St Margaret's Primary showcases cultural diversity

St Margaret’s Primary showcases cultural diversity

Mar 07, 2009 News

The six ethnic groups demonstrate that it is possible to live in unity despite different cultural adaptations

The St Margaret’s Primary School, Camp Street, Georgetown, was transformed into a cultural haven yesterday morning when the Level Four students showcased the cultural diversity of the six local ethnic groups.
Dressed in adequate garb depicting each of these groups, the students showcased the distinct foods, music and dress of the respective ethnicities.
The exotic aroma of curries, Chinese fried rice, boiled plantains and corn, among other delicacies, permeated the air and truly underlined the cultural pluralism experienced locally.
The distinct musical pieces that rent the air also added to the cultural atmosphere, as parents, teachers and other visitors were treated to a day pregnant with cultural diversity.
Guyana is a plural society of six ethnic groups. Despite the fact that each group has its own cultural identity, the national motto proclaims that they are one people, one nation with one destiny. While each group strives to engage in its unique cultural adaptations, the age-old ethnic disputes have usurped the cohesiveness among them.
Social commentators have underlined the importance of education as a means of dismantling the old hatred that hardliners among the different races continue to perpetuate. The negative spin-off of such stances causes unnecessary suffering among the groups, thus creating disharmony.
These commentators have contended that, in order to instil new adaptations and tolerance, educators should focus on a change of the rigid hardcore and negative behaviours that contribute to these biases. They have opined that our children should be exposed to the type of education that minimises intolerance for other ethnicities.
Yesterday morning, the students of St Margaret’s Primary decided to take a hands-on approach in their effort to educate their peers on the integral aspects of cultural diversity, and to eliminate the concomitant biases.
The students of Grade Four subsequently had firsthand experience that broadened their awareness of the different cultures that exist within the Guyanese society.
This was done through a specially arranged programme that allowed members of each group to showcase the respective cultural traits.
Level Coordinator of Grade Four, Andrea Isaacs, explained that the programme was reactivated after a two-year lull. She said that the aim of the exercise is to create an awareness of the culture of the respective groups so as to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the different groups.
The students were organised into several groups — Chinese, Africans, East Indians, Portuguese, Amerindians and Europeans. Each group was required to research the cultural literature associated with its people, as well as provide the kinds of food typical of their cultural cuisine.
The children also engaged in activities that showcased the respective cultures.
The students were judged in several categories, among them mode of dress, adequacy of the food showcased, cultural presentation and the research presented on each ethnic group.
The occasion was also attended by parents who obviously went the extra mile to provide the kind of support necessary for the tots to accomplish the huge task.
The ‘Chinese’ demonstrated their adeptness in the finer arts of karate, while the ‘Africans’ demonstrated, in the form of a skit, the horrendous days of slavery. Not to be outdone, the Amerindians, dressed in traditional dress, performed a cultural dance.
Each group also showcased the types of food associated with their culture.
The Africans showcased water coconuts, while the Chinese cuisine consisted of fried rice. The ‘Europeans’ lashed out with metagee among other delicacies.
At the end of the programme, the children said that they nurtured a new appreciation for their colleagues of different ethnicities.
They shared the view that the future of this country rested with their purview, and vowed to do their bit to remove the antiquated biases that have disrupted the cohesiveness among the races.
As a matter of fact, most of the children spoken to endorsed that they can now look at their different cultures with new insight.
It was an occasion when the Chinese ate cook-up, the Joneses lavished on Lap Chung, while the Rodrigueses ate a huge plate of pepperpot, feeling as though they actually belonged to each other.