Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, performing the functions of President, on Wednesday handed over a large soaking tank to the Guyana Arts and Crafts Producers Association, to boost efforts to revitalise the local craft industry using bamboo, a plant that grows profusely in Guyana.
Hinds, at the presentation ceremony at the National Exhibition Centre, at Sophia, Hinds presented the tank to Michael Alleyne, a member of the association. He said that it would help to complement the training that he received in 2004, during a bamboo craft training programme conducted by the governments of China and Guyana, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
Alleyne, of Friendship, East Bank Demerara, has been practicing the art of bamboo craftsmanship for more than two decades. Among his pieces are soap dishes, jewel containers, chairs and tables.
“We had a training effort both locally and abroad and it has not taken off as we expected… we need to correct this,” Hinds said. In this regard, he is urging persons to be more proactive in taking the sector to greater levels.
He emphasised that there is need to diversify the economy and in so doing persons must be prepared to consider utilising other local materials also in the craft industry.
Against this background, he said the industry is poised to takeoff and stakeholders should work towards that common goal. Alleyne expressed gratitude to government for the assistance, GINA said.
