REDEEMING and control of ancestral lands, the resuscitation of village councils, and a motion for the decriminalisation of marijuana were some of the top issues discussed when the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly – Guyana (IDPADA-G) held its 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) earlier this month at the Guyana Industrial Training Centre.

The meeting was attended by 48 member organisations, from villages and communities across the country. They discussed and passed several motions on issues critical to the African Guyanese community and central to achieving the goals of the UN Decade of Recognition, Justice and Development.

The meeting, held first “in committee” on September 22, was finalized at a full sitting of the Assembly on November 17. The Annual General Assembly is the highest decision-making body of IDPADA-G.
The motion on the decriminalization of marijuana attracted the most attention, while it was noted that consultations and a survey conducted on the reintroduction of village councils “saw the overwhelming majority of respondents”, a statement from the Assembly noted.

“The motion on the decriminalization of marijuana… was approved by a majority vote, with some caveats such as the need for public education on the intended use of marijuana by the Rastafari community for sacramental and medicinal purposes, and the need for a regulatory regime to ensure that it is used for the intended purpose and by the intended community. This matter had been previously discussed at a forum on October 5, 2018 from which a petition emanated,” the statement said.

Other issues discussed included the re-introduction of the teaching of Guyanese history in schools to preserve the African contributions to Guyanese history, and support the UN Permanent Forum for People of African Descent by its full implementation in Guyana.

IDPADA-G will present these motions to the relevant Government Ministries and work towards seeing them realized in a timely manner.