A Brief Intro to Guyanese Culture and History.pdf

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A Brief Intro to Guyanese Culture and History for Volunteer Teachers with the Guyana Lutheran Music Academy ! ! ! !

Guyanese(Flag:(“The(Golden(Arrowhead”!!

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I.!Country!Info! !

History! Guyana,!officially!the!Co1operative!Republic!of!Guyana,!is!a!sovereign!state!on!the!northern! coast!of!South!America.!Although!Guyana!is!part!of!the!Anglophone!Caribbean,!it!is!the! only!Caribbean!country!that!is!not!an!island.!The!Caribbean!Community!(CARICOM),!of!which! Guyana!is!a!member,!has!its!secretariat's!headquarters!in! Guyana's!capital,!Georgetown.! ! Guyana!was!originally!colonized!by!the!Netherlands.! Later,!it!became!a!British!colony,!known!as!British!Guiana,! and!remained!so!for!over!200!years!until!it!achieved! independence!on!26!May!1966!from!the!United!Kingdom.! On!23!February!1970,!Guyana!officially!became!a! republic.!In!2008,!the!country!joined!the!Union!of!South! American!Nations!as!a!founding!member.! Guyana!is!a!member!state!of!the!Commonwealth!of!Nations!and!has!the!distinction!of!being!the! only!South!American!nation!in!which!English!is!the!official!language.!The!majority!of!the! population,!however,!speak!Guyanese!CreoleY!an!English1based!creole!language!with!slight! Dutch,!West!African,!Arawakan!(native!Guyanese)!and!Caribbean!influences.! ! Historically,!the!region!known!as!"Guiana"!or!"Guyana"!comprised!the!large!shield! landmass!north!of!the!Amazon!River!and!east!of!the!Orinoco!River!known!as!the!"land!of!many! waters".!Historical!Guyana!consists!of!three!Dutch!colonies:!Essequibo,!Demerara,!and!Berbice.! Modern!Guyana!is!bordered!by!Suriname!to!the!east,!by!Brazil!to!the!south!and!southwest,! by!Venezuela!to!the!west,!and!by!the!Atlantic!Ocean!to!the!north.!At!215,000!square!kilometers! (83,000!sq.!mi),!Guyana!is!the!third1smallest!independent!state!on!the!mainland!of!South! America!after!Uruguay!and!Suriname.! !

Demographics! •! Population:!739,903!(90%!of!which!reside!on!the!narrow!coastal!strip1!approximately! 10%!of!the!total!land!area!of!Guyana)! •! Ethnic!groups:!Indo1Guyanese!(aka!East!Indians)!43.5%,!Afro1Guyanese!(30.2%),!Mixed! Heritage!(16.7%)!&!Amerindian!(aka!Native!Guyanese)!9.1%! •! Religion:!Christian!57%,!Hindu!28%,!Muslim!7%,!and!an!estimated!4%!of!the!population! does!not!profess!any!religion! •! Language:!English!(official)!&!Creole!(an!English1based!creole!with!slight!African!&!East! Indian!influence,!as!their!native!tongue)! !

Guyana!and!US!Relations! U.S.!policy!toward!Guyana!seeks!to!develop!sustainable!democratic!institutions,!laws,!and! political!practicesY!support!economic!growth!and!developmentY!promote!an!active,!organized,! and!empowered!civil!societyY!and!promote!stability!and!security.! Beginning!in!the!late!1980s,!Guyana!sought!to!improve!relations! with!the!United!States!as!part!of!a!decision!to!shift!toward!political! nonalignment,!moving!from!state!socialism!and!one1party!control! to!a!market!economy!and!greater!freedom!of!the!press!and! assembly.!This!shift!of!recent!free!and!fair!democratic!elections,! closer!security!cooperation,!and!expanding!trade!and!investment! has!helped!place!U.S.1Guyanese!relations!on!an!excellent!footing.!

