Govt. should create the conditions for modern cinemas to operate

Nov 27, 2009 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Imagine that Guyana doesn’t have any real modern cinemas with the latest movies for our citizens to enjoy. Trinidad, Barbados and even little Antigua all have modern multi-plex cinemas which Guyanese could only dream about while we languish at home with stolen copies of movies whose copyright  laws are violated everyday;  T.V. stations show movies which are stolen copies, while the only cinema left standing(the Astor) shows movies which are generally outdated.
ears ago when my generation was growing up, cinemas were always a great source of entertainment and patrons of at least eight cinemas in the Georgetown area were treated to the most up to date movies which came mostly from the USA and England; the city streets would be busy at 11:30 at night when patrons would be going home after a “double”- and this was generally every night!
But then politics and “socialism” intervened with the high consumption taxes, the foreign currency shortages, the state control, the general migration and the crime crunch which led to the great decline of our cinemas;  in fact, a great  interlude, to this day, in our ability to go out to a cinema and really enjoy an evening in the company of friends or family; a chance to go out and mix with others in an environment which is really entertaining and mostly satisfying.
Cinemas in Guyana always had shows at 1pm, 4:30pm and 8:30pm and most times they were doing good business every day, including Sundays and holidays when there was even a 9am showing. I remember one holiday when we went to four different cinemas to see eight different movies from nine in the morning to 11.30 that night! When I visited India I was very impressed with the high quality of cinemas in that great country  and the love of the cinema which Indians have cultivated over the years; no wonder the Indians have built up a huge movie industry – all based on India’s cinemas where the regular folks spend their money.
When one travels to Berbice today, for example, memories come alive when one goes by Albion, Rosehall and Port Mourant which all had good cinemas and patrons by the hundreds every day; today not one cinema is around and the “outing” people enjoyed is gone; the same applies to other parts of the country.
Entertainment is an important aspect of peoples’ lives, no matter where in the world they live and the modern cinema is an integral and relatively inexpensive medium which exists in every country trying to give its citizens more quality leisure time and a chance to share a community experience.
Breaking copyright laws (which are international and which should be enforced by every government on this planet) and getting away with it is not the way the leisure time activities of citizens should be structured; sitting at home looking at a small screen does not substitute for the outing of going to a cinema which would provide a visual and audio experience way beyond a television set, no matter what the size.
For the youth in particular, the cinema is a place to congregate and have fun and to meet new friends; it is also a place where parents feel comfortable with when their children want to go out for some entertainment. Cinemas also bring us together to enjoy ourselves regardless of race, class or religion in a visual and sound experience which bonds us together even though it’s for a few hours; it is still a small measure of social interaction every country needs.
This government should give special concessions and tax incentives to business people who would like to invest in cinemas – modern ones with good sound, visuals and comfort, including air conditioning, with good seating arrangements. Cinemas can generate good profits for investors as they do in many countries, but the government has to play a leading role in pushing legislation to stop the criminality of breaking copyright laws which result in “pirated” movies in the public domain, a serious deterrent to the success of cinema entertainment.
The fall of cinema entertainment in Guyana is precisely because of the blatant transgressions by those who see the cinema medium as extinct and try to substitute criminal, uncontrolled and profitable DVD entertainment while the government turns a blind eye to these enterprises. If we can have casinos, then the government should create the conditions for modern cinemas to operate in this country.
Cinema entertainment is alive and well in most of the world and Guyana’s government should try to give a real impetus to the initiation and development of cinemas in our country; it’s a good thing for all our people.
Cheddi (Joey) Jagan (Jr)

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