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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015
EDITORIAL
Guyana
West Indies cricket and National Dignity THE CPL cricket tournament will soon come to a close and attention would return to the state of West Indies cricket. Despite its crowd appeal and superior earning opportunities for the cricketers, T20 cricket would never inspire the same kind of nationalistic emotions as the other forms of the game. Perhaps the Caribbean’s embrace of the shortest format of the game has something to do with the Region’s dismal showing in the other formats. It is a distraction from the disappointment over the team’s persistent failures. Yet when the distraction is over, the woes of West Indies cricket remain. Only recently we learned that the team may not make it to the Champions Trophy on account of its further drop down the ICC rankings. Many would ask what’s new. For those who lived through the glory days of
West Indian dominance, the hurt is forever deep. Of course in periods of decline fingers are pointed in all directions. A good example is the public and official responses when the unthinkable happened - the West Indies team quit a tour of India. Some blamed the Board while others blamed the players. In the midst of this blame game the real essence of the moment got lost. Very little energy is expended on thinking of the impact on the larger society. West Indian self-worth has been partly built on its performances on the cricket field. CLR James captured this sentiment best in his celebrated book, ‘Beyond A Boundary’. As the smallest and poorest cricketing nation, it was cricket that brought the world’s attention to the genius of these small post-plantation islands and mainland
enclaves. When a Garry Sobers or Rohan Kanhai or Viv Richards or Clive Lloyd and Malcolm Marshall walked on to the cricket field they took with them all of the complex history of their people and transformed it into artistry and imagination. This is what became the raw material for a proud Guyanese and Caribbean nationalism. It is this linkage between cricket and self-definition that is missing from both the cricket field and the discourse beyond the boundary. Through no fault of theirs, the younger generations see cricket as a forum for partying. Absent is any deep sense of what the game means historically and culturally. It is from these centers that the cricketers are recruited. It is no surprise then that they lack the tenacity, and thought-process needed to overcome other teams that are more
grounded in their sense of their place in the larger history and social development of their societies. Where do we go? Some may think we have tried everything. But we cannot give up on cricket. To do so would be to admit the failure of our Independence. As our Caribbean societies reflect on 50 years of Independence and imagine and plan for the next 50 years, our cricket should be at the centre. In this regard we recommend that as part of the official commemoration of our 50th anniversary next year, we mount a series of cricket groundings that reflect on the centrality of the game to our evolution as an independent nation. This should be done with the aim of developing a new cadre of cricket nationalist-warriors to help us restore dignity on the cricket field and beyond the boundary.
City Hall ‘rehab’ for completion next year
––Mayor Hamilton Green
GEORGETOWN Mayor Hamilton Green said recently that by the time repair works are completed on City Hall, every board would have been returned to the pristine beauty and authenticity of the original architecture. “We have received word from the Ministry of Finance,” the mayor said recently, regarding the progress of works to be done. He told city councillors at their most recent statutory meeting that the initial and comprehensive review of what needs to be done is underway. A draft was sent to him and he has since forwarded it to the town clerk and city engineer. Based on persuasion by the mayor and Minister of Culture, Green said not only City Hall will be examined for restoration, but also the building immediately south of City Hall that is now being used by the City Engineer’s Department.
Before the end of this year, he said works should be completed on the proposals so that the physical work can be proceeded with. “We are discussing restoration, not just repairs, so that every board can return to the pristine beauty and authenticity of the original architecture,” Green said. Meanwhile, though unable to estimate a figure for restoring City Hall to its former glory, Green told this newspaper in an earlier interview he was very optimistic that the task will be completed in its entirety sometime next year. He said the European Union and the Ministry of Finance have already signalled their readiness to assist with the restoration project. “It is a very complex building. There is a lot of iron work to be done and the roof as well. It’s a lot of work and so it will cost a lot, but I wouldn’t want to guess a figure,” he said. He is also not sure if the skills to get the job done are available locally, but he said he envisions a completed project before the end of next year.
In 1995, the Government of Guyana proposed Georgetown City Hall as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The building was designed by architect Reverend Ignatius Scholes in 1887 and was completed in June 1889. At 2:00 pm on December 23, 1887, Governor Henry Turner Irving laid the foundation stone for City Hall at the northeast corner of the main building, along with a glass jar containing original documents pertaining to the building. City Hall was officially opened at 3:00 pm July 1, 1889 by Governor-Viscount Gormanston. The Archbishop of British Guiana, William Piercy Austin, then blessed the structure. However, the building started to rapidly deteriorate in recent years and now requires urgent repair works. City Hall is a building of unique architectural design, and is often described as “The most picturesque structure,” “The most handsome building in Georgetown,” and “One of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in the Caribbean.”