Dear Editor,
I’m a Chilean-Spanish journalist, and I write to you from Madrid. In 2006, my team and I were one of the first broadcast teams in Chile to get into Guyana to film a documentary about your country, completely unknown for most Chilean people. In that time the bridge between Bonfim, Brazil, and Lethem was still under construction. We got to the Guyanese border by a little boat. We ride after, the 500 kms. to Georgetown in many hours, crossing the beautiful sabana (savannah) and Amerindian villages, under very difficult dirt roads, and we started to discover a new and dazzling land; full of beauty, landscapes and diversity, completely different to all Latin America. Because that’s the (obvious) fact that the tyranny of the dictator Maduro seems to not understand: Guyana is not Latin, is Caribbean, and thank Lord it is.
A proud Guyanese could never be Venezuelan, no matter the citizenship you offer. We all know, of course, the true reasons about your neighbour’s satrap in doing this unacceptable “referendum”. He consumed all Venezuelan oil and resources and needs more. Would be a pity to see how a beautiful nation as Guyana gets consumed into an evil Bolivarian experiment. Everybody knows how it (will) end, whenever it happens. In that order, l prefer to silence also my opinion about the languid attitude of the ICJ in this case. I still can say, with humility, that I’m one of the Chilean journalist who most knows about Guyana, even Surinam and the French Guyana (where I’ve been too).
Three extraordinary but still unknown territories for almost all the southern continent.
I still remember when I was interviewed on Guyanese television for the great businessman Yesu Persaud (RIP), who was very interested in our trip and why, finally, the press of a big country in the region, Chile, was suddenly interested in your tiny land. I shared with him a lot of impressions and I still remember the vehemence, love and conviction in the future of Guyana in Mr. Persaud’s eyes. He was completely right. Guyana is one of my favourite countries in the world (I have been in many) and I can’t wait the moment to come back. This is a battle that the tyrant must not win. You have our support, the support of most countries in South America, the support of the European Union, United States and UK. And many others. Guyana never will be “Latin”. And thank God it is not.
Sincerely,
Bruno Ebner
Journalist
Madrid
