Guyana’s Culture In The Global Village

At a Symposium on Guyanese Culture a year and a half ago, Dave Martins shared his view that, if we respect our traditions and heritage and strive for the highest standards of excellence, we have nothing to fear from that which is now known as “Globalisation”.

In truth and fact, he asserted, we could market our cultural products in the global market, now easily facilitated by the Information and Communication Technology of computers, internet, worldwide web and the works.

I contributed my own three-cents worth on “Sustaining our Intangible Heritage” in the face of globalization, “Intangible?” “Globalisation?”   Our “intangible heritage” refers to the stories, songs, myths, proverbs and all those folkloric, traditional expressions which are non-monuments, non-infrastructural icons of our identity.  “Globalisation?”   I preferred to discuss the how and the institutions responsible for sustaining our expressive way – of – life  Right here in Guyana!

For me only a few pockets of our older folks are still trying to maintain and celebrate the real rootsy aspects of our traditions.  Whether indigenous or those brought  by the groups who were imported here to sustain,   not any “culture” but  sugar.   And these are done, or performed, only on occasion.  Indian Guyanese generally still love their “original” wedding ceremonies, for example. And there are also still a few Afro, pre-wedding Kweh-Kwehs, but do our children really knows our early  folksongs, folkgames or superstitions   these days?   

At the workshop I attempted to suggest ways of resuscitating or sustaining our folk traditions.  I’m now thinking, as I write this, that we should perhaps utilize much more, the same modernity that distracts and place our heritage under threat.  Use the computer, cell phone, internet to educate our youth folk; create folkloric  video games!    Farfetched?

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KAISO IN KENTUCKY, HALLOWEEN IN HASLINGTON

I also tried to provoke thoughts on an issue, a question I often contemplate.  Since we’ve been singing  other people’s songs for  centuries, especially my generation of the 1940’s it has to be now good  to hear Europeans, Americans, Japanese and Bangladeshis singing and playing Marley’s  Jamaican reggae and Trinidad’s kaiso’s.

Our creative steelpan and rhythms capture the world’s attention.  The thing is:  the foreigners do not allow other cultural influences to overpower or submerge their native culture.  Even as they  appreciate what the world has to offer.

In Guyana however, our youth now seek successful role models – even the illegal get – rich-quick-without-working types.  I contend that poverty and hopelessness influence our  youth  away from our traditions.  Besides all the other factors Fifty-Cent and Sharukh Khan replace Water Moona, Bush Dai-Dai, our songs and local heroes.

Those who can’t go to America or Jamaica bring those folks and things here to Guyana.  Our Diaspora  also tell of Thanksgiving and  Halloween.  So we celebrate all that stuff here, speak of “Summer” during July – August and try to sound even Jamaicans! Our youth are “weaker vessels” for many reasons.

But wait!  Even tho’ Jamaicans won’t play our music with such frequency as we play theirs, we’re all a family –  right!  And  since we’re not packaging our cultural products properly for export, we don’t or can’t  convert  challenges into opportunities.  Globalisation”, in that context, tends to be one – way.

I hear they’re planning to publish the Papers and  Discussions from that Workshop.  Kudos to the Ministry’s Department of  Culture A. A. Fenty