By Ravin Singh

The YEAR 2016 will mark 50 years since Guyana was rebranded as an independent nation, and the Golden Jubilee celebrations will be launched formally at midnight on January 1 at the historic Independence Arch, which was recently renovated.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle yesterday, Minister within the Ministry of Education and Co-chair of the National Commemorative Commission, Nicolette Henry, explained that this time was chosen to user in the celebrations, since Guyana’s 50th anniversary is not limited to one day, but would be celebrated for an entire year.

Commenting on what can be expected at the launch of the highly anticipated celebrations, Minister Henry disclosed that the combination of jubilant sounds of sirens, bells and horns would envelope the atmosphere as the New Year breaks, and there would also be the traditional fireworks display at midnight.

CULTURAL PERFORMANCES
This will be preceded by prayers made by the three main religious groups in Guyana and a message by President David Granger. Cultural performances will follow, and one of the headliners will be the internationally acclaimed Guyanese Lisa Punch.

The launch of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations will be open to the general public.

In regard to the necessary infrastructure, human capacity and the will to successfully execute this monumental task in 2016, the minister was keen to note that the Ministry is quite equipped with those resources, and support will be rendered by other ministries and by agencies such as the private sector.

TOTEM POLES
One of the major activities planned to coincide with the celebration is the erection of Totem Poles in all ten administration regions.

Through a collaborative effort, the Indigenous People’s Affairs Ministry will be responsible for this initiative, which aims to integrate every region into the celebrations. Smaller poles will be erected in outlying areas, and the team will make its way to Georgetown to complete the last stop and erect the largest Totem Pole in the country.

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES
Minister Henry disclosed that there will also be 50 days of health-oriented activities which will be spearheaded by the Ministry of Public Health.

“There will be activities which promote healthy lifestyles in every region…activities will also seek to promote changes in behaviour to prevent non-communicable diseases,” she said.

She added that the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has already signalled its support for such an undertaking. And the activities will by no means be limited to Georgetown, the Minister said, as she reassured that the government has an interest in every corner of the country.

“We want to get the people who live outside of Georgetown involved, and have an integrated system. There will also be some competitions and promotions geared towards promoting behavioural change. We, the Government, believe that we need to work on behaviour to promote better outcomes,” the minister said.

She noted that some of these activities speak to etiquette and a sense of national pride and patriotism. She accordingly hinted at a possible movement to encourage Guyanese to put on their houses or vehicles a national symbol which directly highlights a sense of patriotism.

In an effort to underscore the role of behaviour change at all levels, Minister Henry revealed that one of the competitions to be held next year will be a courtesy one, wherein persons who use minibuses can access an application on their phone and can rate a bus driver as courteous or law-abiding in some way or the other.

REFLECTION, CELEBRATION, INSPIRATION
And while noting that all the events will be public ones, given the need for citizens to unite under a common banner, the minister highlighted that the three pillars upon which the activities are built are Reflection, Celebration and Inspiration.

She noted that 2016 must be a year in which Guyanese reflect on Guyana’s past and recognize what the journey was like. During this time, she said, there must be celebration, which is an acknowledgement of Guyana’s achievement.

And while Guyanese celebrate, Minister Henry deems it necessary to inspire particularly the youths to “dream bigger” and work towards further developing a country they can call home.

At this point, she reflected on a recent experience in which she was touring the popular beverage company Banks DIH and noticed two headlines standing out in their archives from newspapers dating back to 1965. The first, she revealed, was one which purported that, with British Guiana approaching independence, it is expected that the division in the colony would cease. The second dealt with the border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela.

While noting that these two issues are very relevant today, the minister, who has responsibility for culture, offered that whoever sits in her chair, assuming responsibility for youth, culture and sport, and perhaps organizing the 100th year anniversary, should not be in a position to have to face these issues.

“I hope that we use the next 50 years to unite as a people. I wish we could get there faster than 50 years,” she said.