Former judges who became entrants for the Guyana Prize should have been disqualified

Apr 30, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I refer to a very fascinating letter published in the Kaieteur News 26/04/2010, written by Ruel Johnson under the caption: ‘’The Guyana Prize Committee should take a stand against the erasure of the national prize for literature.’’
In Mr. Johnson’s letter he addressed a number of issues pertaining to the Guyana Prize for Literature of which he was an ardent critic many years ago but stopped addressing issues of wrong doing pertaining to the prize since he was awarded the prize for the best first book of fiction in the year 2002 for his collection of short stories ‘Ariadne & Other Tales’’.
The Guyana Prize for Literature is the most prestigious literary award in the English-speaking Caribbean. It was inaugurated in 1987 by the late former President Desmond Hoyte. The aim and objective of the Guyana Prize for Literature is to: ‘’recognise and reward outstanding work in literature by Guyanese authors at home and abroad’’
As a concerned author/poet, I observed some flaws in the Guyana Prize Management Committee since I was an entrant in the Guyana Prize for Literature from 1996-2006. I list below my observations which relate to my thesis that:
Mr. Ruel Johnson failed to address this mind boggling issue in his comprehensive letter. In 1987, the very first year in which the
Guyana Prize was established Dr. Ian McDonald, distinguished literary critic and author, was the Chairman of the panel of judges of the Guyana Prize and a member of the management committee. In 1992 Dr. McDonald became an entrant for the prize and emerged a winner in the poetry category with his collection of poems: ‘’Essequibo’’.
He subsequently, entered again for the Prize in 2004 and won the award for the second time with his poetry collection:
‘’Between Silence & Silence’’ like the Booker Prize, The Cohen Prize, The IMPAC Dublin Literary Award etc his entry would had been disqualified since he was a former judge for the award, but the Guyana Prize have no such rule in their Brochure and in their rules and regulations pertaining to entrants like international literary awards.
In 1992, Dr. David Dabydeen won the Guyana Prize in the fiction category with his novel: ‘’The Intended’’ and in 1996 he entered again for the award and was short listed with his novel: ‘’The Counting House’’. In 1998 Dr. Dabydeen became a judge in the Guyana Prize. In 2000 he entered for the prize again and won a prize with ‘’Harlot’s Progress’’ and in 2004 he entered for the prize and won in the Best Book of Fiction category with his novel: ‘’Our Lady of Demerara.’’
In 1994, Prof. Mark McWatt won the Guyana Prize in the Poetry category with his collection of poems: ‘’The language of El Dorado’’. Then in 1992 he was the Chairman of the Judges for the Guyana Prize, just two years before he entered for the prize in 1994. In 2006 Prof. Mark McWatt won the best book of fiction for the Guyana prize for his Novel: ‘’Suspended Sentences’’.
Professor Dennis Craig the former Vice-Chancellor at UG, when the Guyana Prize was in progress, he became an entrant in 1998 and won in the Best 1st Book of Poetry category for his poetry collection: ‘’Near the Seashore’’ while he was still the VC and worked with the Guyana Prize Committee that was inaugurated by Desmond Hoyte. It is my opinion, unlike any other literary award in the world that all these former judges who became entrants for the Guyana Prize should have been disqualified.
I have read the Brochure for the International IMPAC DUBLIN Literary Award and wish to quote the following pertaining to their rules and regulations for their award:
‘’A book shall not be eligible for entry for the Award if the author or translator thereof is any of the following:
1. A member of the Board of Management
2. A member of the staff of Dublin City Council
3. An officer or employee of IMPAC Ltd.
4. A member of the judging panel.
5. A parent, spouse or child of any of the foregoing.’’
It is very unfortunate that the Guyana Prize for Literature Awards Brochure have no such rule I have quoted here from the second largest literary award in the world. Mr. Al Creighton who happens to be the secretary and administrator of the Guyana Prize for the past 23 years and a judge in many awards abroad does nothing to interpolate these rules and regulations in the Guyana Prize brochure.
In my opinion, a judge for a literary award is a scholar and distinguished writer in the field of literature and should not compete with lesser writers than him in a contest. It’s not surprising that all these overseas-based Guyanese writers who were judges and entrants for the Guyana Prize are winning the prizes. Why is that so? It’s because they are professors and well recognised authors entering the contest with published books that already won several literary awards abroad. So how can Guyana-based writers with ordinary CXC level education compete among these experts with their unpublished manuscripts?
In most cases the judges will never read the unpublished manuscripts, but they will focus on books that already have a reputation and high academic degrees behind the author’s name. In 1998 Roopnandan Singh’s Novel ‘’Roll Play’’ was short listed in the fiction category but never won the award because he was competing against: ‘’The Ventriloquist’s Tale’’ by Pauline Melville that already won the: ‘’Whitbread Award’’ and was shortlisted for the Orange prize for fiction in England in 1997. This book that already won a major literary award one year before entering for the Guyana Prize should have been disqualified and Mr. Singh’s book: ‘’Roll Play’’ should have won the award but that did not happen.
If the Guyana Prize for Literature will ever progress then the entire committee will have to be changed. The Ministry of Education as well as The Ministry of Culture will have to administer the prize.
The prize must be in different categories and age groups. Works of writers living abroad must be judged separately from manuscripts. A children category should be established. The prize should be called: ‘’The Guyana-Caribbean Prize for Literature’’ that will include works from the wider Caribbean. More than one prize should be given in the various categories.
It is my sincere hope that the integrity of the prize be not compromised and the religious committee should play a significant role in the judging and giving of the awards. If a new ethical standard cannot be integrated by our PPP administration then it would be wise for the prize to be erased from our dead history. The quality of literature submitted should be free from curse words; sexual overtures and racist remarks etc. Many books that were given US dollars for their awards are books of a very vulgar and vile nature.
We must remember the words of Mohandas Gandhi: ‘’literary education without character is a waste of time’’. Literature will only help this nation when it can become food for the human soul. I hope our government doesn’t waste tax payers’ money on words without value. I wondered why Desmond Hoyte established the Guyana Prize for Literature when Guyana became the poorest nation in the West under his regime.
Rev. Gideon Cecil

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