A delayed email and an overseas visitor’s ‘Golden Jubilee’ account

Jun 19, 2016 News

By Sharmain Grainger

Have you ever been convinced that you got a message from someone who left suddenly for the “great beyond”?
Well I haven’t, and I hope I never do. But for a split second during the past week

Denise Harper-Beaton (second from left) at the Kaieteur Falls during her recent visit.

I became concerned when I received an email from [email protected].
For those who don’t know, this email address was the one used by Dale Andrews our recently departed ‘chief’ crime reporter. To say the least, I was briefly in shock when I got a notification on my phone of a new email and saw it was from this address. There was no subject and I didn’t know what to expect.
But opening it instantly helped me to rationalise how I could’ve gotten an email from Dale.
You see a day earlier Dale’s cousin, Denise Harper-Beaton, who came to attend his funeral, visited our Saffon Street, Georgetown office and asked that I take off a recording from a mobile device. The recording was that of an interview he’d done with her before his demise. The interview she related was about her experience during the recently concluded Golden Jubilee celebration.
Dale had intended to write an article about this. He had used his Samsung mobile device to record the interview. But try as I might on the day that Harper-Beaton asked for my assistance, I wasn’t able to remove the recording from the device. I tried WhatsApping and Bluetoothing the recording to my own mobile device, and I even attempted to email it about 10 times to my personal email address and Kaieteur News’s as well. On each occasion I got a message that the file was two big. I asked a few of my colleagues to help me remove the recording but they too tried in vain.
It was however interesting that despite the “file being too large” message, a single email of the recording came to my personal email the following morning; none went to the Kaieteur News email as far as I know.
I am unfazed by the development. In fact I am happy to have received the recording so that I could share Harper-Beaton’s story and essentially complete what Dale started.
Dale led off his interview by highlighting that Harper-Beaton was one of the many Guyanese abroad who had since last year expressed enthusiasm to come home to celebrate Guyana’s 50th Independence on May 26, in grand style. Harper-Beaton has been living in Brooklyn, New York for 25 years.
Based on the interview, she was planning for the celebration since last year.
Post-celebration, Harper-Beaton confided that “it was a magnificent experience…I can’t even find words to explain.”
She has no regrets, although she did have a suggestion or two.
She recalled during the interview that since she boarded the flight destined for Guyana, she was sure that coming back to the land of her birth for the celebration was a good move.
Harper-Beaton spoke of returning on a “filled to capacity” Dynamic Airways flight and everyone aboard seemed anxious to reach their destination in order to be a part of the anticipated celebration. Although it was a midnight flight and many persons, herself included, appeared tired perhaps from the bustle of a full day’s work, Harper-Beaton shared “…I think that everybody was just excited and wanted to get to Guyana.”
She fell asleep en route but awoke excitedly when the time came for the plane to touch down at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
She’d previously returned to these shores 10 years ago. But based on her recent assessment she concluded that “Guyana is a very wonderful and interesting country. The experience I had was different from what I had the last time…the last time (there) was a lot of crime. I think they had the Lusignan massacre and that put a stain and a damper on my spirit.”
Crime no longer features prominently, Harper-Beaton considered as she spoke of being eager to return home ever since there was a change of government, the cleaning-up of the city, and word that people were coming together in a loving way.
“I have not regretted one day. I have had such a wonderful time,” said Harper-Beaton of her stay in Guyana.
She reminisced on her time spent in the capital city where she stayed in a house with other family members. “”I felt very safe…” said Harper-Beaton, as she recalled being apprehensive in the past about a daunting crime situation.
According to her, those who didn’t come home “they missed a great time.”
She recalled how she was reminded bright and early each morning, during her stay, about the purpose of her visit – to celebrate. “I woke up every morning to a ‘boom, boom, boom, boom’ (music)” which has since caused her to label Georgetown “the city that never sleeps.”
Her visit was not centred in Georgetown, as she revealed that she was even able to find the time to travel Moleson Creek, Baganara Island and Kaieteur Falls – tourist attractions – for the first time in her life.
Guyana, according to her, has the potential of being a thriving tourist destination, and she even dared to rate it nine out of 10 (10 being an ideal destination). She has already been selling Guyana on her Facebook page as a must-visit tourist destination.
“It was 10 days of no rest for me,” she reflected, as she related that she was entertained to the fullest every day, save one. “I was either at a party, a karoke, or an event at the stadium…I even went to two balls,” she divulged.
But there were some hiccups during her stay. Primary among these was her experience at the Presidential Ball which was held at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre. This event was a key jubilee activity that many overseas visitors were eager to be a part of, and they easily forked out its cost of US$50.
“I understand that they were trying to do a culture event, but I don’t think it should have been called a gala/ball…it wasn’t elegant.”
She spoke of almost falling, tripping on her gown and heels because of unsuitable material placed on the ground, and having to use plastic ware as opposed to fine cutlery usually used at gala events. Moreover, the type of food prepared such as roti and curry and pepper pot, she noted, were not fitting.
Harper-Beaton also shared her thoughts on the flag-raising ceremony. It was undoubtedly an awesome, tear-evoking event but, according to her, when she attempted to find a place in the VIP stand for which she was provided a pass, the warmth she’d felt elsewhere was dampened. Decked in a three-quarter dress pants and blouse complemented by comfortable shoes, since she has a problem walking long distances in heeled shoes, Harper-Beaton recalled that she manoeuvred her way to the VIP stand, but was informed by an usher “you cannot go in to the stand like that”. “I was very, very embarrassed….even if the usher had told me in a nice way to go to another stand (I would have understood); I wasn’t dirty, I was clean…”
But events such as the float parade were entirely pleasing to her. In fact she related that she would have been happy if she could have enjoyed more of the fun jubilee celebrations. “Every day could have been jubilee, jubilee, jubilee,” said Harper-Beaton in a thrilled tone.
She has had to return home to her family and her employment, but she assured that she will most definitely be returning to enjoy more of Guyana.
She, however, cautioned that it is important that efforts be taken to improve on the shortcomings. “Guyana has a lot to learn…whoever is planning these things they need to do research,” she asserted.