Guyana will be celebrating the 176th anniversary of African emancipation on August 1; and as customary, President Bharrat Jagdeo has extended a helping hand to cultural ogranisations in the execution of their scheduled activities during the period. Yesterday, General Secretary of African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA), Stan Cooke, and officials of the Bagotville Culture Circle met President Jagdeo at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC).
While speaking with the Government Information Agency (GINA), Cooke was only at liberty to say that this year the President continued his general gesture of providing assistance during the season.
Chairman of the Bagotville Culture Circle Ashton Crawford disclosed however, that President has benevolently donated money totalling $500,000 to enhance the group’s series of emancipation activities.
The group began its activities on July 25 with a church service, followed by a symposium, police band concert, and an evening of folklore and spirituals. The activities culminate on July 31 with a cultural presentation at the Bagotville Community Centre ground.
The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, as part of government’s effort to preserve the country’s multicultural nature, recently donated cheques amounting to $1.6M to a number of African cultural groups for Emancipation activities.
The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) also donated cheques totalling $400,000 to three other groups.
The theme for this year’s celebrations is “Our Heritage, Our Strength, Our Prosperity” with a sub-theme of “Celebrating our Youths.” ACDA has selected Vergenoegen as the special village for this year’s celebrations.
ACDA’s programme of activities include a seven-day programme of drumming, singing, dancing and storytelling in front of Demico House by the Ife House of Santaria, a street bazaar on Main Street, opposite Courts, a concert at the National Park, and a candle light march that ends at the Square of the Revolution on the eve of emancipation.
(GINA)