10:00–10:30 Libation & Welcome 
(Acknowledges ancestral presence and presentation of the day’s program)

• “We are still here,” Dr. Dylan Yeats, Project Coordinator for the ReImagine Lefferts initiative of the Prospect Park Alliance.
• “Libation:  Honoring our ancestors and charting the future.” Winston “Jeggae” Hoppie, Archelder, Guyana Spiritual Church.
• Dr. Rose October, Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc.
• Representatives of Prospect Park Alliance (Morgan Monaco, Maria Carrasco.

10:30–10:45 Performance (Celebrates the Jali and the Kora)

• Salieu Suso presents “Africa Meets Asia.”

10:50–12:50 Origins: The Transatlantic Routes to New York’s Caribbean Roots
(Sketch of the interconnections, especially Dutch colonization to early 20th-century Harlem and Brooklyn, and the legacies)

• Dr. Nigel Westmaas
• Dr. Dylan Yeats
• Shana Sabio

12:50–2:00 Exploring the Foodways that Connect Us (Exploration and taste of a selection of foods [sweet potatoes, corn, fried breads, blackeye peas, and sorrel] that illustrate connections)

• Juneann- Olivia George 
• Chef John Reman

2:00–3:00 Music: Early Jammin’ to 1945
(Illustration of the nature of New York’s musical landscape and Caribbean multi-genre expressions)

• Dr. Gillian Richards-Greaves
• Dr. Ray Allen
• Dr. Vibert Cambridge

3:00–4:00 Shape and Movement: Dance Since the Mid-20th century
(Reflection on innovations in dance, especially the significance of African Caribbean dance pioneers, in New York during the 20th century)

• Michael Manswell
• Malcolm Hall
• Verna Walcott-Whyte
• Dr. Rose October (Moderator)

4:00–4:15 Fabric and Fashion 
(Demonstration of the making of Kente cloth and presentation of contemporary African fashions)

• Samuel Owusu Sekyere

4:15–5:00 Since 1964: How We Stay in Touch! 
(Changes in US Immigration law in 1964 resulted in an increase in the size and diversity of New York’s Caribbean. This conversation explores the historical and current role of radio broadcasting in the lives of New York’s Caribbean.)

• Edmon H. Braithwaite
• Hugh Hamilton
• Dr. Vibert Cambridge (Moderator)

5:00–5:45 Religiosity and the Wisdom of Folk Culture 
(Examination of the religious/spiritual landscape of New York’s Caribbean)

• Kishore Seunarine
• Michael Manswell
• Sandra Bell
• Dr. Lear Matthews (Moderator)

5:45–6:45 Soca, Chutney, Dance Hall, and Hip Hop in Brooklyn 
(Exploration of New York’s place in the development of soca, chutney, and dance hall music)

• Dr. Ray Allen
• Dr. Meagan Sylvester
• Dr. Gillian Richards-Greaves

6:45–7:00 Closing and Thank-You 
(Summary of the day and a look forward)

• Representatives of Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc., and Prospect Park Alliance

The 2023 Guyana Folk Festival Symposium is a Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc. and Prospect Park Alliance collaboration.