The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport last week celebrated the work of the late National Poet Martin Carter at a reception titled the “Festival of Words” hosted at the Umana Yana.

A Government Inform-ation Agency (GINA) press release said excerpts from some of Carter’s pieces were read, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his death, to an audience comprising former President Mrs Janet Jagan, writer and newspaper columnist Petamber Persaud, poet and a winner of the Guyana Prize for Literature Ian McDonald, Carter’s son, Dr Keith Carter, members of the diplomatic corps and a number of emerging poets.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony spearheaded the event, which will be one of many initiatives used to promote Guyanese literature, culture and art.

In his address Anthony said Carter’s pieces chronicled “the struggles against colonialism and documents the growing pains of a post colonial era.” He said “Martin Carter’s medium was words, the way he juxtaposed them against each other in such an unconventional way to liberate new ideas and imagery, or his style of amassing simple, common words that when placed together, can reveal a profound philosophical insight.

It is because of his mastery with words that we thought that it would be fitting to have a ‘Festival of Words,’ to remember him.”

The reception also celebrated the work of other Guyanese and Caribbean literary icons such as Derek Walcott, Nicholas Guillen and Kamau Brathwaite. Accord-ing to GINA the celebration was enriched by the voices of emerging poets such as Kojo McPherson, Aliya Shamshudin, Edison Jefford, Gentian Miller, Davina Lowe, Imam Baksh and Rochelle Christie who recited their pieces.