MIAMI – Guyanese throughout Florida celebrated their homeland’s 48th anniversary of Independence with a range of activities that showcased the nation’s diverse and unique culture and cuisine and the commitment of its Diaspora to continued support of worthy causes in their communities as well as back home.
Celebratory events were held in Port Charlotte, Tampa and Miami over the Memorial Day weekend which coincided with Guyana’s Independence anniversary on May 26.
The main event was a dinner hosted by the Honorary Consul and Mrs Crusheid Roshanali at their Miramar, Florida residence on Sunday, May 25th which brought together the leadership of Guyanese organizations from throughout Florida, representatives of the business community, members of the Caribbean Consular Corps and local elected officials including Florida State Representative Hazelle Rogers and Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness.
Guyana’s Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandalall represented the Government of Guyana and delivered the feature address at the dinner. The Attorney General recalled the struggle for Independence and traced the developments that have taken place in the country since the break from colonial rule.
Two Guyanese organizations-The Guyanese Cultural Network of Tampa Bay (GCNTB) and the Guyana Relief Council were honored this year by the Guyana Consulate for their ongoing work in the community and their contributions to deserving programs and institutions in Guyana. Dr. Kofi Dalrymple, president of GCNTB received the award on behalf of his organization while president of the Guyana Relief Council, Joan Sears received on behalf of the council.
Two business enterprises-Caribbean Airlines and Suriname Airways also received awards for their support of the work of the various Guyanese organizations in Florida over the years.
The awards were presented by Attorney General Anil Nandalall.
Among the organizations represented at the event were the Guyana Association of South Florida, Guyana Nurses Association, Bishops High School Alumni Association, the ex-GDF Officers Association, Carib West Sports and Social Club of West Palm Beach, Task Force for Guyana’s Youth, Guyanese American Cultural Association of Central Florida, Association of Guyanese Expatriates, Caribbean Heritage Association of Port Charlotte and GT Lime.
Banks DIH, Demerara Distillers Ltd., Sea Freight Agencies, Caribbean Airlines, Dipcon Engineering, Laparkan, Luxury Rides, Surinam Airways, CGX Energy Inc, HAB International, Rambarran Investements, Hibiscus Restaurant, Trophics Resturant, Trans Caribbean International Inc, The Highland Agency, Guytrac, New GPC Inc and MACORP were among the private sector entities represented.
On Friday May 24th the Caribbean Heritage Association of Port Charlotte hosted A Taste of Guyana featuring an array of tasty Guyanese dishes along with Guyanese culture featuring Terry Gajraj who had the audience dancing and singing along to his medley of Guyanese folk and chutney songs. Laparkan’s corporate marketing and external relations manager Wesley Kirton was the guest speaker at this event.
On Saturday May 24th the Guyanese Cultural Network of Tampa Bay hosted its 4th annual dinner and dance. Honorary Consul Ramzan Roshanali was the guest speaker at this event.
