The guided tour of Georgetown, Guyana's capital- 3

How does Guyana celebrate it's own heroes?
Who are they?

The 1763 Monument- created by Guyanese sculpture Philip Moore- depicts Cuffy- the African slaves who lead an unsuccessful rebellion against plantation owners in Berbice.

The statue of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, in the Parliament compound. Critchlow, known as the Father of Trades Unionism in the Caribbean, founded the British Guiana Labour Union in 1917 to campaign for better wages and conditions. He also launched the demand for universal adult suffrage-setting the way for future activists to follow.
The Critchlow Labour College is named after him.

Above, students at the Cyril Potter teacher training college in class session. Appointed in 1928, Cyril Potter was the first principal of Guyana's teacher training college.
He also co-wrote the words  to the country's national anthem, for the 1966 declaration of independence from Britain.

Dear land of Guyana, of rivers and plains,
Made rich by the sunshine and lush by the rains,
Set gem-like and fair, between mountain and sea,
Your children salute you, dear land of the free.

The guided tour of Georgetown, Guyana's capital- 2

The elaborate City Hall

Wood has been the preferred choice for building materials- with excellent hardwoods- Purpleheart and Greenheart available from the interior.
Ironically, with the advent of controlled logging and a thriving timber export trade, imported concrete makes for a cheaper option, and is used for the majority of new structures- both housing and commercial.

At 143 feet, St George's cathedral is one of the tallest free standing wooden structures in the world.

More Victorian Gothic- the High Court

The Parliament Building- opened for administrative rule just as slavery was abolished in1834- used today as the seat of  government.

The Georgetown lighthouse- no longer working, but a favourite for school visits

The guided tour of Georgetown, Guyana's capital.

With one month of my placement left, its time for the (virtual) guided tour of Georgetown.

Georgetown- 1893 -woodcut- image-Philograhikon.com

Water Street, Georgetown, 1905

Stabroek Market- pre independence.

Water Street- joining Stabroek Market- 2012

Georgetown- once called The Garden City of the Caribbean- has developed slowly and evolved, rather than changed, over the last century.

An air view over the city shows a lack of high rise buildings- because, as any taxi driver will tell you- lying below sea level, on drained reclaimed lands, the subsoil and lack of solid rock would not support the foundations needed for tall buildings. Therefore, as everywhere else along the coastal strip, the sky is seems enormous, the land small and flat.

View of Georgetown from the wooden lighthouse.

The inaugural Food Art and Music festival to celebrate independence

Damian "Jr Gong" Marley rehearsing -photo Guyana Chronicle

Last night saw my first trip to the National Stadium, and my first experience of a music concert Guyana style, shared with fellow "silver surfers" Halina, Steve and Susan.

The Saturday event- which began at 2pm and ran until 1am was billed as a family fun day, the first of a regular annual  2 day extravaganza to celebrate the country's independence.
The venue- the enormous Car Park adjacent to the stadium, was laid out with booths to three of the four perimeter fences. One section was dedicated to children's entertainment, with bouncy castles, a giant snakes and ladders games, skittles bowling and the like. The rest comprised of craft stalls, bars and food outlets, plus a significant representation of African and Rastafarian traditions and practices: the latter because of the main music act for the first of the two days. (Sunday would feature Soca and Chutney performers)

The festival is about Food, Arts and Music. We chose to eat in the Chinese food area, principally because seating was available. We enjoyed Dim Sum and pots of green tea. Other food options included fish and chips, burgers, a vegetarian stall and vendors pedalling across the tarmac with trays of creole snacks:- plantain chips, corn on the cob, and the like. Supplies were plentiful and queues minimal.
Among the usual craft items- jewellery fashioned from local plant sources and beads, small woven items, tie dye fabrics, carved wooden ornaments- there were also locally produced wines from a favourite venue of ours, Pandama Wines and Retreat,

The entertainment, in "segments", represented the Arts and Music themes of the festival. The venue was still mostly empty as we listened to African drummers, poetry recitals, watched displays of dance and martial arts, and heard local reggae artists perform to backing CDs.

Once the main stage was ready, and more people began to arrive, the next segment- the fashion show, featuring local designers, began. To a background accompaniment of Bob Marley's Exodus and Eddy Grant's Gimme Hope Jo'anna we watched the parade of models, all taking part in a Guyana's Next Top Model type competition, display a selection of racy women's dresses,  mostly resembling the "Strictly Come Dancing" style of wear. While most of the men's clothing looked like any other, one particular "piece", a tiny pair of sparkling underpants bravely sported, brought a visible surge forward in the watching crowd.

Then, as the car park became busier, the slow build up to the main act began with well known Guyanese singers and DJs working up the mood in the crowd. Elsewhere in Georgetown, the Presidential address and the main news sources spoke of Guyana's progress:
“We need to safeguard our freedoms, defend and strengthen our democracy, and allow the ingenuity and resourcefulness of our people to flourish. A great Guyana will not be measured only in terms of what we build and what we create, but also in our character as a nation, including our ability and willingness to set aside narrow interests for the greater good of all Guyana.”


In conversation with a head teacher colleague I was told Guyana was "a young country" and that the people had "to work things out for themselves" and "be patient" when wanting progress in education.
Back in the stadium, the atmosphere wasn't hostile or ugly, but there were lyrics a-plenty expressing the despair of poverty and unemployment, and urging loyalty to one's wife or girlfriend.


Damian Marley performed a great set of dance hall and reggae and the crowd sang along. I joined in the general dancing and moving around, loving the heat of the evening and the friendliness of a crowd with no one noticeably aggressive or drunk. Our favourite song was a reworking of Bob Marley's "Exodus"- appropriate here, where most families have relatives living abroad, with the numbers of Guyanese living in New York (1 million) and Toronto (1 million) exceeding the total population of Guyanese living in Guyana (0.75 million).

My concert souvenir- Damian Marley green tea drink-plus garden flower.

Guyana- 46 years old today.

At midnight, marking the start of the 26th May 2012, the sky over Georgetown was lit with fireworks as the country began the Independence day celebrations.

Today will see a number of celebrations.

Outside the Parliament building there is the flag raising ceremony.

image- guyfolkfest.org

Today is a day for family parties, for fun and celebrations.

photo -children perform at the 43rd anniversary

The National Park in Georgetown is a favourite place for picnics and sports.

Damien Marley- son of Bob- plays at the National Stadium tonight.

the National Stadium- as concert venue

The National Stadium, in Providence, just outside Georgetown was built to replace the older Georgetown cricket ground (just two blocks from my flat), in time for the 2007 World Series Cricket tournament.

For keen cricket fans, the renamed road (formerly New Garden Street) outside the Georgetown Cricket Club will be significant, as will be the nearby Lance Gibbs Drive.

As I have yet to visit the National Stadium, today is the day to go- for the family events, the craft stalls and for Damien Marley.

Vacation in Guyana 8

Here is the group photograph- to prove we made it.

Susan and I take a well earned rest- Tony's walking sticks stayed with us.

After we returned, by air, to Georgetown, Rosie, Clare and I watched the film "Up" via the lap top screen, huddled in the one double bed, under the mosquito net.

Although the film tells of an adventure of discovery to Paradise Falls, Venezuela, the opening scene is sufficiently reminiscent of Kaiteur for us to claim recognition.

The film's themes seemed a fitting finale to our Kaiteur hike.

On Sunday 15th April Rosie and Clare flew back to the UK and I prepared to take up my work as a volunteer for the next and final twelve weeks of my placement.