One of the historic failures of Guyana’s development strategy, over the years reposes in its failure of government to fashion a well-structured and efficiently executed ‘campaign’ to strengthen ties between Guyanese residing in the diaspora and their home country. Such ‘ties’ as exist are driven largely first, by family bonds and afterwards by a sense of nostalgia, which are largely the reasons for sustained communication by Guyanese at home and abroad, including communication by travel.
The Guyana circumstance stands in stark contrast to that which obtains in the instances of other Caribbean countries, notably Jamaica and Barbados, which countries have employed various mechanisms including the penetration of diaspora communities in both North America and Europe with aspects of both cultures (drink and food are the most popular of these).
Diaspora response, up until now, has been less than sustained, the preoccupation of Guyanese who live abroad with simply getting on with their lives serving as a compelling distraction from whatever yearning they might have for ‘home.’ There is, as well, the constraint of travel. While it is relatively easy for diaspora nationals from elsewhere in the region to ‘fly home’ without a great deal of trouble, Guyana is widely considered not only to be situated ‘off the beaten track,’ so to speak, but is also serviced by what, frequently, is a less than reliable air transport service.
