Plans to make St Cuth-bert’s Mission a model for other indigenous communities and a leading attraction for tourists were revealed by Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs Sydney Allicock as he addressed hundreds of residents at their annual heritage celebrations yesterday.
Since the village is the closest Amerindian community to Georgetown—within 50 miles—the minister said that it will serve as an ideal location to showcase how things are done traditionally, he pledged to work with the community to achieve academic and economic strength which will be an example to others.
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo declared that residents deserve much more than lip service and one visit during the heritage celebrations and another during elections campaign, since the indigenous people were the first people of Guyana, from which the country achieved its name. He urged the residents to work together and support the government in achieving the goals.
The artistic demonstrations and bold creative acts of residents which were enthusiastically dished out on stage in various forms during the opening of the celebration, represent a legacy of the indigenous people of St Cuthbert’s Mission and Guyana which can significantly impact the Caribbean and the further afield, the Prime Minister declared.
Nagamootoo encouraged the villagers to work hard to preserve their legacy and culture as he noted that they