Americanisation of Guyana

Just a relatively light-hearted piece for TRAKKER fans during what might still be many folks’ vacation time.

“Light-hearted” but with some serious undertones, considerations and implications of a psycho-social nature.

In the caption and theme above, the “person” being “Americanised” is “GUY” – the Guyanese boy, girl,  and citizen generally.  This is a little peek or tease into an issue that – if considered interms of a generation’s psychology and social attitudes – indicates an unfortunate “Foreign-mindedness”; the reasons for which we could speculate  about, but would bound to find most interesting.

First of all today’s Guyanese youth – all of them, but I’ll venture to focus on Afro- Guyanese MALES   – seem to be influenced by AMERICAN, JAMAICAN, INDIAN AND AFRICAN lifestyles and values.

Actually, there is nothing too wrong or given to any acute  concern, when one generation of youngsters in a nation  admire certain movie stars singers, sports people, business executives or scientists.  We all had role-models in our youthful, impressionable days, as well as heroes we looked up to and yearned to become.  This piece, however, apart from its later humour, has to do with the EROSION  of a people’s CULTURE AND  IDENTITY, when other countries’ customs, life-styles and cultural behaviour are allowed to overtake and overwhelm native heritage and pride.

Especially when the young long for the other people’s cultural infiltration and embrace everything “foreign”.  To the detriment and demise of much that is truly “local”.

 GUYANA’S “AMERICANS”
Believe me, I truly understand most reasons for migration – TO THE USA, CANADA AND BRITAIN.  More than the Caribbean and South America, those countries origanised the world economically after 1945, then underdeveloped their colonies and other possessions.  Perhaps it’s poetic justice that the under-developed peoples flock to America and Europe to become immigrants then “PAPER CITIZENS” IN THE WEST.  Thousands  and thousands of Guyanese have secured citizenship and better lives outside of Guyana.

My concern is with-the “Americans”, “Jamaicans” and other foreign-minded Guyanese WHO NEVER EVEN LEFT GUYANA’S SHORES.
I hear them SOUNDING AMERICAN – all the current slangs and slanguage – “I’M GOOD”, “TAKE CARE”, YOU GUYS”, “HAVE A NICE DAY” etc.

Look, I know language changes and is universal but must our Guyanese young now sound American and Jamaican?   Those people DON’T want to sound like us Guyanese!   We had our own creole expressions long ago.

 The Tee-Shirts have “50cent”, LIL WAYNE and EVE printed on them to match the inevitable baseball caps and sunshades.  Even at nights!  Of course, nothing beats the television and the internet to promote and insert foreign cultural habits and expressions – especially the American versions.

“THE REASONS FOR FOREIGN…”
 The youth love to say “foreign” and “outside” when they refer to the overseas places their friends and relatives now inhabit.  Seemingly, many of them live out their dreams by importing, thought – processes that place them in developed lands wherein live success stories – replete with wealth and glamour.  

And they know that their Ministers and officials have children in Universities or hospitals in “foreign”.

Recently, when some Guyanese were debating the reasons American Thanksgiving and Halloween are now being celebrated in Guyana, one body of opinion   held that “there is no harm re-enacting other folks’ traditions as culture can be seen to  be universal”.  I balked at that if only because the Americans or Dutch don’t do COMFA or KWEH-KWEH even though we’ve taken PAN to Minnesota.

Then the group pointed out that thousands of children born to Guyanese parents in America will embrace American traditions.  And the Africans and Muslims inturn are taking their ways to Europe.

And the debate raged on wonderfully as I pledged to do my bit to safeguard and preserve my GUYANESE IDENTITY.  What‘s your   view?