– Guyanese Canadian scholar continuously closing gaps
By Frederick Halley
IN 2002, Guyanese-born Canadian Narine Dat Sookram saw the need to promote the Guyanese/West Indian culture in his now-adopted city, Kitchener, in Ontario, Canada. It saw the birth of the Caribbean Dreams Concert. The hope was to showcase talents from all over the Caribbean and Guyana.

Over the years, many first-timers such as singers and dancers have had the opportunity to perform for the first time on the main stage, where they gained confidence in their self-esteem while taking pride in showcasing their talent to the broader community.

According to Sookram, who initiated the show, he has always put people before profit and has not made any financial gains, although the event has been going on for decades since that was never the aim. Rather, he has contributed financially towards the event, which is the only one to be named in the top 15 in Ontario, a population of over 14 million.

Though the show is geared towards local talents, many known artistes were invited to participate in the award-winning Dreams Concert, including Guyana’s chutney queen, Fiona Singh, Terry Gajraj, Apache Waria, Tasha T, and Casandra Fox, just to name a few.

The most recent event was held virtually on December 10, 2022, and Sookram pointed out that the hope was to have an in-person event, but after weighing the pros and cons, the best option was virtual. He added that because it’s not a fund-raising event, there was no need to push for an in-person one.

Sookram said he needed to find a balance, and it would have been more challenging and unethical had he and his team decided on the in-person because it would have had to take place before the 2022 municipal election. He didn’t want to mix politics with the event. “It would not have been an ethical thing to do since I ran for the highest political post, Regional Chair for the Region of Waterloo. Despite not being able to secure the seat, crossing the finishing line was important to me and I did,” he explained.

Sookram, however, is hopeful to have an in-person event for the Dreams Concert in 2023 and pointed out that the planning has already started.

Among some of the challenges he has had over the years to produce a show of such magnitude, Sookram alluded to money and time. He has a professional job as a social work advocate and clinician/psychotherapist and said these events cost more money to produce than ticket sales. He added that it’s never an issue because an event as such gives people the opportunity to come out from their homes since many of them are isolated and do not want to go to any and every event.

Giving an insight into Dreams Concert, Sookram said it is unique in the sense that it’s original and many folks tried to copy it but failed. One of the biggest compliments on the concert came from CBC’s top radio host, Greg Norris, who once co-hosted the event. According to him, “I usually attend 10 events monthly, but the Dreams Concert is the best I have ever seen.”

A scholar and a community contributor since early childhood growing up in Number 64 Village, Corentyne Berbice, Guyana, Sookram pointed out that this is only the tip of the iceberg. He is known for helping the ‘underprivileged’ both in Canada and in his homeland, Guyana.

In the earlier days, Sookram was credited with shipping thousands of books and other school supplies to different schools in Guyana, including New Market Primary School and Tagore Memorial Secondary School, which he attended as a child growing up in Guyana. In Canada, he has dedicated several years to assisting newcomers settling in, finding meaningful work, and a place to live and showing them the path on how to navigate services, be it academic upgrading or just some good advice in general so they can succeed.

“I would like to encourage people to live life not only for the sake of themselves but live for the sake of others as well. I also would like to encourage everyone to continue to learn something new every day, whether it be through an academic setting or otherwise.”

Sookram has graduated 13 times and is now wrapping up his 14th degree, a doctorate in social work, where he specialises in leadership, academia, and clinical practice.

The Guyanese-born Canadian has been awarded the highest alumni awards from both a college and a university – one from Mohawk College in Ontario Canada and the other from Brescia University in Kentucky, U.S.A. In addition, he has received over 200 prestigious awards for his generosity and community work. Among those he was named one of Canada’s Top 25 Canadian Immigrants in 2013 and received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Kings University Inc. (U.S.A.) presented by the late S. Selvin Kumar. He is also the host of the popular radio shows, Caribbean Spice and Let’s Chit Chat with Narie Dat.