Guyana is indeed one of the most unique countries both in terms of geography and culture and therefore it could capitalise on its uniqueness to push its tourism sector as well as being the gateway to South America. Being a colony of Britain, the official language became English and its governmental systems, customs and way of life etc generally evolved and patterned itself after the British despite having peoples who came from Asia Africa who brought their own cultures, religions and customs and traditions. And so because of its colonial history Guyana became more integrated into the English-speaking Caribbean despite geographically being part of the South American mainland.
The southern part of Guyana, because of its proximity to Brazil, the people there have been having close interaction with their Brazilian counterparts for decades and as such the lifestyle there bears some similarities to that of their South Americans. One of those events which evolved there which is common to South American countries is the annual rodeo in Rupununi which over the years has grown into a really big event
This year’s event which will be held during Easter weekend, is heralded as the biggest ever The three-day event, kicks off on April 2 and is being organised by the Rupununi Rodeo Committee, in association with the Ministry and corporate sponsors.
Staged every Easter, it usually features vaqueros (cowboys) from ranches throughout the Rupununi and neighbouring Brazil showcasing their skills.
Minister with the Tourism portfolio, Mr. Manniram Prashad said this is the 70th year of the Lethem Rodeo and maintained it is a big show for several reasons.
“This is not just because every year you try to get bigger; this is because of a particular reason, this is the first time that the rodeo will be held with the Takutu River Bridge opened,” he noted.
Prashad said about 10,000 people are expected to converge at the ‘Triple R’ ground in Lethem and the organising committee and Rupununi Chamber of Commerce have, very importantly, done some infrastructural work at the venue to accommodate more people.
The Minister said this means that the Rodeo Committee is also investing back into the facilities.
He boasted that Rupununi Rodeo is one of the last of the original type in the world.
“So, it is very exciting and, for the spectators, it is thrilling but even very dangerous, sometimes, because these vaqueros have special skills to rope the animals and do it the way it was done 70 years ago in Lethem,” Prashad remarked.
Reiterating that it is, indeed, a very special event, he said, for the first time, the Rupununi Rodeo Pageant will be staged on Friday April 2, with rodeo on Saturday and Sunday.
Prashad said the programme will attract a large number of international visitors apart from neighbouring Brazil, pointing out that his ministry and Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) have had enquiries about it and transportation arrangements.
He announced that all flights to Lethem are fully booked but there are a lot of charters.
Prashad said the rodeo, being on the Ministry’s Easter Calendar information about it has been circulated to all the embassies overseas and posted on GTA’s website.
This event, big as it is already, has the potential to even grow into a bigger one and become one of the major tourist attractions not only for our South American neighbours but also for our Caribbean neighbours as well as for North American and European tourists. In order to achieve this we need to market this unique event more aggressively and consistently. One of the means by which this can be achieved is by utilizsng the services of our overseas diplomatic missions and organisations from within the Guyanese diaspora.
It is one of those events which Guyanese businesses could also use to promote their products among our foreign visitors and create greater trading opportunities with their South American counterparts and further afield.
The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and the organisers in Rupununi must be commended for continually striving towards making the Rupununi Rodeo a bigger and better event.