Local folklore and a “true believer”

Apr 13, 2014 News

---

By Kiana Wilburg

Anthony Kissoon asserts that after some “strange encounters” he remains a true believer that the Massacuraman and the Old Higue actually live amongst us.

The 62-year-old, who lives a quiet life with his loving wife and daughter in Prashad Nagar, expressed that while he is passionate about the Kissoon family business and politics to an extent, he is most certainly obsessed with our Folklore legends; an aspect of the Guyanese legacy which he claims has lived on since the 15th Century.
With his book titled Tale of the Spirits which was published twice, Kissoon captivates his readers with testimonies of real life encounters. The tales exude simplicity and serve as the perfect cushion for their eerie yet “believable” details. It’s a perfect read to rekindle that relationship with our heritage.
Recently, Mr. Kissoon briefly shared with me his short-lived venture into the world of politics and eventual love for folklore.
Born on June 18, 1952, the avid reader is the second twin of two sons of Alston and Lyla Kissoon. He attended Mrs. Allen’s Primary School and then elementary at Sacred Heart R.C School. He then progressed to St. Stanislaus College. But due to much political turmoil in the early sixties, his parents sent him and his two brothers to Barbados. After spending two school terms in Barbados, Kissoon returned to Guyana and continued his schooling at St. Stanislaus.
But the tragic passing of his father in January 1966 meant another trip to a foreign land. The sons were sent to Mount St. Mary’s in Sheffield, England. He then returned to Guyana in 1968 and successfully obtained seven GCE O level passes at his former high school and went on to Canada. He was accepted at Mc Gill University. There, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics. Also in that year he was accepted into the London School of Economics where he got his Masters Degree in Economics History in 1976. He then returned to Guyana to devote his time to understanding the family business.

In 1980, he assumed a different role. He was appointed Special Advisor to the then President Forbes Burnham. He said the decision to enter the “cruel world of politics” was one that scared him a bit, but “the comforting words of the President gave me the encouragement I needed to accept that challenge”.
NEGLECTED ASPECT OF CULTURE
The father of three believes that Guyana’s folklore is one of the most neglected aspects of its culture. He insists that it should be preserved, promoted and publications on it circulated more often.
“I love folklore and I am of the firm belief that much more needs to be done to spur the rebirth of the love for this rich part of our history which has managed to live through the turbulence of our past. My book is dedicated to my mom who has always been a fountain of encouragement and has been at the genesis of my love for this part of our history. Folklore for a country is like its fingerprints. It’s the one thing that has not been cloned and though the tales may alter as they pass through the ages and are handed down from one generation to the next its essence always remain the same. I do hope that more of our local writers can do the same and that the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport can lend more than just lip service to this wonderful and crucial aspect of our culture. This is what makes us Guyanese.”
“My book focuses on the tales of the Massacuraman, the Water Baby, the Old Higue, Baccoo, Moon Gazer, the Living Dead and the White Man. I kept it simple and conversational; reminiscent of the style it was told to me by my mother and other friends. I have placed these tales in an orderly and specific time frame and the only reason for doing so is that Guyana was settled and colonized by various people at different times in its history.”
The late Viola Burnham (wife of President Burnham) had commented on the first publication of his book stating that, “Kissoon’s “Tales of the Spirits” are folkloric in the oral tradition of our ancestors with an interestingly mischievous addition of fiction and morality, peppered with blood-curdling imagery, to young as well as to adult readers, they attempt to fill a vacuum in the cultural memory of all Guyanese whatever their origin.”

Kissoon then told me the riveting tale of the Moon gazer, which is a man-like creature which stares or gazes at the moon. He said that the legend was handed down by the old East Indian labourers who worked at the sugar plantations from dusk to dawn. It is said that the Moon Gazer, when disturbed, would become very angry and unleash his wrath upon his curious victims.
Kissoon asserts that he knows of many who have lived to tell the tale. But considering that I am easily frightened I humbly declined his invitation to see for myself. However, he is extending an invitation to anyone who desires to take a long stroll across an estate after midnight where the Moon Gazer still sleeps. His work can be found at Austin’s Book Store.

---

---