning Guyana’s participation in CARIFESTA XV. I also informed the minister of the destitute state of the artist community. The minister had then given out $1 million to 30 persons who just popped up on the scene. This money was given as a “Culture and Business Award”. Since then they have been given a monopoly and boldly proclaim that they have been promoting peace and unity for years.
What the PPP/C government is doing is unjust and unfair, and is intended to abort the creativity of the younger generations of Guyanese. It is an injustice being committed against our senior Guyanese artists who have given their golden years in the service of our country. For sure with CARIFESTA XV due in less than two months, Guyana’s representatives will probably be in the performing arts and the National Gallery will send some of our old collections of paintings and sculptures.
Over the years most of the money allocated to the Gallery has gone into renovation, not for the acquisition of works of art for the National Collection.
To conclude, there are members of the Guyana United Artists and other Artists who would like to participate in CARIFESTA but we don’t have the financial means to go to Antigua and Barbuda. Alternatively, we can put on a show in Guyana, but we have no venue, The National Gallery has been closed since the beginning of the pandemic. There has been no exhibition, even on its own initiative the Gallery could have hosted an exhibition and invited artists to participate. It’s not too late!
Yours faithfully,
Desmond Alli
(General Secretary, Guyana United Artists)
