Latest update September 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Sep 24, 2024 News
Kaieteur News – Guyanese Sculptor, Mr. Ian Ivor Thom on Monday resumed his duty as Administrator at the E.R. Burrowes School of Art after government officials contacted him following his premature resignation from the school earlier this month.
Kaieteur News had reported on Saturday that Mr. Thom resigned from the school earlier this month after he was verbally abused by a member of the public who used racial slurs.
Mr. Thom’s resignation from the school was highlighted in a letter published in the Kaieteur News on Saturday by students who expressed deep concern about the unfortunate incident that led to his departure.
When contacted by this newspaper on Monday, Mr. Thom said that following the news article on his resignation, he was contacted by Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo and subsequently the Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.
He related that the VP inquired what had transpired and noted that the matter should not have been handled the way it was. Thom said the VP noted that if a report was made by the other party, then it should have been handled by the PS.
“They asked that they would like for me to withdraw my resignation and continue working at the school. I have made a decision; I have consulted my family and we weighed all the pros and cons and I decide that I was going to continue with the fact that the students who wrote the letter raised that they were concerned. I think I can contribute towards the further artistic development. I thought I should return at least until some better replacement is found,” Mr. Thom shared.
In their letter, some students from the school had expressed, “We are writing to express our deep concerns over an unfortunate incident that took place at the E.R. Burrowes School of Art involving the Administrator, Mr. Ian Ivor Thom on the evening of Saturday 7, September 2024 at around 4pm. The incident appears to reflect racism and the unjust favour given to those in our society who have status, as a result, that incident led to Mr. Thom’s untimely resignation.”
Mr. Thom told Kaieteur News that on the day in question, he was in the parking lot near his car when he observed a red SUV reversing in a parking space next to where he was that was reserved for staff and students of the Art School.
Upon seeing this, Mr. Thom said he signalled to the driver to get his attention. The driver came out of the vehicle to speak with him.
“The person came out of the vehicle and asked what the matter is. I said, that is a no parking, you can’t park there. It is a passageway and apart from that, this area is reserved for the Burrowes School of Art students and staff. He (driver) said but there is no school. I said but you are also blocking the passageway and even if it’s not school, only our students park there,” Mr. Thom explained.
He related that after informing the driver he could not park there, the man insisted that he could park there.
“He continued insisting that he can park there. I told him if I come to your place of work or place of residence, and I park where I am not supposed to park would you be abusive the way you are trying to abuse me. He (driver) said, “oh it’s stupid **[word withheld] people like you make this country where it is and that is why all kind of foreigners gotta come in because of stupid people like you,” Mr. Thom recalled.
Shortly after that incident, he was asked to reach with Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson at his office concerning what happened. There Mr. Thom said he told the minister what transpired in detail and even committed to getting the names and numbers of the witnesses. However, the minister did not seem inclined to investigate.
The following day, Mr. Thom said he resigned because of the remarks directed to him and that the government official never attempted to address or investigate the issue.
Meanwhile, on Monday after resuming his duties, he told Kaieteur News that while he hopes that similar incidents do not occur in the future, if they do, he wants them to be handled properly.
Mr. Thom is known for his renowned works and has contributed to Guyana’s creative and arts industry for the past 11 years.
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