Dear Editor,
As we commemorated another death anniversary of our late National Poet Martin Carter on December 13, I was reminded that his poetry should be taught in our schools. We also need to set up a Martin Carter research centre among other writers, like Wilson Harris, A J Seymour, Mohamed Yasin, Roopnandan Singh, Gideon Cecil, David Dabydeen, etc, so our younger generation could read about them and the books they wrote.
For our younger generation Martin Carter may just be another name or historical figure listed among the national heroes of Guyana. Since literature died a long time ago in our poor system of education, it’s about time our educationists re-introduce Martin Carter,s poetry, as well as that of many other Guyanese writers. It is my firm opinion that literature is the key to our success in passing English, among other subjects, but very few teachers read today and very few of them want to teach literature. Students have become too lazy to read poetry and novels; worse yet the ministers of education pay very little attention to the teaching of literature in our schools and focus too much on science and business subjects. Then they discover that hundreds of students can’t write a proper sentence because of a lack of reading. Reading is the key to every student’s success in life.
On October 22, 1963, Martin Carter made a very mind-boggling prediction about the publishing of poetry in Guyana: “Publishing poetry in this country is like lending books to corpses. Few read and those who do are not equipped either by curiosity or sensibility to understand what is confronting them.” His prophetic statement came to pass because very few read poetry, and many are not equipped with a background in English and Literature to comprehend it, including our teachers and UG graduates. Many may ask the questions: Who was Martin Carter? What was his role in Guyana’s history? Why was his poetry and prose writing important to this nation?
Martin Wylde Carter was the greatest poet Guyana has produced. He was one of the Caribbean’s greatest intellects and distinguished literary personalities, whose creative imagination left an indelible mark on the English-speaking Caribbean and the Western hemisphere. He ranked among literary greats like Wilson Harris, Derek Walcott,V S Naipaul, Ian McDonald and A J Seymour.
He was an important figure in the national independence movement, and was very active in liberating Guyana from British colonialism until we gained independence on May 26, 1966. He lived until he was 70, devoting 40 years of his life to his country and literary pursuits. His poetry is now being studied in Caribbean and British universities and in many academic institutions in the wider world. Dr Gemma Robinson now at the University of Stirling in Scotland wrote her PhD dissertation on the life and writings of Carter.
His poems are rich in symbolism, philosophy, theology and some very intricate and complex imagery. They range from those that express moral anger and outrage, to others that are deeply introspective and metaphysical. His political Poems of Resistance registered the social and political protest engendered by British colonialism, and they spoke out against the stark poverty, injustice, dehuminization and degradation of the masses.
We can see his life in most of the poems he has written, because he writes from personal experience not from the creative imagination alone.
Carter was a man of wisdom and wit, a gracious and elegant personality, a unique and fascinating figure. The quality of his poetry will be remembered and immortalized. Let‘s comb through his words of truth and life and remember them.
Yours faithfully,
Rev Gideon Cecil
