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Celebrated Guyanese writer Peter Kempadoo passes away

Peter Kempadoo
Peter Kempadoo

Even when the late Peter Lauchmonen Kempadoo’s health was declining, the Guyanese writer would frequently talk about his country, Guyana.

“He loved talking about Guyana and multiculturalism, whenever he could manage it,” his daughter, Oonya Kempadoo, told Stabroek News during an interview via email.

On August 24th, 2019, the celebrated Guyanese writer died at his home in London, England, at the age of 92. Oonya, who is a novelist currently based in Canada revealed that her father was suffering from heart problems and on the date mentioned, “it just gave out.” Despite that, she said, he was always talking about Guyana.

From left: Marc Matthews, Vibert Cambridge and Peter Kempadoo

Peter was born in 1926 to James Kempadoo and Priscilla Tambran who were both Tamils. He attended the St. Joseph Anglican School after which he attended Port Mourant Roman Catholic School where he passed the Junior and Senior Cambridge examinations. When he was 17 years old he became a certified teacher.

During 1947, he moved to Georgetown to train as a nurse at the Georgetown Public Hospital and subsequently began reporting on hospital matters for the Daily Argosy. One year after marrying Rosemary Read, he migrated with his family to England. They were parents to nine children, Manganta, Kamala, Shamaine, Roshini, Natash, Oonya, Sanjavie, Valmiki, who is their only son and Annushka, who was adopted.

After moving to England, Peter worked with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the Central Office of Information. He also wrote his first novel titled “Guiana Boy” which was self-published in 1960 by a small press named New Literature (Publishing) Limited. New Literature (Publishing) Limited was founded by Kempadoo due to the fact that publishing houses at the time, wanted the language of book to be refashioned to suit English readership.

The novel, which is reputedly the first by an Indo-Guyanese, is reportedly based on his life as a young boy who is the son of sugar workers. The book portrays a world lacking freedom while the workers struggle to maintain their identity as Madrassis in their rice plots, feasts and festivities that their ancestors brought from India among other traditional practices. He also wrote a second book, titled Old Thom’s Harvest and co-authored a booklet alongside his wife, titled, A-Z of Guyanese Words. His second book is based on the life of a rural family.

Peter returned to Guyana in 1970 with his family and proceeded to produce local radio programmes like, “Rural Life Guyana,” “We the People,” “Our Kind of Folk” and “Jarai” alongside Marc Matthews and Vibert Cambridge. He later moved to Barbados but returned to England soon after.

Peter inspired many Guyanese writers including Oonya, who said the Kempadoos had a habit of ‘Family-reading.” “Hearing him typing away in the night, even though it was no longer fiction he was writing, encouraged me to write and keep writing,” the novelist added. She also mentioned that because she was surrounded by books when she was growing up, which was her father’s doing, it made her appreciate literature, and even more so, Caribbean literature.

Oonya further disclosed that during their time at Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara,

Peter Kempadoo (left) and team recording “Our Kind of Folk 1”

her father was known as ‘Dads’ and her mom as ‘Moms’ by members of the community. She said their home was like a community centre and shelter. “His fierce dedication to community and grassroots development meant he was always busy, distant emotionally, and he did his best to involve us [his children] in all sorts of projects and activities, always with some spiritual or intellectual guidance,” she stated. In addition to that, she said their home always attracted artists, scholars, political and environmental activists, and tourists among countless others and she loved listening to their conversations.

“It was an education! Quite an unusual and alternative education to the point of being home schooled with an interdisciplinary curriculum,” she commented.

Life for her was not only educational but adventurous as well. The novelist said that her father would take them on family camping trips to Lake Capoey and other places in the hinterland area. She fell in love with exploring, learning new landscapes, being faced with the vastness of Guyana and meeting indigenous Guyanese; all which would not have been possible if it wasn’t for her father. “Trips in general, as a family, to various parts of the country, Berbice, Linden… Dad’s love of Guyana made exploring it exciting,” she added.

During his lifetime, Peter was loved by both his first wife, Read, and his second wife, Mayrose (only name given). Before his death he was cared for, by her and his family, at his home and even as his health declined, he remained positive in spirit and outlook of life. According to Oonya, he was proud of his and his children’s accomplishments along with the accomplishments of both of his wives and what Guyana gave him. She said all her siblings were able to visit him while he was ill.

“He helped to build the pre and post-independence literature,” Al Creighton commented. He stated that Kempadoo is “in the class with other social realism writers and made an immense contribution to folk traditions and practices of Guyana.

In 2016 when Guyana was celebrating its Golden Jubilee, a “Lunch with Peter Kempadoo” event was held at Port Mourant, Berbice, which drew attention to the county’s central place in Guyana’s literature heritage and provided opportunities to meet and explore themes in Guyanese literary life.

Kempadoo also did an audio recording of Guyanese folk traditions collected in the field – “The Kempadoo Tapes,” which was lodged in the Caribbean Reference Library at UG. 

