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Minister Anthony to promote heritage awareness, to attract tourists
Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport in collaboration with the National Trust of Guyana (NTG), is now seeking to list Georgetown, and some areas outside of the Capital City as historic landmarks.
Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, Frank Anthony
Minister Frank Anthony said that through the UNESCO International Monument, the government has been receiving grants to help with the upkeep of certain historical buildings and natural sites in an effort to preserve these historical places.
City Hall, St. George’s Cathedral, Kaieteur National Park and Shell Beach, are just a few of the places that have been chosen to benefit from this initiative. In addition to these public buildings and places, Minister Anthony said that the Ministry and NTG are also trying to get private persons owning buildings with rich history to come on board.
Anthony explained that the aim is to “get people to understand more about their heritage, so through the NTG we have a programme directed at communities for them to learn more about their history.”
He added, “In many of our communities there were plantations, so within those communities there is a very rich history, sometimes you will pass, you will see maybe a koker. Most people never stop to ask when that thing was built.”
The Minister said that Georgetown was handpicked for its unique plantation layout, colonial history and historic buildings. As such, he has suggested a part of Georgetown be dubbed “historic Georgetown”. He explained that most of the historic buildings identified are wooden structures which are very hard to maintain in Guyana’s “tropical environment.”
He explained that a proposal has been submitted to UNESCO, requesting that Georgetown be listed as a historical landmark, and the next step is to prepare a conservation plan for “historic Georgetown.”
He revealed that the plan is to submit the name of various sites and building to ensure that UESCO takes at least one of them and makes it as a world heritage site. According to Anthony, being the recipient of such an acclamation would help to drive people to come to Guyana, and foster tourism in a sustainable way.
A group of experts are expected to travel to Georgetown to lend advice on how we can upkeep and preserve the appearance of City Hall. The Fire Department recently stated that the 125-year-old City Hall constituted “a serious fire hazard.”
During the inspections 18 hazardous conditions were identified, and 24 recommendations including general changes, were advised.
Kaieteur News understands that with the consideration of the fire service’s urgings, the City Engineer and his team of workers did some remedial work on the fire escapes, stairs, floors, and roof of the building. Some painting was also done.
Mayor Hamilton Green asserted that despite the fact that the building no longer poses an immediate danger, there is still need for a major rehabilitation. He described the edifice as a “magnificent architectural piece of art.
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