Coil: Jubileeeeeeeeeeee as Tourist Trap?

by Vidyaratha Kissoon 

The taxi man was quiet and polite: “Business is the same, nothing different. Maybe for others things have changed’. We passed the hotel that will open regardless of the lack of a casino license with its proud patriotic flag colours and roaring jaguar.

I say well look at duh, eh.. de man gun open. Taxi driver is polite and says something neutral which meant is none of his business.

I had shaved the day before so I might have been looking like a tourist/returning Guyanese.

I wanted to ask the driver if he had attended any of the courtesy sessions organised in May 2010 by the Guyana Tourism Authority, and again in May 2016 .

The Guyanese who live in  Guyana have to be grateful for touri$m, so that they might receive some of the by-the-way courtesy of taxi drivers and minibus drivers.  There is no other requirement or training for minibus drivers/conductors or taxi drivers to polite or nice.

The Jubilee has been scary in how much frenzy and worry has gone into ‘the vi$itor$’ . The anxiety about the place being clean enough and about how much sexy events there will be .. all for vi$itor$.
It is as though a clean Stabroek Market square did not matter to the vendors and the citizens who purchased from them when there were no vi$itor$ expected to take over the place.

A friend who is organising an event in June said they will be printing tickets and hope that the visitors buy.. ‘even if dey aint gun come’.  I know that feeling of cashing in on foreigners and others with money when fund raising is key.

At the same time, I feel embarrassed by all this expectation of revenue from fellow Guyanese who have done well abroad. I mean, I don’t think the jubilee is meant to be a tourist trap.

I mean,  capitalist Guyanese recognise that you can make money from bleaching cream and from nostalgia.

But then, when we are supposed to be celebrating nationhood and national unity and so, it is like putting a price on patrioti$m and all of a sudden I feel like I cannot afford any of it.

There is a notice every day in the papers recently, “No unauthorised vending allowed near the Flag Raising and the Parade.  Vendors will be accredited.” Will the accreditation police be moving  the youths  who sell sweets and so while President Granger asks the nation to join hands and sing Let us Cooperate? Were vendors accredited in 1966 at any of the events?

I feel bad even as I cannot get over all those who love Guyana while they have sworn allegiance to other countries or have foreign passports and interesting accents.

I mean,  I mean, .. didn’t the whole Independence project fail all those who have made it in other dependent and independent places so they can come back and spend money on the Independence?

A man observing the Jubilee from USA  said that the events do not seem to be local.  I thought oh dear, I have to make sure that when I walk around and so I behave as local and so the visitors could be assured of authentic Guyanese experience which they have paid a lot for.  I don’t know if I have to ride  a donkey cart instead of a minibus, or eat my foreign ice cream in private.

The diaspora and the visitors might seem dismissive in their judgements: ‘Nothing works here’. I have been patted on my head.. nice comments like ‘I like what you do down there’ and “keep up the good work” and one phone call one time, “You are a hero”.

One visitor even brought a gift on her two-week visit which included intense charitable activities. I felt bad that I upset her by politely refusing.

I know some of my fellow citizens would have said.. tek de ting and ask fuh one mo’ or give somebody else.

I am terrified that the diaspora coming back will find out the failure stories and not see the resilience in them.

Here is a failure/resilience story from this week.

Who would not feel proud that Guyana has an Institute of Applied Science and Technology. ?In the Guyana Chronicle on March 22 2015 in an article headlined“Rice cereal manufacturing facility to eventually employ 200 persons” . It is a wonderful story. A project developed at IAST in collaboration with the Government– Rice Brekkies/Morning Glory  a cereal, which would be commercialised.  According to the report, the Director of IAST, Professor Narine said that factory was scheduled to employ 105 persons and then move to 200 persons. And not only Rice Brekkies, according to the Chronicle “ “An upbeat Dr. Narine, who is an award winning and globally recognised Professor, said that with all this new development, “I still have more news for you! Today, we are also launching our nutritional bar, also made from rice!””

This week, in May 2016, there is  a story in the Guyana Chronicle about the Cereal Factory.  The factory is painted in earth colours but the Chronicle called it a White Elephant.  IAST was able to explain after the article was published that the factory is still on the cards and that the nutrition bar is being tested at Buxton and Enmore with the school feeding programme.

And I do not have to feel as though Guyana is a failure.

The diaspora and the visitors have not only been sources of revenue. They have been involved in interesting events. I am grateful to the organisers of the Timehri Film Festival. I have nearly broken my boycott of jubilee to witness the innovative ways in which the Guyana Cultural Association (of New York) has worked in Berbice to celebrate Edgar Mittelholzer and Peter Kempadoo .
(I am a recipient of awards managed by the GCA ) There are no newspaper reports to link, the media it seems has not be able to report on all the cultural jubilee events. The newspaper archives of the 50^th will be limited.

Professor Vibert Cambridge posted  on his Facebook page.  There is a poignant note– that some parts of the programme had to be postponed because “The earlier mentioned logistical challenges, coupled with the need to return to Georgetown before the Berbice River Bridge was closed at 3:35pm.“

The visitors had to return. The event ended.  What other joys could have been shared if people did not have to leave?

The visitors will have to return. Jubilee and its events will end.

The money from the Jubilee will be in the hands of those who were accredited to receive it.

Will the City Council be able to keep Georgetown clean? Will there be continuous conversations and
cultural events ?

Those of us left behind will no doubt have to make do.