THE post-independence period has seen an upsurge in opportunities in sports and entertainment. The nation will remember Lennox Blackmore, who won the Commonwealth Welterweight championship in boxing, the treatment he received by the Government and people, and the moment of pride.On Blackmore’s return home, the Forbes Burnham administration gave him an honour befitting that of pride and the international prominence he brought to the country. The people had the opportunity to see him, and by extension share his victory and the pride of the Golden Arrowhead, given the events hosted for him by the Government. His victory was an inspiration for society, and for young men who pursue boxing as an opportunity to climb the socioeconomic ladder.

This was also a period when our athletes excelled. Guyanese watched with pride sprinters such as James Wren Gilkes, Lionel Schultz and June Griffith; the Hunte brothers, Victor Rutherford, Jolyn Joseph and others in cycling; Roy Fredericks, Clive Lloyd, Colin Croft et al in cricket.

This was also the period when sportsmen and women were prepared, with support by the Government, for the Olympics, and for regional and other international competitions.
There is the famous story of Lloyd, who was going through a lean period and had signed a contract to play cricket in Australia. The Guyana Government intervened, and had him released from the club to return and lead the Guyana team in the regional cricket tournament.

It was an act that paved the way for him to lead the West Indies Cricket Team, where he developed the most formidable cricket team the West Indies have ever seen.

In the music industry, Guyana has the privilege of claiming persons such as Pamela Maynard, Ivor Lynch, Mark Holder, Aubrey Mann, Dave Martins, Eddie Grant, Rudy Grant and others. In swimming, we had the McIntyres from Linden, who dominated the field for some time. In track and field, systems were put in place and supported to bring out the athletic prowess by means of such competitions as the Public Sector, Joint Services, GUYMINE, GuyStac, GuySuCo and inter-group competitions.

At the schools (primary and secondary) level, while the brainchild of the then British Guiana (Guyana) Teachers Union was to incorporate sports as extra-curricular activities into the schools’ calendar, it also instilled discipline, the value of team spirit, and created breeding ground to prepare athletes for wider competition at the national and international levels.

The teachers union needs to be commended for its vision and foresight. Post-independence Government had seen it fit to intensify the partnership in maintaining the programme.

Where our exemplars are alive, it is fitting tribute to invite them and have them feature as part of the jubilee events, even moreso that sports and entertainment are financially lucrative industries. Their presence will not only aid in pride, but hearing their stories, including the challenges they had faced to get where they are, can serve as inspiration for others.

It was our own Dave Martins who, in one of his songs, asked where are our heroes, and enjoined the importance of showing them off.  And our heroes do not only come from the Government, academia, political and trade union communities, they come from every strata of society.

As the nation prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of independence, one cannot help but contemplate upon the appreciation Guyanese have for their heroes, and reminisce on this aspect of our post-independence legacy to have these notable Guyanese play an integral part in those celebrations.

Standing head and shoulders over many is our own Eddie Grant, who remains an international artiste of repute. Grant is not only acclaimed for his music from a purely entertainment standpoint, but also his lyrics, some of which are revolutionary and speak to injustices happening around the world. A notable song is “Gimme Hope Jo’Anna”, wherein he dealt with the apartheid system in Southern Africa. Through this song, Grant brought attention to injustices committed against black people by a white establishment, and the song served as a medium to galvanise support in Europe against apartheid.
The commonality in Grant’s “Jo’Anna” song is our historical realities of fighting for self-determination by toppling systems of oppression. This son of the soil extended support for others outside of Guyana in a period when the powerful British and United States governments gave support to apartheid leaders, more particularly the South Africa Government that incarcerated Nelson Mandela who was fearless, bold and gutsy.

Eddie is an icon whose work cuts across all continents and notably in Europe, where his career continues to soar.  Today, as it is observed, Cuba is being opened up to the world, the Rolling Stone band is billed to be in a major concert later this year. This concert is sponsored by a number of international companies who have interest in accessing the Cuba market.

And this makes me think now, more than ever, that an ample opportunity is being presented to us, with the influx of Guyanese and foreign tourists during this period, to have a concert by Grant and other local artistes. Would it be possible for the Jubilee organisers to look into the feasibility of this and give Guyanese across the socioeconomic spectrum the rare treat of seeing this son of the soil perform live?