RESIDENTS of Karawab, an Amerindian community in the Upper Pomeroon River, last Friday celebrated their Heritage Day in a colourful extravaganza of togetherness and love.

The village, located some 75 miles from Charity, was the first to start off the indigenous  peoples Heritage Day celebrations in the Pomeroon- Supenaam Region this year.

The celebrations, held under the theme: “Preserving our culture and traditions”, attracted a large gathering of residents who celebrated their culture on the Karawab Community Centre Ground.

They included a grand cultural programme which featured several Amerindian dances, including the marie marie, round dance, sting ray and the popular matapee. There was also singing, a fashion show and storytelling.

The Heritage Day celebrations were also attended by scores of residents from Akawini and Kabakaburi communities. The residents from Akawini walked across a trail in the jungle to the Karawab village. One resident said it took them almost two hours of walking.

The residents also enjoyed themselves by playing cricket after eating some delicious Amerindian dishes. Kabakaburi is expected to hold their celebrations this Saturday.

Meanwhile, Chairman of Region 2, Mr Devanand Randat, who delivered the feature address, told the large crowd that he was very happy that Karawab residents had kicked off the indigenous peoples’ first Heritage Day celebrations in the region and had set the pace for the other nine communities.

The chairman said that the Karawab community had developed tremendously over time and he urged residents to continue to work closely with the Regional Administration to ensure that development continues.

He also brought greetings to all the residents on their heritage celebrations from the Regional Administration.    (Rajendra Prabhulall)