GCA’s annual celebration to usher in the close of the Folk Festival Season was back in-person person at Old Boys’ High School Ground after a brief hiatus due to the COVID pandemic.
Reflecting this year’s theme CARIFESTA@50: Reflections and Legacies, the curtain came down to the pulsating rhythms of a Guyanese Folk Ensemble of drums, guitar and saxophone, on the twenty-second anniversary of GCA’s 2022 Guyana Folk Festival Season, with a spectacular multi-cultural Family Fun Day, on Sunday, September 4, at the Old Boys’ High School ground in Brooklyn. After a hiatus of two years, due to the pandemic, Family Fun Day returned with a Caribbean flavored in-person season finale.
The official ceremony opened with a Flag Parade of Carifesta countries represented by the Children’s village participants escorted by Master Jaguar Julio Thijs on stilts. On stage presentations included Guyanese Folk artistes, Caribbean Folk music performances by the Roxborough Folk Group from Trinidad and Tobago, Braata Folk Singers from Jamaica, and Angels Caribbean Band.
The plethora of attractions on the ground included the Children’s Village, which featured several folk and educational games, Hometown and Alumni associations, Health Care groups, and Guyanese arts and crafts, surrounded by the aroma of Guyanese and Caribbean cuisine. The Guyana Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce whose aim is to propel economic development by boosting tourism, showcased several tourism development opportunities and destinations in Guyana. The Tourism Minister, Oneidge Walrond, emphasized plans for the upcoming first-ever Cricket Carnival, and encouraged members of the Guyanese diaspora and all persons interested in learning about Guyana, to visit and participate in the Cricket Carnival.
From crowd participation, reports and comments received, GCA’s twenty-second Family Fun day could justifiably be described as a highly successful, professional, informative and creative occasion representing the true spirit of CARIFESTA!
The day’s activities also highlighted Caribbean cultural similarities and multi-cultural roots, depicting that working together with communities regionally, internationally and nationally continues to keep alive our diverse cultural heritage and strengthens the bonds of our cultural legacies, which are important to current and future generations