Robert Lalljie and his undying love of country

IN all his years since migrating to the United Kingdom at the tender age of nine, Robert Lalljie, upon reflection, can say that he has certainly achieved much. A published author,

esteemed historian, broadcaster and avid traveller, indeed, life has borne much fruit for the now, 65-year-old. But in all these things, he maintains that it is his Guyanese heritage that he places among his topmost subjects of pride, and this love of country can be seen in the way he manages to connect Guyana to everything he does, be it by returning home to launch one of his projects, or spending time in his homeland to simply connect with his culture.

Born in New Amsterdam in 1953, Robert was the son of one of Guyana’s most accomplished musicians, Joyce Ferdinand-Lalljie (later Saunders). After migrating to the UK and living there almost 14 years, Robert’s curiosity for home peaked at 23.
“I returned to Guyana because I wanted to know about the land of my birth; I wanted to write a book, immerse myself in my culture, because I knew nothing of it,” Robert told the Pepperpot Magazine. At the time, he said that the world was starved for Caribbean writers, much less those from Guyana, adding that Edgar Mittelholzer who, coincidentally, was also from New Amsterdam, was the only West Indian author whose work had made it abroad.

Eager to make a mark in the name of his country, Robert, who while in England had become quite the arts enthusiast, brought his love for writing and drama back to Guyana and began to contribute to the industry at home. “I was working for GuySuCo at the time and the Chairman, Harold Davis, resuscitated a drama group. I was writing poetry from the age of eight and nine years old (in fact, I still do) and I got roped into a drama group,” he said. Robert had also begun to be active in plays at the Theatre Guild and the National Cultural Centre. Soon after, Robert’s destiny took a turn to broadcasting after he was head hunted by the Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).

Though reluctant at first, Robert agreed to take the job for three months. “I knew the stage from acting at the Theatre Guild and the National Cultural Centre, and from there I knew lighting, I knew the audience and so on, so I felt that it would be good to know sound and I would get that from radio and it would make me more rounded,” he said. But what started as a three-month plan, developed into a love affair with broadcasting; an affair that didn’t end until 1988 when he returned to the UK to pursue his Post-Graduate Degree in Management.

During that time, Robert was given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interview Afro-Trinidadian historian, journalist and socialist, Cyril Lionel Robert (CLR) James. Seeing it as a great opportunity for Guyana, and wanting to make a Guyanese connection, he returned to Guyana where he wrote, narrated and produced an exclusive radio show “CLR James; His life and thoughts.” The show was later broadcast in every state in the United States over 150 radio stations on the WBAI network completely unedited, making it the first Caribbean-produced programme to ever be given that honour.

His knowledge and research on CLR James landed him to be invited to lecture before a select batch of professors and wardens from famous colleges at the Oxford University in 2010; an event that Robert holds as a badge of pride to date.
Robert’s other achievements include a one-off radio programme, “Britain’s greatest living composer- Albert Katelby” which aired on BBC 4’s radio station in 2000.

Published Author
In 1996, Robert and family founded the Derdinand Lalljie Publishers, the avenue which allowed him to publish his very first, and highly rated book “Sir Arthur Lewis; A Biographical Profile” that same year. Robert was encouraged to publish this book by St Vincent and the Grenadines’, then, Minister of Education, John Horne. The book took three years to write and Robert considers it among his greatest achievements. “It was a very difficult topic to write on for a first book,” he said. Since then, Robert has published several other books including “A bouquet of Guyanese Flowers” an anthology of Guyanese Poetry, as well as the Guyanese Examiner, a magazine that focuses on — you guessed it — all things Guyanese. Robert plans to soon publish Volume Two of “A bouquet of Guyanese Flowers,” featuring the works of modern local poets.

Robert attests that all his life, he has continued to ensure that Guyana remains a core part of his work because it is the place of his birth.
“They say ‘give you the child at three or seven’ and I will give you the man’. It is because I was estranged for all those years it gave me the desire to immerse myself in Guyana because we were immigrants in London and we weren’t welcome, because they were very racist at the time. So coming back to Guyana meant coming home and home is very important to me,” he said.

He is currently a member of the Guyana Diaspora Group in the United Kingdom. Robert is currently in Guyana working on a film “CLR James and Defining Cricket” which incorporates his 2010 lecture. He hopes to launch it in Guyana very soon, and hopes that sponsors are forthcoming in that regard. Until then, Robert continues to promote his love for Guyana, both by spending large chunks of time on her shores or promoting his work abroad.