THE proposed site for the 5th May monument was announced, on Monday, at the award ceremony for the best 1838 sculpture which pays tribute to the first batch of East Indian indentured labourers who arrived in then British Guiana.

After many deliberations, the proposed location selected was Palmyra, which is situated opposite the driveway of the Berbice Harbour Bridge. According to Minister of Culture, Dr. Frank Anthony, the site was selected because Berbice was the first place where the East Indians were brought.
The winners of the 1838 sculpture competition were Philbert Gajadhar and Winslow Craig. They were awarded $500,000 for their model which will be the 5th May Monument.
Minister Anthony said that after the idea for a monument surfaced, his ministry immediately started working with the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) in Region 6 to identify a suitable site.
“We have since identified a place that we feel is a very prominent site whereby people driving by or walking by, will be able to see it,” the minister pointed out, adding that the plot of land selected belonged to  Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).
He said GuySuCo has agreed to give two acres of land for the construction of the monument.
He added that the ministry expects the project to be accomplished efficiently but there wasn’t a specific time allotted for its completion.
The 5th May Monument is expected to be 12 feet in height and it will be made out of bronze. Gajadhar, in his presentation of the sculpture, stated that the monument will represent the lives of ordinary Indian people “in their routine of everyday life with each carrying something of importance.”
The sculpture shows six people, two of them representing the first two East Indian indentured labourers who arrived here. “The figures are presented in a straightforward realism with the human factor ever present. They are being led by Ram and Khan…the leading figure gestures ‘behold’ while the second with the hand resting on the shoulder of the first looks back urging the others on,” he explained.
“…the rhythm of the figures are parallel and gives a sense of quickening motion which conveys strong emotion.”
He added that the sculpture “touches upon our national and ancestral interests” and is surrounded by symbols that “ties our own lives to history.”