AMIDST some degree of controversy about the choice of a site for the erection of the 1823 Monument, the sculptor contracted to do the job, Guyanese born, Ivor Thom, yesterday held a press conference, during which he sought to set the record straight.

It was held in the boardroom of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Avenue of the Republic.  Over the past weeks, there has been much dithering as to what might be the most appropriate site for the monument, with some persons (including African organizations) saying they were not consulted. Some  are of the view that the Parade Ground is the most appropriate place. But the technical team does not share that view.
At the press conference, sculptor Thom announced that, after much consideration, the site identified, approved, and now being actively prepared for the erection of the monument, is at Carifesta Avenue (east of the Earth Station) and across the road from the Guyana Defence Force sports complex. He announced that the nine foot high bronze 1823 Monument has been completed, and that the only thing being awaited now is the completion of the site on which it is to be erected.
Thom was however at pains to explain the implications, and stated emphatically that the decision was not a political one or anything of the sort.
He emphasized, “What we want the public to know is that the monument is not an accident, it was not a political decision or manoeuvre.  We were looking for an appropriate site.”
He said the decision was taken by Ministry of Culture with contributions from other technical and competent persons. While not going into details of who the representatives on the team were, Thom said he gathered that the construction of the 1823 Monument was one of the suggestions made during the Year of the People of African Descent, (IYPAD) and said that he is comfortable with the outcome so far.
He said when he arrived in Guyana, initially, he joined the team in looking around with a view to selecting a suitable site for the monument. Apart from Carifesta Avenue, several others were suggested, but none of them met the criteria. Suggestions included The Victoria Law Courts, Parade Ground, the National Park, Success/Montrose, La Bonne Intention, Chateau Margot, Paradise; Melanie Damishana, Ann’s Grove, Belfield, Bachelor’s Adventure and Mahaica.
The very important criteria, he detailed were a physical and emotional connection to the rebellion, ambience, adequate land space, accessibility, public viewing, areas for parking, and must be within an African neighbourhood.
“We went and checked out all these places, and most of the areas on the East Coast, there is nowhere you can put a monument for public viewing, unless you want to go in some yard, behind somewhere and that would not be accessible to the public. And so we thought – if you are going to make a monument, why would you want to hide it away.”
Thom explained that the areas were all visited and carefully evaluated and assessed, but except for the site at Carifesta Avenue, they all failed to meet the specified requirements.
And commenting on the reason why Parade Ground was not selected, he said the general view was,“If you ask the average person on the East Coast where Parade Ground is, they probably wouldn’t know.” Thom opined that, in Guyana, more of a wider cross-section of the people would pass along the seawalls, and along Carifesta Avenue than would pass by the Parade Ground.
“Actually I entered the competition and won and I not only designed, but also built the monument.”
He set out by designing a scaled down version of the monument in the United States and brought it down to Guyana where it was examined by the team and approved.
The purpose of that Monument he said was to commemorate the African contribution to the emancipation struggles in Guyana. It was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport, with representatives from other organizations, including a member of one of the African Committees.
He noted that Guyana is probably the first country in the English-speaking Caribbean to have designed and constructed its monuments locally. The first was the Damian Monument in Essequibo, and now the 1823 Monument. Even the 1763 Monument, designed by Guyanese Phillip Moore, was built in England.
Addressing some of the constraints along the way, he said, that all his materials were brought in from abroad, and since he is the only one trained for the task at hand, he had limited technical staff, who could work along with him. “For this reason we couldn’t afford to make mistakes, or at least not many, since our materials were limited and so we had to work with what we had, and within a time schedule.”
Construction of the Monument started in December 2011, and was completed by the end of July/August  2012. What is now being awaited is the completion of the site and base on which it is to be erected.
Asked about the effects of the salty sea-blast from the Atlantic Ocean on the bronze monument, Thom admitted that over a prolonged period of time, some degree of adverse reaction on the metal surface could be expected. However, he assured that this could be repaired, adding that, for this reason, a protective seal was placed over the surface. “It’s a highly technical thing, but once it is maintained, it will last  about five to six years before the salt air begins to affect it.”
“What I know is that in many parts of the world there are statutes built next to the sea and they stand up,” he concluded.