AMID a rich cultural display, Guyana’s inaugural Republic Jubilee Mashramani Village was declared open by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, on Thursday.

In declaring open the event being held at D’Urban Park, the Prime Minister said the Mash Village creates an ideal opportunity for Guyanese to showcase their wide variety of value-added products and services, 50 years after Guyana would have gained its Republican status. “It is a moment of triumph for us. Where the exhibits are located, you’ll see local goods, beverages, craft, arts and artifacts on display, which would make us become even more proud of what we have become, and give us an indication of who and what we can be, when we fully utilise our talents and resources to make things in Guyana and to use things that are Guyanese.”

Prime Minister Nagamootoo also urged exhibitors to express confidence in their products and invest in the conversion of such into world-class products that can be packaged and marketed to the international community. Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton, in his address, said that it was the first ever Republic Golden Jubilee Mash Village, while making note of the fact that Mash is a festival indigenous to Guyana through the celebration of a job well done and, more specifically, a celebration of the dedicated efforts that led to Guyana becoming a Co-operative Republic. Norton, further stated: “As significant as it was for our country to gain Independence in 1966, it was really our attainment of Republican status that secured us the freedom to charter our own course and shape our unique identity as a nation.”

Dr. Norton said the Republic Declaration on February 23, 1970, marked a new beginning for Guyana “and so, each year, in celebration of this remarkable achievement, we host our signature Mashramani festival. Mashramani depicts who we are as a people; it showcases and celebrates our individualities and the unique identity we were able to cultivate as a land of six peoples.“