Kit Nascimento

Christopher "Kit" A. Nascimento (born 4 January 1932) is a Guyanese journalist, rugby administrator and former politician who served in various ministerial roles under the premiership of Forbes Burnham, including Minister for Information and Minister of State for the Office of the Prime Minister.

Early life and education

Christopher A. Nascimento was born to a Portuguese Guyanese family on 4 January 1932. a prominent figure in Guyanese politics during the process of independence and the leader and founder of The United Force. Nascimento is an alumnus of St. Stanislaus College. He was later educated in Britain and at Boston University in the United States.

Politics and journalism

Early career

Nascimento was banned from press conferences by Cheddi Jagan during his term as Premier of British Guiana. He was employed as a radio journalist at the time. Nascimento became a member of the United Force, before joining the PNC following Guyanese independence in 1966, when Nascimento left his graduate studies in Boston in order to return to take up the role of adviser to the Minister of Information in the new government headed by Forbes Burnham. a member of parliament, and a member of the PNC. He maintained this position in government during the events of the Jonestown massacre.

Jonestown

Nascimento visited Jonestown in 1977 while other government ministers were in Panama during the signing of the Torrijos–Carter Treaties. At the visit, Nascimento served Jones with papers related to the Stoen case by nailing the papers to a wooden wall, which then led to a state of emergency in Jonestown referred to as the "six day siege". Jones would go on to accuse Nascimento of being an agent for the CIA.

According to Nascimento's own account, he had contacted Forbes Burnham one month prior to the Jonestown massacre, with concerns about Jim Jones, leader of the People's Temple, after being contacted by people in San Francisco (where Jones was located before moving to Guyana). Following this contact, Guyanese government visits to the site increased along with visits from the U.S. Embassy.

Nascimento was already in the United States at Guyana's consulate office in New York City on 18 November 1978, At the office, he was contacted by Burnham immediately following the first reports of deaths in Jonestown. Nascimento also denied that Guyanese public officials had removed US$700,000 by plane from the Jonestown site. In 2024, Nascimento stated that the government of Guyana should not open the former Jonestown site as a tourist attraction, as such a move would not be in the interest of Guyana's international image, and would not be respectful of those who had died.

Later political and journalistic activities

In 1981, Nascimento was Minister for Mechanical Equipment in the Ministry of Works and Transport.

Following his political career in government, Nascimento became a communication consultant and public communications specialist, and has continued to publish opinion pieces in Guyanese newspapers and international newspapers such as the Trinidad Express. Nascimento has also served as a member of Guyana's private sector commission. Nascimento was a commentator on Vieira Communications Television (VCT) in the 1990s.

2020 election

In May 2021, Nascimento and several Guyanese news outlets were sued for the sum of $2.6bn by President David A. Granger for letters published by Nascimento in various Guyanese newspapers following the 2020 Guyanese general election, where Nascimento had been an elections observer. Nascimento had been in a public row with Granger, with Granger accusing Nascimento of inflammatory and incorrect statements. Nascimento had accused Granger of attempting to rig the election. Nascimento successfully encouraged the organisers of the Nereid Yacht Rally, an annual yacht rally, to permanently hold a stage in Guyana.

Rugby

Nascimento was capped as a player for the Guyana national rugby union team in the 1950s and 60s. serving in the role for 7 years in total. Nascimento was first elected president in 2001, after a number of years as vice-president. He also served as president of the West Indies Rugby Union, as well as the NAWIRA and its successor body, NACRA, being the first native West Indian to serve as president on any of those boards. He was then the first native West Indian to serve as a board member of the International Rugby Board. Following his retirement as president of GRFU on 14 May 2012, Nascimento was appointed as patron of the GRFU in 2014, and was reappointed patron in 2023.

Personal life

Nascimento married Gem Madhoo, a former member of staff at Guyana National Cooperative Bank. He was previously married to Elayne Coyne, from Watertown, Massachusetts.