Latest update January 18th, 2025 7:00 AM
Coastal and Hinterland exchange programmes vital for building national identity – says Minister
By Nicholas Peters
Exchange programmes between the coast and the hinterland are necessary to build Guyana’s national identity in education, business, culture and sport.
According to the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, such programmes will bring cultural awareness to a region of Guyana the majority of citizens are uninformed of.
In a recent interview, Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister, Sydney Allicock said that exchange programmes can be implemented at the educational, scientific research and commercial industry levels.
Guyana’s hinterland region accounts for approximately 76 percent of the country’s landmass. Of the country’s ten Administrative Regions, the hinterland is made up of five of those districts -Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten. Despite its vastness the region has remained relatively disconnected from the more densely populated Coastal areas.
“We have found that the majority of Guyanese don’t know what they have, they don’t know the value of their country.” said the Minister. He told this publication that through youth, educational and cultural exchange programmes the Ministry can bring Indigenous People’s culture to the broader Guyanese society.
Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock
“We (Guyana) have our Indigenous identity and we need to work on our national identity. It is all about arranging, organising and planning for more interaction between the Hinterland and the Coast,” added Minister Allicock.
The Ministry, he added, will also be working in collaboration with the Education Ministry to do more in the field of research and documentation in the remote regions.
Minister of Education Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine was recently quoted as saying that it is time the country start looking into scholarships geared towards providing outstanding coastal students the opportunity to study in the hinterland regions.
Such programmes, he opined, would allow students to study the vast wealth of Guyana’s natural resources as the country moves forward in improving its education system.
“It is time,” Dr. Roopnaraine said, “that the coastland recognises that it has a great deal to learn from the hinterland.”
Weighing in on the matter, Ministerial Advisor on Indigenous Affairs, Mervyn Williams revealed that moving forward the Ministry has a plan to document the posterity of indigenous languages, traditions, customs, personalities and heritage events.
“We are going to promote cultural indigenous talents and will showcase them nationally and internationally,” said Williams. In showcasing these distinct aspects of Guyanese cultural identity, he added, the rest of the country will have the opportunity to recognise other “dimensions of life” with the aim of bring “the two Guyanas together”.
In explaining the areas included in the plan, Williams said that sport and scouting will play an integral role in connecting the hinterland and coastal region.
While expounding on the role of Guyana’s scout groups, the Ministerial Advisor shared that an exchange programme between the two regions in this regard will reintroduce the country’s young people to the practices and livelihood of citizens in the hinterland.
“Coastal scouts groups – girls and boys – will be able to interact with our indigenous brothers and sisters. They will be learning about the cultures, foods, way of life and bringing to them a new understanding of Guyana that they have never been exposed to,” related the official. Williams noted that a similar programme from the Hinterland to the Coast would be implemented to achieve the same objective.
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Pic saved in Friday as Allicock
Caption: Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock
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