Georgetown: The foundation and floor of the historic Umana Yana which is currently being rebuilt, has been completed and is currently in its curing stage, Ministerial Adviser, Mervyn Williams has said.
Williams revealed that the part of the project which the Ministry of Public Infrastructure was responsible for, which was the construction of the foundation and floor, has been completed and the curing phase is expected to end on December 30.
On December 31, the Ministry is expected to hand over the project to the Indigenous Affairs Ministry, which will then be responsible for erecting the actual structure. Presently however, materials which were needed from Indigenous settlements, except Maskeneries in the Deep South Rupununi, have been sourced.
“Materials from Moraikobai have been obtained through the efforts of Colin Andrews who is the former Toshao and also the materials which were needed from St Cuthbert’s Mission. Toshao Lennox Shoman assisted the Ministry in this regard” the ministerial advisor said.
However, he explained that the additional materials which need to be sourced from Maskeneries will be transported to Georgetown, when it is ready for use. Toshaoo Paul Chikema, who will be responsible for this aspect of the project has visited the site and indicated that the team is ready to commence work.
Boasting that all works are currently on schedule, Williams stated that the design of the structure remains the same. The design will mirror the previous structure but with an increase in space between the floor and roof. This, the advisor said, is to allow the freer passage of Atlantic air which sweeps in from the seawall nearby.
Also, expertise from the Public Infrastructure Ministry will be sought to explore the option of having, exclusively, solar generated electricity for the facility.
According to him, this reconstruction is a major undertaking by the ministry, given that the building represents the historical, current, and projected cultural contributions of the Indigenous people to Guyana.
“It is the wish of the President, the Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs and his team that we have this benab reconstructed, and that is what we are working towards,” Williams said, adding that the completion is slated to coincide with Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary.
Constructed by the Wai Wais in 1972, the 55 feet Umana Yana was a conical palm thatched hut (benab) erected for the Non-Aligned Foreign Ministers Conference in Guyana in August that year as a VIP lounge and recreation centre.
The landmark structure served as the venue for a number of historical and cultural events for over four decades. In December last year, Culture, Youth and Sport Minister at the time, Dr Frank Anthony announced that the PPP/C government would have pumped $50M into the 2015 budget for the reconstruction of the Umana Yana.
You must be logged in to post a comment.