GOVERNMENT is to erect a new monument this year to memorialize the contributions of those heroic people who rose up in revolt against the colonizers in 1823 on the East Coast of Demerara. “Their bravery and sacrifices have helped to accelerate the abolition of the horrendous system of slavery. With this monument, we will have a visual symbol to awaken our collective conscience, and to remind us of their selfless sacrifices in building the foundation of modern Guyana,” said the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport during his budget presentation in the House Thursday.
He also announced plans the ministry has in store for the ‘Cuffy Monument. “Mr. Speaker, the National Trust continues to protect our national heritage sites. We have done substantial work at Fort Zeelandia, Fort Nassau, [and] Kyk-over-al, and work is ongoing to restore the Old Dutch Windmill at Hogg Island.
“This year, we have budgeted significant sums for the rehabilitation of The 1763 Monument. The restoration would include fixing the fountain, [and] lights, and to landscape the surrounding environment.”
Noting that undoubtedly, no one year’s allocation can suffice to fund the plethora of actions and activities necessary to preserve and promote cultural heritage, Dr Anthony said:  “However, we are pleased that once again, the MCYS has benefitted from a funding increase to continue our programmes, and to expand into new areas.”
He also touched on the work being done to preserve the four public museums here, which all fall under the purview of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. “The MCYS has been modernizing each of these facilities, by making significant infrastructure upgrades, creating new exhibition spaces, expanding our library holdings, and adding new exhibits,” he said, adding: 
“The National Museum has now become a popular venue for special commemorative exhibitions. Some of these were done by local organizations; others were done by foreign embassies, such as Russia, China, India and Mexico.”
Continuing, he said the Walter Roth Museum continues to play a pivotal role in the development of anthropology and archaeology in Guyana. One of the many strengths of that museum, he said, is its education programme. “We continue to offer a number of specialized courses, public lectures by prominent Guyanese and international scholars, and, of course, we have a number of publications on Amerindian history and culture that are available to everyone,” he said.
The Museum of African Heritage, he said, continues to provide a valuable service to the community. “During the year [2010], this museum was instrumental in hosting several lectures, facilitated meetings of Afro-centric organizations, conducted many field outreaches to document history and cultural practices. This year, the museum will be an active partner in the celebration of the UN-designated ‘Year of Peoples of African Descent’,” he said.

A better tomorrow for youths
On the theme of the national budget: ‘Together Building Tomorrow’s Guyana -Today’, the minister said that inherent in its concept is an urgent call to action “to realize that dream; that cherished prosperity now…  not defer it on an excuse, [nor] postpone it on promise, but to make that dream today’s reality.”
He said that it was in light of the foregoing premise that he commended Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, and his hardworking staff for a job well done. “It is against this backdrop that I extend my sincere congratulations to Dr. Ashni Kumar Singh and his staff for once again rising to the challenge of fulfilling the aspirations of the citizens of Guyana. His analytical and pragmatic presentation has comprehensively covered all the core areas of the economy, leaving hardly any room for debate,” Dr Anthony said.
Knocking the opposition for their uncharitable comments on the budget, he said that listening to their arguments; one gets the feeling “that they are chasing shadows.” Some have even invented phantoms instead of arguing on substance, he said, in obvious reference to AFC Parliamentarian, Sheila Holder’s phantom theory on the state of the old age pensioners’ register.
With regard to the New Opportunity Corps (NOC), the minister said that that institution for troubled youngsters has been substantially upgraded. “In addition,” he said, “the programmes offered by NOC include remedial education, learning trade craft   while some students are allowed to attend school in the community.”
Not yet done with apprising his parliamentary colleagues of the exciting developments taking place at the NOC, Dr Anthony said:
“Mr. Speaker, technically, our responsibility ends when a student is discharged from the NOC. But the Ministry and UNICEF have created a reintegration programme. This programme helps the child to reintegrate back into society, to restore the family connections and to function as a useful and productive citizen.
