Today, at the Wakenaam home of Joan McPhoy, drums will beat and residents will come together in celebration. “We trying to bring back the youths dem now in their culture,” she says.
Two Saturdays ago, drums, skits, songs, dances and food welcomed patrons to the community centre ground on the Essequibo River Island as a group of residents began activities to celebrate Emancipation Day as well as commemorate the Year of African Descent.
Celebrations in the mixed community of several thousand persons were vibrant in the past but now young people have forgotten their culture, McPhoy, 70, said. “All the young ones now, dem does go to church and as they go church, they ain’t get time with culture anymore,” the woman observed. She said that they are now trying to encourage youths to regain their culture and the function two weeks ago was a part of this.
However, they need support and this has not been forthcoming, McPhoy said. She recalled that some years ago, celebrations for Emancipation Day were lively and far-reaching with drummers going as far as Bartica, the West Demerara, the Essequibo Coast, Georgetown and Berbice to take part in competitions. Drummers from other areas visited Wakenaam as well, she said.
They hope to make Emancipation celebrations vibrant again, McPhoy said. In relation to the recent activity she said: “we trying to encourage the young people. We get a good turnout but few take part.” They need better cooperation and organization to get the youths involved, she said.
Clive Stewart, another resident, said that on Emancipation Day, African food, dress and other aspects of the culture will be highlighted. He said that they were trying to raise funds to undertake activities to commemorate the Year of African Descent but lamented that they were seeing no financial support from the government, even though, according to him, some money was pledged.
“If you have to get development, you have to get finance,” he said. “The youths dem going astray and we want them to get organized.”
McPhoy said that on the island, where jobs are scarce, there is a need for programmes for youths so that they can learn something that can benefit them. The youths, she stressed, also need to take an interest in their culture. A once vibrant culture is being lost, she observed. But they are working to revive pride in their culture, she said.
