Yesterday marked the 28th year since the Guyanese nation experienced the sudden demise of its first Executive President, Forbes Burnham. On August 6, 1985, the nation felt a stunned numbness when the lone radio station announced in sombre tones that President Burnham had died.
Two leaders shaped this nation, giving it not only birth, but its national character, unique being, and that quintessential Guyanese flavour. These two lifelong friends, the indomitable working class leader Dr Cheddi Jagan and the brilliant orator and English-language aficionado Forbes Burnham, made us who we are today.
The occasion of Burnham’s demise passes quietly this week, with hardly a stir about his role in defining us Guyanese. Yet, Burnham is emerging from the shadows, with two volumes of his brilliant speeches published through the Ministry of Culture’s Caribbean Press. That’s excellent news, and an optimistic sign that we can face our past to
