Guyana Independence Festival in Toronto promises to be exciting

– tax, housing officials on hand to address concerns of Guyanese

Preparations are well advanced for this year’s Guyana Independence Festival slated for June 23 at the Centennial College (Progress Campus). The event is expected to be very exciting, with the attendance of President Donald Ramotar and a number of businesses and entities from Guyana that will be showcasing some of the great products that the country has to offer.

Additionally, some government agencies would be represented to address concerns of Guyanese in Canada, including the Guyana Revenue Authority and the Central Housing and Planning Authority, among others. They will all be a part of the trade and tourism exhibition, which will equally focus on Guyanese businesses in Canada, the festival committee has announced.
Billed as a family-friendly occasion, the festival is in its 18th year, and the organising committee is working assiduously to ensure that the festivities are a grand success. In an invited comment, Honorary Consul General Sattie Sawh said that the festival is moving “full steam ahead”.
“Our diaspora looks to this event as a way to annually salute our nation. The planning committee is aware of the significance of this event for our national pride, and has been working extremely hard to make sure that every last detail is considered,” Sawh stated.
She added that “in turn, I’d like to ask every single person that is reading this to come out and support the 2013 Guyana Festival. On June 23rd at Centennial College Progress Campus, let’s celebrate all things Guyanese!”
A press release from the organisers stated that the programme for the day is jam-packed, with some of the feature events being cultural shows, a trade and tourism exhibition, and softball cricket and soccer matches. Also, there will be several food vendors, a car show, and attractions and games for kids. The venue has ample parking facilities, and is also readily accessible by public transit.
The festival, which would run from 10 am to 7 pm with the opening ceremony planned for noon, will be graced by the presence of President Ramotar and Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali, both of whom would bring greetings to the masses and help in conveying the news about developments happening in Guyana.
Added to the business showcase, tourism would be strongly represented, especially given the fact that Guyana is surging in international circles as a destination for eco-adventures.
In the meantime, one of the feature attractions of this year’s festival would be a series of songs and dances by the Katawau Dance Group, a group of young Amerindians from Guyana. They have been practising hard for their appearances in Canada, and have promised to deliver a wonderful display for the patrons. They will be a part of the grand cultural show that is being organised, which would give a glimpse of Guyana’s beautiful mixture of heritages.
“No Guyanese celebration is truly complete without a sampling of our scrumptious food – vendors of all sorts of goodies will be on site to provide some of the best Guyanese cuisine available,” the release stated.
More so, softball cricket and football games would be staged, featuring Guyanese-Canadian players.