Activity: Readings from the work of Godfrey Chin
Host: Moray House Trust
Date: Thursday 10 April, 2014
At Moray House Trust, on Thursday evening, laughter was in plentiful supply. The audience chuckled and giggled as they listened to a selection of readings from the work of Godfrey Chin, master raconteur, social historian and self-styled ‘cook-shop fly.’
Godrey Chin was unique among Guyana’s social historians and raconteurs. His anecdotes are a seamless blend of what he called “titbits, old talk, gaff, picong”, stuffed with detail and spiced with that particular brand of self-deprecating humour so beloved of Guyanese, something between a ‘steups’ and a ‘tantalise.’
In 2002, before he published the ‘Nostalgia’ series, Godfrey explained by that the project was not a “show-off memory boast.” Rather, “it is our record – yours and mine – of our homeland before the Exodus..” Only in time, perhaps, will we come to value of the fund of memories, minutiae and anecdotes that he left behind.
A dozen students from Marian Academy, Queens’ College and Richard Ishmael Secondary School recited extracts from Godfrey’s ‘Nostalgias’, solemnly reminding their elders of the days when a Ford Model T car cost G$ 175 (1934) and a bus fare around the city was 6 cents (1940s). The Chin family had kindly loaned some of Godfrey Chin’s exhibition boards for display at the event. These showed a cast of long-forgotten members of our society and a wonderful vista of elegant wooden buildings and wide uncluttered streets in the Georgetown of yesteryear.
Vic Insanally, Ian Mc Donald, Allan Fenty and Al Creighton, all friends and contemporaries of Godfrey, talked about him and the significance of his work. The trip down memory lane concluded with Godfrey’s description of his upbringing in tenement yards read by Major General (rtd) Joe Singh.
As ever, Godfrey had the last word. Vic Insanally, the Master of Ceremonies, concluded the evening with an email from Godfrey in which he listed some of his accomplishments: master calligrapher, silver-level ballroom dancer, producer of the GuyFolk Fest in Brooklyn, New York and ended: “have passport, will travel, no pets, attachments, distractions but dedicated know-how, pledging indefatigable effort.”
Video Clips:
Part 1: An Evening of Nostalgia: the work of Godfrey Chin
Ian Mc Donald paid tribute to Godfrey Chin at the beginning of the evening calling him “an absolutely unique chronicler of Guyana’s social history” and listing the many attributes of his work.
You Tube Clip: http://youtu.be/ALMEh2ZiBFE
Part 2: A Christmas Tree
Vic Insanally, Master of Ceremonies for the evening, described, for the benefit of the young students participating in the readings, Godfrey’s ingenious Christmas tree conjured out of rope, a broomstick, ping pong balls and match boxes..
You Tube Clip: http://youtu.be/5Lrf0zjH8wY
Part 3: Travelling around Georgetown
One of Godfrey’s ‘Nostalgias’ was about travelling around Georgetown. He described the various modes of travel from horse and carriage to bicycles, trams, trains and motor cars.Extracts from this piece were read by students from local schools.
You Tube Clip: http://youtu.be/LtIw_tP5G6M
Part 4: The Seawall
Another of Godfrey’s Nostalgias was devoted to the seawall. Students from Marian Academy, Queen’s College and Richard Ishmael Secondary School read extracts.
You Tube Clip: http://youtu.be/gRcqItE7nLg
Part 5: Sweet Delights
Several of Godfrey’s Nostalgias were devoted to such local delicacies as mauby, black pudding and souse, popsicles, Brown Betty and Demico ice-cream, mittai, salara, aniseed biscuits, pine tart, patties, Chinese cakes.
You Tube Clip: http://youtu.be/HvDET6wUEyE
Part 6: Childhood in Guyana
Childhood memories of Guyana will likely include mother’s home remedies for various ailments. Anyone remember cogue ? Or soft grease ? Or Limacol for headaches ? What about games of ‘gam’ with an iron ‘taw’ ?
You Tube Clip: http://youtu.be/VBwDeZo62VM
Part 7: Tales of Godfrey
Godfrey Chin’s friends and admirers reminisced about him.
You Tube Clip: http://youtu.be/ofEVjdBethA
Part 8: Remembering Theatre Guild
Al Creighton read an extract from Godfrey’s Nostalgia about the Theatre Guild in which Godfrey quotes Frank Thomasson, Errol Hill, Ken Corsbie and Tony Phillips.
You Tube Clip: http://youtu.be/L2f_ZpEQxZU
Part 9: Raconteurs and Reminiscences
Allan Fenty, friend of Godfrey Chin and fellow raconteur, read extracts from Charles De Florimente’s ‘Growing up in Kitty’ and Godfrey’s Nostalgia ‘Chinese in Sports – Guyana, Yesteryear’.
You Tube Clip: http://youtu.be/RNoNAKjkvTk
Part 10: Growing up in Tenement Yards
Major General (rtd) Joe Singh read an extract from Godfrey’s Nostalgia about life in a tenement yard.
You Tube Clip: http://youtu.be/mtE17NxbFCo