Memory does not tell me exactly how many years back, but several decades ago I recorded a song, IS WE OWN, with Tradewinds, essentially highlighting aspects of Guyanese culture that constitute an integral part of our way of life, and the song has now become one of the Tradewinds standards frequently heard on radio and at various public functions. It is crucial to note here that the approach by various artistes of dipping into the voluminous and varied culture in the Caribbean generally is a time-honoured and repeated slant used by them going back to the time of the calypsonians Sir Lancelot, Lord Canary, Slingshot, Bill Rogers, etc., and, of course, over and over again by a wide range of painters and script writers across the region. It is also of passing interest to note that for the writers dipping into this cultural pool, there is immense personal satisfaction in seeing his/her selections from the mixture being so readily understood and, particularly, absorbed by the population at all levels, either resident here or, generally, abroad. I can attest to the power of this acceptance in everyday Caribbean life.
