…Min. Cummings says activity helps foster cultural diplomacy

SCORES of Guyanese youth learnt about the functions and responsibilities of diplomatic missions and organisations in Guyana, on Friday, at the Diplomatic Fair 2020 hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diplomatic Community.

The event forms part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations of Guyana as a Co-operative Republic and took place at the D’Urban Park. It showcased booths from numerous countries displaying their food, cultural wear, literature, sculptures and more. Meanwhile, the formal aspect of the programme involved speeches from representatives of the ministry and presentations in dance, poetry, instrumental renditions and song.

Addressing the gathering was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings, who expressed her delight at being a part of the activity which fosters cultural diplomacy. “This Diplomatic Fair serves as a key platform to educate the public about diplomacy and Guyana’s foreign policy objectives. It brings together Embassies and High Commissions accredited to Guyana, as well as various Guyanese stakeholders, to showcase and promote cultural diplomacy through creative expressions, such as arts, music and global cuisine,” Minister Cummings said.

Minister Cummings urged participants to travel the world in one day, and enjoy the offerings on display at the Diplomatic Fair. “This is an excellent example of international cooperation thanks to the enthusiastic and generous participation of so many Guyanese-based diplomatic missions. I believe this is a timely activity especially as we are about to observe 50 years as a Republic, and I am most grateful to all the representatives of the Diplomatic Corps for presenting their countries to the Guyanese people in such creative ways, and for joining in this most important social activity today,” Minister Cummings underscored.

For his part, Foreign Secretary, Carl Greenidge, said that as Guyana commemorates its Republic Jubilee with a month of events, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs felt it necessary to inform the public, in a creative way, of the work of diplomatic missions and international organisations in Guyana. He said that the fair, which was largely attended by youths, will serve as an information hub for young people contemplating entering the field. “For most of the public, diplomacy is a vague term and for many,” Greenidge stated. “It is our hope that this event will serve to educate the public on the important role of the diplomatic service and will even give our young people that ability to envisage themselves in a career they might have thought not within their reach.”

He expressed the hope that those attending would visit the various booths and learn about the rich culture of nations around the globe. In commending the dedicated work of the staff of the Ministry and its organising committee, he also spoke to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which has worked for over 50 years to advance diplomatic relations. The Foreign Secretary said that the ministry continues to stand out as an institution that is racially harmonious, gender sensitive and inclusive in the pursuit of its national mandate, thereby winning the respect of the international community.

Meanwhile, Director of Bilateral Affairs at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Michael Brotherson, said that the ministry chose to organise the event with the aim of demystifying the operations of the diplomatic community.

“For many onlookers, the work of foreign ministries, diplomatic missions and international organisations may often appear a mystery. For many, diplomacy is a perplexing profession and the perceptions of the diplomatic service are not always reflective of what the real situation is, even as diplomats are sometimes misunderstood. It is with this reality in mind that the ministry chose to organise this event with the hope of helping to demystifying the work of the diplomatic service,” he said.

Following the remarks, the programme featured cultural displays such as a puppet show in collaboration with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and Merundoi; a Tai Chi performance from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China; and a musical rendition from the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

The booths on display came from the High Commission of Canada; High Commission of UK; Embassy of the United States of America; Embassy of the Argentine Republic; Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; Embassy of the Republic of Cuba; Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Suriname ; Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes of Malta; Delegation of the European Union; Embassy of the United Mexica States; Embassy of the Republic of Chile; Embassy of the Cooperative Republic of Brazil; Embassy of the Republic of the Russian Federation; Caribbean Community; the Caribbean Secretariat; High commission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago ; Iwokrama; the Inter-American Development Bank; Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture; the Coorperative Republic of Guyana; United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); the United Nations (UN) and UNESCO.

Visiting some of these booths was U.S. Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, who expressed her pleasure with the amount of persons who attended. “It’s been a terrific morning with all the booths and everyone displaying their home countries and their culture and sometimes their food. It’s wonderful to see all the young people out here,” she said.

Ambassador Lynch said that over at the US Embassy’s booth, persons are learning about what the Embassy is doing in the areas of governance, security and economic development.
Also speaking to the newspaper was Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, who commended the initiative as meeting an evident need.

“This is a good exhibition to show how embassies function, how various cultures are intermingling in Guyana and at the same time what does each High Commissioner of the Embassy represent. I think this will be a good knowledge form for all the visitors and we would want to encourage, especially the kids, to come in and partake of not only the culture, but the traditions and also the food from various embassies and enjoy the day,” he said.

Proudly displaying the Chinese culture and answering the questions on those who stopped by was Deputy Chief of Mission of the Chinese Embassy, Chen Xilai, who told this newspaper that the response received shows that many Guyanese are interested. “I really pleased to see so much people interested in the Chinese culture, particularly the young students. They have come to the booths a lot of times asking us a lot of questions. We are very much pleased to answer those questions and it is a very good opportunity for the embassy,” he said.