Dear Editor,
Guyanese American Ramnarine Diaram, more popularly known as Larry died last month at age 71 in Queens following a prolonged period of illness. Guyanese will remember Larry Diaram as the cameraman of the community television station, ITV, and as an outstanding still photographer whose photos were used in several community publications as well as in Guyana. The Guyanese and Caribbean people do not have their own broadcast network. It was through Larry’s association with ITV that the Guyanese and Caribbean community got greater access to and a fixture at ITV. It is not often appreciated how much Larry did for the community. But because of him, ITV has given much of its broadcast time on Guyana and the Indo-Caribbean people (in the Caribbean people and in America). He was known as the lone Guyanese camera personality on TV.
Larry’s entry into the world of TV camera marked an era when Indo-Caribbean Americans were coming of age (greater wealth and establishment of all kinds of social and cultural institutions) in New York. Media exposure was welcome and the mainstream NY media began to focus on the community as a role model. ITV followed suit. Larry spent a considerable amount of time filming Indo-Caribbean events; he also attended and filmed Afro community events in Brooklyn and Queens.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
