GUYANA has a rich history, much of which is influenced by the six peoples who came to this land for similar reasons, and with them they brought a fusion of culture, tradition and beliefs which have had a great influence on what defines Guyana today.

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport has been exhibiting the way of life of Guyana’s six peoples through the museums. However the Ministry is not alone in this regard, as the Indian Commemoration Trust and the Indian Monument Fund have piped funds into the establishment of the Monument Gardens which has on display elements of Indian culture.

A new addition has been made to the site with the installation of the first display in their open air museum. The first exhibit gives recognition to the East Indians who arrived in Guyana between 1838 and 1917. It has been recorded that 500 ships with 238,909 indentured Indian immigrants came to Guyana with the Whitby and Hesperus bringing the first batch.

The newly-appointed Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr. Venkatachalam Mahalingam, along with Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony and Dr. Yesu Persaud from the Indian Monument Fund recently unveiled the first piece of the Open Air Museum at the Indian Monument Gardens. This event was the first public appearance by High Commissioner Mahalingam after arriving in Guyana a few weeks ago.

Minister Anthony acknowledged the tremendous contributions made by the East Indians to the development of Guyana. He stressed that the upcoming generations need to be aware of their culture and aims to get more people involved. “The bond between Guyana and India is strong but it can get stronger,” Dr. Anthony stressed.

He disclosed that this is the first museum of its kind to be erected in Guyana. Anthony suggested that a walkway be placed in the Gardens depicting the chronological order of the arrival of the East Indians in Guyana.

He also applauded the High Commission for a job well done in the teaching of music and dancing, but another important area is language. Anthony noted that many East Indians in Guyana look at Indian movies but they may not be fully cognizant of the language. In this regard, it will good for Hindi to be thought.

H.E. Mahalingam noted that the relationship between the two nations has grown since formal ties were established. He recalled that since his arrival in Guyana a call was made for more efforts to enhance cooperation in several areas – one such being trade. He reiterated that there will be improvements in the trade relationship between Guyana and India for their mutual benefit.

He pointed out that despite the geographical gap between Guyana and India, both nations have commonalities regarding their colonial past and predominantly agricultural, rural-based, multi-cultural societies and hold common views on important issues.

Dr. Yesu Persaud in welcoming the High Commissioner spoke of the close relationship between Guyana and India, and also encouraged the High Commissioner to strengthen the trade relationship between Guyana and India.

The purpose of the Open Air Museum is to enlighten the public on East Indian roots and culture; how they came here; their way of life and how it all started.

(By Asif Hakim)