Showcasing the best of Guyana
Guyana’s Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Riyad Insanally
Guyana’s Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Riyad Insanally

Guyana’s Ambassador to the U.S. talks Guyanese culture, Diaspora relations

THE dynamism of Guyana’s rich culture is something that is often remarked about wherever we go and it is something that every Guyanese wears as a badge of pride and uniqueness, even after leaving home to settle elsewhere. It is that dynamism and uniqueness that Guyana’s Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Riyad Insanally says, warrant that Guyana’s culture be showcased. The Ambassador has therefore said that, during his tenure, he will continue to ensure that this goal is achieved. “We may be a small country, but we are a proud people and we have a lot to be proud of and I want our embassy to be a place that people are proud to visit and also a place where we can put on display from time to time the things of which we are rightfully proud,” the Ambassador told the Pepperpot Magazine during an interview at the Guyana Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Insanally interacts with students of the Brightwood Education Campus during the Embassy Adoption Programme

Since the beginning of his tenure in September 2016, the Ambassador’s efforts to bring this goal to fruition has been seen in several activities which the embassy has since hosted and/or participated in. In February, the embassy opened its doors to members of the diplomatic community and the Guyanese diaspora through an exhibition held in honour of Guyana’s Republic Day. The exhibition featured the work of Guyanese artist Dudley Charles. “Dudley Charles is an icon with regard to his contribution to Guyanese art and culture. He holds his own among the best of our artists and we were delighted to have him here to enhance our modest space with his dynamic and vibrant colours; his vigorous brushwork; his evocations of Guyanese myths and the Guyanese narrative and his own mystical grasp of our reality,” the Ambassador said.

Later on, the embassy participated in the annual Embassy Adoption Programme (EAP), hosted by the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and Washington Performing Arts. The programme invites embassies to host children from various public schools to learn about the cultures of various countries. “We showed children of the Fifth and Sixth Grades parts of Guyana’s culture; our national anthem, where children sang it lustily; they did research on Guyana, we taught them about Guyana’s history and culture, our unique mix of people and we gave them Guyanese food,” the Ambassador said. “That was one of the highlights of the year so far because when you see children’s faces light up and their interest in a new country and their thirst for learning about a country, most of them have never heard of before and they delighted in what they heard about Guyana, that was particularly rewarding for all of us here at the embassy.”

Along this thrust, the Ambassador expressed his intention to host similar events, including another exhibition, this time, with Guyanese artist Stanley Greaves. The artist intends to showcase his newest collection of sculptures titled ‘El Dorado’. The diplomat noted that the embassy’s intent to showcase Guyanese culture is a tenet that is encouraged by the Guyana Government. He recalled that during his visit to Guyana in April 2017, for the Heads of Missions Conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, encouraged the Heads to promote various types of engagements which would foster fruitful relations such as investment.

“We talked about public diplomacy and of course cultural diplomacy and aspects of diplomacy that go beyond meetings and encounters with government officials and businessmen,” he said. “These are the opportunities to showcase the multifaceted country to which we belong and to give people a positive image of Guyana, which would underlie any attempt to attract investment, to enhance our standing here in the U.S. and the wider world and which would actually make our own diaspora community proud of what we are doing as much as it would make Guyanese at home proud of what we are doing.”

Tapping into our Diaspora
On the note of investment, the Ambassador added that the Guyanese Diaspora is eager to aid in the development of their home country and that many of them already are. He stated, however, that the next step is to ensure that sufficient systems are in place, so that their investments can bear the most fruit.

“The president has a vision for the development of Guyana. The president and government recognise the importance of employing the skills, expertise and even the financial resources of the Guyanese diaspora to help build the country, so when we make that call we have to ensure that we are also giving our diaspora the confidence that there are appropriate systems in place to facilitate the remigration of skills and resources even if we are not talking necessarily about the remigration of people,” he said. “But we are looking at reversing the brain drain– making it brain gain and building on that contribution. But I know the general desire to give back is strong, having spoken to many people of the diaspora and we can continue to work with them. It’s a partnership, but sometimes you need to create the enabling framework to make things flow a bit more easily.”

He stated that the embassy works with many Guyanese organisations in various parts of the U.S., adding that these organisations are active in their support for their villages, schools, professional organisations and other worthy causes in Guyana. “People put a lot of effort into raising money to help worthy causes at home…they are giving back, they haven’t forgotten their roots, where they have come from; they haven’t forgotten Guyana. It is still very much in their hearts, in their prayers and they are supporting our development efforts at home,” he said.

The Ambassador noted that he wishes to work closer with those organisations to develop a more systematic way of giving back to Guyana.
“As meaningful as their contribution is, we can try to add value to what they are doing. We want to have better systems in place to channel their energy and their resources into projects at home without seeking in any way to take over their work; without seeking to give the impression that we want to hijack their agenda… we simply want to work together to add value and deepen the linkages that already exist. Guyana has a lot of goodwill here and we need to make the most of it because they are our people,” he said.

Bridging the gap
But even as many Guyanese want to give back, the Ambassador stated that it is also important to help to foster deeper connections with Guyanese who desire to have a connection with their country. The large number of Guyanese living in the U.S. over several decades has spawned new generations of U.S.-born Guyanese who wish to be connected to their home, but are not.

“We want to look into how we can build the connection with Guyana through the generations. We need to look into how we can tap into the good will to enhance the contributions and a lot of the voluntary work that people do. We want to encourage people to come back to invest in businesses if they have been successful here they can come back,” he said.

Moreover, while it may not be realistic to expect those who come back to stay, having already settled for several years abroad, Ambassador Insanally said that they can invest their time and their skills into helping to train younger people in Guyana.
“We have Guyanese who are professionals in a range of fields who can come back and help build capacity by spending some time in ministries, other agencies, NGOs or even in the private sector. Simply by spending time there and helping to mentor younger Guyanese, helping to develop their skills; helping to put systems in place, these things can then be sustained by people who are at home,” he said.

With a new generation of trained individuals, the Ambassador believes that this could very well reduce the desire to leave their country and help to build it instead.

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