– IT’S BY THEIR ARTS AND LITERATURE THAT WE REALLY IDENTIFY THEM

THE criterion that is commonly used to identify nations, whether among ourselves in the Caribbean or afar in most cases reveal our knowledge acquired through the drama of movies, novels or literature, predominantly the cultural or religious nature of the people or nation. All else is suggestive of what is learnt through selective careers, most times shared among a handful of peers. Images in magazines such as ‘LIFE’, National Geographic and other magazines with significant photographs and high-end artwork have prevailed in our universe.

The internet is the new, robust kid in town, but believe it, the well-presented magazine is still the old master of the game that can be reached for, unhindered by slow internet, or, on one of those black-out days. Why this is important is because the ego of the nation is still valued by its imagination and expressions that inspire and urge citizens from other nations and cultures to empathise with its rhythms, colours, hype, suave and un-, or, pretentiousness.

The title of this article, ‘Knowing nations by their arts and literature that we identify them is not completely factual across all levels of our human world. Some nations have established extremely bad behaviour in this and that arena, that even the industries of sometimes indirect propaganda edutainment is ineffective in shaping opposing identity icons, for example, the classic 15th-century book Don Quixote is not more likely how Spain will be referred to in a bar conversation, over Columbus and the Conquistadors. Germany is not the home of Beethoven and Goethe either, the competitive, best-known definition of that nation will reside with Adolph Hitler.

India is best known for the Muslim Monument of the Taj Mahal first, and then Gandhi, all else is academic. America’s foreign policy exploits are far lower down the ladder than is the defining Influence of Michael Jackson, Malcolm X, rap music and Hollywood. Even the sordid characteristics of Donald Trump will not sustain a continuous group conversation or reference as would the mythos of the mentioned former.

Why this topic is important? Well, because the following references will provide the basis and answers if you haven’t alerted yourself to it already. Let’s take these four Caribbean family nations. Haiti is revered for two popular items in order-Voodoo and Toussaint L’Overture; Trinidad for Calypso, Steel Pan and Carnival unequalled among the Anglophone nations of the Americas. Then there is Barbados – tourist beaches, a little England characteristic and Rihanna, though with rights we claim the sister too.

Then Jamaica- Bob Marley, Reggae Music, strong Olympic teams and Rastafarianism. ‘NOW MY FELLOW CITIZENS’, our Guyana, the Magnificent Province, the latter is forgotten, in my travels. It was not difficult to come to terms with the fact that “Jones Town” seems to be the principal memory of Guyana in the mind of the common world citizen I met.

A few older ones recall ‘ To Sir with love’– some even thought that Sydney Poitier is Guyanese, for. which I reluctantly corrected them. June 4, 2015, Stabroek News Joy Mahabir- State University of New York penned a letter “Guyanese culture is treated as source material for academics, film-makers and journalists.” The letter was an appeal based on facts that should have been adhered to, but the same was echoed continuously by local writers in the cultural realms here, and an adamant résistance on misrepresented narratives was penned in response, and a quiet, sombre no-man’s land existed on any engagement between creative practitioners and officialdom on the subject.

Even with Jones Town, our new world cultural identity tragedy, it was never interpreted on the dramatic stage using any medium, to define it one way or the other. It must be understood that for individual academics and industry researchers, they will of course find volumes of past and current Guyanese talents spread across the planet and at home. The essence of this discussion is not about our diverse volume of talents, but about a consistency of quality expression of self that resonates enough to evolve one of a national alter-ego on the world imagination, near and far, that we can on a statement or a melody, say “ yuh talking to me, about me, boss man? ”