National Library withdraws permission for Burnham Independence exhibition

May 24, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – After granting permission for a commemorative exhibition of the late Guyanese President, Forbes Burnham, as part of this week’s Independence activities, the National Library withdrew its consent shortly before the event’s commencement.
Chairman for the Forbes Burnham Foundation, Vincent Alexander told the Kaieteur News that a call was received from the library some two hours before to say that the exhibition could no longer take place.
This refusal, the chairman said in a public missive, came after permission was sought and obtained on April 25, last to mount an Independence Commemorative Exhibition from May 23 to 28 in the Foyer of the National Library. A site visit was conducted on May 18, on which occasion all of the details for the mounting of the exhibition were finalised. However, on Monday, May 23, “the Foundation received a phone call from the Chief Librarian, in which she indicated that permission was being withdrawn since the Library needed the facility for its own use,” Alexander revealed.
He said that the Foundation can only conclude that a directive was handed down to the Librarian to disallow the mounting of the Exhibition by the Burnham Foundation. This publication was unable to confirm that this was indeed the case.
According to Alexander, “The PPP/C (People Progressive Party/Civic) once again shows its dictatorial hand in its attempt to rewrite Guyana’s history and to impose itself on the people of Guyana through the total control of the political, social and economic landscape, while the President mouths “One Guyana” for local and global consumption.”
He added, the Burnham Foundation, which is a non-governmental organisation committed to the commemoration and the memorialisation of the life of the Leader who led Guyana to Independence, “is left with no alternative but to join forces with the true democrats of Guyana in the struggle to reclaim their rightful space and entitlements as citizens of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.”
Alexander told the newspaper that the contents of the exhibition were essentially independence photos with the first portrait being Guyana’s two iconic leaders Burnham and Dr. Cheddi Jagan entitled: ‘Where it all began’. The pictures, he said, were of the 1966 Independence; the parade at the National Park, flag raising, the handing over of the Independence instrument, and the dignitaries that were in attendance, among others. Alexander said the Independence exhibition will, nonetheless, be held at a location to be announced by the Foundation today.
This media house attempted on two occasions, to get in touch with the Chief Librarian of the Church and Main Streets organisation, to get a comment but was told on both occasions that she was in a meeting.