Preserving African heritage in Guyana

The African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) is celebrating its 24th anniversary this year, and since its establishment plays a pivotal role in the preservation of Guyanese African culture.

Founded in 1993 as a non-governmental organisation constituted to promote equity, equal access, accountability, shared governance and citizen’s participation at the local and national levels, the organisation was officially registered under the Friendly Societies Act of Guyana in 1995.
All Guyanese of African descent, regardless of class, religion or political affiliation, are eligible to be members of ACDA. ACDA has members in all parts of Guyana as well as in the Guyanese diaspora. ACDA also is very active in African diaspora organizations. The society’s mission at its inception was to “empower African Guyanese to become more productive citizens through cultural, social, economic, educational and vocational enhancement”.
The centre’s primary goal is to improve the well-being of African Guyanese and to seek sustainable improvement in their quality of life. Another important goal is to seek national reconciliation through “shared and good” governance through which there is genuine reconciliation with other ethnic and cultural groups in Guyana.
ACDA, located on Thomas Lands, is governed by an executive steering committee that meets on a weekly basis. This committee comprises founding and select active members, and by the heads of each of five operational committees.
The education management committee of ACDA, comprising experienced educators, parents and concerned individuals, is committed to making a difference in the lives of African Guyanese by assisting in implementing a solid well balanced academic programme that includes cultural, emotional and moral education. The goal is to ensure the Guyana curriculum is met and far exceeded by ACDA students through experienced teachers.
ACDA is focused on Afro-Guyanese youths and provides a solid value-driven education through its Centre of Learning and Afro-centric Orientation (COLAACO) which is designed to equip young children from early childhood to primary school with the necessary skills to make them excellent productive citizens who are well-balanced socially, emotionally, intellectually, physically and morally.
The vision for COLAACO is to build an institution that will be a centre of excellence in providing the highest quality education and Afro-centric education and life skills in Guyana and the Caribbean.
The Akwaaba Youth Centre is the heart of ACDA continual development of cultural, educational, economic, Information technology and sports programmes for young people. ‘Akwaaba is a Ghanaian word meaning ‘welcome’.
Apart from these tailored activities, the youth centre is also available for conferences, meetings, seminars, birthdays, weddings, thanksgiving services, award ceremonies, graduations and anniversaries. The Akwaaba Centre is the key facility for outreaching to African Guyanese and those in the diaspora.
Akwaaba is an extension of ACDA’s educational philosophy of academic and cultural excellence. It will re-focus on the mission and goals of ACDA as emphasized in its founding documents.