Thursday May 15, 2003
The
Guyana Festival in Toronto
It is the closest you will ever get to Guyana
without leaving Toront
Water coconuts, mangoes, cane juice squeezed
before your very eyes, freshly baked cassava bread, Guyanese-style
pastries, authentic Amerindian casareep… these are only
but a small sampling of what you can expect at the 8th Guyana
Festival held from May 16-18, 2003.
“It is the closest you will ever get to Guyana without
leaving Toronto”, exclaimed Guyana’s Honorary
Consul General, Danny Doobay.
Organized annually to mark the anniversary
of Guyana’s Independence, the Festival has earned the
distinction of being the largest annual gathering of Guyanese
out of Guyana. Under the theme “The future is ours together”
the annual event echoes a resounding message of exemplary
unity and reaffirms the commitment of Guyanese in Canada toward
nation building.
One of the greatest achievements of the Festival
is that it stands out prominently as a shining example of
how diverse groups of Guyanese can work together for a brilliant
production. The Festival is the culmination of six months
of planning by more than 40 Guyanese organizations under the
aegis of the Guyana Consulate.
The Festival begins with a Tourism Seminar
on Friday, May 16 under the theme: “Guyana – A
New and Exciting Nature and Adventure Destination. The seminar
will be followed by an Awards Dinner designed to recognize
the contributions of nationals in the promotion of Guyana,
Guyanese heritage and culture, as well as, the achievement
of excellence. The main activities at the L'Amoreaux Community
center kicks off with a flag raising ceremony at 12:00 on
Saturday and ends with the Western Union Celebrity Cricket
Match on Sunday. This year the match will feature Canada VI
vs. Guyana VI. The players include:
Guyana’s X1: Narsingh Deonarine, Azeemul
Haniff, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Lennox Cush, Asad Fudadin,
Vishal Nagamootoo, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Hemnarine Harrinarine,
Naresh Roopnarine, Esan Crandon, Rayon Thomas and Clyde Butts
(manager/coach).
Canada’s XI: Faoud Bacchus, Rovendra
Mandolall, Paul Prashad, Arjune Nandu, Sunil Dhaniram, Shivnauth
Seeram, Abdool Samad, Davis Joseph, Desmond Chumney, Austin
Codrington, Surendra Seeraj, Jonathan Roberts and Ryan Lall.
Doobay said, “this year we are expecting
the largest delegation from Guyana, including members of the
Guyana national cricket team, an Amerindian dance group, members
of the Body Building Association along with representatives
from the tourism industry. We are also expecting two Guyanese
soccer teams: the Starliners from Maryland D.C and the Camptown
from Brooklyn.” He added, “Our goal is to produce
another spectacular weekend of family entertainment for our
community and beyond. We will have something for everyone.”
A crucial part of the festivities, the cultural
show, “ALL HELL BRUK LOOSE” is a family show that
celebrates Guyanese Heritage through drama, music, dance,
story telling, poetry and comedy. This show promises to be
loaded with a galaxy of the hottest Guyanese star entertainers.
Tasty Guyanese foods, including all your favorite vegetarian
and halaal specials, will be on sale throughout the weekend.
The committee is encouraging patrons to use
the TTC to get to the L’Amoreaux ground and where possible
to car pool. There is limited parking. To get to the ground,
which is located at the corner of Kennedy and McNicoll, you
can ride either the Kennedy or McNicoll buses.
There will be a live broadcast of the Festival
on Guyana Broadcasting Corporation on Saturday, May 17 from
11:30 am to 1:30 p.m. This broadcast will include the Flag
Raising Ceremony and coverage of the many activities at the
L’Amoreaux Community Center.
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History of the Guyana Festival
The Guyana Festival was initiated in 1995 in Toronto to commemorate
the anniversary of Guyana’s Independence. The precursor
to the Festival was the Guyana Independence Dinner, which
was first held in 1993 and attended by Prime Minister Samuel
A. Hinds.
Over the past eight years, the Festival has
succeeded in forging a common bond among Guyanese from all
walks-of-life and from all regions of Guyana. In addition,
the Festival has emerged as the premier activity promoting
Guyana and its culture within the Guyanese community in Canada.
More recently, the Festival has attracted participants from
all over North America, Britain, the Caribbean and Guyana.
With an annual attendance of nearly 20,000, the Festival has
earned the distinction of being the largest annual gathering
of Guyanese outside of Guyana.
The Guyana Festival began as a two-day activity,
starting with a Conference on Friday and the Grand Festival
on Saturday, which featured Arts and Craft, Food, a Cultural
Program, Dominoes, Soccer and the grand Independence Lime.
In 1997 a Celebrity Cricket Match was added, attracting thousands
of cricket fans and spectators. Sunday’s activities
were enhanced in 2000 with a Softball Match. 2001 saw the
addition of the Awards Dinner and Dance and a number of Children’s
activities, making the Festival a true family and community
event.
The phenomenal growth of the Guyana Festival
brought marked changes in 2002. The Seminar concluded on Friday
with the Ontario launch of the award-winning EL DORADO Rums.
On Saturday, one-third of the gym at L’Amoreaux Community
Centre was set aside for Arts, Craft, Paintings, Literature,
Guyana Tourism displays, and a large exhibition of Amerindian
artifacts. The highlight of the 2002 Festival was the visit
of the largest group of Amerindians ever to participate in
the Festival, representing the nine tribes of Guyana.
New activities slated for the 2003 Festival
include an all-day Soccer Tournament, an Exhibition Softball
game, and a Live Broadcast to Guyana on Saturday; “Sunday
at the Centre” – featuring an additional Cultural
Show at noon, and the continuation of the Arts and Craft,
Literature and Tourism displays on Sunday; and the Launch
of the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Bodybuilding and
Fitness Championships 2004 Homecoming.
Over the years, the Festival has been honoured
by the presence of His Excellency, the President of Guyana,
the Prime Minister and several ministers of the government,
demonstrating the high esteem in which the Government and
people of Guyana hold the stalwart Guyanese Community in Canada.
The Guyana Independence Committee, comprised
of over forty Guyanese organizations representing every region
of Guyana, organizes the annual celebrations. The Festival
is held on the Victoria Day weekend in May under the distinguished
patronage of the Consulate General of Guyana. Toronto City
Councillor, Sherene Shaw, serves as Patron.
The wide variety of activities throughout
the 3-day Guyana Festival gives credence to the Festival slogan:
“Come celebrate with us all things Guyanese”.
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