Peter will be cremated in London at a date be confirmed and the family will be bringing his ashes to Guyana.

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Prashad posted:

RIP Peter. Prashad always thought that Peter was Afro Guyanese.

 

I know him very well and always thought he was African heritage.  His kids are definitely African mixed.  I didn’t realize he was Guyanese.  I thought Burnham brought him from overseas to work on a project.  

Bibi Haniffa
Bibi Haniffa posted:
Prashad posted:

RIP Peter. Prashad always thought that Peter was Afro Guyanese.

 

I know him very well and always thought he was African heritage.  His kids are definitely African mixed.  I didn’t realize he was Guyanese.  I thought Burnham brought him from overseas to work on a project.  

You know him "very well", but you thought he was African and not Indian, 100% Indian!

You know him "very well", but you did not know he was Guyanese, 100% Guyanese!!

He returned to Guyana and left again when you were a little girl!

How do you define knowing "very well?"

BTW, we still waiting for the NYSE ticker for Sundari!

Do you know "Sundari" very will too?

Baseman
cain posted:

So you knew dem guys well, right?

I met both men. But I did not know them well. I met Johnny Braff at Palm Court. I met Kempadoo at the University of Guyana library.

Prashad
Last edited by Prashad
cain posted:

Trump said Melania knows Kim "quite well"...all of a sudden everybody gonna know other people, well.

I knew Cain very well, but that was before he killed Abel!

Baseman
Last edited by Baseman
Baseman posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:
Prashad posted:

RIP Peter. Prashad always thought that Peter was Afro Guyanese.

 

I know him very well and always thought he was African heritage.  His kids are definitely African mixed.  I didn’t realize he was Guyanese.  I thought Burnham brought him from overseas to work on a project.  

You know him "very well", but you thought he was African and not Indian, 100% Indian!

You know him "very well", but you did not know he was Guyanese, 100% Guyanese!!

He returned to Guyana and left again when you were a little girl!

How do you define knowing "very well?"

BTW, we still waiting for the NYSE ticker for Sundari!

Do you know "Sundari" very will too?

I lived next door to him for four years. And his daughter Oonya went to the school where I was a teacher.

Bibi Haniffa
Bibi Haniffa posted:
Baseman posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:
Prashad posted:

RIP Peter. Prashad always thought that Peter was Afro Guyanese.

 

I know him very well and always thought he was African heritage.  His kids are definitely African mixed.  I didn’t realize he was Guyanese.  I thought Burnham brought him from overseas to work on a project.  

You know him "very well", but you thought he was African and not Indian, 100% Indian!

You know him "very well", but you did not know he was Guyanese, 100% Guyanese!!

He returned to Guyana and left again when you were a little girl!

How do you define knowing "very well?"

BTW, we still waiting for the NYSE ticker for Sundari!

Do you know "Sundari" very will too?

I lived next door to him for four years. And his daughter Oonya went to the school where I was a teacher.

Gyaal, wuh you do posting pon GNI before 4am?  You should be cuddling up and enjoying the body warmth!

Anyway, on Kempadoo me don’t doubt you were acquainted with di people. But claiming knowing “very well” and don’t know he was Indian and Guyanese don’t jive fuh most people!  

But nah mek worries, we believe you!

Baseman
Last edited by Baseman
Prashad posted:

Base if you see the man in person he looked Afro Guyanese.  

Then one cannot claim to know the person “very well!”!   That was my point.  Also, known “very well” but not know he was Guyanese after living next door for four years!!

To be acquainted and to know “very well” are two different things.

Baseman
Bibi Haniffa posted:
Prashad posted:

Base if you see the man in person he looked Afro Guyanese.  

Thank You.

Don’t take Prax seriously. He still harbors his pipe dream of AmerIndia!

Baseman
Last edited by Baseman
Baseman posted:
Prashad posted:

Base if you see the man in person he looked Afro Guyanese.  

Then one cannot claim to know the person “very well!”!   That was my point.  Also, known “very well” but not know he was Guyanese after living next door for four years!!

To be acquainted and to know “very well” are two different things.

Stop challenging people just for the sake of confrontation.  Not everyone lies the way you do.   Kempadoo had reason for concealing his true identity when I knew him.  He was doing some stupid development project which was being funded by Burnham.  He introduced himself as an Englishman and had a long gray beard and ponytail which looked like African hair.  Sort of a Rasta look.  His daughter Oonya is African.  He looked like a black man. I never questioned his identity. I saw him coming and going every day.  He lived a very reclusive life.  

Bibi Haniffa

Oh dowling, nuh tek worries pon yuh beautiful lil head!

Mi pappi did know the man, not very well.  He did tell us he was one of them Guyanese burnham brought back with nuff nuff promises.  We knew a few of them!  Some use to struggle rass!  Mr Duke used to cuss burnham!

Baseman

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