AMIDST the colours, songs and dances, President David Granger celebrated Phagwah and highlighted that the festival is one which fosters unity in Guyana.
Speaking at the celebrations hosted by the Indian High Commission, at the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) in Bel Air, Georgetown, the President noted that Phagwah (or Holi as it is otherwise known) is not a festival celebrated by Hindus only, but by Guyanese of all walks of life.
“We feel in Guyana that this is a unifying festival for us,” he said. The President also drew from remarks given earlier in the day by opposition member Priya Manickchand, on behalf of the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo. He acknowledged that Phagwah is a “great equaliser.”
“When I come here, I am no longer President, I’m just an object of abeer and abrack and we’re all the same today,” he said and noted that the festival serves as a medium for cohesion within Guyana’s multi-ethnic society.
He joked too that he has probably never been greeted in so friendly a manner by so many members of the opposition.
According to him, Guyana is a multicultural country and will always be, since “when yuh mix, yuh can’t unmix’. To this end, he stressed, “We appreciate the differences among the people in this diverse country; we appreciate that festivals like this foster unity rather than disunity.”
In May, Guyana will be celebrating 180 years of the arrival of East Indians to Guyana. The festival of colours — known as Holi worldwide, but called Phagwah in Guyana due to the influence of the Bhojpuri indians — presents a wider scope of culture in Guyana.
And the President expressed his pride that indians, and more importantly Guyanese, have been able to maintain the tradition of Phagwah.
Phagwah, according to the Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Venkatachalam Mahalingam, is a festival of many significant elements. It ushers in the season of spring, it celebrates the triumph of good over evil and represents love.
Adding to this, President Granger noted that many persons regard the festival as a sacred one, but it also functions as a “social festival” in the Guyanese context.
President Granger posited, “Regardless of the religious significance, it is clearly one that is popular. Popular because of its vitality and popular because all of us could share in it without feeling like it is intruding in our personal religious beliefs.”
With the advent of regional radio stations in Mabaruma, Mahdia, Lethem and Bartica, President Granger also advanced that unity and cohesion can be further fostered through the festival and its music could be broadcast in those locations. He mentioned that he sees no reason why people in Lethem should not be listening to the music enjoyed by those in Georgetown.
“I do believe that a festival like this helps to break down barriers, it helps to make us understand that we Guyanese have come from different backgrounds, but we have a common destiny,” he said, urging all to embrace the festival and its celebrations.
