FORTUNATELY, I am the possessor of three Mike Charles DVDs, which present breath-taking images of Guyana. The two video DVDs and one of still photographs are great educational experiences, especially for people who may never see the depicted mountains, rivers, waterfalls, animals, events and people in real life.
Mike Charles’ DVDs capture a vast array of coastal scenes, quaint architecture, powerful
historical monuments, rustic islands, brilliant butterflies and birds, delightfully coloured snakes, wonderful frogs, curious beetles, unusual tortoises, magnificent forest landscapes, compelling waterfalls, royal mountains, gold and diamond production, rice and sugar cane harvesting, and captivating slices of the lives of Amerindians living in various parts of Guyana’s hinterland.
Even without being told, an observer recognizes that years of hard, careful work were invested in the production of the three thrilling DVDs. It is not difficult to imagine Mike patiently waiting for an animal to appear to film it, waiting to capture a specific scene, waiting for a river at her highest and lowest levels to capture her cascading over a fall, waiting to recapture a picture because the one taken before was not good enough, waiting and carefully documenting, waiting… Mike’s type of DVD production demands patience and tolerance; demands a lifetime of near-altruism.
Using gripping images, Mike focuses on the best of Guyana – butterflies, moths, frogs, tortoises, snakes, forest canopies, flowers, rivers, islands and waterfalls. Those aside, his treatment of the Amerindians is very sensitive. They are presented as being in full control of their environment, whether fishing, harvesting and preparing cassava, raising snakes or pigs as pets, attending school, singing, or just relaxing.
I purchased my first Mike Charles DVD – “Wild Guyana: Yours to Discover” – at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport in July of 2009. Since then, I’ve been searching for others, and I was lucky! On Sunday August 5th, 2010, I attended the Guyana New York Cultural Association Family Fun Day in Brooklyn. One young man with a stall there was selling three different Mike Charles DVDs, including the one I had previously purchased. 
Being very aware of video pirates, and being a staunch non-supporter of those pirates, I cautiously approached his table and asked whether he was a Mike Charles representative. The gentleman extended his hand for a handshake and said: “I am Mike Charles.”
He asked me to kindly remove my shades. (It was a warm, bright day.) I did as he had asked, and he immediately exclaimed “You were my art teacher in school! You taught me!”
That’s when everything clicked. How excited we both were! Mike Charles was no other than Michael Charles whom I had indeed taught art at the Covent Garden Secondary School on the East Bank, around 1974/1975.
In a flash, I remembered conversations with him in Georgetown (I left Covent Garden in 1975) about his interest in becoming a pilot in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
We had also spoken a few times after he began his career with the Army, but we were out of touch for over twenty years, perhaps because I have been residing abroad.
I’m truly delighted that, in Michael’s case, “Puppy tu’n daag.” I remember him as a courteous, ambitious young man in and out of school. His DVD documentation of human, animal and other forms of life in Guyana is most commendable. He is photographer, video producer, artist, historian and teacher. I hope that all Guyanese and millions of foreigners learn about some of the best things in Guyana through Michael’s outstanding work.