Older folks will remember the red glow of the huge vertical neon sign attached to the northern outer wall of the upper flat of the Rendezvous Restaurant located at 77 Robb Street in Georgetown. Over 12 feet in length, it was one of the earliest neon signs functioning in then British Guiana and was visible from at least one corner away in either direction during the 1960s and the 1970s.
The neon sign was invented in the early years of the last century, and played a very important role in the advertising industry from the 1920s through the 1950s. The manually constructed glass tubes filled with inert gases neon and argon and a bit of mercury produced brilliantly lit signs when voltage was applied to electrodes inserted in the tubing. The custom designed signage with eye-catching multi-coloured images and lettering were the perfect lure for attracting customers to businesses, especially those which operated at night, such as restaurants, bars and night clubs.
Today, neon lights may not be quite as popular, but their appeal and charm, especially in terms of nostalgia, remain as bright as ever. Two recent events, poles apart, have attracted our attention like the flashing intermittent glow of the neon sign. While neither of these developments possess the seductive pull of the kaleidoscope of colours of a neon sign, they are continuously flashing the bright red colour of an Exit sign at a public forum. These are ominous warning signs.
Last Friday it was confirmed that Alexei Navalny, the well-known Russian opposition figure, an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin, had died in a penal colony in the Arctic. Any chance of Navalny’s death being turned into a political protest was quickly curtailed as 400 mourners in 36 cities were arrested. Navalny, who had previously survived a near fatal poisoning attempt by nerve gas in 2020, had returned from Germany where he was treated, in early 2021, despite the obvious danger to his life. Initial reports informed Navalny’s mother that her 47-year-old son, who had refused to stay in exile, had died of “sudden death syndrome” in the harsh prison conditions.
Last week there were two disqualifications from the Ministry of Education Children’s Mashramani Calypso and Dramatic Poetry Competition. In the first instance, six-year-old Ezika Minty was disqualified for singing a calypso on the government’s 6.5 % wage increase for teachers, despite the ministry’s awareness of the decades-old tradition of social commentary evoked by the calypso genre. This was followed by the disqualification of Zoriah Martindale from the 11 – 13 Age Group Category of the Poetry Competition for reciting a poem written by her teacher about the difficulties she encountered on the job during her pregnancy.
The Allied Arts Unit of the Ministry of Education defended the disqualifications of the aspiring entertainers in a media statement, “The Allied Arts Unit emphasizes that decisions made are based on established rules that have been in place for many years, specifically focusing on the appropriateness of items in relation to age groups. Two items were rejected, and the respective schools were duly advised with transparent communication on the reasons behind the decisions.”
On Thursday, Nicolas Fraser, Head of the Allied Arts Unit, cited Rule Ten of the Children’s Mash Booklet, which states, “The calypso can be based on any topic excluding Politics and Religion”. The convenient adoption of rules when it suits their objective is standard procedure from the politician’s playbook, but to choose to apply it to small children on the eve of the National Finals (which were held on Friday) is indeed worrisome, to say the very least.
While these two disconnected signs flashed over six thousand miles apart, they ultimately echoed the same message, one of suppression. Suppression of challenges to authority or anything perceived as having such a bearing. In the former instance, it further confirmed that there are no boundaries or limits to the extent to which the Putin regime will venture to silence critics.
That the stifling here, in this instance, has taken the form of censorship – a practice adopted by previous governments of both sides of the divide – of our youngest generation is cause for the flashing of multiple neon signs and the sounding of alarm bells. However, now, there are other bright red neon signs flashing simultaneously. The passing of legislation to withdraw enormous sums from the Sovereign Wealth Fund, the total disrespect currently shown to our teachers at the negotiation table and the conversion of recreational lands for the commercial interests of foreign investors. How many more neon signs will flash? These red neon signs do not augur well for our future.
When questioned why he returned from Germany fully aware of the extremes of Putin’s brutality to his political opponents, Navalny stated in a Facebook post on 17th January, to mark the third anniversary of his return and subsequent arrest at the airport, “I don’t want to give up either my country or my beliefs. I cannot betray either the first or the second. If your beliefs are worth something, you must be willing to stand up for them. And if necessary, make some sacrifices.”
The Allied Arts Unit in the press release defending the disqualification stated, “The Allied Arts Unit asserts its unwavering commitment to positions of respect, civility, values, ethics, morals, and standards.” It is noteworthy that the same principles are not applicable to the negotiations with the teachers.