It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the beauty and biodiversity of our environment and we often forget that people are an essential part of the environment and its ecology. Everything we do, everything we consume or dispose has an impact on our environment. Likewise, a healthy environment is essential for human health as we rely on the environment to provide space for food to grow, clean water to drink and clean air to breathe.
In keeping with this, Iwokrama will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Wildlife Festival at Bina Hill in Annai, Region 9 from today until Monday. The Wildlife Festival is a celebration of environment and Makushi culture and this year’s theme is ‘Our Culture, Our Nature, Our Future’.
It is expected that over 250 youth between the ages of 8 and 20 will attend and this includes all 16 wildlife clubs from the North Rupununi as well as special invited clubs from St Ignatius, Nappi and Mururunau all the way from Deep South Rupununi. Transportation for these clubs is being provided by Conservation International and Nappi is receiving assistance from Foster Parrots. The Buxton Fusion School of Music will represent Region 4. As a special treat, for the tenth anniversary, the original wildlife club and founder of the festival, the Santa Rosa Environmental Club, will be attending, thanks to assistance from the WWF.
Among some of the activities there will be a costume and banner parade, cotton spinning, fire lighting, archery, basket weaving, kite flying and buns eating competitions as well as dancing and singing. There will also be classroom sessions which will address some of the social and environmental issues facing youth in the North Rupununi. Topics will include teenage pregnancy (Remote Area Medical), personal space and touching (Makushi Research Unit and Help and Shelter), environmental concerns and how we handle them (Environmental Protection Agency).
The organisers expressed thanks to Iwokrama, WWF Guianas, Conservation International, the NRDDB, Guyana Forestry Commission, Woodpecker Sports, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Guyana Tourism Authority, Tigerwoods & Arvoredo Ltd, Cara Lodge, and Demerara Timbers Limited for their support.
