Amerindian Heritage Month celebration kicks off today

Sep 01, 2008 News

A number of activities have been planned by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs to celebrate Amerindian Heritage Month, which begins today.
This year, Amerindian Heritage Month will be celebrated under the theme “Inspiring our nation to move forward in unity”.
The line-up of activities will commence today with a grand launching, which will be held at the Amerindian Village, Sophia Exhibition Site.

Amerindian Affairs Minister, Pauline Sukhai

Also on the agenda for the month-long celebration is a series of symposiums featuring the life and work of Mr. Stephen Campbell, as well as the Indigenous Women’s Art and Exhibition.
Other activities include an educational tour of Region Four by teachers and students of Region Eight; a Heritage Day celebration at Santa Aratak Village, Kamuni Creek, Region Three; football competitions; a day of sport which is slated for Lethem; and the South American’s Indigenous Leaders Meeting, which is scheduled for the International Conference Centre.
In addition, the Amerindian Affairs Ministry has also launched an essay competition for children between the ages of nine and sixteen.
Participants are encouraged to write their essays pertaining to the theme, “Amerindians can inspire our nation to move forward in Unity”. The closing date for entries is September 22, and the announcement of the winners will be on Friday, September 26 at the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.
Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai, who will be heading the celebration for the first time in her present capacity, said she is elated at the opportunity.
According to her, the main objective of the month-long observance is to keep the rich Amerindian culture alive. She added that the event will also give the Indigenous people of Guyana an opportunity to showcase their talents in every form. “In addition, Guyanese will be privileged to see the diverse culture which the Amerindians have added to the local culture.”
The minister noted that the ministry’s focus during the celebration will be to show that, like every other ethnic group, Amerindians can and have been contributing to the country’s development in every area.
Meanwhile, the customary culture, art and craft exhibition, held at the Umana Yana in observance of Amerindian Heritage Month, has changed venue.
The exhibition will now be held at the Amerindian Village, which was constructed by the Government for Carifesta X to the tune of $20 M at the Sophia Exhibition Site.