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U.S.!Assistance!to!Guyana! Working!together!through!the!Caribbean!Basin!Security!Initiative!(CBSI),!the!United!States!and! Guyana,!along!with!other!nations!of!the!Caribbean,!are!combating!drug!trafficking!and!other! transnational!crimes!that!threaten!regional!security.!The!United!States!also!works!closely!with! Guyana!in!the!fight!against!HIV/AIDS!through!the!President’s!Emergency!Plan!for!AIDS!Relief! (PEPFAR)!program.!U.S.!agencies,!including!the!U.S.!Centers!for!Disease!Control!and! Prevention!(CDC),!and!the!U.S.!Agency!for!International!Development!(USAID),!are! administering!a!multi1million!dollar!program!of!education,!prevention,!and!treatment!for!those! infected!and!affected!by!HIV/AIDS,!and!contributing!to!the!country’s!health!care!capacity.! USAID!also!supports!an!activity!designed!to!strengthen!political!processes!and!institutions.!The! Public!Affairs!Section!is!developing!people1to1people!ties!through!exchange!programs!and!by! supporting!meaningful!discourse!and!programs!with!civil!society,!the!private!sector,!and! government!on!issues!of!bilateral!importance.!U.S.!military!medical!and!engineering!teams! continue!to!conduct!training!exercises!in!Guyana,!digging!wells,!building!schools!and!clinics,! and!providing!medical!treatment.! ! !

II.!Music!&!Education! !

Music!in!Guyana! From!194511965,!Guyana’s!music!community!flourished,!boasting!several!choirs,!wind!bands,! steel!drum!groups,!and!a!national!orchestra.!Due!to!significant!financial!and!social!stress,!many! Guyanese,!including!several!musicians!and!music!teachers,!emigrated!out!of!Guyana.!Since!the! 70’s,!opportunities!in!music!education!have!progressively!decreased.!The!majority!of!public!and! private!schools!have!completely!cut!out!any!form!of!music!instruction,!and!only!a!privileged!few! find!the!resources!to!study!privately.!! ! While!the!Ministry!of!Culture,!Youth!and!Sport!(MCYS)!and!the!Guyana!Music!Teachers! Association!(GMTA)!are!making!great!strides!in!Georgetown—the!nation’s!capital,!New! Amsterdam—the!second!largest!city,!is!still!severely!lacking!in!resources!and!opportunities.! Guyana!has!a!diverse!and!rich!history!in!music.!Guyanese!folk!music!finds!its!roots!in!traditions! from!Africa,!India!and!Europe,!as!well!as!several!other!Caribbean!nations.!Popular!music!of!the! country!includes!American!Pop,!Caribbean!(Calypso,!Soca,!Reggae,!etc…),!and!Latin!music! from!Brazil!and!Venezuela.! ! In!an!attempt!to!support!the!preservation!of!indigenous!music!in!Guyana,!the!Harpy!Eagle! Music!Foundation!was!founded!in!2005.!This!organization!is!the!first!to!document!music!and! cultural!traditions!beginning!with!the!Spanish!Arawaks!of!Moruca!and!the!African1Guyanese! community!of!Buxton.!Harpy!Eagle!also!facilitates!opportunities!in!music!education!among!rural! villages!located!inland,!towards!the!Brazilian!border.! !

Education!in!Guyana! Guyana's!educational!system!was!considered!to!be!among!the!best!in!the!Caribbean,!but!it! deteriorated!significantly!in!the!1980s,!because!of!inadequate!funding!and!emigration!of!many! highly!educated!citizens.!Although!the!education!system!recovered!in!the!1990s,!it!still!does!not! produce!the!quality!of!educated!students!necessary!for!Guyana!to!modernize!its!workforce.!The! country!lacks!a!critical!mass!of!expertise!in!many!of!the!disciplines!and!activities!on!which!it! depends.! !

