A TOTAL of 65 booths were on display promoting religion, culture and business as the Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Social Cohesion hosted its third annual Harmony Village, held at Scottsburg Community Centre Ground, Number 76 Village, East Berbice Corentyne on Wednesday.

The one-day event saw a number of Berbicians from all walks of life witnessing the coming together of religion, culture, civil society and private sector organisations to celebrate their respective culture through beliefs, festivals, artifacts, folklore, clothing, cuisine, music, dance, local products and services.

The event also attracted performances from number of young people from various schools on the Corentyne Coast, performing dramatic poetry, songs and dances. Minister of Business, Haimraj Rajkumar, and a number of Members of Parliament also graced the occasion.

In addressing the gathering at the opening ceremony, Technical Officer at the DOSC, Natasha Singh-Lewis, highlighted that the event aims to promote unity and diversity. She related over the years, the Department of Social Cohesion has undertaken programmatic actions that individually and on the aggregate contribute to building trust, understanding, caring, sharing and support between and among individuals and communities. “We strengthen our efforts to build a unified Guyana. We strengthen our efforts bolstering the feelings of safety and security and promote and enhance cohesion in Guyana”, Singh-Lewis related.

Delivering the feature address, Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton, posited that Harmony Village was conceptualised with the intention of “utilising one single space as was depicted at Scottsburg to not only portray what defines us as Guyanese, but also to showcase how unification of all these things makes us better individuals and broadens our perspectives.”

He related that it is his hope that the event will inspire everyone to put their best foot forward and work on shattering all the barriers that divide this country and build bridges that will help all Guyanese. “Harmony village is a clear indication that we do not need to be the same, look the same or believe in the same thing in order for us to live in love and harmony. We can be different but we can do so with love. Harmony village allows us to appreciate our differences and to embrace our diversity in all its glory. It emphasises the fact that varieties indeed are the spice of life,” Dr. Norton reasoned.

He continued: “The key to us embracing diversity and promoting tolerance is to first be comfortable with ourselves and be proud of all that we have been fed: our culture, tradition, ethnicity, religion and all the things that make us who we are as individuals.”
Minister Norton told the gathering that Guyana belongs to “all of us and Harmony Village shows each of us has an equal place here in building partnership and in promoting community and national cohesion.” The minister stated, “The growth of harmony village and the support we have received over the years tells us we are heading in the right direction and we want to assure you yes, this administration is heading in the right direction. We are convinced of that and this is why we should only allow it to go forward and we ask you to make a general evaluation of where we are and where we came from and we do not want to go back we must continue to go forward.”

Regional Executive Officer, Kim Williams-Stephens, said she is grateful for the event to be hosted in Berbice as it is evidence of the government’s commitment to inclusivity, empowering villages, communities, building towns, region and by extension, a unified Guyana. “This activity is to transform a mutual social cohesive space into a replica of a village to illustrate that we as Guyanese people can live in peace and harmony while embracing our diversity, religion, politics and our geographical diversity. I urge you to appreciate and recognise our uniqueness. Our aim is to promote, peace, harmony, social and economic development in East Berbice Corentyne”. Harmony Village Three was held under the theme “Promoting Our Diversities: Building A United Guyana”.