By Hugh McLean

EVERY year, the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) hosts its grand Emancipation Festival at the National Park, with the aim of exhibiting, reflecting and restoring African culture. However, it also allows local entrepreneurs to showcase their products, while creating and expanding markets for their businesses.

This year the Pepper pot Magazine ventured out to get a glimpse of this extraordinary festival and to interact with some of the entrepreneurs there.

Lincoln Robinson is a teacher at the Centre of Learning and Afro-Centric Orientation (COLACCO). He shared that participating in this event is a way of promoting their school COLACCO.

They are showcasing their school and the school’s achievements in the National Grade Two, Four and Six Assessments. They are also promoting some of the things that they do as a school. “For years we have seen all other major ethnic groups promote their culture and all about them, so we think that it is best that we promote our African culture, since we have a very rich culture,” posited Robinson.

“There are over 50 countries in the continent of Africa, and all are diverse. Their cultures are different, so we are trying to introduce these cultures to our children so that they will know more of what are their African cultures and know who they are as people of African descent,” explained Robinson.

The school was founded as a post-primary institution and later transitioned into a primary school; currently, Robinson said they are introducing into the school what they call “the key learning.” The students can now take part in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Programme and they are also introducing the Scratch programme and robotics very soon.

Attached to that, they are also introducing various apps on phones and tablets that can be accessed easily and enhance their knowledge.

Gerrod Lamazon is a part of Guyana’s Restoration Committee (GRC) and a youth arm of IKEMBA (a Nigerian word used to symbolise the strength of the people). Lamazon said that since the Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo came to Guyana, he has “opened a door” for people of African descent in this part of the world.

Lamazon’s booth had books and artefacts on showcase and stated that the group ensures that they participate every year in an aim to encourage patrons at the event to come and learn not only African history, but Guyanese history also.

He said that they promoted this African history through dance, stories, songs, food and even clothing. The organisation was founded in 2013 and is part of the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) and the CARICOM Reparation Committee (CRC). There is a Caribbean effort and a CARICOM plan that is guiding them through this journey.
“Knowing our culture, where we came from and our ancestors is an inspiration, because when you look at the progression we have made mentally, physically and socially, it is really great,” posited Lamazon.