-as government expands support for creative industries
Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, has urged Guyanese writers to use their craft to preserve the country’s history, capture the experiences of its people, and ensure that Guyana’s stories are told with authenticity, imagination and skill.
The prime minister made the call while delivering the feature address at the 2026 Guyana Prize for Literature, where he congratulated the shortlisted writers and recognised the important role literature continues to play in shaping national identity and documenting the Guyanese experience.
He stressed that storytelling carries a responsibility that extends beyond entertainment, particularly for a country whose history was often recorded through colonial perspectives.
“Tell those stories truthfully. Tell them with imagination and skill. Give future readers more than official deeds and public events. Give them private hopes, anxieties, contradictions, and the people who live through this time,” the prime minister urged.
Brigadier Phillips said Guyanese writers have an important role to play in correcting historical narratives by giving greater voice and dignity to people whose experiences may have been overlooked or distorted in traditional accounts.
He noted that Guyana has produced writers whose work has reached international audiences, demonstrating that stories originating in a relatively small Caribbean society can resonate far beyond the country’s borders.
However, he acknowledged the challenges confronting the Caribbean literary sector, including small and fragmented markets, geographical barriers, limited publishing and distribution opportunities, and the need for greater access to professional editing, mentorship and sustainable opportunities for writers.
Against this backdrop, he called for a literary culture that reflects the full diversity of Guyanese life.
He said writers should produce stories from the coastland and hinterland, villages and towns, as well as from the diaspora, while preserving language, examining difficult chapters of history, documenting contemporary change and imagining Guyana’s future.
“If we do not tell these stories with knowledge and confidence, others will tell them incompletely, or they may not be told at all,” he said.
Prime Minister Phillips also underscored the importance of building a stronger literary ecosystem, pointing to the need for regular workshops, reading groups, residencies, school writing clubs, public readings, editorial services and literary journals, alongside stronger partnerships among writers, libraries, universities, publishers and the private sector.
He encouraged writers to support each other by buying and reviewing local books and introducing Guyanese titles to new readers.
The prime minister also highlighted government’s renewed support for the literary sector, noting that the Guyana Prize for Literature has been restored and modernised, with submissions and judging moved online to reduce the cost and logistical burden associated with printing and transporting entries.
He said the initiative is intended to restore confidence in the national institution and make it easier for Guyanese writers at home and abroad to participate.
He further pointed to the expansion of the Guyana Prize into a broader four-day literary festival, featuring workshops, storytelling sessions, poetry, drama and public conversations.
He said this forms part of government’s wider investment in the creative economy, with $3.7 billion allocated in 2026 to Orange Economy initiatives.
The prime minister said literary arts form part of a broader creative sector encompassing heritage, visual and performing arts, film, fashion, festivals and gastronomy.
He noted that national consultations with creatives, cultural practitioners, policymakers, development partners and private-sector representatives have examined key areas including training, financing, market access, policy support and international competitiveness.
He said these interventions must ultimately create meaningful opportunities for creative practitioners to build sustainable careers from their talents.
Prime Minister Phillips closed by encouraging writers to remain committed to their craft.
“Keep writing. And keep reading. Invest in yourself as we continue to find ways to invest in you,” he declared.
He also urged writers to experiment with form, genre and setting, while remaining open to rigorous editing and continuous development.
Brigadier Phillips congratulated all shortlisted writers and participants, noting that publication and recognition are achievements, but not the end of a writer’s growth.
He said the stories produced today will help shape how this period of Guyana’s development is understood by future generations.