TAPACUMA and Mainstay, both Amerindian villages in Region 2, hosted the grand heritage celebrations on Sunday. Joining in the merriment were Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai and Region 2 Chairman, Parmanand Persaud.

Minister Sukhai had similar messages for both communities. Speaking first at Tapacuma, she called on residents to support their council for the village’s development.
“We should not stand by in our village and think that the village council and leaders are the single body responsible for our development and responsible for solving all the issues that we have,” the minister said.
She advised that residents must contribute and participate in this development. “It is all of you who have to get up and stop looking at each other to do or solve our issues; we have to get down to the task of building our villages,” she stated.
“If you want something to develop, it means that you will have to throw yourself into the work…it is not only electing the leaders and going home, and expecting the leaders to perform the miracle, it will not happen,” the minister said.
She urged that the older residents seek to get younger ones involved in governance. “We need to encourage the young men and women in the communities across the hinterland to get involved in leadership,” she said.
Addressing youth, she said the older generation has learnt by trial and error.
“It is the time now for young people to step forward and do things for the community,” she said, urging that youth “get involved in leadership and governance and be part and parcel of where you want your village to go.”
Minister Sukhai also underscored the importance of the theme of Amerindian Heritage Month 2012 -“Celebrating our Culture, Embracing our Identity”. She said that it calls for Amerindians to recognise who they are and to celebrate and practice their culture.
Minister Sukhai also praised the level to which the heritage celebration has grown countrywide and the participation that it has been seeing from those residing outside the hinterland villages.
“I want to thank those Guyanese who annually take the time out to visit Amerindian communities and are participating in the heritage celebration,” she said.
She also commented that the growth of the celebration is due to the fact that more Amerindians are embracing their identity and celebrating their culture.
At both villages, the Regional Chairman spoke of development in the villages and assured of the regional administration’s and the government’s commitment to furthering their development.
In Mainstay, he committed to rehabilitating, in the near future, the stretch of road leading into the village from Anna Regina.
During the formal ceremony in both villages, several residents were presented with tokens of appreciation for their valued contribution to village life and development.
Aside from the cultural presentation, the day was also filled with the usual revelry and heritage games and competitions.
Capoey also had its heritage celebration Sunday.