Dear Editor,
Thank you for sending me a copy of the letter from Mr Mark Vasconcellos captioned “NCN’s radio coverage of the activities commemorating the abolition of the slave trade was inadequate” (07.03.28). The answers to the three questions posed by him are:
1) The first event occurred during our coverage of a cricket world cup match and could not be carried live.
2) On the day of the National Cultural Centre event our television crew filmed the event for production as it was an audio/visual presentation. While the ceremony was going on we carried an extensive interview with Professor Winston McGowan on the impact of the abolition of the slave trade in Guyana, its implications for education, agriculture immigration and other facets. This descriptive, fact based presentation by one of the organizers of the event was considered more detailed and appropriate than the live coverage. The event will be packaged and aired frequently in the future as this 200th year commemoration will form part of our Bertie Chancellor Library.
3) The state house event was carried live in the evening after cricket as we usually do every year.
The larger question, of course, is what was done for the two events referred to in the letter. Before elaborating on this issue I would like to point out that our radio and television broadcasts do not treat such important commemoration ceremonies as one off events. We do a lot of work to promote such events and we tend to concentrate ancillary programming on the subject well in advance of the event itself. In other words we concentrate on the process of raising public interest and awareness of the subject matter well in advance of events, in order to enhance national appreciation and understanding of them.
I must also explain that our coverage of events is organized in an orderly manner with the newsroom covering in the form of one to two minute news items, General Programming covering in the form of a documentary or packaged programme and Special Events covering from a live on the spot perspective. This system applies to both radio and television and the coverage of last month’s mashramani activities is a prime example of the system at work.
On the radio we carried the following programmes apart from the news items surrounding the event.
We aired an interview with Mr. Al Creighton of the National Committee set up by the Caricom Secretariat and the Government of Guyana for the bicentennial prog-ramme at the National Cultural Centre and Public Buildings. He spoke about the central event and other events to mark this occasion. He elaborated on the messages, greetings and special addresses by Dr James Rose on the abolition act among others.
An interview with Dr Hillary Browne, Programme Manager, Culture of Caricom on the abolition observances and Caricom’s role.
An interview with Brother Noah Yahsuarum of the Kingdom of Manumitted Africans.
Features were done on the Breakfast Show on VOG on outstanding Guyanese Africans including Phillip Moore, Roy Geddes, and Jocelyn Loncke among others.
Other supplemental programmes “Up to Slavery” by Booker T Washington and “Great Men” by Ralph Waldo Emerson were also aired.
In the evenings there were special programmes from the BBC entitled “Free at Last”. “Free at last” investigated the unexplored history of black and African resistance to slavery. It asked “what were the acts of rebellion and sacrifice that bought the slave trade to an end. Who were the heroes of the story?”
Part one examined how the slave trade worked. Resistance was one way of surviving the sheer brutality of slavery. What were the boundaries of rebellion? And what covert strategies were used? Part one of the series looked at Africans complicity, the barbaric violence and the riches at stake.
Part two examined the road to Emancipation, what were the stages on the road to abolition and emancipation? Greater enlightenment, economic disincentives and black people themselves all made a contribution. Part two looked at the underlying causes that brought about the demise of the lucrative enterprise of slavery.
Part three examined – cultural DNA- At the time of the abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade in 1807, one’s African roots was not something to be proud of. Civil rights activists, such as Marcus Garvey changed that. In a speech in 1937, he told his black audience: “We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free our mind.” Part three explored the Diaspora’s reconnection with Africa.
Julie Lewis produced a special programme on the legacy of the abolition of slavery- Guyana’s perspective including contributions by Eric Phillips, members of the Rastafarian Association, Lennox King, Lorri Alexander, and Llewellyn John among others.
Another programme contained an excerpt of a press conference by St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves on The UN Resolution of November 28 adopted by the general secretary of the United Nations for a permanent placement on the calendar of events of the commemoration of the abolition of the slave trade and the request for apology from the British and Europe on slavery and slave trade. There was mention of diluting the language in the resolution.
There was an increase in African Music (both local and international) for this observance throughout March on all programmes on both radio stations.
There were special programmes on This Magic Moment with Franklin Langhorne where he featured contemporary African artistes and appropriate literature.
In terms of public service announcements there were repeated announcements from the Caricom Secretariat inviting the public to observe the minute of silence at Parliament Building at 12: 00 hrs in special honor of those who died in the middle passage and in resistance to slavery. Other PSA’s include the libation and wreath laying ceremony at the 1763 monument.
On the television side programmes were broadcast on the African Holocaust, African Libation, a feature on the African heritage museum, a feature on the anniversary of manumitted Africans, on Guyana Today and other programmes a series of African cultural features as well as African music. More specifically, close up with Lorri Alexander and Dr Brown from Caricom, broadcast on Friday March 23 and Saturday March 24, 2007. NCN also provided a copy to other stations including HBTV for broadcast.
There was also a Feature on Guyana Today on Monday March 26 2007, as well as a broadcast of a three part series on the British slave trade on Monday March 26 2007.
The following were undertakings of the News and Current Affairs Department.
One Wednesday, March 21, we were first made aware of official arrangements for activities to be held locally to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic Slave trade. This was through one of the organizers of the Sunday, March 25th event.
Immediately, we lent advice where necessary and a reporter was immediately instructed to interview the organizer on the preparatory work as a curtain raiser news item. This was done. We were also in contact with a Senior Communications Officer at the CARICOM Secretariat and all arrangements for coverage were made.
Our news coverage began at the start of the month since we carried Caribbean and international debates on the subject of reparation. We also gave coverage to CARICOM releases that led up to the most recent events.
The news department gave extensive coverage to official events to mark the occasion. Multiple stories in which President Bharrat Jagdeo, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon; CARICOM Secretary General, Dr. Edwin Carrington; Professor, Dr. Winston McGowan; Prime Minister Samuel Hinds; Assistant Secretary General of CARICOM, Mr. Edward Greene and others were featured.
Excerpts of contributions of the likes of Dr. Ralph
Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Chairman of CARICOM were also used in stories. No less than 20 news items – local, regional and international news items on the subject were done by this department.
I think that Mr. Vasconcellos can now appreciate the amount of work that was put into the promotion of this event. The work did not stop with the event either, as we have in production a 25 minute feature on the observance at Public Buildings and the National Cultural Centre which will be aired shortly. The content of these two commemorative events will be used in NCN productions for many years to come.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Sattaur
Chief Executive Officer
National Communications Network Inc.
