Dear Editor,
On Tuesday August 1, 2023, the Macedonia Joppa Voluntary Committee (MJVC), a non-profitable organisation located at Eversham Village, East Corentyne, Berbice, will host a huge celebration to commemorate the abolition of slavery in 1834.

The commemoration of Emancipation Day on August 1, 1838, is an important day for Guyana, especially in Berbice where the first slave revolt, led by Cuffy Badu, began on February 23, 1763, and lasted until December.

So, when Guyana became a republic in 1970, the state declared February 2 as a day to commemorate the start of the Berbice slave revolt.

To honour the slave revolt and our freedom, which Cuffy and the slaves fought and died for, the Macedonia Joppa Voluntary Committee has planned the largest Emancipation celebration that will ever be seen in Berbice to mark 189 years since slavery was abolished.

Like last year, this year’s celebration is expected to attract thousands of people in and out the region from as far as West Coast Berbice to Skeldon and elsewhere. It will be the only celebration of its kind in Berbice.

This year, Emancipation extravaganza will be an all-day gala family and friends’ festivity packed with entertainment activities to accommodate all ages.

It will start at 7:30 hrs with a one, two and three-miles road races respectively for pre-teens, teens, and adults both males and females. The races will start from No. 36 Village, Brighton Village and No 43 and will end at the Eversham Community Centre. Prizes will be awarded to the first three winners in each category.

This will be followed by a two-mile road march starting at 11:30 hrs from Brighton Village to Epsom Village and back to the Eversham Community Centre where lunch will be served and the day’s activities will commence.

Thousands of children and adults from the Macedonia Joppa district and elsewhere are expected to join the road march under the theme “Upliftment.” Participants in the road march will be decked out in a dazzling array of colorful African attire of red, black, yellow, white, and green portraying the colors of the Arrowhead, and depicting Guyanese culture, lifestyle, and heritage.
Residents of all ages and from all walks of life, regardless of race, religion, or social status from the Macedonia Joppa villages of No. 35 and 36, Brighton, Kiltearn, Eversham, Epsom, Bengal and No 43 will line both sides of the roadways to view the colorful display of African costumes and the rich and gorgeous Afro-outfits as their fellow villagers dance to the rhythm of the lively and customary Soca music supplied by the dynamic and popular Yard Vybz Entertainment Sound.

Following the serving of lunch, children of all ages as well as adults will participate in several cultural, social, and educational activities including the recital of poems, singing of folk songs, playing of games, dancing to a variety of African songs, a cooking competition of the African dish, metemgee, a display of African outfits, and an education quiz competition on slavery, and on the history and geography of Guyana.

Not to mention that there will be the traditional races of all sorts for all ages, such as “Buns Eating Race” “Needle and Thread Race” “Lime and Spoon Race” and “Bag Race.”
For the residents, Emancipation is much more than partying, eating, drinking, and dancing in the streets, all of which are part of our culture and heritage, rather it is a celebration of our freedom, heritage, and the end of slavery.

Emancipation has become a celebration of our shared history, our diversity, our culture, and a testimony of our maturity as a nation. The Macedonia Joppa Voluntary Committee invites all in the district and elsewhere to join and participate in the celebration on Tuesday, August 1, 2023.

Sincerely,
Dr. Asquith Rose, MJVC Chair
Ms. Vanessa Ross-Albert, MJVC Public Relations Director