OVER 30 local creatives were awarded for their work in short story writing, poetry, photography, visual art, playwriting and cartoon creation, as the 2019 edition of the Guyana Annual Magazine was launched on Saturday.

The Guyana Annual was founded in 1916 with the title “Chronicle Christmas Annual” which evolved over the decades and finally became “The Guyana Annual”. The publication strives to keep alive Guyanese art and literary traditions.

In 2018, competition aspect of the magazine was reintroduced, which saw Guyanese submitting their literary works to be judged and published in the magazine.

On Saturday, at the National Library, several persons were awarded for their submissions to the 2019 edition of the Guyana Annual Magazine.

The winners this year are: Daryll Goodchild, A.J. Seymour Prize for Open Short Story; Scott Ting-A-Kee, Mahadai Das Prize for Open Poetry; Shamar Semple, Bobby Fernandes Prize for Photography; Raquel Ferreira, Stephanie Correia Prize for Open Visual Arts; Gabrielle Mohanmed, Bertram Charles Prize for Playwriting; Analise Samaroo, Pauline Melville Prize for Junior Short Story; Dhaniram Beepat, George Simon Prize for Junior Visual Art; Brianna Gopie, Grace Nichols Prize for Junior Poetry; Devi Persaud, Sheila King Prize for Short Story Writing for Children; and Vishani Ragobeer, Hawley Harris Prize for Cartoons.

Kasy Sookram was also awarded for creating the cover of the 2019 Guyana Annual Magazine.

SUPPORTING THE ARTS

Editor of the magazine, Danielle Swain, related to the gathering on Saturday that support for the magazine and for the promotion of the arts locally has been lacking.

“Part of the problem, I think, which isn’t exclusive to Guyana, is that the arts are seen only as a by-product of society,” Swain said. Furthermore, she noted that the arts can be used by all persons in “constructive ways” to appreciate life and all that it encompasses.

“Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that STEM and the other areas are not important,” she said, adding that: “What I am reiterating is that the creative arts are just as important.”

She also noted the seeming disinterest in promoting the local creative sector and the arts which reflect Guyana’s culture and society may also be linked to some amount of cultural erosion. Swain shared that Guyenterprise was asked to assist with publishing a book that was written by a young girl in the hinterland.

However, she noted that the characters within this book were described as having blue eyes and blonde hair – characteristics unfamiliar to Guyanese. And this, she said, points to why efforts like the Guyana Annual should be supported.

“We need to read our stories so that we can be empowered to tell our stories, to know that it is indeed possible. If we don’t, others will continue to tell our stories for us,” Swain stressed.

Moving forward, nevertheless, Swain noted that the Editorial Board of the Magazine aims to host workshops to help all participants, particularly the young participants, develop their creative abilities. Moreover, the annual intends on having a radio programme which will be made into an audiobook, as well.

The managing team of the magazine also wishes to collaborate with the creative enterprises in Guyana to host a ‘Guyana Literature and Art Festival’.

These “big plans” the Guyana Annual has for the future, she however noted are largely dependent on sponsorship.