Lynette de Weever Dolphin - A tribute
by Billy Pilgrim

Lynette de Weever Dolphin was a great Guyanese and one who directly affected the lives of so many of her countrymen; yet when one looks for a lofty word or phrase to describe her, what comes to mind is that she was a "doer" - she would disapprove of the pompous word "implementor."

From her earliest days, she didn't just learn to play the piano; before her teens she was an accompanist to singers and violinists at Sunday afternoon concerts on the West Coast and later in Georgetown. And less than a week before she died she completed her last publication, "Twenty Amerindian Folk Songs" to be sent to the printers.

Her early childhood was spent on the West Coast village of De Willem near Windsor Forest, and she was the second of the six children of Mr E. Linford Dolphin, a strict disciplinarian, after whom the Dolphin Government School is named. It was from her parents that she learnt the precepts of self-discipline, obedience, punctuality, and the other virtues that are mentioned but mostly ignored today.

Early in the 1930's, I think it was 1933, Miss Eleanor Brown arrived in the country and started giving piano lessons. Lynette was one of her first pupils, and in 1936 won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of music in London. Before this, however, she was already a pupil teacher from the age of 16, and was also busy performing solos and accompanying instrumentalists at the frequent Sunday afternoon concerts in the Town Hall and other venues that were such a feature of Georgetown, and indeed Guyanese, social life in the 1930's.

She took up her studies at the Royal Academy of Music in 1939, in the same month as the declaration of the war against Germany. During the war, the house in which she lived was bombed; Lynette was injured and returned home. She subsequently returned to England soon after the war and obtained the teaching diploma of a Graduate of the Royal Schools of Music.

Immediately on her return home she became completely involved in the musical activities of the country, teaching Music at Queens College and performing regularly. In 1947, she was one of the founding members of the B.G. Music Teachers' Association. In the 1960's she became the Honorary Local Representative of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. The same organisation which had given her the scholarship in the thirties.

Upon the achievement of Independence in 1966, Lynette was appointed Chairman of the National History and Culture Council, an unwieldly collection of some forty individuals from every conceivable cultural stratum in the infant country. Incidentally, she never approved of the term "Chairperson."

As was to be expected, this body was an overgrown talk-shop, and on the advent of the Republic it was reorganised as the National History and Arts Council, where she was in charge of a small staff to implement policies. Lynette then set about appointing directors in the various disciplines, who not only advised on cultural matters but also took the action required. For example, Mme Lavinia Williams was Director of the National School of Dance and Denis Williams, Director of the Burrowes School of Art.

It was at this time, too, that there was increased political and diplomatic activity internationally. The Non-Aligned Movement held its inaugural meeting in Guyana in 1971, and the Umana Yana was built for that purpose. This was Lynette's responsibility, as was the preparation of cultural programmes for the visitors. Then came 1972 and the first and still, according to our Caribbean brothers, the most successful CARIFESTA, out of which grew the National Cultural Centre which was opened in May, 1976. To give some idea of the pressures and activities at that time, the official unveiling of the "Cuffy" Statue of the Revolution and of the Cultural Centre took place on the same day.

Meanwhile the annual Flag Raising entertainments and Prime Ministerial Concerts continued on an annual basis, with other performances to be presented for other occasions or distinguished visitors.

Complementary to, and intertwined with these activities were the programmes of the National School of Dance and the National Dance Company, each with its annual presentation at the National Cultural Centre and the Burrowes School of Art, involved with scenery and, occasionally, lighting.

Then there were the four collections of National songs, the recent book of 100 Folk Songs, books of songs by Sr Rose Magdalene, George Noel and Eddie Hooper and the book of Amerindian Folk Songs, completed less than a week before she died and due to be printed shortly.

While we are on publications, let's switch to literature and the Edgar Mittleholzer Memorial lectures, the Kaie magazine and numerous smaller books of writings by young poets.

The list goes on and on, but what comes out of it is that she depended on other people. More than that, she was able to get people to work together - and to work enthusiastically - towards the successful completion of a particular project. During all this there were frequently fierce disagreements, lost tempers, strongly opposed views. But this meant that the final decision had been, as they say nowadays "fully democratic."

The best example I can think of is a meeting for CARIFESTA '72, held in her office, with Basil Hinds lying asleep on the floor from sheer exhaustion, someone stepping over him to take a tape recorder from the cupboard, while someone else was trying to get into the same cupboard for programmes. That was life!

Above all this, Lynette cared for people, and always looked after the welfare of her staff - when an office boy needed funds for some private purpose, she decided that the windows were dirty and needed cleaning - an overtime duty.

Did she have any faults? Of course she did. She could be pointlessly obstinate (although the 'point' became clear weeks or months later) and she stole pens. Every three months she would go around the office returning to their rightful owners ballpoints which she had appropriated during some emergency, to the amusement of all concerned. (She stole one from me four days before she died). There must be others, but I can't think of them now.