The Guyana Cultural Association of NY INC

Promoting Guyanese, Arts & Culture

Arts | Culture & Heritage | Education | Media

What We Do

The annual folk festival seasons have provided the platforms to showcase, to celebrate, and to document our heritage. The Guyana Cultural Association through its signature events and the programs of the Guyana arts & cultural center, promote and propagate Guyana's cultural heritage.

The Guyana Cultural Association of New York’s mission is to document, showcase and celebrate the multiple roots of Guyana’s cultural heritage. Through its work, the association preserves Guyanese cultural heritage, and makes it available through various channels, to inspire future generations of Guyanese at home and abroad. The Guyana Cultural Association hosts various cultural programs & events throughout the year (the Folk Festival Season) geared towards the Guyanese population around the world. 

To get an idea of the work we do, take a glimpse at out quarterly newsletter.

Summer Workshops

The Guyana Cultural Association hosts a Caribbean Heritage Summer Workshop Series for six weeks. These workshops provide students with a safe, fun and creative learning experience.

Symposium

GCA's annual Symposium provides a platform for open dialogue on various facets of Guyanese culture including history, arts, music, and heritage; presented in the format of a panel discussion.

GCA Awards & Prizes​

GCA celebrates Guyanese cultural contributors at home and abroad through our awards and prizes. These include: The GCA Award, The Godfrey Chin Prizes the Derry Etkins Memorial Prizes

Family Fun Day​

Our end of folk fest season event to engage the Guyanese community and promote cultural activities. It features a variety of activities suitable for all ages, aimed at bringing families and communities.

A Look Back At the 2024 Folk Fest Season...

2024 Theme - Hope Harmony Continuity

GCA had another exciting year of celebration!

The Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc. and Prospect Park Alliance invite your participation in the symposium of the Guyana Folk Festival 2023 season. The symposium will explore the long Caribbean presence in New York under the theme CARICOM@50: Recognizing and Celebrating Its New York Roots.
The symposium, along with the other signature events of the Guyana Folk Festival season, will contribute to the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). This anniversary will be observed across the region and its global diaspora.

CARICOM is a manifestation of a persistent stream of thought that has been evident in the circum-Caribbean region for almost two centuries. It “is the oldest surviving regional integration institution in the developing world.” Its declared vision is to promote and support “a unified Caribbean Community that is inclusive, resilient, competitive; and sharing in economic, social, and cultural prosperity.”
CARICOM’s founding on August 1, 1973, the 135th anniversary of the emancipation of enslaved Africans in the British West Indies, explicitly tied the institution to the historical struggles for liberty and self-determination across the region and hemisphere. Less well known is the fact that people of color in New York celebrated West Indian emancipation in the mid-19th century in relation to their own liberatory political visions and struggles. CARICOM@50: Recognizing and Celebrating Its New York Roots seeks to explore and commemorate these deep and ongoing connections.

2024 RECOGNITIONS : AWARDS AND PRIZES

REQUESTS FOR NOMINATIONS

It’s your chance to join us in honoring the best among us to celebrate our cultural heritage and more in 2024!

We request nominations of accomplishments that demonstrate actions of the best of us in the homeland and the Diaspora. Nominations can be for a person or entity whose work exemplfies the spirit of hope harmony continuity. Our awards celebrate outstanding contributions in the following groups.

GCA Awards

  • Guyana Cultural Association Award
  • Guyana Cultural Association Exemplary Award
  • Guyana Cultural Association Cultural Enabler Award.
  • Guyana Cultural Association Lifetime Achievement Award

A selection committee evaluates each nomination considering seven criteria: Originality, Scope, Impact /Influence, Integration, Pioneering spirit, Challenges and Achievements.

The Godfrey Chin prize for Heritage Journalism

The Godfrey Chin prize for Heritage Journalism rewards writers whose published works promote understanding and appreciation of the diverse strands of Guyanese heritage and contribute to celebrating the commonalities that connect the people of Guyana.

The Derry Etkins Memorial Prizes

The Derry Etkins Memorial Prizes give recognition for excellence in musical Composition, Performance, and Preservation as well as Service and Commitment to creative, impactful, and sustainable music education programs focused on community engagement, innovation and/or excellence in music

Congratulations to the 2024 winners!

GCA Summer Heritage Workshop

In 2021, the Summer Heritage Workshop Series program was hybrid! We held in-person sessions, providing an opportunity for kids to escape their everyday routine after a year of learning on-line and staring at computer screens. To engage kids and attract them to our summer workshop, we provided a captivating experience for the children who are there in person or virtually. The Workshop was zoomed to children in New York, Guyana, and other parts of the Diaspora.

Event Calendar

Saturday July 22
2-4pm Vanilla Ice Cream – a Portal to Our Past with The Food Griot (delicious tasting too!)
4-6pm NYC Poets Family Reunion performance and open mic with Empress Poetry
 
Sunday July 23
3-5pm Learn to play Caribbean folk games with Guyana Cultural Association (and enjoy spectacular “swank” limeade) 
 
Saturday July 29
2-4pm Watermelon – an African Fruit Revered Throughout Human History with The Food Griot (delicious tasting too!)
 
Sunday July 30
3-5pm Songs of Resistance and Joy! with Shawne’ Lee spinning the music that gave her mother the courage to fight to preserve 227 Abolitionist Place.
 
 
Tuesday Aug 1
5-8pm J’ouvert Genesis Immersive Experience exhibit opening party (not to be missed!)
 
Saturday Aug 5

2-4pm Corn – an African Fruit Revered Throughout Human History with The Food Griot (delicious tasting too!)

 
Sunday Aug 6 – at the Prospect Park Boathouse
10am-7pm Guyana Cultural Association Folk Symposium – a daylong exploration of the cultural connections between New York and the Caribbean with music, food, and discussion.

GCA PUBLISHES

“Putagee, Masquerade, and We,” printed copies are avaliable!

Online Magazine