Dear Editor,
Culture is one of the most important things that make up our great Guyanese society. It is a shared part of our identity as Guyanese people and plays an integral role in the social cohesion of our fragmented society. The creative arts are the backbone of our culture. Surely it is bad enough that the ‘supposed’ premier institutions for one to attend if they desire a career in the arts/culture are forsaken and not given much attention or funding. It is worse and extremely disrespectful to relocate and displace students from one of those institutions to suit the needs of the political elite.
Another ministry looking for space is not an acceptable excuse to move the National School of Music from a building that was tailored specifically for it. One would not conduct surgery in a police station. One would not play basketball on a tennis court. So, why must one conduct ministerial affairs in the National School of Music? For it is not the National School of Labour but the National School of Music. Further, it was the same government that inaugurated this building for this niche purpose that now seeks to displace it.
The National School of Music is also the home of the National Steel Orchestra which was only recently relocated from a dilapidated shed at the Ministry of Culture on Main Street to the National School of Music on Brickdam to provide a bigger and much safer practice space. If you’ve ever been to panorama you know that steel pan sweet bad! Pannists deserve the right space to hone their skills so that we can all continue to enjoy the sweet sound of the steel.
On a wider point of national appreciation for culture: Musicians deserve a living wage too! We already don’t pay steel pan players enough to make a career out of it. Our Caribbean brothers and sisters, especially from Trinidad and Tobago show that they value their musicians and support them in every possible way. Why can’t we do the same or better? They already wrapped up an election faster than us and then beat us today in the cricket. The least we could do is support we musicians the same.
Lastly, it is unconstitutional to displace the NSM from its designated building. Article 35 of the Constitution of Guyana, as the Hon. Charles Ramson Jr. (attorney -at-law) would know states the following:
“The State honours and respects the diverse cultural strains which enrich the society and will seek constantly to promote national appreciation of them at all levels and to develop out of them a socialist national culture of Guyana.”
Certainly, this displacement of the NSM does not reflect the values of “national appreciation” that our constitution mandates for our culture. I implore the public to call on the Minister of Culture, Youth & Sport to reverse this decision. The Minister wishes to misplace the NSM at the Carifesta Sports Complex where there is no specific or niche equipment to suit the needs of our musicians. However, that space at Carifesta has proven to be adaptable for many other purposes and its close proximity to the Sea Wall can also ensure good ventilation (a luxury in these coronavirus times) for our public servants. So, I suggest it would be more appropriate that the Ministry of Labour uses that space instead of the NSM.
Yours faithfully,
Teija Edwards
Pannist
