The University of Guyana for the first time conferred four honorary
doctorates to distinguished Guyanese during its 52nd convocation
ceremony held at the National Cultural Centre, Georgetown.
The Chancellor, Professor Eon Harris, conferred Doctor of Letters to
Eddy Grant for excellence in music and civic engagement, Yesu Persaud
received iconic leadership in business and banking, Jairaj Sobhraj for
excellence in entrepreneurship and philanthropy and Laura George for
outstanding community development and advocacy.
George, in her acceptance speech, charged the University to commit to
strategically and significantly undertake its role as the independent
academia to produce correct information on the history of Guyana.
“The time is here for us to rewrite our own history using an inclusive
and collective approach for our future generations to know about the
struggles, failures and resilience as a nation, to guide where we
should be headed in influencing national policy,” George said.
George also encouraged the University to push for leading Indigenous
scholars to teach at the university’s campus and encouraged the use of
publications by Indigenous people.
She is a pioneer of the Amerindian People’s Association (APA) and
currently serves as the organisation’s Governance and Rights
Coordinator. She is also an alternative representative for the
Indigenous Peoples on the Multi-Stakeholder Group for the Guyana
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GYEITI)
George, an Akawaio from Phillipi, Region Seven has been a passionate
advocate for Indigenous rights and worked with Indigenous communities
on several issues throughout Guyana.
Similarly, legendary musician Eddy Grant, charged the University’s
leadership to make space to advance technical and vocational skills in
Guyana.
“We must Vice Chancellor, somewhere in this august society that you
call University of Guyana, make available some space that those who
are not gifted with intellectual capacity … can master the elements,
the compounds to bring about a great social renaissance in Guyana so
much that we can export it,” Grant said.
Grant, who was raised in Plaisance, East Coast Demerara was honoured
for being at the forefront of genres and creating his own: ringbang in
the music industry. His chart-topping “Electric Avenue” is among a
string of hit music Grant created while residing in the United
Kingdom. He is also a passionate supporter of artists’ rights.
Meanwhile, Yesu Persaud reminded all at the ceremony that for Guyana
to move forward we must all work together.
“If we want to build a nation we have to work together, start thinking
together and build institutions. Nothing happens unless you make it
happen,” Persaud said.
Persaud retired as the chairman of the Demerara Distillers Limited
(DDL) and is credited for the conception of the Demerara Bank and
founding the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) among
a distinguished list of business achievements. He is a believer in the
virtues and effectiveness of private enterprise and free market in
human development.
