“… I have done historical research in the archives of Guyana; but I am sure that they must rate as the most poorly kept archives in the world. This is no exaggeration and I’m not blaming any government. I’m just reflecting on the fact that there are pretty bad. And the conditions are hostile towards creative work because of the general philistine attitude which exists… The whole spirit of mendacity which prevails in the society could hardly be compatible with the search for the truth and producing serious scholarship …” – Walter Rodney (1980)
Just forty-five years shy of the passing of our renowned historian, Dr Walter Rodney, his subtle observation of the inept national disposition to the preservation of historical records has been pitchforked onto centre stage, once again, following a recent incident. In last Sunday’s edition of this newspaper, on the lower half of page 17, there was a local news story captioned ‘T&HD records left blowing in the wind’. The report stated, “Rejuvenation works at the T&HD on Water Street yesterday [Saturday, 13 April, 2025] left decades old records strewn carelessly around the area. At around 11.00 a.m., the Sunday Stabroek visited the Water Street location of the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) of the Ministry of Public Works. Debris and destroyed paper records and ledgers were scattered all over the compound, blowing into the street, and clustered alongside broken glass and shattered shelves. Men were hard at work with an excavator piling all the debris together and loading it on to a truck.”
“SN witnessed “Combined requistion and issue vouchers” for the MV Kanuku, MV Malali, MV Makouria, MV Torani, MV Acquero, MV Bouyant, MV Maraudi, MV Barima, MV Maripa, MV Pomeroon, MV Canje Pheasant, MV Lady Northcote from back in 1980 [and] 1984. Additionally, local historian Andrew Campbell found excursion arrangements for the Georgetown to Rosignol and return [on] the same day train from 1968.”
“It is unclear whether these records have been digitised.” The report was complemented by three photographs which displayed excursion arrangements, a combined requisition and issue voucher, and the transcript of a discussion on the type of clothing to be issued to the maintenance workers in the Central Workshop. In one fell swoop, social researchers, anthropologists, economic students, among others, have been deprived of a significant source of unreplaceable historical records by the wanton act of naive and irresponsible administrators. It is probably safe to assume that the contents of last Saturday’s clean up were safely deposited at the Haags Bosch Sanitary Landfill Facility and will never be seen again. Gone forever.
This lackadaisical approach to record keeping is deeply engrained in our culture. Guyanese historian Nigel Westmaas, a regular contributor to the Sunday Stabroek, noted in his column, “Memories, Archives and the struggle to popularise Guyanese history” (18 August, 2024), “As far back as 1936, the superintendent of the British Guiana archives raised alarms about the “indiscriminate and ruthless destruction of important historical records.” Historically, many vital Guyanese records were stored in the dome of the Public Buildings, leaving them vulnerable to threats such as water damage, dampness, mould, neglect, and insects, including destructive wood ants.” Westmaas added that this continued state of affairs eventually led to the resignation of the National Archivist, Hugh ‘Tommy’ Payne (1970/1988), who, noted the low regard for the Archives Department at state level, the inadequate funding for preserving archival documents and the lack of interest in conservation efforts.
There are numerous horrifying examples of this laissez-faire attitude to preservation of the past. Shortly after independence, following decades of detailed research by the Botanical Gardens department, the extensively documented collection of the many varieties of grass and their applications, was unceremoniously tossed out. A young Guyanese, in a Letter to the Editor (29 July, 2018), pleading for sources of our history was greeted with several online responses with further evidence of our hopelessness in this field. One writer allegedly claimed that in the 1990s “ALL the recordings held at the Radio Station [Radio Demerara] in High St. were placed into cartoon boxes and left behind the parking lot to the mercy of rain and sun.” Well known Guyanese writer, dramatist, folklorist and cultural historian, Francis Quamina Farrier recalled, “Sad to say, that those film documentaries [on Guyana] and many others, as well as books, periodicals and Audio documentaries which were produced by colleagues of mine at the Ministry [of Information], were allegedly dispatched to the incinerator in the mid-1990s and BURNT.” Then, there was the attempt of the previous administration in June 2018 to pack up the contents of the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology and place it in storage at the National Museum. Vehement protests, including several Letters to the Editor, managed to avert that disaster.
Sunday’s report culminated with the wishful clutching at a straw as to whether the disposed paperwork had been digitised. In June 2013, it was announced with much fanfare, that the digitisation of the Walter Rodney Archives had commenced with trained archivists utilising the recently revamped digital camera and scanning tray, under a $10 million project funded jointly by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and UNESCO, with $5.2 million going directly to equipment upgrades. This project apparently petered out quietly. However, another Letter to the Editor published last December highlighted the bid process for the forthcoming National Archives of Guyana Digitization Project. Fearing that we are still at square one, the writer expressed concern for transparency, fairness, and inclusivity, whilst pleading for clarity in the selection process. We should be woefully embarrassed when we look at Barbados’ achievements with their digitisation project which commenced in 2020. By March 2022, the Barbados Archives Department had digitised more than 50, 000 pages of historical documents dating back as far as 1635. When will we awaken from our deep slumber?
It is quite easy to point fingers at the current administration for this calamity which has surely driven historians and anthropologists to tears. Although the blame will ultimately rest at their feet, one must acknowledge that this cultural slothfulness has been reoccurring for decades under the watch of both sides of the divide, neither of which can escape responsibility for their maladroitness.
Why do we go to great lengths to execute this wanton destruction of our history? Why are we our own luddites? Has there ever been anyone in authority who actually cared about our history and pushed for the National Archives to be a major priority? No doubt, what is unfolding here is a tragedy of epic proportions. As our history continues to blow in the wind, how, we as a nation, escape from this nightmare remains to be seen.
