With the COVID-19 outbreak cancelling traditional Independence Day activities, some Guyanese youth have suggestions for celebrating the day safely.
Guyana will mark its 54th independence anniversary next Tuesday.
While there are usually a number of public activities, the usual venues, including the parks, gardens, and sports grounds, have been closed due to current measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“I look forward to this day every year,” Travon Low-A-Chee, 17, told Stabroek Weekend, while noting that his family has had the same routine for past 10 years. “To get the day started, my family and I play some Guyanese music. While the music plays, we listen and even dance to the rhythm while we start to prepare the different meals we would like to eat that day. My family joins other immediate relatives at the Botanical Garden to relax,” he noted.
However, Low-A-Chee added that his family is now thinking about how they can celebrate this year while staying safe.
“Usually, after the full day outing we would return home and light fireworks with some friends and family but, because of the COVID -19, we cannot have a gathering. This affects my family greatly, even though we still plan to cook and stay indoors. The rest of our family might not be able to come and mingle with us,” he said.
He suggested that the decorating of yards and backyard picnicking are a good way for persons to stay at home and still have a good celebration.
Two siblings from Grove, East Bank Demerara, said their annual Independence Day celebrations revolve around family. “We would cook and family would come over and ever since carnival came to Guyana… well we would still cook but the day would be spent at D’Urban Park, instead of at home,” the eldest sibling, Justin Thompson said. “This year we will be at home, once again, but, without the extended family,” the young man continued. Thompson and his younger sister, Jenika, said that they are every upset that the Guyana Carnival celebrations were cancelled but most importantly, the cancellation of the Independence Day celebrations came as the biggest bummer for them. Thompson went on to say “Guyana’s independence to me is a celebration of our freedom from Britain and the beginning of our identity as Guyanese. Keeping that in mind, I advise people to celebrate the day for what it is in a way that’s safe and doesn’t involve a social gathering. Even though we can’t go out and celebrate the way we like to, let’s stay inside a bit longer to help stop the spread of this virus, because it could only end if everyone plays their part.”
Kurece King’s family is also big on preparing meals and yard picnics but she noted that with the advent of carnival, her family’s traditions have changed from at home family gatherings to watching the float parades in the streets. But in wake of the new coronavirus, this year’s celebration will be drastically different since it will be an isolated a one. King said that the disease’s impact on the national celebrations makes it seem somewhat “freedom-less.” “This change is unexpected and we were not prepped for the sudden adjustments to our lifestyle that COVID-19 caused,” King explained. “For me, Independence Day is significantly attached to a form of new beginnings like it was represented in 1966 and that is why I celebrate it with pride,” she continued, “while our celebration this year is different, we need to understand that following health guidelines are necessary, now more than ever, as it relates to our usual celebrations. We need obey the curfew, sanitise regularly, wear our masks and practice social distancing, so that this can pass,” she advised.
Independence Day in recent years has found Dawn Purdessy’s family going on the road to watch the carnival display. “Before, we would spend the day going to family members’ homes or even going to the national park but this year, we have no other option than to stay in the confines of our own home due to the new coronavirus outbreak in Guyana. And, well, it’s saddening to experience but there’s nothing that we can do. Safety must come first,” she said. She also advised persons to stay inside and stay safe.
Additionally, Purdessy suggested that persons who are anxiously awaiting the national flag raising ceremony to celebrate this year with “a bit of a twist” and hang the Golden Arrowhead, in front of their houses to mirror the iconic flag raising. “Independence to me, just as the name suggests means freedom. It’s great to celebrate Guyana having its own distinct identity,” said Purdessy.
In contrast, Joshua Faerber said that independence celebrations are not grand affairs for his family. “It’s like a normal day for us except that it’s a holiday,” he said. He explained that while many persons have picnics and other social gatherings, the Faerber family usually goes about their day as they would any other. While he doesn’t see much of a change for his celebrations this year, he said that as the years go by, he has noticed significant change in the way other people celebrate the national holiday. “…The holiday spirits seem to dwindle despite it being public… there is usually a huge celebration which would normally be held to show the importance of this feat but for this year, there shouldn’t be much gatherings due to fear of contracting COVID-19,” he said. In keeping with the National COVID-19 guidelines, he advised that all citizens try their best to remain at home and take as many measures as they are capable of to keep themselves safe from the deadly disease.
