EVEN with the existence of cultural assimilation within the Caribbean region, a group of Guyanese who live in the small island of Jamaica have managed to preserve Guyana’s unique culture in that country while striving to create a positive impact on small communities.

The birth of the Jamaican-based Guyanese group ‘Guyana-Jamaica Cultural Link’ dates back to 1992, current President of the association, Sarah Wilkinson-Etyle told the Guyana Chronicle.

“I came here in 1992 and there was always a group of Guyanese that would always get together. At the time there wasn’t a very active Consul. Somebody used to do some work but it wasn’t very active,” she said.

Later that year, the same group of Guyanese got together and decided to host and Old Years’ night party. Out of that party, Wilkinson-Eytle said enough funds were left back for the group to open a bank account.

The name ‘Guyana-Jamaica Cultural Link’ was then agreed upon by the group.

And since that development, she said the group has functioned as an organised body in Jamaica, with a humanitarian arm.

She noted that when Guyana was faced with the 2005 floods, it was a very emotional time for the group due to the fact that they were hearing and seeing their Guyanese brothers and sisters face extremely challenging situations.

“It was a very emotional period for us because we were hearing all these things that were happening. There were people who wanted to help.”

As such, the group got together, and within one month, they were able to host a brunch, where they raised over $1M Jamaican (US$7800).

“It was amazing how people donated; Jamaicans as well as Guyanese,” she said, adding that “We just had to pick up the phone and say ‘look we’re having an event, can you donate?’ and people donated willingly.”

The money was then taken and channeled to Guyana via the Salvation Army which used it to purchase mattresses for Guyanese in need.

And while that was one of the major events, the group’s president said that they continue to make attempts to contribute meaningfully to rural communities that are in need of help. One such programme is a medical and legal outreach which is held about twice a year in Jamaica.

Wilkinson-Etyle said during these outreach, young Guyanese doctors and lawyers who reside in Jamaica offer assistance to people in these communities who are not fortunate to pay for professional services.

With a membership of between 60 to 100 persons, the President of the Guyana-Jamaica Cultural Link boasted that aside from humanitarian support, the group has successfully preserved aspects of Guyana’s culture in an environment that is culturally rich.

For instance, she said that during the Easter Holidays, the group would travel to the countryside where they would have kite-flying as is traditionally practiced in Guyana.

During the Christmas holidays, she said that they would host cultural events and prepare popular Guyanese dishes.

Additionally, during Guyana’s observance of its Republic and Independence anniversaries, events are also held in Jamaica by the group. She said that one year, they hosted an art exhibition.

“We found Guyanese artists who are in Jamaica and some people who had works of art from Guyana and put those on exhibition just to celebrate our two national days. And of course, we have Guyanese foods at all of our events because when you call two or three Guyanese together, they mention food,” the president said.

She said although most of the persons in the group have lived out of Guyana for a number of years, they still remain very patriotic and take pride in representing their country well.

To this end, she noted that what has been observed is an increased number of Guyanese students studying at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona, which has boosted membership of the group.