Mr. ‘Wyck’ Williams Visits the AlphaMax Academy

An historical moment for the Academy and its mango tree

By Ruth M. P. Saman-- GAC 2012

On a sunny Tuesday morning when I walked through the gates of the AlphaMax Academy, I saw a group of four familiar and unfamiliar men.  Immediately, I could recognize Mr. Ben Hurl, Mr. Drepaul and Mr. Taylor, but I did not recognize the highly animated man they were talking to.  This man was Mr. N.D. ‘Wyck’ Williams.

He visited the AlphaMax Academy on Tuesday, November 8 and Wednesday, November 9, 2011, and joined the AlphaMax High School students/teachers in assembly.  During this morning’s assembly, Mr. Williams was welcomed to our school and Suriname, and he also had the opportunity to speak with us.  He introduced himself and talked about his experience in Suriname and at the Academy; from his way of speaking, you could perceive that he was nervous and that he is a very energetic person.

After the break, we  experienced a historical moment were Mr. Williams came up with the idea of writing a book about the famous mango tree that lies in the soul at the AlphaMax Academy.  Mr. Ben Hur had observed some time ago to Mr. Drepaul: ‘The mango tree blooms at the same time, but the fruits ripen first on one side and then later on the other.’  This surprised and amazed me that Mr. Ben has noticed it, and this was also the source of Mr.Wyck’s idea of writing a book about the mango tree. 

After this, Mr. Wyck came up with another idea of including the High School students in helping him write this story.  This would then become a writing competition and the winner will receive a prize. 

The next day in the writing class, Mr. Wyck spoke briefly about the creative process about the tree.  He gave us ideas of how this story about the mango tree could look like.  He motivated us and made our minds run with possible ideas to write the best story about/based on the mango tree.  After the last meeting with Mr. Wyck, we took group photos under the mango tree.

I think Mr. Wyck has triggered our students’ enthusiasm for writing a creating story about the mango tree.  Now we have to find our Muse and write.  By doing this creative project, student’s hidden talents will be unleashed. I am sure that Mr. Williams will be amazed with the wonderful stories that will be ready for him to read in March-April.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

N.D. (Wyck) Williams was born in Guyana in 1942. He went to Jamaica as a student to study at University of the West Indies at Mona in 1968. As a student he witnessed the riots following student demonstrations against the banning of the late Dr. Walter Rodney. This is now referred to as the Rodney riots 1968. He writes of being powerfully influenced by the radical, nativist currents in Jamaican culture - reggae and yard theatre - of this period. He had stories published in Jamaica Journal and Savacou and in the anthologies, One People's Grief (1983) and Best West Indian Stories.

In 1976 his first novel Ikael Torass won the prestigious Casa de las Americas prize. It draws on his experiences in Jamaica and particularly the Rodney episode. He also explores the role of the university and education as an agent of social division, as well as the revolt on campus and in the wider society against the repressive forces in Jamaican society. Ikael has been described as a "sophisticated investigation of Rastafari" by researcher Michael Mitchell.

Williams lived for a time in Antigua before moving to the U.S. where he lives in New York. His works, from the short stories of The Crying of Rainbirds (1992), the novel, The Silence of Islands (1994), the two novellas My Planet of Ras and What Happening There, Prash in Prash and Ras (1997), to the short stories in Julie Mango (2003), all published by Peepal Tree Press, explore both an island and a diasporic experience.

In 2002 Williams published his searching look at the teeming underclass of New York in his disturbing novel "ah, Mikhail, O Fidel".

Two other collection of short stories followed-- "Colonial Cream" in January 2003 and "The Friendship of Shoes"(Nov 2005)