The Guyana Karate College

The Guyana Karate College (GKC) aims to promote self-defence and discipline, as set out in its mandate.  A non-profit corporation established under the Friendly Societies Act, GKC was launched in August 2006.

In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, Master Frank Woon-A-Tai, the World Chief Master, a ninth degree black belt and the founder of the GKC, said that GKC aims to develop International Karate Daigaku (the Art of Shotokan Karate following the teachings of Master Gichin Funakoshi) in Guyana. This is meant to be achieved through character development, physical education and fitness, self-defence and Budo sport.

GKC also aims to help young people find direction in life, keep them off the streets, away from drugs and break the cycle of crime and violence in Guyana and elsewhere. In this regard, GKC trains and certifies local instructors with international credentials, provides instructors with information to teach the CXC Karate programme, trains teams to represent Guyana in international karate tournaments while aiming to build its college, the GKC Dojo.

Structured and organised in every way, demonstrating the discipline it seeks to impart, the GKC has a fixed hierarchical structure. The karate college is lead by the founder, CEO and Chief Master Frank Woon-A-Tai, after which is the Vice Chief Instructor and Vice Chairman, Sensei Jeffrey Wong.

Beyond Sensei Wong, there is an elected secretary with assistant secretaries and a treasurer and an assistant treasurer.  In addition, the GKC is governed by a Board of 13 Trustees elected annually by broad based Dojo Member Instructors.

Guyanese Masters Maureen Woon-A-Tai, 8th Dan, and Josef Woon-A-Tai, 7th Dan, trustee members, provide international guidance, support and continuity. Sensei Amir Khouri of the YMCA’s ASKG, also a trustee, has a very large organisation as well as being a founding member of GKC.

“Sensei Chetram Mortley is another trustee with a huge membership at the Saraswati Vidya Niketan at Cornelia Ida. We are all on the same page regarding the operation of the college. This means GKC will never become dysfunctional,” declared Woon-A-Tai.

For the international recognition the GKC has bought to Guyana, former President Bharrat Jagdeo granted the karate college an acre of land at Liliendaal in 2010 to build a state-of-the-art training facility that would serve as the IKD headquarters in South America.

“Annabelle Carter-Sharma is our new architect and both she and Rhyan Persaud are in charge of building the college. The foundation has already been laid and works on the portal frame and roof is expected to begin in this year,” Woon-A-Tai disclosed.

The IDK headquarters is currently located at Carifesta Sports Complex on Carifesta Avenue, where classes are conducted on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 17:00 to 19:00. Beginner’s classes will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays (after the first belt exams beginners are then transferred to regular classes).

With over 100 members to date, the GKC has lost several practitioners to the constant shifts in the location of the headquarters.

“We started at the National Gymnasium, changed to the Red Cross Building, then to Malteenoes Sports Club. Our last class was at the Scouts Association…We are indeed grateful to the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony for providing us with this excellent facility. The breeze at the sea wall is amazing for training.

“The importance of the college is to teach our children discipline and the values of karate, which are character, sincerity, effort, etiquette and self-control. Take self-control for example, the world would be a much better and peaceful place if we could practice self-control,” Woon-A-Tai expressed.

Hoping to increase its membership in the coming years, the members of the GKC have raised over $25 million in a four-year time period, which was spent to prepare and clear the land provided for the dojo. The funds will also be used to build the foundation and pay 50% of the cost for the portal frame.

“We will build in four phases: the first will continue at the end of February…a dojo 105ft by 42ft. Thereafter, as funds become available, we will build the other three phases,” Woon-A-Tai outlined.

The Guyana Karate College was founded from the need to keep Guyana ahead when karate became a component of the CXC Physical Education Programme in the Caribbean. It is a part of the International Karate Organization with 50 organisations in 30 countries, among which are the Philippines, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

As the World Master Chief, Guyanese Frank Woon-A-Tai, provides his country with first-class karate, visiting three times yearly in March, July and November to share his expertise and administer exams to Guyanese students. On his last visit, Woon-A-Tai donated several books to the National Resource Centre at the request of Minister Anthony. (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)