Much to learn of Guyana from the simple postage stamp

May 17, 2021 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

It was indeed heartening to see Stabroek News’s editorial of May 14 on the 1856, “The One Cent Black on Magenta” – the world’s rarest stamp. Guyana was the nineteenth country in the world to begin issuing its own postage stamp in 1850; ten years after Great Britain issued the world’s first adhesive postage stamp in May 1840. Guyana was also the first British West Indian colony to issue government-approved postage stamps.
It has long been recognised that stamps serve as a recording media and source of information that illustrates the social, commercial, political, cultural, historical, geographical, and artistic aspects of a society in their own unique style. Using short and abstract text, colour graphics, photos, and symbols on a limited surface area to communicate its contents is the key attribute that differentiates stamp from other non-book material. For this unique attribute, the simple postage stamp can be deemed as a communication tool, a work of art which can also be used as a teaching tool because it is a discovery-based method of learning. E.g., the Jesuits in Guyana celebrated with the Aug 2008 issue of three stamps; 10th Pork-knocker Anniversary in Oct 2010 with the issue of four stamps; UG 50th anniversary in 2013 with four stamps; “Women in Aviation” in 2014 showing four stamps with four women in this male-dominated field.
People of distinction, our natural resources, industry, the rich flora and exotic fauna, festivals, religious ceremonies, notable buildings, key landmarks and other important milestones have all been celebrated on our own stamps over the years.
Stamps help us to get a glimpse of the issues, events, and notions that helped shape how we look at Guyana and understand the country, its heritage, rich resources, multi-cultural make-up and instill a deep sense of pride and patriotism. They can show scenes of daily life and the commemoration of important events and milestones showcasing Guyana from so many dimensions including sports.
I recently did a 30-minute documentary containing over 500 stamps issued since the late 1800s right down to 2020 organised in 14 categories from my collection showing both images and texts that showcase the rich heritage of Guyana and its people. Over 1200 viewers from around the globe have contacted me since its release, some providing additional information and photos of rare Guyana stamps and others indicating how much they have learned of Guyana, its resources, history, and geography. Please see the documentary using this link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-UoTjPk4k4D-sB87BtvKqkjgLkgPdZAV/view?usp=sharing

Lal Balkaran,
Scarborough, Ontario

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Much to learn of Guyana from the simple postage stamp

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