Dear Editor,
I agree and endorse Dr McDonald’s Sunday feature ‘Ian on Sunday,’ January 25, where he said that a compilation of the achievements of Guyana’s past icons must be recorded for posterity in a published edition. The cultural associations abroad annually honour our ‘sons and daughters’ with mini-bios that are available to get the ball rolling.
The Guyana Cultural Association in Brooklyn since 2002 has honoured over 180 Guyanese with their Wordsworth McAndrew Awards.
V Dindyal has published a book on Guyanese achievers in the UK and is compiling one at this time on achievers in the USA & Canada. Chico Khan and myself are compiling a video of over 150 Guyanese icons for the 2009 Republic celebrations in Orlando, on behalf of the Guyana Cultural Association of Central Florida. My updated Chronological History of Guyana in the Twentieth Century is almost complete, even though we, the overseas diaspora, are far, far away from where our navel strings are buried.
But more needs to be done, starting locally, to record the achievements of the small man − the unsung heroes in sport, etc, who have flown our flag high. For example, a few names like Laddie Lewis, Selassie Small, Lindsay Gordon, readily come to mind. Rocky McPherson in California needs to be contacted and his achievements recorded.
For starters, students at UG should be assigned individual past icons for research and record. This task should be ‘umbrellaed’ by the National Archives and the National Trust to preserve our culture and heritage. That is, of course, if the powers that be are really serious and think the effort is worth the while. Up here, the diaspora will continue our quest. Ya think it easy…
Yours faithfully,
Godfrey Chin
