Dear Editor,
We refer to the letter in your letter column of Wednesday April 27, 2011 captioned `Given the poor support from the gov’t, the artists community is shocked by the size of the budget allocation to the Culture Ministry’.
This Christopher Ram-type correspondence seeks to denigrate the efforts of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to support and/or promote the arts in this country in keeping with its parliamentary and ministerial mandate. Of course, it is also replete with the personal lamentation of one artist whose personal challenges and woes he seeks to heap onto the Ministry.
The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport will not respond to any further ramblings from artist Desmond Alli whose recent employment by the University of Guyana will seemingly stimulate more letters than art work from his nimble fingers. However, the Ministry of Culture, on this occasion, responds to Mr. Alli’s assertion and half-truths in the interest of letting the public, including the artistic community, know the other side to Alli’s “story”.
Firstly, were “shock waves” really felt “throughout the artistic community” when the Ministry’s budgetary allocation was belatedly – and conveniently – “disclosed” to the public? We think not as a later paragraph would explain.
Secondly, Alli’s descriptive account of the struggles of Guyanese artists paints a picture of one category of our society, though admittedly creative, wanting some sort of special treatment to the exclusion, even detriment, of all others in some level of need—our youths, sportsmen and women, our artisans and small entrepreneurs, for example.
A government is faced with the task of even-handed and equitable distribution of the resources at hand, in pursuit of assisting all categories of its citizens. Since Alli personalized a great proportion of his lament of April 27 last, the Ministry now outlines the “poor support” given to Mr. Alli in recent times. To begin with the Ministry utilized its funds to purchase one of Alli’s pieces which now reclines in the Minister’s Office, quietly promoting Alli’s work, physically and visually; Alli’s group was allowed the generosity of using the Natural Cultural Centre (NCC) for a three-day weekend exhibition which, apparently, flopped; the Ministry on that occasion however, had waived all NCC fees and assisted him in other ways relevant to the exhibition.
Within the context of expenditure by the Ministry of Culture, members of the artistic community were facilitated by having them create murals for CARIFESTA 2008; exhibit, free of cost, at the Umana Yana; commissioning paintings for the NCC; including Brian Moore’s and George Simon’s work; commissioning artists to create the appropriate background and ambience at the National Museum for the giant Mega -T exhibit; and soon to be opened map room; the symbolic Hikarana Pole at the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology and facilitating the Women’s Artists Group at the Umana Yana, even as the Ministry has been open to discussing assistance for the creative ladies Headquarters. In addition, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport continues to fund the Burrowes School of Art, which has enhanced the skills of hundreds of artists in Guyana. Against just that sampling, how dare persons like Alli try to trivialize the Ministry’s contribution merely because someone’s art piece was not purchased or wasn’t sent on a trip?
The issue of Mr. Alli’s “National Unity Monument” located in the Castellani Art Gallery Compound, is that Mr. Alli feels that there is need for some renovation. However, before any renovation is undertaken an appraisal must be done, with proper costing. If the renovations are justified then the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport will certainly like to programme this activity in its budget, as is the usual practice with monument and heritage sites. This year for example the Ministry will be undertaking renovation work on the 1763 monument. The trouble with Mr. Alli and his new-found Christopher Ram-like criticism of the Culture Ministry might reside in the fact that he is losing his standing in the artistic community.
Indeed, a few artists reacted instantly to Alli’s April 27 letter indicating their active disagreement with its content and thrust. They might be responding to Alli’s sentiments sometime in the future.
Meanwhile, Mr. Alli should spare a thought for the Ministry’s hand that helped him. Others appreciate the programmed support.
If Mr. Alli is truly interested in partnership, he should engage the Director of Culture, Dr. James Rose.
Yours faithfully,
D. Deonarine
Assistant to the
Minister of Culture, Youth
and Sport