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The!educational!system!does!not!sufficiently!focus!on!the!training!of!Guyanese!in!science!and! technology!and!technical!and!vocational!subjects.!The!Guyanese!education!system!is!modelled! on!the!former!British!education!system.!In!grade!7,!students!are!expected!to!complete!the! NGSA!(National!Grade!Six!Assessment)!for!entrance!into!high!school.!At!the!end!of!high! school,!students!take!the!CXC’s!(Caribbean!Examinations!Council).! ! Further!adding!to!the!problems!of!the!educational!system,!many!of!the!better1educated! professional!teachers!have!immigrated!to!other!countries!over!the!past!two!decades,!mainly! because!of!low!pay,!lack!of!opportunities,!and!crime.!As!a!result,!there!is!a!lack!of!trained! teachers!at!every!level!of!Guyana's!educational!system.!There!are!however!several!higher! quality!private!schools!that!having!been!established!over!the!last!fifteen!years.!! ! !

III.!Guyanese!Culture! !

Common!Phrases!in!Guyanese!Creole! I(go(do(it(—!"I!will!do!it"! Me(go(com(bak(—!“I!will!come!back”! Me(no(wan(dat(—!“I!don’t!want!that”! Me(na(no(—!“I!don’t!know”! Using(or(takeAaway?(—!“Are!you!eating!in,!or!is!this!for!to1go?”! Mi(waan(dat(—!“I!want!that”! Wha(ya(doin?!—!“What!are!you!doing?”! Walk(wit(ya(guitar(—!“Bring!your!guitar”! Wha(part(eh(_______(deh?(—!“Where!is!the!_______!at?”!! Are(you(using(pepper(sauce?(—!“Would!you!like!pepper!sauce?”! Com(ya(—!“Come!here”! Mi(a(wok(abak(—!"I'm!working!inland"! He(got(nuff(mout!!—!“He!is!rude!”! ! Guyanese!Cuisine! Guyanese!cuisine!is!very!similar!to!the!rest!of!the!Caribbean,!reflecting!the!ethnic!makeup!of!the! region!and!its!colonial!history.!Its!influences!include!African,!Creole,!East!Indian,!Portuguese,! Amerindian,!Chinese,!and!European!(mostly!British).! ! Dishes!have!been!adapted!to!Guyanese!tastes,!often!by! the!addition!of!spices.!Unique!preparations!include! Pepperpot,!a!stew!of!Amerindian!origin!made!with! cassareep!(a!bitter!extract!of!the!cassava),!hot!pepper! and!seasoning.!Other!favorites!are!curry!chicken!and!roti,! cook1up!rice!(Guyanese!take!on!rice!and!beans)!stews,! and!Metemgee!(pictured!left),!a!rich!soup!with!ground! provisions!(potato,!sweet!potato,!cassava,!eddo,!and! plantain),!coconut!milk!and!large!dumplings,!eaten!with! fried!fish!or!chicken.!Homemade!breads!and!pastries!are! an!art!in!many!villages,!including!cassava!bread,!cheese! rolls,!pinetarts,!Chinese!cake,!and!patties.! !

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Curry!is!widely!popular!in!Guyana!and!includes!most!types!of!meat!that!can!be!curried!including! chicken,!seafood,!goat,!lamb,!fish,!and!duck.!!It!is!most!commonly!served!with!steamed!rice!or! roti.! ! Caribbean!ground!provisions!(known!colloquially!as!provisions)!are!a!part!of!the!staple!diet,! along!with!a!variety!of!fresh!fruits,!vegetables!and!seafood.!!Many!use!fresh!fruit!to!make! homemade!beverages,!which!are!called!"local!drink".!Popular!drinks!are!lime!water,!mauby! (made!from!the!bark!of!a!tree),!sorrel!drink!(made!from!hibiscus),!ginger!beer!(made!from!ginger! root),!and!peanut!punch.! ! Fresh!fish!and!seafood!are!an!integral!part!of!the!Guyanese!diet!especially!in!the!rural!areas! and!small!villages!along!the!coast.!Popular!fish!types!include!gilbaka,!butter!fish,!tilapia,!catfish,! and!hassa.!The!crab!soups!with!okra!from!the!Berbice!coastal!region!roughly!resemble! Louisiana!Creole!soups!like!gumbo.! ! Guyanese1style!Chinese!food!and!fried!chicken!are!very!popular!take1out!item.!Popular!Chinese! dishes!include!lo!mein,!chow!mein,!and!chicken!in!the!ruff!(fried!rice!with!Chinese1style!fried! chicken).! ! !

