Lee Wah a treasured icon

THE EDITOR: The nation and in particular the drama fraternity mourn the loss of James Lee Wah, a formidable stalwart in the pursuit of establishing platforms for the propagation of artistic and cultural excellence.

Lee Wah is credited with the formation of the San Fernando Arts Council in 1969, aiming to promote theatrical and cultural excellence in the southland, eventually providing space for rehearsals, tuition and performances in all aspects of the arts, through the establishment of the Creative Arts Centre.

He established the Junior Arts Festival in 1970 to harness and develop the artistic talent of our primary and secondary students, which has now grown national in scope. This festival has discovered stars like Joanne Foster, Sherma Andrews, Machel Montano, Kees Dieffenthaller, and others.

Lee Wah also founded the Secondary Schools Drama Festival Association to showcase the talents of our secondary students in theatre, and founded the San Fernando Drama Guild and, later on, the San Fernando Theatre Workshop, both of which produced local and international stars, among them Errol Sitahal, Sullivan Walker, Ralph Maraj, Susan Harrington, Monica Davis, Hansley Ajodha, David Sammy, Avion Crooks, Devindra Dookie and Tony Hall, and writers such as Maraj, Walid Baksh, Melville Foster, Dennis Noel and Shane Bickram.

He worked assiduously in the pursuit of artistic and cultural excellence with stalwarts like Horace James, Albert La Veau, Torrence Mohammed, Eric Butler, Joyce Kirton, Beryl McBurnie, among many others. He was also instrumental in the formation of the National Drama Association.

But his concerns were not only of theatrical issues. He formed the San Fernando Citizens Action Group which clamoured for the cessation of quarrying and destruction of the San Fernando Hill, resulting in the establishment of that geological formation as a heritage park.

Lee Wah served his entire career as an educator at Naparima College as teacher and vice principal, ending his career as acting principal. Some of his memorable directed works include Man Better Man, Sleepy Valley, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl and Belle Fanto.

He will be sorely missed as one of our treasured icons in the field of arts and culture. He will live on in our memory if we emblazon his name on the Naparima Bowl. That certainly will be a fitting tribute as that was his stomping ground.

WALID BAKSH

Marabella