Special tree planted in honour of Mahdia fire victims

‘ARTS and The Environment’, a tree planting project coupled with an upcycling and arts programme, has been in gestation by the Rupununi Music and Arts Festival for nearly two years, and was successfully launched at the office of Visit Rupununi in Lethem, Region Nine, on Independence Day.
A special tree was planted in honour of the children who died in the horrific fire at Mahdia.
“Climate Change is not about something out there; the raging fires in Europe or Australia, the tsunamis in Bangladesh, the drought across Africa; Climate Change is about our behaviour and our reluctance to change,” Festival Director, Dr Bob Ramdhanie has said.

He feels that the arts, as instruments of social change, have a key role to play in increasing community awareness.
“As individuals, we may think we have no contribution to make, but alas, that’s not true! We can recycle and upcycle; we can repair more and buy less; we can plant trees and protect the ones we have; we can eat less meat and dairy products; we can form community groups and spread awareness of the issues and we can join forces with many other organisations, to make our voices heard. Indeed, in our own small way, we can make a change by being a part of the change!”

In the coming months, the festival will be working with local schools, community groups, creatives and others to galvanise action in communities and get more folks involved in simple activities that would yield positive results in the longer term.

The festival’s programme, ‘Arts & The Environment’ is sponsored by Thistle Construction (Guyana) Inc., in partnership with a range of other supporters including the Government of Guyana, The University of Guyana, Cara Lodge, TGA, Giftland Mall and Visit Rupununi.

Luke Johnson, the festival’s co-ordinator of the tree planting initiative, was key in bringing on board Thistle Construction (Guyana) Inc., as having worked with them, he believes that their approach to eco-friendly construction in Guyana is a positive step and resonates deeply with the values of the festival.

“The festival is a member of and the representative for Guyana within the Caribbean Tree Planting Project (CTPP) and we are also a member of Policy Forum Guyana,” he said.
Throughout the programme periods, the festival will engage creatives – landscape designers, story tellers, visual and performance artistes, writers, composers and many others – to work alongside community groups, involving them in creative ways to share their stories and to develop meaningful programmes for their communities, using the arts.
The launch in Lethem today is a free event. “All are welcome. It’s a symbolic gesture for an all-year-round tree planting programme.”
The programme included a cultural presentation from the Kumu Cultural Group, along with the ‘tilling of the soil’ by local dignitaries.