Georgetown: The National Trust of Guyana in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport officially launched a one-day exhibition at the Promenade Gardens to commemorate International Monument and Sites Day 2015.
The event was hosted under the theme ‘Celebrating Guyana’s Patrimony: A Trail of Our Built Heritage’.
The exhibition had on display models, posters and fliers with information on historical places and monuments which play a significant role in Guyana’s history.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Frank Anthony told the gathering which comprised mainly of students and teachers that a country’s heritage is very important, while highlighting the two types of heritage; built and natural.
He added that a country’s built heritage is very vulnerable and each citizen plays a role in ensuring that monuments are well protected and preserved otherwise they can be easily destroyed.
The Minister said that one of the challenges faced by his Ministry is due to the fact that many historical buildings were built with wood which is very susceptible to fire and as a result many were destroyed this way over the years.
“When we lose these things that were built by our ancestors, it is very difficult to recreate them, and so we end up losing Guyana’s history…as a country and people, all of us would have lost something” he said.
The Minister urged the students to take the opportunity to enhance their knowledge on the various monuments in Guyana, as well as their historical meaning and educate persons on the importance of monuments to the country’s history.
The Minister further unveiled five plaques which will be placed in five villages on the East Coast of Demerara that were associated with the 1823 Demerara slave revolt.
This move is being done to remind persons of the historical sites in their respective communities, as well as to educate the young generation on Guyana’s heritage.
International Monument and Sites Day will officially be observed on April 18, but to accommodate students, the event was held today.
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