IV.!Cost!of!Living! The!cost!of!living!in!Guyana!is!relatively!high!because!most!items!used!in!daily!life!are!imported.!! Local!food!and!public!transportation!is!very!inexpensive,!while!imported!items!such!as!cars,! gas,!foods,!are!electronics!are!relatively!expensive.!The!average!monthly!salary!for!an! individual!is!$80,000!GYD!or!($400!USD).!The!average!basic!monthly!cost!of!living!for!a!married! couple!without!children!is!$70,000!GYD!or!($350!USD).! !

Guyanese!Currency!(GYD)!&!US!Exchange!Rate! !

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The!Guyanese!dollar!is!weak!in!relation!to!the!US!dollar.!Simple!conversion!with!rounding!would! be!calculated:!$200!GYD!=!$1.00!USD.!The!current!exchange!rate!for!USD!to!GYD!is:!$1.00! USD!=!$208.450!GYD.!! !

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Below!is!a!list!of!select!items!and!their!average!cost:! ! ! Item Guyana Dollars Pineapple $300 1lb Potato $100 1lb Onion $100 Loaf of Bread $280 1lb Chicken $300 20oz. Soda $160 5 Gallon Tank of Drinking Water $240 Local Dinner Out (Food and Drink) $1,200 Large Pizza $3,500 Bottle of Beer $300 Car Around New Amsterdam $100 Car to GEO from N/A $1,500 High-Speed Internet Monthly Rate $10,000 Hotel Nightly Rate $8,000 ! !

US Dollars $1.50 $0.50 $0.50 $1.40 $1.50 $0.80 $1.20 $6.00 $17.50 $1.50 $0.50 $7.50 $50.00 $40.00

V.!Famous!Landmarks!and!Sightseeing! !

•! St.!George's!Anglican!Cathedral!

One!of!the!tallest!wooden!church!structures!in!the!world,!and!the!second!tallest! wooden!house!of!worship!after!the!Todaiji!Temple!in!Japan.!

•! Demerara!Harbour!Bridge!

The!world's!fourth1longest!floating!bridge.!

•! Berbice!Bridge!

The!world's!sixth1longest!floating!bridge.!

•! Caribbean!Community!(CARICOM)!Building!

Houses!the!Headquarters!of!the!largest!and!most!powerful!economic!union!in!the! Caribbean.!

•! Providence!Stadium!!

Situated!on!Providence!on!the!north!bank!of!the!Demerara!River!and!built!in!time! for!the!ICC!World!Cup!2007,!it!is!the!largest!sports!stadium!in!the!country.!It!is! also!near!the!Providence!Mall,!forming!a!major!spot!for!leisure!in!Guyana.!

•! Guyana!International!Conference!Centre!

Presented!as!a!gift!from!the!People's!Republic!of!China!to!the!Government!of! Guyana.!It!is!the!only!one!of!its!kind!in!the!country.!

•! Stabroek!Market!

A!large!cast1iron!colonial!structure!that!looked!like!a!statue!was!located!next!to! the!Demerara!River.!

•! City!Hall!

A!beautiful!wooden!structure!from!the!Dutch!era.!

•! Takutu!River!Bridge!

A!bridge!across!the!Takutu!River!that!connects!Lethem!in!Guyana!to!Bonfim!in! Brazil.!Takutu!River!Bridge!

