Speaking with Stabroek News in an interview during a recent visit to his birthplace, Adelphi Village, East Canje Berbice, the Canada-based writer noted that some 60 percent of the country's intellectuals are abroad and this priceless resource should be tapped through a structured relationship with Guyana for the benefit of the entire nation.

Dabydeen migrated to Canada more than 30 years ago and is a lecturer at the University of Ottawa in its Department of English. Since moving to Canada he has been writing prolifically, carving a reputation for himself. The writer was asked about his thoughts on the possible role of overseas-based Guyanese in the development of their homeland. "There are more than 500,000 Guyanese living in New York, London, Toronto, south Florida and other cities across North America. This represents an enormous amount of wealth which Guyana can ill-afford to ignore." The late President Cheddi Jagan he recalled spoke of a similar structured relationship between the diaspora and Guyana. "I recently spoke about the abundance of talent in the diaspora and the Global World Order at Penn State University in the United States pointing out the need for it all to be integrated into formal mechanisms."

Over the years, hundreds of Guyanese living abroad have periodically indicated a willingness to contribute towards Guyana's development having acquired a wide variety of skills and resourc-es. However such desires have been dampened by an apparent unwillingness on the part of successive administrations to explore the possibilities and the absence of any structured mechanisms to do so. This newspaper had spoken to a number of highly qualified Guyanese living in Toronto who had expressed their willingness to contribute to the country's uplift but only through a formalized arrangement. They were hoping that the government would initiate such an arrangement and invite Guyanese in the diaspora to participate.

Is there any group of Guyanese intellectuals living in Canada who meet to discuss possible ways of assisting their place of birth? "There are a few ad hoc groups which are formed from time to time to discuss a few major issues including the debt burden but no formal mechanism exists. On my return to Ottawa I will surely explore this possibility" was his response. Dabydeen was also asked if he thinks there is need for some form of intervention by Guyanese intellectuals in the diaspora to resolve the perennial ethnic and political problems in Guyana. "This perennial problem of our two races in some kind of conflict should be resolved sooner rather than later. Until we resolve this issue we will not progress as much as we should. However with the wisdom and the talent here and abroad I hope we could resolve this issue shortly" he replied.

Speaking of his personal contribution, the writer/poet and lecturer recalled that throughout the 1990's he was the Manager of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities - "the most powerful NGO in Canada. During my tenure I lobbied strongly for Guyana and today I understand the Federation is actively involv-ed in improving Municipali-ties throughout the country." Dabydeen has a Masters Degree in Public Administra-tion from Queens University.

And what are his views on regional integration? "I strongly believe integration is the key since it is a small pocket of population we are talking about in the Carib-bean. There is obviously a lot of potential for growth, viability and integration with the abundance of talents available across the region. The interest in the Caribbean may have waned somewhat over recent years because of other areas of strategic interest but efforts are afoot to resuscitate that interest at least in Canada by former Prime Minister Joe Clark," he noted. "There is a strong relationship between Canada and the Caribbean and in particular Guyana because Sir James Douglas - the father of British Colombia was born in Guyana. Apart from this there is an old relationship between Guyana and the Canadian Presbyterian Church and a lot of other relationships which we can build on and benefit from."

Dabydeen who writes fiction and poetry recently published his 16th book - Drums of My Flesh which is about a man named 'Boyo' living in Ottawa talking with his daughter about his father in Guyana. "It is about 'Boyo's' Guyanese ancestry and roots and very much about myself" he explained. According to the Danforth Review "this new novel is ambitious, evocative and poetic in form and style and stand outs as a Canadian and a Caribbean novel reflecting a bold and compassionate vision of the world by one of our most popular post-colonial writers."