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Dave was indeed the quintessential Caribbean man

Aug 22, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor,

I am so sad to hear of the passing of Dave Martins, as is all of Guyana.

I have known Dave for many decades and admired him for the enormous body of work he has produced as a song writer and singer, but much more importantly, as a Guyanese who was never far from his roots in his mind though, in fact, he earned his international reputation mainly as the Leader of the Tradewinds performing in Toronto, Canada. President Ali, in paying tribute to Dave, underlined the fact that “his music not only invited us to laugh at ourselves but also encouraged us to stand tall and be proud of our Guyanese and Caribbean heritage”.

Dave was indeed the quintessential Caribbean man and Guyanese patriot in the true meaning of the term. Of course, he will never be forgotten for “not a blade of grass”, written and sang  by Dave in defense of our territorial integrity and, in particular, the Essequibo region where Dave was born and grew up as a young man. In my view he was much more than a calypsonian. His songs, which as he had said reflect and portray his everyday conversation with the people he has met across the Caribbean, reflect the folklore of our people. I will always remember that, when I was President of the Guyana Rugby Football Union, and in that capacity led Guyana’s rugby team to participate in an international tournament in the Cayman Islands where Dave was living at the time, Dave coming to the airport to meet us and Dave invited me to stay at his home and then hosting the entire rugby team of almost 30 persons to dinner at his home. Dave then did so again, a second time, a number of years later when we played rugby in the Cayman Islands. When serving as President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana, I had invited Dave to deliver the feature address at one of our dinners. We had invited Annette Arjoon to display an exhibition of her photographs depicting the indigenous aspect of our tourist attractions. Dave saw and admired the photographs and asked my wife, Gem, about the photographer, which ultimately led to Dave meeting and marrying her. The Nation will mourn the passing of a great and distinguished Guyanese songwriter, singer and storyteller, who has left behind a song forever to be played over and over again as our second national anthem.

Regards,

Kit Nascimento

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