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! Mount!Roraima! The(highest(mountain(in(Guyana(on(the(BrazilAGuyanaAVenezuela(triApoint(border( !

! Kaieteur!Falls! A(single(drop(waterfall(that(is(four(times(higher(than(Niagara(( !

! Shell!Beach! A(major(breeding(area(for(sea(turtles((mainly(Leatherbacks)(and(other(wildlife( ! !

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VI.!Living!in!New!Amsterdam,!Guyana! Guyana!is!located!approximately!five!degrees!north!of!the!equator!and!is!on!the!northern!coast! of!South!America.!Guyana!is!known!for!having!high!temperatures!(varying!greatly!in!sun!vs.! shade),!heavy!rainfall,!and!high!humidity.!Daily!temperatures!fluctuate!between!80!and!90! degrees!Fahrenheit,!with!coastal!cities,!like!New!Amsterdam,!often!enjoying!a!mild!ocean! breeze.! ! Traveling!to!New!Amsterdam!begins!by!plane!ride! from!JFK!International!Airport!or!one!of!three! international!airports!in!Florida!(Fort!Lauderdale,! Miami,!or!Orlando)!to!Cheddi!Jagan!International! Airport!in!Georgetown,!Guyana.!!After!the!six1hour! plane!ride,!travelers!will!journey!southeast!by!car! along!the!coast!for!just!under!two!hours!to!arrive!in! New!Amsterdam.! ! New!Amsterdam,!located!62!miles!from!the!capital,! Georgetown,!is!the!second!largest!city! (approximately!33,000!people).!The!“downtown”! business!area!is!complete!with!open1air!markets,! small!shops,!internet!and!phone!cafes,!restaurants,! schools,!a!hospital,!and!several!churches.! Residential!areas!radiate!outward!from!the!center! of!the!city,!forming!small!neighborhoods.!! ! Most!homes!in!New!Amsterdam!have!electricity!and!running!(but!not!potable)!water.! Telephones,!both!landlines!and!cell!phones!are!fairly!common.!Kitchens!generally!are!fully! equipped!with!refrigerators,!stoves,!and!sinks.!Due!to!the!heavy!mosquito!population!and!lack!of! screened!windows,!residents!most!often!sleep!under!mosquito!nets!for!protection.!The!home! that!GLMA!teachers!will!stay!in!is!a!church1owned!house,!complete!with!furniture,!kitchen! appliances,!mosquito!nets,!electricity,!and!gravity1run!non1potable!water.! As!a!guest!and!volunteer,!teachers!will!be!expected!to!live!at!the!same!economic!level!as!the! Guyanese!inhabitants!of!New!Amsterdam.!Participants!will!receive!a!monthly!living!allowance! that!will!cover!food,!travel,!and!the!purchase!of!needed!living!and!teaching!supplies.!This! allowance!will!allow!for!a!modest!yet!comfortable!lifestyle!by!Guyanese!standards.! Shopping!is!mainly!done!in!open1air!markets.!Fresh!meats!and!produce!are!easy!to!find!and! highly!recommended,!and!often!are!more!affordable!than!other!imported!options.!The! Guyanese!diet!consists!of!a!variety!of!many!different!vegetables!and!fruits,!as!well!as!traditional! and!“exotic”!meats.!Simple!breads!and!rice!are!the!common!starches,!although!pasta!can!be! found!pretty!easily!as!well.!Due!to!the!diversity!of!culture!and!religion,!there!also!are!many! vegetarians!that!reside!comfortably!in!Guyana.! ! All!participants!will!receive!some!initial!cultural!training!that!will!begin!the!preparation!for!their! time!abroad.!Much!will!be!learned!“on!site”!through!the!support!of!!local!friends!and!mentors! who!are!eager!to!assist!in!the!process.!Concerns!about!living!arrangements,!cultural! differences,!medical!needs,!and!diet!are!to!be!expected!when!first!considering!traveling!abroad.! !

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