It is time that we start publicly honouring our icons

Aug 07, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor,

I am proposing that our progressive infrastructure, which includes a number of roundabouts, be used to mount statues recognizing our icons.

In cases where there are many to honour, in some categories, busts could be done and placed in a circle at these roundabouts. Our streets could be renamed from first, second, third etc. with iconic Guyanese names.

Roundabouts would be ideal for serving this purpose, featuring our singers, creative writers, poets, sculptures and artists. These names immediately come to mind-Dave Martins, Martin Carter, Arthur Seymour, Edgar Mittleholzer, Sheik Sadeek, Rooplal Monar, Lynette and Celeste Dolphin, Billy Pilgrim, Philip Moore and George Simon, who have made significant contributions to our cultural landscape.

Take a leaf off Barbados. All their roundabouts are named after iconic Barbadians. The government could identify a committee to get this going. Indeed, some of our icons are still with us. For instance, Dave Martins hails from Region 3. A new roundabout just beyond the Demerara Harbour Bridge on the West Coast has been recently completed. How fitting would that be to put a statue of Dave at the roundabout. His song ‘Not a blade of Grass’ has become almost our second National Anthem in defence of our territorial integrity of the Essequibo region.

Why not a statue of its creator to remind us of his enormous contribution. I look forward to our government giving this proposal serious consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Gem Madhoo-Nascimento

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Arthur Seymour, Dave Martins, Edgar Mittleholzer, Gem Madhoo-Nascimento, Martin Carter, Rooplal Monar

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