By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News|
LINDEN, REGION TEN — Inspired by acclaimed Nigerian photographer Steel Visuals, 28-year-old Linden-born visual artist Jamal Durant has sparked widespread national conversation with his latest painting, titled “Cost of Silence.”
Hailing from Old Kara Kara, Linden, Durant uses the thought-provoking portrait to confront self-censorship, bribery, and the social consequences faced by citizens and public figures who speak out against institutional failures—particularly surrounding the M.V. Barima maritime disaster, which claimed more than 70 lives.
Artistic Inspiration and Confronting Complicity
Durant drew inspiration from a visual concept by Nigerian artist Steel Visuals, who photographed a subject with banknotes covering his mouth to symbolize how money is weaponized to stifle dissent and bury systemic injustices.
Adapting the concept to the Guyanese context, Durant’s work challenges the quiet complicity of society, taking aim at popular social media personalities and commentators who remain conspicuously silent during moments of national tragedy.
“We love to laugh, but when it is something serious, where are you?” Durant questioned during an interview with Nightly News. “Some people will make you laugh, but justice will make you think. The fight for truth is uncomfortable, but silence only allows injustices to continue unchallenged.”
Transcending Race and Partisan Deflection
Addressing online commentators who attempted to frame the painting through a partisan or racial lens, Durant emphasized that his art transcends Guyana’s political and ethnic divides. Drawing from his own mixed heritage, he noted that the temptation or pressure to remain silent affects everyone regardless of background:
“Coming from where I come from, I do not look at race. My mother is Indian and my father is Black, so I am mixed,” Durant stated. “I created this painting showing that people of all races can be shut up—not just by Guyanese currency, but by money anywhere. As an artist, you will step on toes. But people should not use my work to point fingers at race or political parties to deflect from a preventable national tragedy.”
Raising the Call for Accountability
Rooting his visual commentary in the biblical passage 1 Timothy 6:10 (“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil”), Durant affirmed that he published the piece knowing it would provoke discomfort and pushback:
“Knowing I would get backlash is exactly why I posted the image,” Durant explained. “The painting is there to remind us that we have freedom of speech as a people, and that asking for accountability for victims should never be silenced.”
Through Cost of Silence, the Linden artist continues to amplify public demands for transparency, justice, and reform in the wake of national tragedies.
