Dear Editor,
As we are fast approaching our Amerindian heritage month celebrations, September 2016, there is a number of very important items and topics that can be included in our programme of activities.
Apart from the well-organised sports and cultural events in Georgetown, some items performed at the various heritage venues countrywide, seem to be a bit monotonous, including those on the evening’s agenda at the Sophia Exhibition Centre.
However, in the interval of the bi-annual Miss Amerindian Heritage Month pageantry, the organisers at the national level can put together an indigenous fashion and designer show in both the male and female categories, with an introduction of an open poetry and song competition.
My suggestions if implemented, I think, will showcase and enhance the talents of our indigenous brothers and sisters, and certainly would allow them to be more competitive at the national and inter-national level.
Also, a forum should be organized to highlight some of the vital contributions that our fore-parents made towards building this beautiful country of ours.
The Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs should engage some of our prominent historians, such as Tota Mangar, Mellissa Ifill and Reginaldo Gomes De Oliveira of the state university of Roraima in Brazil, to be involved in this important exercise. These educators have done some extensive research into the cultural and geopolitical history of the Guianas.
It would be very interesting to have a wide cross-section of Guyanese audience invited to this forum, including the Leader of the Opposition to listen to some hard facts presented by these distinguished academicians.
We the indigenous peoples of this country have been thrown down the gauntlet by the very politician who is supposed to be representing us. Since they have together with some historians peddled half- truths and lies about us, where we idly stood by during the colonial and post-colonial era of this country.
It must be noted that the indigenous people of this country were taken to Europe and trained as cartographers and when they returned they played an important role in the redoing and re-reading of the entire geography of the Guianas. As a matter of fact the indigenous peoples were the first to conduct business in and out of this country, creating an atmosphere for large commercial trading with outsiders. Furthermore, they together with some creole blacks accompanied Sir Robert Schombugk on some of his famous expeditions and assisted in the demarcation of this country.
Editor, this coming Amerindian heritage month September 2016, can be the moment of truth for the indigenous people of this country. In fact, it all depends if our leaders are really serious about promoting and securing our rich heritage.
Believe it or leave it!
Yours faithfully,
Mark Anthony Rodrigues
Region Nine
