Dear Editor,

Essequibians should organize a motorcade for the new newly crowned National Chutney Monarch, Haresh Singh of Bush Lot, Essequibo Coast.

Born on July 11, 1972 Haresh Singh  attended the Anna Regina Multilateral School. He was the son of a downtrodden rice farmer who is also my friend, and he would have regarded the event I propose and the venue as most appropriate.

Haresh Singh is well known for his chutney singing both locally and internationally since 2001. In 2011 he placed second. After more than 3 hours of intense competition, Haresh Singh has outshone 16 other contestants to cop the 2012 National Chutney Competition title at the National Culture Centre. The winning song was ‘Aji and Aja.‘

Essequibians are a healthy, intelligent and literate people who are possessed of a wide range of skills such as Haresh Singh demonstrates, and are capable of learning new ones if given the opportunity. We have social arrangements which exert powerful cohesive and creative influences. All of these are manifestations of the dynamism of our way of life and the enormous possibilities for creative and productive working together. We have a rich and diverse cultural heritage. The government must encourage the development of this heritage to enable our young  people in Essequibo to become more deeply aware of the beauty and relevance of their culture.

A genuine appreciation of the validity of our own cultural values would free us from the remaining vestiges of the colonial mentality which is still so much in evidence among the old. It would lessen feelings of alienation, would eliminate any lingering sense of inferiority, and would help us to discover our own human worth and dignity.

Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan