West Indies Cricket Fans Forum
Open letter to President Ali
Your Excellency,
Your inaugural speech was justifiably loud in praise for the Caribbean Community. So was your reaffirmation of Guyana’s commitment to this indispensable Caribbean institution. In doing this, you demonstrated continuity. You reaffirmed commitment to an institution for which Guyana has proud and solid relations. We were there at its conception. At its birth. We are an essential part of its current life.
In 2022, two years from now, the idea of CARIFESTA will be 50 years! That idea came to life memorably in 1972 in Guyana. Again, in 2008, Guyana was the host of this most important Caribbean gathering. We cannot deny it, CARIFESTAS are special moments for the arts and the wider community. I can testify that the benefits are long lasting. I think Guyana should host a special edition of CARIFESTA in 2022.
If we start planning now, we can do it well! A 2022 special edition can provide the focus, attention, and support that Guyana’s cultural sector so sorely needs.
President Ali, in the spirit of your inaugural speech, pull together an interagency mechanism, and a public/private/diaspora partnership, along with the CARICOM Secretariat, to begin the planning for a special edition of CARIFESTA in 2022 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of a distinctive Caribbean gathering.
Sincerely,
Vibert C. Cambridge, Ph.D., A.A
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About the author
Guyana Diaspora Forum
We have a large database of Guyanese worldwide. Most of our readers are in the USA, Canada, and the UK. Our Blog and Newsletter would not only carry articles and videos on Guyana, but also other articles on a wide range of subjects that may be of interest to our readers in over 200 countries, many of them non-Guyanese We hope that you like our selections.
It is estimated that over one million Guyanese, when counting their dependents, live outside of Guyana. This exceeds the population of Guyana, which is now about 750,000. Many left early in the 50’s and 60’s while others went with the next wave in the 70’s and 80’s. The latest wave left over the last 20 years. This outflow of Guyanese, therefore, covers some three generations. This outflow still continues today, where over 80 % of U.G. graduates now leave after graduating. We hope this changes, and soon.
Guyanese, like most others, try to keep their culture and pass it on to their children and grandchildren. The problem has been that many Guyanese have not looked back, or if they did it was only fleetingly. This means that the younger generations and those who left at an early age know very little about Guyana since many have not visited the country. Also, if they do get information about Guyana, it is usually negative and thus the cycle of non-interest is cultivated.
This Guyana Diaspora Online Forum , along with its monthly newsletter, aims at bringing Guyanese together to support positive news, increase travel and tourism in Guyana and, in general, foster the birth of a new Guyana, which has already begun notwithstanding the negative news that grabs the headlines. As the editor and manager of the publication, I am committed to delivering Blog entries and Newsletters that are politically balanced, and focused on the positive ideas we wish to share and foster among Guyanese.
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