Not hopeful of a change in attitude

Jan 26, 2013 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Peeping Tom, you’ve done a great service bringing to attention the sad fact that Guyana has practically neglected its historical sites, monuments, and buildings.
St Barnabas Baptist Church and St. George’s Cathedral, as you eloquently highlighted in your column, are metaphors for Guyana’s neglect of her history.
Here are my observations, albeit partial, from a recent visit to the country (after many years):
1. No statue of Archibald Leonard Luker, the English Anglican priest who wrote the words of Guyana’s national anthem, in New Amsterdam; not even a plaque commemorating his contribution: Disgraceful.
2. The New Amsterdam Public Hospital on Alexander St: A beautiful example of Victorian architecture that gave character to New Amsterdam: destroyed.
3. New Amsterdam market: run down
4. The old churches in New Amsterdam and the sound of evening bells: Disappeared.
5. St Joseph’s Anglican Church in Port Mourant: State of disrepair
6. Queen Victoria statue on Avenue of the Republic: A one-armed Queen with weeds growing around her.
7. The Parliament Building: Garbage and litter about the fence.
8. The Sea Wall in Georgetown: Dirty with litter and garbage
9. Streets of Georgetown, especially after a heavy shower: Words cannot express
10. Fort Nassau: No site being maintained.
11. Magdaleneburg Plantation (site of the Berbice Slave Rebellion): No site being maintained
I visited the Georgetown Museum – a pale comparison of the Museum I knew in the 1960s – only to discover that it’s not a proper museum with objects that tell about the country in a richly enlightening way.
The “management” might well have produced a thin brochure for visitors.
Might I say these buildings and sites are historical and belong to all, regardless of “colour or creed”. I am not hopeful of a change in attitude.
Name Withheld

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