“Carve your own niche” – Min. Allicock tells Indigenous peoples
─ ‘Preserve your language’ – Minister Garrido-Lowe urges
─ Indigenous Heritage Month launched
DPI, Guyana, Friday, August 9, 2019
Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Hon. Sydney Allicock has sounded a clarion call for the Indigenous peoples to carve out their own identity, even as they work with the rest of Guyana for the further development of the country.
Addressing the media launch of the 2019 Indigenous Heritage Month activities, Minister Allicock said Indigenous peoples must maintain their purpose while building Guyana.
“We need to be able to carve or create our own identity which is blended in the Guyanese society. Something special. We should be able to understand the value of what we have and not to give it up for anything else,” the minister told the gathering at the Indigenous Village, Sophia.
Under the theme “Maintaining our traditional practices while promoting a green economy,” this year’s celebration seeks to support the preservation and safeguarding of Indigenous cultures and practices.
Minister Allicock said there is much to be garnered from the Indigenous peoples and their communities; factors, he said, that are often taken for granted.
According to the minister, the objective is ultimately to safeguard the culture of the Indigenous peoples, encouraging the sustainability of traditions and traditional knowledge, to 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, Hon. Valerie Garrido-Lowe 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.”
This worrying trend, she said, puts the Indigenous culture and knowledge systems at great risks.
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 31 with a religious service at the Umana Yana. The ceremonial launch of heritage month will take place on September 1, at the Heritage Village. Other activities include a cultural extravaganza, art exhibition, heritage sport and pageant. The Indigenous community will also remember the first indigenous Parliamentarian, the late Stephen Campbell.