I have previously mentioned that when I meet Guyanese during Tradewinds performances overseas, they are often curious to get a read on “life in Guyana” from someone who has relocated there, and their tendency is to grill me who is not seen as an establishment person who might be inclined to gild the lily. A few weeks ago, in a Tradewinds engagement in New York, I ended up in one such exchange with an intense young woman from Leonora who was herself considering returning here to live but with some obvious trepidation. It was not a superficial chat. This informed lady was digging deep; she was asking probing, even personal questions. There was nothing trite or casual; she was actually pushing me to reflect on what I saw as the impediments.
I am somewhat reluctant to get into these evaluations because, as I explained to the lady, it is a completely subjective matter, but she expressed so much genuine interest that I finally conceded (it was almost time for the band to play anyway) that the two biggest concerns for me are, in macro, the Indian/Black ethnic division, and, in micro, the widespread tendency to accept or even encourage the sub-standard. For someone who has lived in the developed world, for two or three decades,
