GOVERNMENT is pumping more than $7M this year into programmes and activities aimed at making the 16th anniversary of African Emancipation a success. This is being done in a tangible demonstration of support for Emancipation celebrations in Guyana, and with the hope that those celebrations will, this year, be more colourful than ever,
President Donald Ramotar, accordingly, headed a distribution process yesterday in which more than 45 local African cultural groups received cheques for amounts ranging from $30,000 to $5M, depending on their programmes and the magnitude of their activities.
The African Cultural Development Association (ACDA) was allocated the largest amount – $5M. The Buxton group was allocated $200,000; and other groups, including from Linden, were allocated monies as well.
The donations were made through the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sports, and beneficiaries were drawn from Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10.
President Ramotar regarded August 1 as “a most significant date”, saying that while it is the commemoration of the anniversary of African emancipation, it is “a celebration for all Guyanese”.
On August 1, 1834 emancipation was declared and in 1838 the liberation was made official. President Ramotar credited the achievement to the first orchestrated rebellion led by Cuffy in 1763 at Berbice.
“Some of the events that occurred here in Guyana are not given the kind of recognition that they should be given because I believe the 1763 uprising, in historical terms, can be compared to the…rebellion against the Roman empire; what occurred here in 1763 was the beginning of the end of slavery in the Western hemisphere. It was a revolution that occurred even before the Haitian revolution and therefore I think we have got to start recognizing the significant events,” President Ramotar said.
Buildings and other relics of Guyana’s colonial past are still very much evident in parts of Guyana and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport has been pursuing efforts over the years to preserve them as essential aspects of the country’s heritage.
President Ramotar recalled as a lad seeing a number of artifacts and remains from the Dutch occupation in Guyana at Karia Karia, the village in the Essequibo River where he grew up.
Yesterday’s presentation was done at the Presidential Secretariat, New Garden Street, where representatives of the groups met with President Ramotar, who opened up the distribution of cheques before handing over to Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Mr. Alfred King, and key officials of the Museum of African Cultural Heritage.
Permanent Secretary King outlined that Government has always promoted and supported Emancipation celebrations in Guyana. He noted that as far back as in 2005, the Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, had been supporting cultural groups in a quest to promote and celebrate Emancipation observances locally.
“In 2005, for example, we would have been trying to promote the Emancipation activities almost all alone, since there were just about two or three such groups,” King said. He recalled that the Culture Ministry got mobilized and embarked on doing field work in an initiative which saw the birth of some 53 cultural groups to celebrate Emancipation.
“Today, there are about 45 of them, (and they are) receiving support from the Ministry,” King proudly announced.
He added, “And the support that we would be giving them through the Government ranges between $30,000 and $5M.”
Cheques were prepared for 45 groups registered under the MCYS, according to the MCYS officials, but only about 39 of them were on hand to receive their donations yesterday.
Permanent Secretary King said the Culture Ministry is hoping that Emancipation observances this year will be more colourful than ever before in almost all the regions. He also hoped that, not only would there be improved celebrations, but heightened consciousness and more awareness as it relates to Emancipation per se.
King said, “We are hoping that these groups move beyond celebrating Emancipation to becoming groups that would empower citizens in the communities and various villages; that they would teach the people extensively some of the cultural art forms that are associated with Emancipation, among other things.”
Beyond that, King said the ministryis hoping these groups would form themselves into community development groups that would empower young people in vocational life skills, with a view to ensuring they lead more productive lives.
“All in all, we would want, on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, to wish all our Guyanese brothers and sisters a Happy Emancipation and a colourful celebration,” he declared.
Meanwhile, commenting on programmes and activities being promoted by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports in observance of Emancipation on this occasion, Administrator of the Museum of African Heritage, Ms Jenny Daly, who sees yesterday’s gesture as a springboard, added that on Friday, July 27, (tomorrow) at 15:00 hrs, there will be the launching of Emancipation at the Museum of African Heritage.
This activity kicks off with an entertaining cultural presentation, at which prizes would be distributed. There will be mouth watering cuisine in the likes of cassava and pumpkin pone, conkie, mauby, cook-up rice. “You name it, come and enjoy it!” she invited.
On August 1, the MCYS will be participating in activities at the National Park, and will contribute to activities there, including an exhibition of the works of Guyana’s late iconic sculptor Mr. Phillip Moore, CCH.

Emancipation Exhibition
On August 3rd, the Emancipation Exhibition will be opened at the National Museum, and that Exhibition will be campaigning against slavery from the 18th to the 21st centuries. Daly said that exhibition will be taking viewers through a journey from Europe right through to modern day slavery.
She is therefore urging all Guyana to take note, and, wherever possible, come out and see what will be on display.

Creole Night
In addition, MCYS will take part in village activities, and assist in mounting exhibitions, do cultural performances and the like.  Golden Grove on the East Coast of Demerara has been identified as one of the main venues to be supported by the Ministry on this occasion. A Creole Night will be held at Golden Grove, and villagers anticipate it will attract massive support from other villages, since the Culture Ministry will be providing transportation for persons wishing to be part of the celebrations.
“So we can expect to have a good Creole Night at the Golden Grove Community Centre,” Daly said.
Meanwhile, she noted that Linden is expected to have their big gala exhibition sometime next month, and the Culture Ministry will be assisting them with tents and the like.
Some of the other cultural groups sharing insights into their Emancipation programmes included Hopetown, Fyrish, Belladrum, Vergenoegen and  Ithaca.  (Shirley Thomas)