Thunder in Guyana

Summary

A Jewish girl from Chicago, she grew up to become president of Guyana; a South American nation. Janet Rosenberg Jagan, pegged "the Second Eva Peron", in an effort to explain how her typical Jewish upbringing led to her out-of-the-ordinary adult life pursuing service work and Marxist politics in Latin America. “I don’t know that people see White when they look at me,” Janet said in an interview, believing that her years in Guyana have allowed her to resemble the general population. “I’ve been around for a long time. Fifty-four years is a long time.”

Thunder in Guyana uncovers an atypical story of a woman who refused to allow her reservations or others opinions to prevent her from doing what she believed in. And through an account of Janet’s biography her intimately connected past with Guyana comes alive. Historic newsreel footage traces the British colony’s slow emancipation and assertion of independence, while discussions with Janet and her followers describe what the courageous female elected official did to organize and educate the country’s impoverished working class.

The days of her youth were relatively ordinary; nevertheless Janet was not an average youngster. Relatives and relations remember that, in her younger years, Janet was remarkably energetic and good-looking, and she was a stand out in all she undertook. As a matter of fact, she was so physically fit and strong-minded that she could have taken part in the Olympics games for swimming. However she could also be very defiant. In the film, Janet laughs recalling how enraged her mother and father were when they learned that, as a teen, she took flying lessons with the monetary allowance they provided her with.

Being a rebellious woman was not the sole reason for Janet to make a journey to Guyana; it was love. This same love was the purpose that kept her in the country for the remainder of her life. While a student at university, a handsome Guyanese exchange student, Cheddi Jagan, caught Janet’s eye. As a team they ventured into leftist politics, connecting through controversial ideas that excited them both and would serve as the bond to their relationship. When Janet traveled with Cheddi back to his native country, her father believed she would return to the United States within one year. He was mistaken; Janet has lived the majority of her adult life in Guyana, working with the government and public sector.

It is the suggestion of the film that Janet’s Jewish background enabled her to connect to the poor laborers of Guyana. Ms. Jagan grew up in an antisemitic, mostly-gentile community. Due to this fact, Janet experienced being made to feel lesser and subjugated. She recalls that her male relatives struggled to find employment, and she remembers that her school friends would tell mean racially prejudiced stories that they didn’t completely understand. Possibly her push for civil rights in Guyana was her personal means of fighting in opposition to the discrimination that she had experienced first hand.

These days, after devoting her time to fighting for a nation’s poor, Janet is seen as a self-sacrificing and relentless force, even into her mature years. “She’s been there from the very beginning. She’s put her neck out more than most Guyanese,” Janet's daughter-in-law (who is Guyanese) exclaims. “She’s more Guyanese than most Guyanese you’ll meet,” and adds, “she’s more Guyanese than me!”

However, Janet was not constantly admired by all. At the beginning of her involvement with politics, Janet’s opponents spread bogus reports that she was a family member of the legendary Rosenbergs who were put to death for spying. Also during this time, an American journalist indicated that she was spreading propaganda to enlist communists.

Luckily, contentment isn’t dependent on how people regard you, or even ease of life. Ms. Jagan’s tale shows that an agreeable life is the result of confidence within one’s self and living according to one’s beliefs. She and Cheddi were so focused on their cause that it didn’t matter what critics thought or said, and, if she could help the people, Janet didn’t mind living in an impoverished nation.

At eighty-two (at the time of filming), she still keeps an office, even now working for the Guyanese citizens, and happily doing so.