THE University of Guyana closed its 2025 graduation season on a celebratory note Saturday, blending academic achievement with a tribute to cultural excellence.
As more than 500 students crossed the stage at the Turkeyen campus, the institution paused to honour three Guyanese creative icons whose work has helped shape global understandings of Caribbean identity: singer and cultural ambassador Terry Gajraj, and the celebrated literary duo John Agard and Grace Nichols.

Together, they became the latest recipients of the university’s prestigious honorary doctorates, and Agard and Nichols the first husband-and-wife pair to receive the accolade in the same year.
For Gajraj, whose 35-year career has carried Guyanese music to audiences from Port of Spain to New York and New Delhi, the moment felt deeply personal.
Known for pioneering the infectious fusion of Indian folk traditions with Caribbean rhythms that helped define the Chutney genre, he used his address to remind graduates that success begins with embracing one’s roots.
“You guys are such brilliant minds graduating here from the prestigious University of Guyana,” he told the gathering, his voice filled with emotion. “Over the years, I’ve received many remarkable honours in Trinidad, Barbados, India, and around the world. But nothing, nothing beats home. Home, sweet home… I’ll be forever grateful for this.”
Gajraj spoke candidly about the lessons that guided him through his own journey as a migrant artist — lessons passed down from his parents.
He recalled leaving for New York as a young man and being instructed to carry his culture with him wherever he went. It was advice, he said, that anchored his identity through the challenges of diaspora life.
“You know, you always want to go foreign,” he reflected. “But believe me, it is only when you leave that you realise how much you love Guyana, how much you love your parents. I was able to convert that pain to power… and I know you graduates would do the same thing.”
While Gajraj delivered his remarks in person, poet and playwright John Agard joined virtually, bringing his familiar blend of warmth, wit, and lyrical phrasing. Agard, whose inventive use of both English and Guyanese Creole has made him a beloved figure in contemporary literature, accepted his honorary doctorate with the humour that has long animated his performances.
“My big thanks to the University of Guyana for this wonderful surprise and the touching honour,” he said, adding with a smile, “I will attempt to be brief, but I know Guyanese are fond of what’s called speechification.”

The final honouree, Grace Nichols, offered a more reflective tone. The award-winning poet, whose work has become central to Caribbean and British literary traditions, traced her creative origins back to the landscape of her childhood. Growing up in High Dam on the East Coast — “an ironic name because it was very flat,” she joked — she found beauty in the ordinary and wonder in the world of books.
She recalled becoming a self-described “regular bookworm” at the Carnegie Library in Georgetown, a habit that propelled her into journalism and ultimately into a literary career that has spanned more than four decades. Her acclaimed works, including I is a Long Memoried Woman, explore themes of migration, memory, and resilience — themes she noted are as relevant to today’s graduates as they were to her younger self.
Together, the three honourees offered a tapestry of stories that underscored a single message: that Guyanese creativity continues to resonate far beyond the country’s borders. Their recognition served not only as a tribute to their individual achievements but also as a reminder of the cultural power and global reach of Guyanese voices.