President David Granger on Sunday evening told the residents of Victoria village that they should be proud of their village’s history as their ancestors, despite their struggles, persevered and pioneered economic independence and democratic empowerment.
“Victoria is not the mother of all villages. It is not the grandmother of all villages. It is the great grandmother of all villages. And tonight, we acknowledge that it was Victoria which started the great village movement. It is Victoria which lit the flame that encouraged us to dream of equality, equality of all people; the prospect of economic prosperity and the meaning of true liberty after the most degrading punishment as enslaved labourers on the plantations of Guyana,” he said, according to a statement from the Ministry of the Presidency.
Granger said that long before he became President, his intention was to honour Victoria and other villages on November 7. It is for this reason that a motion was passed in the National Assembly in 2013 declaring November 7, the National Day of Villages.
Granger, who is performing the functions of a caretaker President, emphasised that the Government believes that the villagers must be allowed to run their own affairs and manage their own community.
The event was held at the Victoria Community Centre Ground under the theme: ‘Magnifying our African ancestry, celebrating our cultural diversity’.
