–President Ali says, as veteran broadcaster laid to rest

PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan Ali, on Friday, reflected on the life and legacy of veteran broadcaster and cultural icon Ron Robinson, A.A.

The President, in his remarks at Robinson’s funeral, noted that the most meaningful way to honour his contributions is by ensuring the survival of Guyana’s local performing arts, which Robinson sustained throughout the decades.

“Perhaps the most fitting tribute we can now offer is to renew and revitalise the local performing arts, especially theatre, and to ensure that what he sustained does not fail,” President Ali.

President Ali reflected on Robinson’s immense contribution to Guyana’s cultural landscape, noting that his influence stretched far beyond the microphone in his broadcast career and into the very fabric of national identity.

He recalled an era many Guyanese now remember with nostalgia, describing radio’s central role in everyday life and Robinson’s place within what is widely regarded as the golden age of broadcasting.

During that time, the President said, the radio was not merely a device or a medium of communication; it was a presence.

According to President Ali, Robinson was never simply a broadcaster who entertained listeners with wit and music, but also “a true musical connoisseur,” a man whose ear was “finely tuned to beauty and craft.”

He highlighted Robinson’s distinctive approach to music, particularly his affection for harmonica-led tunes, noting that he taught audiences to slow down and truly listen.

“He taught a nation how to listen, and in teaching us how to listen, he cultivated in his audience good taste, quietly, patiently and enduring,” the President said.

Robinson’s passing came during the Christmas season, a time the President noted was deeply connected to his legacy.

He said Robinson’s productions were inseparable from Guyanese Christmas traditions, observing that “Stretched out magazine and others were woven into the very traditions of a Guyanese Christmas.”

Meanwhile, beyond radio and seasonal entertainment, Dr Ali underscored Robinson’s pivotal role in sustaining local theatre through difficult periods.

He said Robinson bore the fragile frame of local theatre in both the good times and the lean years, carrying the responsibility almost single-handedly when support was scarce.

“He carried the baton, refusing to let it fall,” President Ali said, adding that without Robinson’s persistence, “we might, long ago, have been offering very little in our local theatre.”

The President also highlighted Robinson’s service beyond the arts, noting his involvement in church, youth development, Rotary and motor sports. These commitments, he said, reflected a man who gave himself fully to national life.

“It tells us that he belonged fully to his country, and he gave himself without stint, and he understood life as something to be engaged, not merely observed,” the President said.

President Ali, however, noted that upon Robinson’s passing, Guyana is left with a cultural inheritance shaped by his voice, vision, and perseverance.

“Ron Robinson’s voice helped to shape our cultural memory,” Dr Ali said.