A traditional dance being performed by members of Akawaio dance troupe ‘Riverside Angels’ at the launch of Indigenous Heritage Month 2019 yesterday at the Indigenous Village, Sophia.
Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Sydney Allicock yesterday sounded a call for the Indigenous peoples to preserve their own identity, even as they work with the rest of Guyana for the development of the country.
Allicock made the call at the launch for Indigenous Heritage Month 2019, which will be observed next month under the theme “Maintaining our traditional practices while promoting a green economy.”
“We need to be able to carve or create our own identity which is blended in the Guyanese society… We should be able to understand the value of what we have and not to give it up for anything else,” the Department of Public Information (DPI) quoted Allicock as saying at the launch, which was held at the Indigenous Village, Sophia. Allicock, the DPI report said, noted that the value of Indigenous peoples and their communities are often taken for granted, while noting the need to safeguard their culture, encourage the sustainability of traditions and traditional knowledge, promote cultural information to a wider audience, foster a stronger sense of Indigenous pride and cultural identity, and provide an understanding and appreciation of Indigenous environment. “We must be serious about what this means,” he noted, adding that there must be a determination in the preservation and protection of all customs.
Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe also addressed the launch and she stressed the need for the preservation of Indigenous languages. This is something that has been recognised by the United Nations (UN), which has also designated 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages.
“The majority of the languages being threatened by extinction are spoken by Indigenous peoples. According to the UN estimates, every two weeks, an Indigenous language disappears,” she said, while noting that the worrying trend puts the Indigenous culture and knowledge systems at great risk.
The report said the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs has been conducting a range of activities to ensure the languages of Guyana’s first peoples are preserved.
The official month-long celebration commences on August 31st with a religious service at the Umana Yana, while the ceremonial launch of heritage month will take place on September 1, at the Heritage Village. Other planned activities include a cultural extravaganza, an art exhibition, heritage sports and a pageant.