The next Guyana Speaks event will take place at The Classic on Sunday, 24th June and feature Guyanese Art & Politics. Speakers attending are:

Natalie Hopkinson is a writer of Guyanese descent whose work explores the media, the arts, public policy and cultural identity. She is an assistant professor in Howard University’s doctoral program in Communication, Culture and Media Studies, a columnist for the Huffington Post, and a fellow of the Interactivity Foundation. A former staff writer, editor and media and culture critic at the Washington Post and The Root, she is author of Deconstructing Tyrone (with Natalie Y. Moore on Cleis Press), Go-Go Live (Duke University Press). Her latest book, A Mouth is Always Muzzled: Six Dissidents, Five Continents and the Art of Resistance was released in February 2018 on The New Press, and will form the basis of her talk.

Winslow Craig, a master sculptor, was born and raised in the Indigenous village of Kappawarrie, Essequibo. As a child he spent hours experimenting with his father’s woodwork tools and sold his first piece, aged just seven, for G$20. He studied at the E. R. Burrowes School of Arts, graduating with distinction in 1989. In 1997 he was awarded a Commonwealth Foundation Fellowship in Arts and Crafts. He was granted the portfolio for the design and model of the Indian Arrival Monument to be erected at Palmyra, Berbice and is also working on a steel sculpture for the Athletics Track at Leonora. He jointly won the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Award for Excellence (2017) and is a recipient of the Golden Arrow of Achievement Award. An exclusive video about his work has been produced for Guyana Speaks.

Desrie Thomson-George, a visual artist, was born in Guyana and brought up in London. Her work has its basis in the social, cultural and political awareness of her existence as a black woman brought up in the West. Her practice focuses on art for empowerment to provoke dialogue and affect change. After receiving a BA (Hons) Fine Art Degree from Nottingham Trent University she was a co-founder of the publishing house, Black Ink, where she illustrated children's books then worked as a freelance graphics artist. In 2017 she was runner up for the Surrey Society Sculpture Prize. Her presentation will focus on the inspiration/motivation for her work and her forthcoming exhibition, entitled ‘Jilo’, at the Art Academy and South Bank University.

For further details contact Rod Westmaas on 07848 41134 or Juanita Cox Westmaas 07932 222915.

The event is from 2pm to 5pm. Admission £5.00 (inc. beverage).
To avoid delay kindly pre-order Guyanese food from Tafawa Ntune at The Classic, 28 Upper Tooting Road, SW17 7PG (corner of Fircroft Road) Tel: 020 8767 8372.

This article would not be possible without the support of our fantastic Community Partners. Click here to find out more.