Harmony Village to open next week

Georgetown, Guyana — (April 5, 2018) Plans are moving apace for the opening of Harmony Village; a celebration of Guyana’s culture presented by the Department of Social Cohesion, Ministry of the Presidency. This morning, Technical Officer, Ms. Olive Gopaul hosted a walk-through at the venue, located on Main Street, Georgetown, with several national stakeholders in order to confirm final arrangements.

Harmony Village, which will be opened under the theme; ‘Building Partnerships: Promoting Community and National Cohesion’, will open officially on April 12, 2018 and is purposed as a celebration of Guyana’s diversity. “It is bringing all of our stakeholders together in one space so that we can celebrate our diversities… It’s about us creating a space; a safe space, a [socially cohesive] space where we celebrate each other,” Ms. Gopaul said.

This year, Harmony Village will see a sizeable expansion due to its successful pilot last year. “So far, 95 organisations have confirmed their participation. So, our numbers have doubled and we are utilising the space between Church Street and Middle Street, not only the avenue, but now we have to utilise the roadways as well… We anticipate that there will be about 2000 to 3000 persons traversing the village,” she said.

Harmony Village will officially open with a concert featuring key speakers from Government and performances from cultural and religious organisations. There will also be booths run by the Islamic, Christian, Hindu and Rastafarian Core Groups of the Department of Social Cohesion as well as the Hebrew Family of Guyana. The event will also feature a ‘Sports Village’ that will host booths dedicated to cricket, karate, dominoes, and appearances of national athletes. The Ministries of Public Health, Public Telecommunications, Agriculture, and Foreign Affairs will also be represented. Non-Government Organisations such as the Guyana Cancer Foundation, and Help and Shelter, will also be in attendance. Most prominently, Harmony Village will have a wide variety of artistic booths hosted by the Main Street Art Group, Beatle Arts, the Craft Association and many more.

Representatives from the Guyana Fire Service, the Guyana Police Force, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, the Civil Defense Commission, the Mayor and City Council and the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated attended this second and final walk-through today. Representatives from, the international, artistic and athletic communities, as well as religious, cultural, Government and non-Government organisations are set to attend and have booths at the event.