By Michel Outridge
COURTS Guyana has donated a cheque for $200,000 to the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA), and has hosted an in-house cultural dress competition at its Main Street store in Georgetown.Both activities were done on Friday, in observance of Emancipation 2016.

The dress competition was judged by ACDA representatives Eric Phillips and Shabakie Fernandes. In the male category, Ryan Charles placed 1st; Larry Baptiste 2nd; and Jamie Welcome 3rd.

In the female category, the winner was Gabrielle King, while 2nd place winner was Marcia Edwards and 3rd place winner was Towanna Figueria.

Remarking, Phillips said he was pleased to be part of ACDA’s 178th Emancipation observance and the 23rd year of its hosting the event at the National Park. He congratulated Courts Guyana on being the trendsetter for cultural diversity after the announcement of the results of the dress competition, in which he has been a judge for the past five years.

Managing Director of Courts Guyana, Clyde de Haas, told the Friday morning gathering that the furniture giant would continue to play its part in the development of culture. He pointed out that the dress competition hosted by the company was geared towards cultural diversity, and he thanked the staff for their input in making the event successful.

The cheque to assist ACDA in hosting its cultural extravaganza, slated for August 1st at the National Park, was handed over to Shabakie Fernandes by de Haas. This year’s theme for the Emancipation celebrations is ‘Celebrating African Guyanese Achievements in the year of our Jubilee – Building Strong Families through Entrepreneurship’.

There was also dancing to African drums on Friday morning before a large gathering of staffers and shoppers, in addition to a dance presentation by the Happy Feet Dance Studio.