THE 183rd Anniversary of the Arrival of Portuguese on these shores was celebrated on Thursday at the Sacred Heart Church Compound with President David Granger acknowledging their contribution to an integrated and plural nation.

Soon after assuming the presidency, Granger took the initiative to designate days to celebrate the plural characters of the nation in order to support the objectives of social cohesion.

“We recognised that Guyana is and always will be multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural… our diversity is an asset, not a liability. We are proud of belonging to a society of many faiths and many ethnicities. We are proud of the tapestry of ethnicity in our country,” President Granger said.

He explained that social cohesion respects the differences between various groups and acknowledges that if left unattended, those differences can threaten mutual trust and can weaken people’s sense of belonging.

“Portuguese Arrival Day is celebrated to pay homage to the people from Madeira and to their descendants and their continuing role in Guyana’s development,” the President said.

The Portuguese are a European people from the island of Madeira which had a 300-year history of sugar production.

Their migration coincided with the birth of the village movement and the introduction of coinage which resulted in the banking system.

Noting that when paid labour was introduced, it also stimulated commerce which the Portuguese picked up very quickly. The President said the roster of Portuguese entrepreneurs were extensive and goes all the way back to the 1860s.

“Apart from being property owners, they were provision and commission merchants, spirit shop owners, importers, ironmongers, shoe makers, leather merchants, saddlers, coach builders, timber merchants, cattle owners, porknocker, bakers, charcoal dealers and photographers,” the President said.

The Portuguese were a Christian people of the Roman Catholic faith.

Adding that Portuguese were members of the executive and legislative councils of Guyana, the head of state said they were also mayors, doctors and enterprise- driven individuals.

Honorary Consul for Portugal, Michael Correia said the first batch of 40 Portuguese immigrants arrived in Demerara on May 3, 1835 on the ship–Louisa Baillie.

Adding that they were brought to the colony to fill the labour shortage on the sugar plantation, Correia said upon completion of their indentureship, many opted to remain. They then established themselves in commerce; opening several retail shops and importing rum, dry goods and a variety of other commodities.