Dear Editor,
I do wonder whether Ruel Johnson (‘Mair’s confidence misplaced’ SN, September 1) should stick to writing fiction; facts are plainly not his metier. But permit me to put some in print to stop his conspiracy theory growing legs.
I am a broadcast professional. Have been for the best part of four decades. I work, I get paid for it. Nothing sinister in that; it is how we all make a living. I was contracted by Minister Frank Anthony and Ambassador David Dabydeen to make 6×10 minute mini documentaries on the China-Guyana relationship. Nothing sinister in that. It had Cabinet approval. Making them was a gesture for the land of my birth.
All six were delivered to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS) and Minister Anthony on April 4, 2014. He acknowledged the same and described them as “excellent”. He acknowledged receipt again last week. I had fulfilled my side of the contract. It was then down to him to secure transmission on NCN and elsewhere in Guyana; down to Ambassador Dabydeen to secure transmission in China. Plainly MCYS were proud of them as they submitted them for the 2014 Loyola prize set up by the Catholic Church in Guyana and they were mentioned by the subject Minister in Parliament.
So, the ‘phantom films’ were and are real. I would advise Mr Johnson to find them and watch them. Might learn a few tricks or two.
So, what did the people of Guyana get in return for a small budget? The six films were stylish, professionally produced, looked and sounded good and had plenty content. They resulted from four busy days shooting in Guyana using an excellent local cameraman, Anthony Scotland, plus a broadcast intern with locations as varied as the New Thriving restaurant ,the Chinese Association, the ‘Chinese Church’ in Charlestown, Jason Wong’s emporium in Robb Street, Margery Kirkpatrick and her collection of Chinese objects, the construction of the Guyana Marriott hotel and much more.
In addition and not on the budget, I filmed for two days in Beijing where I was on university business using two paid interns from the Communication University of China. We filmed the artists who had recently visited Guyana plus their work in situ at the Guyanese embassy.
After that much translation and post-production work, two University of Westminster students were paid to edit the films over a month, then to colour, grade and dub them professionally before they were delivered.
My side of the contract fulfilled.
Perhaps Mr Johnson should have read my Wikipedia entry more closely: 200 films for the BBC and others, plus the editing of nineteen books on journalism ‒ look up Amazon. The Guyana films are a small part of my oeuvre.
I leave Professor Dabydeen to answer on the issue of his excellent Caribbean Press ‒ a wonderful exercise in literary archaeology. Guyana should be very proud of those.
Before he rushes to print again with non-existent conspiracies and fewer facts, Mr Johnson might be mindful of the previous letter in that very day’s SN from the great Ramon Gaskin which implores Guyanese journalists “to move away from sensationalism and character assassination and to do professional investigative work to expose wrongdoing wherever it occurs and to be consistent and to avoid malice, viciousness and vindictiveness and self-righteousness.”
It should be a motto for us all, even those who serve coffee or cultural policy (whatever that is).
I wish him the best of luck in the USA but ask him in future please stick to fiction.
The facts are a much more difficult form.
Yours faithfully,
John ‘Bill Cotton/Reform’ Mair
