Scores of children and young people were yesterday afternoon left disappointed when Guyana-born British actress, Letitia Wright did not turn up to what organisers said was a planned engagement at the Impeccable Banquet Hall under the auspices of the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana (IDPADA-G).
Some were close to tears when after hours of waiting, Chief Executive Officer of IDPADA-G Olive Sampson announced that she was in receipt of a text saying that Wright would be unable to attend. The drop of a pin could have been heard in the hushed audience as she said that no reason was given but added that the organisation was in constant contact with Wright’s team and had received confirmation of her attendance up to some point yesterday.
High on the agenda of yesterday’s engagement, which saw children from various organisations present, was a robotic display by STEM Guyana. The young people were present with their robots and while they were allowed to display their creations, the Black Panther star’s absence no doubt left them all disappointed.
Wright arrived in Guyana last Friday night and has had a busy schedule meeting with school children, officials and parliamentarians among others. Yesterday, she received a honorary doctorate from the University of Guyana but did not make a planned 9:45 engagement with Mayor Ubraj Narine to receive the symbolic key to the city until hours after. It is understood that after she left the university, she proceeded to an engagement with President Irfaan Ali who presented her with framed copies of her birth certificate and her parents’ marriage certificate. Yesterday’s engagement at the Banquet Hall was to be done in two parts, with the first one set to be between 3 and 3:45 pm and would have seen the children from STEM Guyana demonstrating their robotic skills and interacting with Wright.
The other meeting with various young people was planned for just after this event, but because of time constraints, organizers at the last minute said that both engagements would happen at the same time. At about two hours after the scheduled start, it was announced that the programme would commence with Wright expected to arrive at some point. Later Sampson announced that the actress would no longer be present and apologized not only on the organisation’s behalf but also on Wright’s behalf.
Wright’s visit to Guyana is believed to be the result of an invitation extended to her by President Ali late last year. Stabroek News understands that initially the engagement with IDPADA-G was not a part of the programme of events and it was not until the insistence of a close family member that the IDPADA-G visit was included.
IDPADA-G is currently in a court battle with the government for the return of its yearly subvention which was discontinued by the administration which has accused the organization of not spending given sums in a manner that was expected. At the Impeccable Banquet Hall yesterday, there was a well-decorated stage, the children arrived with beautifully done invitations and they all sat anxiously awaiting the arrival of the star. In the end it was their sad and despondent faces that were on display even as the red carpet laid out for the movie star was rolled up.
