Honorary doctorates

On Sunday, the University of Guyana (UG), in keeping with its tradition of conferring honorary degrees on outstanding individuals, announced the names of recipients of honorary doctorates for this year’s convocation exercises. The tertiary institution’s acknowledgement of the valuable contributions to society of these accomplished achievers reflects its commitment to honouring excellence.

This year’s awardees are; Arif Ali, CEO and Founder of Hansib Publishing; Patrick Parbhu Dial, historian and consumer advocate; Ralph Bazilio, finance and management specialist; Chris Fernandes, businessman; Ann Greene, child rights activist and social worker; Vic Insanally, broadcaster; Ronald Ramjattan, Baron Foods founder; Ian Robertson, Creole Linguistics and English Language Professor;

Dr Narendra Chetram Singh, surgeon and medical innovator; Eze Rockcliffe, veteran musician and culturalist; Paul Thomas, aka ‘Auntie Comesee’, cultural icon.

According to the UG media release,  the selection process for these honorary doctorates is a year-long exercise. The nominations are made through an academic division within the university at least one year in advance of the award to allow for the shortlisting and the five approval steps and background research to be robustly performed. Individuals must exemplify decades of consistent excellence in their areas of service. In its 61-year history, UG has previously only awarded 21 honorary doctorates, which include prominent personalities such as Justice Desiree Bernard (2007), former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Sir Clive Lloyd (2022), and Rohan Kanhai (2023), former West Indies captains, and Dave Martins (2022), music icon of the Tradewinds band.

The list is a microcosmic reflection of post-independence, whereby some remained and ground it out, while others opted to take their talents and efforts overseas, where, despite the odds, they achieved success at the highest levels. This group has touched the lives of many across several strata in many varied fields, and in several instances remained virtually anonymous to our society at large, going about their daily lives in a quiet unassuming manner. This column has neither space nor is the forum to examine the significant contributions of these honoured sons and daughters of our soil, but can provide snippets.

Ali has over 50 years’ experience in publishing for and about the Caribbean in the United Kingdom. His career as a newspaper publisher started in 1973 with the acquisition of West Indian World, which under Ali’s editorship, campaigned on various educational issues that were affecting black school children in Britain. In 1997, Ali sold his newspaper companies in order to concentrate on book publishing, and, today, his company, Hansib, remains “the biggest and most diverse black book publisher in Britain”. A historian by profession, Dial lectured for many years at UG. He has also served in numerous capacities in the public service over several decades, including at the level of Permanent Secretary in the then Ministry of Information and Culture. Dial’s work on consumerism spans several decades, and he still serves as President of the Guyana Consumers Association. Bazilio has worked as a Certified Public Accountant in the USA for over 37 years, during which he has built a career providing audit, accounting, financial, and management advisory services.

Fernandes, Chairman of John Fernandes Ltd, local shipping conglomerate, has worked in several fields within the intergenerational  family business. He has also served as Chairman of the Shipping Associations of Guyana and Caribbean, Chairman of the Board of Governors of his alma mater, St. Stanislaus College, and represented  Guyana at hockey. Greene, a career social work professional, with over 45 years of experience in the Public Service in Guyana, has served in a number of capacities in the Social Services in Guyana, including probation and welfare officer, Chief Probation Officer, and later Director of the Childcare and Protection Agency (CCPA).

Insanally has had a long and illustrious career as a distinguished broadcaster,  and pioneering entrepreneur, making immense contributions in the fields of art, culture, public relation and philanthropy. Ramjattan, a chemist by training,  worked initially with GuySuCo, and later Ricks and Sari Agro Industries Ltd,  before founding Baron Foods in St Lucia in 1991, which today, is the largest food processing products manufacturer in the Eastern Caribbean. Linguistics Professor Robertson, has worked in the education system in Guyana and Trinidad and Jamaica for more than 40 years, where he has been actively involved in the work of the Caribbean Examinations Council, serving as Assistant Chief Examiner at the CSEC English panel and Chair of the syllabus development committee for the preparation of the CAPE Communication Studies.

Cultural icon Rockcliffe, the leader of the Yoruba Singers band, the longest continuing ensemble  in the country. The band has played at almost every version of the Caribbean Festival of Creative Arts (Carifesta), and has over 100 recorded songs. Singh is currently the Director of Pediatric Critical Care Services at the South Texas Health System, and the Strategic Adviser to the Minister of Health in Guyana. Dr Singh is also the Programme Director for the Paediatric Post Graduate Programme, University of Guyana/Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. Thomas, affectionately known as “Auntie Comesee” is a living legend at 102 years old. Her legacy resonates deeply within the realms of storytelling, folklore and cultural preservation in Guyana and  the wider Caribbean diaspora.

Congratulations to the awardees on their Honorary Doctorates. We thank them for their sterling contributions to the development of our country, and we wish their service and sacrifice will serve as inspirations for generations to come.