A mural paying homage to Wilson Harris for his celebrated work, ‘Palace of the Peacock’ was on Thursday unveiled at the University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus.

Part of the mural

Harris, a renowned Guyanese writer, is being honoured for his book ‘Palace of the Peacock’. The university said that it is pleased to recognize the great and original contribution of Harris to Caribbean literature, criticism and theory.

Painted by Philbert Gajadhar, Anil Roberts and main artist George Simon,  the mural encapsulates scenes from Harris’ ‘Palace of the Peacock’.

Al Creighton, Dean of the School of Education and Humanities, who gave a contextual description of the mural, said that it depicts all aspects of the rich Amerindian heritage of Guyana, capturing aspects of nature, spirituality, the energy and strength of the Amerindians and many other areas.

Main artist Simon told the small gathering at the unveiling that he was propelled to create the painting because of the popularity of Harris’ ‘Palace of the Peacock’.  Simon who is also a lecturer in creative arts at the School of Education and Humanities at the University of Guyana said that during his recent attendance at a literature conference many persons had spoken of how remarkable a piece Harris’ work was and as a result he decided to paint the mural.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Tota Mangar unveiled the mural while Vice Chancellor, Professor Lawrence Carrington accepted it on behalf of the university and declared it open for viewing.

At the simple unveiling ceremony the artists were given the opportunity to affix their signatures to the mural.