The 2013 Independence Exhibition, a collaborative venture by the National Archives, the University of Guyana Library, the Burrowes School of Art, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the National Museum, opened on Friday at the National Museum.
Celebrating Guyana’s 47th year of independence, the theme for this year centres on the contributions, past and present of Guyanese women in our society and how they shaped our nation.
The exhibit is open to the public from 9:00 – 16:30hrs on Mondays to Fridays and from 9:00 – 12:00hrs on Saturdays for the next two weeks.
Every year we do different themes on Independence and this year’s is special,” said a representative from the National Archives who was overlooking the exhibit.
Many primary and secondary school students from across the county were the first to check out the exhibit.
Items on display range from book collections from the University of Guyana Library to crafts and paintings from the Burrowes School of Arts; historical papers from the National Archives to Queen Elizabeth’s eating utensils she used while on her February, 1966 visit to the British colony; taxidermies of the Canje Pheasant, the national bird to biographical portraits of the eight presidents; pictures of the first flag rising ceremony and newspapers from around the world. The highlight of the exhibit is the walls of tributes to Guyanese women: first ladies, ministers, members of parliament, women in culture, trade unionism, sports, sugar cultivation, activism and African heritage and culture.
