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Glimpses of Martin Carter N Hi I S Earlyyears

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Glimpses of Martin Carter N Hi I S Earlyyears Glimpses Of Martin Carter In Hi s EarlyYears by Janet Jagan hands/listening when you speak/ I have not seen very much printed about Martin marching in your Carter's life. What we have are several editions ranks/you must of his poetry, from the pages of early Kyk-Over- know/I do not at publications in the forties and fifties and a sleep to dream, series of'prints of local poets known as the but dream to Miniature Poets, which included Martin Cart- change the er's "The Hill of Fire Glows Red." I remember world." These are this edition very well because those seeking to the poems of a print the series solicited donations from several young, passionate quarters and I made my contribution. At one time revolutionary, in- Martin Carter I had the entire collection of the small, about 5 spired to rid the world and his own Guyana, of inches long, ver' neat books of poetry. This edi- repression and exploitation. tion of 1951 cotained some of his most mag- Martin Carter was, in the period of the nificent poems and, I am certain, were inspired early fifties, a civil servant and thus could not by his political involvement at that time. take active part in political life. But he was Look again at his "Three Years After This", strongly involved in the radical politics of the his poem to the Enmore Martyrs. "Three years time and was, secretly, a member of the Peo- after this/I walked behind a memory of flowers/ ple's Progressive Party (PPP) led by Dr Cheddi a memory of flowers red and white/and yet, and Jagan. I was at that time General Secretary of yet my city has no shame/my city with a prison the PPP and editor of the Party monthly journal for a heart/city of dust and silent streets/city of Thunder. We worked out an arrangement street preachers." He was describing our annual whereby Martin would write for Thunder, us- commemoration at the graves of the five Enmore ing the name "M. Black," to protect him from workers who were killed in 1948 - "three years violating the civil service restrictions on being after this." involved in political life. The first recorded pub- "No! I will not still my voice;" "This is my lication in Thunder was a poem "The Indian hand for the revolution;" "Oh/wake and give to Woman" appearing in the September 1950 edi- me the flames, the red flames! Oh/wake and give tion. It was a compassionate poem about the to me the flames, the red flames!" and his in- sufferings of plantation life - "He, dead beat with spiring "And so/if you see me/looking at your day's murderous toil; she wearied out with weed- 24 mg come/To their dim hovel and the rags/Those could not see your face above the crowd/but your rags called bed of poverty." voice rang for the revolution/like my own heart His next contribution was in October 1950 ringing/my own heart ringing/for fire in a world when he wrote about "The children of Israel" in too cold for life. Last night your voice was ring- which he discussed the bitter life on sugar es- ing/like a bell for the revolution!/a clear bell for tates, comparing it to the persecution by the the revolution!" Pharaohs of the children of Israel. He referred In 1953, the PPP contested the first elec- to the Rev. John Smith who had written: "The rig- tions under universal adult suffrage. Martin ours of Negro slavery, I believe, can never be Carter, who by that time had quit the civil serv- mitigated. The system must be abolished" writ- ice, was a candidate for the New Amsterdam seat. ten in 1823. M. Black observed that for believ- His was one of the few losses, as the PPP won ing such things, Smith died in jail in 1824. an outstanding victory at the polls. The heady In Thunder of July 1951 M. Black ad- days of our 133 days in office ended on Octo- dressed young people, calling on them to destroy ber 9, with the British government suspending evil conditions. He referred to the slums of the constitution and the arrival of British troops Georgetown and reminded his readers that the to occupy the country. country was under a colonial administration Martin and others were detained at the air- which served the interests of those "who have port (then under US military) known then as made this country into a glorious plantation with Atkinson Field. He was heavily involved all dur- dim villages and weary townships." ing this time and his magnificent "Poems of During this period, we lived at 97 Lalurn Resistance" of 1954 were inspired by this pe- Street, Queenstown, Georgetown. Martin lived riod of resistance. I remember, along with his in Anira Street, which was one block north of wife Phyllis, being involved in the publication Laluni and about a half block down from the cross of these poems. street. Thus, we were a mere one and half blocks All through the years since that time, and apart. Meetings of the Executive Committee of despite, at times, very serious political differ- the PPP were kept at our house and Martin at- ences, we remained friends. Nothing could wash tended as a secret member. Many times he and away those times we all spent together in the Wilson Harris, Guyanese writer and poet, came struggle to liberate Guyana. over to our house in the evenings and read to us In the most recent edition of Martin Cart- their latest poems. Those were unforgettable er's selected poems he dedicated the collection evenings. "To the Memory of Dr Cheddi Jagan and the Martin attended many political meetings, Spirit of Guyana's Independence Movement." although he was not allowed to speak. This poem His love and regard for Cheddi withstood time he gave me after a meeting at Vreed-en-Hoop in and events over some 47 years. November 1951 - "Last night your voice was (This article was written for Thunder by ringing/like a horse shoe on a cloud/ringing to Mrs Janet Jagan before she was elected Presi- me as though you were my lover. Last mght!I dent of Guyana and before Martin death). 25 A T'ribute To The Late Martin Carter by Janet Jagan "Today my wife brought me a letter from a comrade. It is so hard to believe that Martin Carter is dead. I hid it in my bosom from the soldiers." But he is. It is therefore, with a profound sense of They could not know my heart was reading sadness that one laments this fact. 'Courage'? In 1954, Martin Carter wrote with the insight They could not dream my skin was toughening of the great poet that he was: 'Struggle' "I "Comrade, the world is loud with songs of free- What Martin Carter did was for the love of dom country and for his countrymen and women and their Mankind is breeding heroes every day." posterity. He made the connection between the re- With the modesty that was so characteristic of sistance of the indigenous people to the colonisers, him, Martin Carter would have protested if he were the struggle for Emancipation by the slaves, and the told that he was, even at that time, one of this coun- protests against another kind of slavery by the Enmore try's heroes. But, indeed he was. Martyrs, and that existential struggle in which he and Some peopl7 have monuments raised in their his compatriots were involved. honour. Martin's nonument will, forever, be his un- These things alone ensure Martin Carter a shin- forgettable contribution to this nation's struggle for ing place in Guyana's history. He will not be forgot- independence. That contribution was marked with ten. deeds of valour and courage. But, more than that, They do not die who bequeath some lasting in- Martin was a tremendous source of inspiration to those fluence on the land they love. of us who were his colleagues and comrade-at-arms Martin's influence will live on in his poetry. The in that struggle. ring of authenticity and truth in his poems, the univer- We know of his sacrifices; we are ever so sal nature of his imagination that finds expression in aware of his courage. In what he was to describe as the concrete and specific, the lilt and cadence of his "the dark time," "the season of oppression, dark metal verse, will live on to inspire generations to come. and tears," Martin hurled his challenge to the enemy: So he has moved on, as all humans must. He "Although you come in thousands from the sea stands somewhere in the distance, a hero, like a beck- Although you walk like locusts in the street oning truth, challenging us to rise above ourselves in Although you point your gun straight at my heart the interest of this nation. And we say to him each I clench my fist above my head; I sing my song one of us, in his words: of freedom." "Now from the mourning vanguard moving on Neither detention, beating nor jail could deter dear Comrade I salute and I say him; nor could these things muzzle his mind or mute Death will not find us thinking that we die." his pen. They simply stirred him to greater resolu- (The eulogy, written by Mrs Janet Jagan was tion, and raised him to higher levels of inspiration.
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