Dear Editor,
Last Wednesday night May 8, those who attended the evening’s presentations at Moray House could only say that the combination of authors set the place on fire. But there was no need for the fire extinguishers mentioned earlier in the hosts’ introductory remarks.
Reportedly the event organised by the Commonwealth Writers was the culmination of a workshop sponsored by this group out of England.
With but few exceptions the seventeen Guyanese who evocated their very personal experiences, whether in prose or poetry, projected unity in ethnic diversity, that was in fact articulated by one poet who insisted that she could not afford to be racial.
There were what were described as ‘excerpts’ presented from individual works that reminded of the rich tapestry of nature (vegetation, animals, mountains, rivers and savannahs) which totally reflects Guyana – in whatever language, including creolese.
There were moving depositions of personal experiences of a range of emotions which the small attentive audience could conscientiously share.
Among these was the horrific tale by a survivor of too many faulty medical diagnoses over too many painful years, and could now sound the warning note to too few of us.
And of course, some of the poetry spoke to love as well as other troubling emotions.
There are just not enough words to portray all the passion, emboldened and nuanced, of what would have been an insight of how compatible are feelings for our country Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
E.B. John
