EMANCIPATION 2013 was on Thursday celebrated with fanfare in the capital city of Georgetown, as thousands from all walks of life abandoned every other activity and joyfully headed to the National Park to proudly participate in the grand celebrations in observance of two watershed victories registered in the life of the former slaves working on plantations in colonial Guiana.

The celebrations were held in recognition and commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of the 1763 Berbice Slave Revolt and the 175th Anniversary of Emancipation in Guyana.
The enthusiastic crowd was eager to participate in, and get a real emotional taste and reminder of, the good old African cuisine such as conga pump tea, conkie, cassava pone, bake and salt fish, and pepperpot and foo-foo. People turned up at the Park from as early as 8:00 hrs to be among the first to zero in on those prized delicacies.
Even though it had rained earlier in the day, by 13:00 hrs, the sun was recording an appreciable presence and the water on the land had almost dried off, quite unlike what normally obtains at other times. Yesterday was specially blessed,

Entertainers

and the people gave thanks by turning out in their numbers.
There was as much to celebrate as there was to showcase: African cuisine; a colourful and scintillating array of art, craft and costume jewellery; toys; educational materials on the history of slavery in Guyana; struggles and triumphs throughout the years.  Not least, there was a wide variety of attractive African gowns, headwraps, leather footwear, and beaded accessories — all items known to quickly catch the eyes of tourists and Guyanese visiting from abroad.
While the sale of African cuisine was brisk and buyers seemed contented with their purchases, in the area of craft and similar items, despite a fine show of gorgeous and high quality items, the majority operators plying their craft, as well

Exhibition Village

as plants for sale, seemed to have taken a ‘licking’ because of poor sales. At the end of the day, the bulk of items on display had to be packed up once more on a return journey home.
Albeit, the exhibition was well planned and well attended, and there was absolute order in every area, so that police ranks on duty at the fair had a light day.
At the Exhibition Village, there were also several educational booths set up and manned by organizations such as Farm, the  East Bank Essequibo village purchased by freed slaves in 1877, and honoured for Emancipation 2013;  the African Cultural & Development Association (ACDA); the Bhrama Kumaris;  the People’s National Congress/Reform; the Rasta Association;  Courts Guyana Inc; GT&T; and Spicy Dish, to name some.
Throughout the day, there was a steady flow of traffic trekking the lawns of the rugby court which accommodated the Exhibition Village; but towards the end of the day, the pace quickened and the numbers increased exponentially.
By 16:00 hrs, the National Park tarmac and bleachers were once again transformed into a kaleidoscope of colours as drumming, up-tempo music, dancing and masquerade activities signalled commencement of the ‘Hello Africa’ Parade in the Park.
Several cultural groups turned in magnificent performances which

regaled the cheering and appreciative crowd and had them calling for more.  Among those groups were guest artistes from neighbouring Suriname; performers from the National School of Dance; Buxton School of Drumming; Linden Drummers; Mocha Cultural Group; Calcutta/ Catherina Africans;  Vergenoegen group;  ACDA Craft Association; Grolwagt; the Majorettes and the Maypole Dancers.
Among the distinguished group of guests and supporters viewing the cultural performances were  President Donald Ramotar, who also toured the Exhibition Village; Prime Minister Samuel Hinds; Brigadier David Granger, Head of a Partnership for National Unity (APNU); Mayor Hamilton Green; Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Dr Frank Anthony; and others.