The noise culture is quickly festering

Aug 25, 2009 Letters

Dear Editor,
If there is any time that citizens of Guyana deserve peace, quiet, tranquility and immunization from the horrors of noise it is at nighttime.
Today, our world is not as quiet as it had been decades ago. If it isn’t the telephone or cell phone ringing, it is the beep of this or that electronic device; neighbours having verbal brawl outside; an inconsiderate driver (especially of those trucks) honking his horn in the late of night and early in the morning; someone buzzing; and one of the most familiar and popular forms of noise botheration: loud, incessant (sometimes vulgar) music.

Whether it is from a party, someone playing in their homes (but the entire block can hear), religious buildings, or at a ‘wedding house’, the noise culture is quickly festering. Noise is everywhere.
Sometimes, unless there probably is a blackout, it is impossible to experience the environment and surroundings in their complete quietness as they were meant to be (in their natural state). And that is very sad in this day and age.

People believe that the louder they are or the louder they can express themselves, the better they are heard, not even considering the people around them and the unethical side of that assumption.
Just this past weekend, there was a ‘wedding house’ two streets from where I am living. Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights were pure torture. I could’ve heard every beat, word and melody (or lack thereof) of every single song played. The music played into very late in the night. There was no letting up. I wondered that if I was hearing the music so loudly (two streets away in Cumberland), then what must the neighbours and close-by residents of these individuals feeling?
I thought there was a law prohibiting loud playing of music beyond midnight. I was wrong. It became unbearable on Sunday evening. I thought to myself, that Monday is a working day and these people are having a blast way into the new day. Upon approaching midnight, I called the Reliance Police and they promised to send the patrol.

Now here are a few questions: Was no one affected by the loud music on Saturday and Sunday nights? Did they call? If they did, then why didn’t the patrol urge these people to turn the music off? Isn’t there a permit that has to be sought from the police to rent such speaker boxes and amplifiers for such events? Police must have been patrolling the East Canje road on these nights. You telling me that they were deaf to this bombarding music on both nights? Well the music was turned off shortly after I telephoned the police on Sunday evening (that was after midnight). The area had a little ease.
Not for long. The music resumed during the day on Monday — loud as ever.
There have been numerous noise complaints in the letter columns before. However, we the readers cannot feel how persons who pen these letters feel or are affected.
Sometimes, these people have sick persons in their homes. Just imagine the torment of having such a hard day and not having peace at night to have a good night’s sleep.

Whereas in other countries, wedding receptions are held in soundproof halls, it is not the case in Guyana. Most events people hold are held in their homes, in open spaces in the full purview of the community, and noises emanating from these events are bound to reverberate around the area.
Yet I had to laugh when I remember I saw one name in the newspapers for Region Six noise offenders.
Virtually in every community in Guyana, at some time or the other, there are noise nuisances if not during the weekdays then during the weekends. Persons depend on the police to act swiftly when these crimes are reported and not become involved too in the fetes after being offered beer, liquor or food.
Citizens’ rights to peace and quiet in their homes during the day and in the night (especially the latter) are a must.

The vast and improved technology we are seeing today is making our society noisier than ever.
The gruesome abuse of alcohol at these events such as ‘wedding houses’ also result in these loud music being played, and the worst case scenario of persons beating up each other, behaving violently and using indecent language.
The “popular” music which are glamourized and overplayed at sporting events in Guyana leaves much to be desired. With songs like “Rum Is Meh Lova”; “Radica Why You Leave and Go”; and other morally and ethically imbalanced tunes (which the youngest child today can sing), then is it any wonder that they fuel these lewd behaviours and create a more fragile society for our people especially young children?
My example given in this letter is only one of many kinds of instances whereby people have these entertainment bacchanals lasting for days.

Having them is not wrong, although consideration must be given to people living nearby. However, when you’re ‘bachannaling’ for three days and more, consuming large amounts of alcohol, and disturbing an entire village of people with loud, continuous not to mention repulsive music (if it had been nice soft music it might have been a different story) way into the morning hours then it is a further expression of how Guyana through such people are becoming intellectually, morally and even mentally poor.
Leon J. Suseran