By Francis Quamina Farrier

THE recent state visit by the Ghanaian Head-of-State, His Excellency President Nana Akufo-Addo, remains a talking point two weeks after. It’s been quite a while since Guyana has hosted a Head-of-State from Africa. Those of a certain age can look back to the mid-1970s when there were so many state visits that at least two overlapped; the simultaneous visits by the Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Tuedor and the President of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda.

During that period, there were also state visits to Guyana by the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi; the President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere; the President of Nigeria, Yakuba Gowan; the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Sirimavo Bandaranaike; the President of Liberia, William Tolbert; the President of Botswana, Sir Seretse Khama and others. Guyana’s President Forbes Burnham extended invitations to the Leaders of many countries which had bilateral benefits with (so-called) third world countries, working together for their mutual benefits. The Non-Aligned Movement which was established in 1961, had a membership of 120 States, Guyana and Ghana being two of them.

Towards the end of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st century, there were very few Heads-of-State visiting Guyana in comparison to the 1970s. This recent State visit by President Akufo-Addo was relatively short – just about 36 hours – was packed with a wide range of events. However, the 75-year-old president stood up admirably to the packed itinerary which would have challenged a younger man half his age.

His flight arrived at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport after midnight on June 11. There was a Ceremony which included a 21-gun salute, followed by the 26-mile car ride into the city. President David Granger was at the Airport to welcome his honoured guest and accompanied him to the Marriott in Georgetown. I was at the Guyana Marriott and delivered a very short verbal “AKWAABA” (Welcome) to the visiting Head-of-State in my capacity as a private Guyanese Citizen who had visited Ghana on three occasions. All three of those visits were very enjoyable. As a journalist, I have written many articles about Ghana in the print media, as well as on television, over the past decade. As such, I had a special interest in the state visit by the Ghanaian President. In fact, one of my articles which was written three years ago, had the headline, “Why I like the new President of Ghana”. One of the reasons which I gave was his instructions to his Party members and supporters not to engage in any protests or violence when he lost the 2012 General Elections.

During the visit of the Ghanaian President to Guyana, I was present at only two of his many engagements; The Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Non-Aligned Monument Garden in Georgetown, and the Meet-and-Greet at the Guyana Marriott Hotel. In this feature article, I am focusing on some of the comments and observations by the average Guyanese about the State Visit.

First, the pre-clean-up of the Non-Aligned Monument Garden. Some years after its establishment, it became a bedroom, if you will, for vagrants. There was the case when a vagrant actually vandalised one of the four busts of the Founding Fathers of the Non-Aligned Movement; President Kwame Nkrumah. It was removed by the City Council and kept on the floor of the City Police Headquarters in the City Hall Compound. I took video footage of that and showed it in one of my news items on the VCT Evening News. The bust was later repaired and replaced in the Monument Garden.

Clean up

Even with that experience, vandals were still using the Non-Aligned Monument Garden as their bedroom. Some would lie on the pavement to its west, impeding the smooth flow of pedestrians. From June 5, 2019, a massive make-over on the Garden was undertaken by City Hall. Even the tiles of the walkway were removed and replaced with brand new tiles. The trees were pruned. The work was swift and impressive. Both Mayor Ubraj Narine and Cleansing Officer Walter Narine were on hand to supervise the work. The same was the case with the 1763 Monument at the eastern end of Brickdam.

All that work drew varying comments from citizens. “Well, we must have more state visits,” was one which I heard repeatedly. “Why aren’t our Monuments better cared for?” was another. “There was that big Clean-up in 2015, but the city was returning to garbage,” was another comment I over-heard.

The visiting President and his team interacted with a wide cross-section of the Guyanese, including the Government and the business sector, making visits to BANKS DIH Ltd., and Demerara Distillers Ltd., to observe aspects of their production. I have to say that while in Ghana, I enjoyed Guinness which is brewed in the city of Kumasi. Guinness is also brewed here in Guyana at BANKS DIH Limited.

Meet and Greet
The Meet-and-Greet which was held at the Guyana Marriott was the other event which I attended. Guyanese of African Heritage, in particular, turned out in their numbers. However, that event drew criticisms from some citizens because they were not invited. Some Rastafarians expressed their disappointment at not receiving an official invitation. An individual who, if invited to that Meet-and-Greet would have made a terrific International Public Relations input beneficial to Guyana, is Mr Lawrence Lachmansingh who spent a three year Tour of Duty with the UNDP in Ghana. While in that West African country, he did a most heroic act which I had written about. The headline is, “Guyanese Saves Ghanaian from Drowning.”

Lawrence Lachmansingh and his family were relaxing on the bank of a river when a young man got into difficulties. Risking his own life, Lachmansingh dived into the water and pulled the young man to safety. How nice it would have been if Lawrence Lachmansingh was present at that Meet-and-Greet at the Marriott, and President Nana Akufo-Addo had the opportunity to thank him in person for saving the life of that Ghanaian young man, who has since been married and now a father!

One of the benefits of the State Visit by the Ghanaian President is the waver of Visa requirements for Guyanese citizens visiting Ghana. For my own visits, my Visa came with a US$60 fee. There will now be that money in my pocket for more travels within Ghana on my next visit. There is also the plan for direct flights between Guyana and Ghana, which is a distance of about 2,000 miles less than between Ghana and the USA; and of course, much less flying time and less costly airfare.

The first engagement of the visiting President was a Wreath Laying ceremony at the Non-Aligned Monument in Georgetown. Mayor Ubraj Narine and Chief Cleansing Officer Walter Narine and their Teams must be congratulated for a job well done in making that location as presentable as it has become once again.

Arriving mid-morning on June 11, at the location as the sun shone down in all its glory, President Nana Afuko-Addo looked rested and ready for a full day of activities; which in fact, was the case. After laying the wreath, he moved around the Monument Garden, interacting with students and adults who were present to welcome him. Two years ago, I wrote a feature article which had the Headline, “Why I like the new President of Ghana”. One of the reasons which I did not mention in that article, was his charm. Having observed him at the Non-Aligned Monument, and how he was interacting with both youths and adults, I can now add that reason: his charm.