“This programme, which started in 2009, has already benefitted 104 persons of the 142 discharged in the two-year period. We offer support to these children to continue their education or to find jobs. This support is in the form of guidance by MCYS staff, and a grant of $20,000 to assist them to get tools of their trade or other essential needs. This programme has helped many of these young people to reintegrate successfully.”
Turning his attention to other matters, the minister said: “Mr. Speaker, in the area of Citizenship/Leadership, the ministry continues to operate youth camps across Guyana. This year we intend to reach another 7,000 young people with these programmes. Our Career Guidance Committee held 10 career guidance fairs; this year this would be expanded to 15 such fairs.”
He said the ministry will also continue to build on the good work that the President Youth Award Republic of Guyana (PYARG) programme has done over the last decade. “This year, we expect another 2000 young people to join the Award. These young people would be involved in adventure trekking, community development projects, and edutainment activities,” he said.
He also spoke of developments in the IT sector. “Mr. Speaker, given the technological progress that has been made globally, and the investments and developments that will be made in the ICT sector in Guyana, it is imperative that we focus on digitalizing our archival records. Preliminary efforts would commence this year. In addition, the MCYS will be spending $8 million to expand our storage capacity,” he said.

Music, dance, drama and film
In the area of the creative arts, Minister Anthony said that this year, the MCYS will be investigating the feasibility of introducing a certification programme at the National Dance School, which will allow for some 500 students to receive a certificate upon graduation.
Said he: “The ministry will work with partners on a programme to develop regional dance schools; these schools will help nurture the creative talents across our country, and allow the participants and performers to be affiliated to the National Dance School.”
He said too that this year, the MCYS will once again partner with the Guyana Music Teachers Association and the Lutheran Church to host the Guyana Music Festival. “In the lead-up to the festival, there would be several workshops: There would be a piano tuners workshop, [and a] piano workshop by well-known Guyanese pianist, Ray Luck,” he said.
He said that over the last year, the MCYS has been working on the development of National Music School. “We believe that this school will lay the foundation for a strong music sector, by providing certified practical and theoretical training. The work on this school is proceeding apace, and we are scheduled to open this facility during the year,” he announced.
On the subject of theatre, which he said is one of the oldest disciplines of the performing arts here, Dr. Anthony said: “…We can see the roots of theatre dating back to the masquerade bands and to the Ramleela performances. In 2008, we made substantial investments in the sector… rehabilitation of the Theatre Guild and Lichas Hall; the maintenance of The National Cultural Centre; and training more than 750 persons in theatre arts.” 
He said that because of the large numbers of people expressing a desire to learn drama, the ministry will use the National Cultural Centre not only as a theatre space, but also an educational one. “We will open a theatre school at the National Cultural Centre.”
Also on the cards is the launch of a National Drama Festival. “This festival,” he said, “has the full support of the playwrights, producers, actors and actresses. It is our intention to make this an annual event on the cultural calendar of Guyana.”
And since there is a logical nexus between drama and film, the ministry has started a pilot programme and incubator for young film producers. Five persons will benefit from grants to produce short films. The programme is being facilitated by the University of Guyana and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.
Anthony noted that a culture of books is essential to help to record, promote and disseminate knowledge. “The ministry has also ventured into publishing, as you are aware we have created the Caribbean Press. In just two years we have published more than 18 books, relating to Guyanese literature and history. During this year we will continue this strong publication agenda. We expect that by the end of the year we should have another 10 books published as part of the Guyana Classics,” he said.
He said as part of our publishing agenda for 2011, the ministry will be publishing all of Dr. Jagan’s speeches that were made in parliament from 1947 to 1990. “With these publications of Dr. Jagan’s speeches we will start a publishing trend. We at the Caribbean Press are willing to publish the parliamentary speeches of all presidents of Guyana, once they are properly compiled,” he announced.