–President Ali commits to further support for Indigenous Peoples
–new headquarters for National Toshaos Council, as Grand cultural extravaganza kicks off heritage month celebrations

AMID a colourful display of the rich culture associated with the occasion, President Dr. Mohammed Irfaan Ali on Thursday evening declared open Amerindian Heritage Month 2022 at the Guyana National Stadium, at Providence, East Bank Demerara.

Held under the theme, ‘Celebrating our traditional culture while building one Guyana’, this year’s celebration saw a return after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions, as Guyanese of all races flocked the stadium’s tarmac to join in the festivities.

The evening’s proceedings got off to a grand start with an array of dances, music and heartfelt poetry. In attendance were Prime Minister Mark Phillips and Mrs. Phillips, Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai and other Members of the Cabinet, members of the diplomatic corps and many persons of indigenous heritage residing in the city.

In his address to the gathering, President Ali assured Guyana’s First Peoples of the government’s continued support in fostering an enabling environment for the prosperity and economic development of indigenous communities countrywide.

“Tonight, I reassure every member of our Indigenous community that we stand strongly with you in ensuring that in creating the pathway to prosperity we will include you; every one of you. Every single family, every single region in our Indigenous community, whether it’s in the riverine area; whether it’s on the hill, or in the valleys, we will find you. We will work with you, and we will move you together as we build a country of prosperity for every single family,” President Ali said.

The head-of-state further noted that the government will continue to work to bridge disproportional gaps to ensure that every Indigenous person benefits equally from development and economic-boosting opportunities.

“When you go to the hinterland and you look at the faces of the elderly, what do you see on those elderly faces? You see a symbol of strength; the symbol of character, the symbol of determination, the symbol of sacrifices… When you look at the young faces, what do you see? You see a story of hope, one of aspiration, one that is looking to the future for the same opportunity every single other Guyanese has, and that is the gap that we must cover,” President Ali said.

And, reiterating that the government also wants to work with young Indigenous Peoples to ensure that they are a part of the new phase of development in the country in such fields as health workers, nurses, doctors, engineers and heavy equipment operators will be provided, President Ali said, “As I said in Region Nine, every single Amerindian with a qualification that wants to be trained as a nurse, as a teacher, as a dental technician, as a medical worker, I am saying to you, know we are committing that we as a government will train every single one. We will provide opportunity; we will provide money, we will provide that environment, and we will give you that opportunity.”

Minster of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai highlighted that while Indigenous culture is widely promoted and celebrated by Guyanese, many cultural traditions of the country’s First Peoples are growing faint.

“Indigenous culture is personal and unique to our people; it is sacred, and we will be in denial not to admit that we are seeing this is slowly fading away,” she said.
However, she noted that Guyana is the only country with a government that supports and promotes a full month filled with activities that seek to celebrate and recognise the contribution of Indigenous tradition, knowledge and culture.

“But we are in a unique position. We work not only for the government, which is a committed partner in the drive to promote and preserve our traditional culture and way of life, including our Constitution, which makes provision for the protection and preservation of our ways of life and culture.”

She added that while the government is actively working to celebrate and preserve Indigenous culture, everyone must do their part.

“Indigenous leaders, elders and youth have a specific role to play, and we must take our roles seriously. Proactive steps must be taken to not only celebrate and promote our culture, but to keep it alive, to transmit it to the next generation to embrace it and to ensure we have pride in our identity.”

Also, while delivering remarks at the event, Chair of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Dereck John lauded the government for its many interventions in ensuring that Indigenous Peoples are recognised for their contributions to the melting pot that is Guyana.

“Our communities are benefiting tremendously from the outpouring support of the government; we have seen improved roads, networks being developed, new bridges are being built, Internet connection,” John said, adding: “We are seeing farmers are being supported, economic grants are being given. And most recently, following the conclusion of the NTC meeting in July, a commitment was made for the council to be relocated into a new building.

“I am pleased to announce that very soon, we will be moving into a new sparkling NTC secretariat that is being built by His Excellency and the Government of the Peoples Progressive Party.”