The Journey, an evening of literature, Part XI

Jun 27, 2010 Features / Columnists, Guyanese Literature

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– by Petamber Persaud

The eleventh leg of The Journey, an evening of literature, was staged on Wednesday, June 2, at the National Art Gallery, Castellani House under the theme ‘Anatomy of Independence’ featuring literary works that explore challenges and victories on the route to attaining (political) independence. It was another engaging evening of making literature come alive. Following are samples of selections and performers:
Extract from ‘The West on Trial’ by Cheddi Jagan (Guyana) performed by Mr. Kencil Banwarie; ‘Tomorrow belongs to the people’ by A. J. Seymour (Guyana) performed by Mr. Jamal LaRose; Extract from ‘A Destiny to Mould’ Speeches by Forbes Burnham (Guyana) performed by Mr. Russell Lancaster; ‘Let freedom wake him’ by Martin Carter (Guyana) performed Dr. Ian McDonald; ‘Days of Sahib’ by Rajkumari Singh (Guyana) performed by Ms. Rosanne Pumwasie; ‘A Merry Indian no More’ by Basil Rodrigues (Guyana) performed by Mr. Jamal LaRose; Extract from essay by Martin Carter ‘Of Governor and Governed’ (taken from KyK 49/50 issue) performed by Ms. Vanda Radzik; ‘A wish A could Emancipate you’ by Creighton Pencheon, St. Kitts/Nevis, (Taken from ‘An anthology of Caribbean Poetry’ edited by Petamber Persaud) performed by Ms. Tivia Collins; ‘No Frontiers’ by Elie Stephenson (French Guiana) performed by Mr. Omarnauth Bissoon; ‘A Patriot to Patriots’ by Derek Walcott (St Lucia) performed by Ms. Elfrieda Bissember; ‘Ain’t want de goat no mo’ by Patricia Adams, Anguilla, (Taken from ‘An anthology of Caribbean Poetry’ edited by Petamber Persaud) performed by Ms. Konya Addo; ‘The Unknown Citizen’ by W H Auden (Anglo-American) performed by Ms. Tivia Collins; ‘Weeping woman’ (from ‘Picasso, I want my face back’) by Grace Nichols (Guyana) performed by Ms. Amika Doris & Ms. Kandasia Kendall
The Journey, an evening of literature, started in 2004, under the auspices of the National Art Gallery, Castellani House.
The Journey is an ongoing series of literature programmes designed to go where other related undertakings have failed to venture. To appreciate this, a listing of the objectives of The Journey would show how useful this venture is to society.
The intent of the journey is to sensitise more Guyanese (and non-Guyanese) as to the massive output in the field of literature by our writers, both local and overseas, to expose literature to more persons especially our young people, to foster an interaction between those who know and those willing to learn about literature, to raise the level of appreciation for such matters, to restore a reading culture by putting the joy back into reading, to offer another, and eventually a permanent, venue for oral performance, to encourage more writers to write and to publish, and to encourage scholarship and more research in our literature.
The Journey has covered much ground and achieved quite a lot in a short period. The event has facilitated almost two hundred individual and group performances of prose, poetry, song and drama. Selected pieces included works of Guyanese and writers from around the world.
In part one, we went to the beginning of our (Guyanese) literary heritage, the oral literature of our indigenous peoples, moving into the printed word, from the first published poem in the early 17th century to the first published anthology, covering a period of 100 years.
In part two of The Journey, we sampled various genres of writing, prose, poetry, song, the essay, the novel, and the letter. We also celebrated the works of past Guyanese writers and honoured a couple of living resident authors.
In part three, we celebrated living Guyanese women writers while giving local emerging writers a chance, another occasion to showcase their own fare.
Both groups of writers need our support, especially our women writers who face numerous challenges both as women and as writers.
In part four, we celebrated our literary heritage that was captured in anthologies; anthologies serve to shape a nation’s literature.
In part five, it was ‘school days are happy, happy days’, going way back to ‘Jack and Jill’, ‘all the world’s a stage’, moving to present day and long overdue inclusion of Guyanese writings on the CXC syllabus.
In part six, it was literature in translation (from foreign languages) and Guyanese creolese. Although it was a sampling of different cultures, the themes explored by dissimilar writers are universal ones encompassing issues of identity, alienation, integration and freedom.
In part VII, it was ‘winner’s row’ featuring selections from works of literary prize winners from around the world including Rabindranath Tagore, V. S. Naipaul, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Neruda, Gao Xingjian, Toni Morrison, David Dabydeen, Paloma Mohamed, Mark McWatt, Martin Carter, Arundhati Roy.
Part VIII was staged under the theme ‘the sporting life’. For part IX, the theme was ‘parameters of liberty’ featuring literature in celebration
of freedom and the rights of man. Part X’s theme was ‘Looking Forward and Back’ heralding Carifesta X and looking back at ‘The Journey’ Parts I-IX.
The Journey continues leading to who knows where, but for sure The Journey is heading in the right direction of creating the climate for the better appreciation of literature on the whole and the appreciation of Guyanese literature in particular.
Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@ yahoo.com
What’s Happening
• The Guyana Annual 2010 issue is now available at Guyenterprise Ltd. on Lance Gibbs and Irving Streets, Queenstown.
• The new closing date for the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport literary competition for school is July 9, 2010. Please contact me for more information. This competition includes three follow-up components via a writers’ workshop using entries submitted, performances of shortlisted entries and a publication of the outstanding works.

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