ACDA’s Thank You Message to Participants of its 31st Annual Emancipation Festival

ASANTE SANA (THANK YOU) GUYANA

The African Cultural and Development Association (A.C.D.A) has recently concluded its 31^st Annual Emancipation Festival in the National Park on August 1,2024

The success of this event could not have been possible without the support of you the Guyanese people who came out in your numbers to support the commemoration of African Culture and the contributions of our African Ancestors.

Despite the efforts of powerful forces to undermine, disrupt and divide ACDA’s Emancipation Commemorative Event, this year’s Festival saw a coming together of all Guyanese under a banner of solidarity. It was inspiring to see so many patrons dressed in traditional African attire whether they were MPs, Diplomats, neighbors, friends, visitors or entire families.

This year we commemorated, “The Culture of our Fore Parents” and we were inundated with the performances of Guyanese artistic royalty, like gospel sensation Samuel Medas, Charmaine Blackman, First Born, Zion Kid, Cotella Lewis, Big Red and many more. We thank you all for always remaining true to Africa and ACDA.

To our International guests Ras Kofi Kwayana, The Nigerians, Surinamese and Duane Stephenson, you were memorable with such heartful melodies, African Cultural Performances, dances and lyrics.

To our volunteers and organizers, we have no words to express the love and appreciation we have for you all. This festival would not have been possible without the hard work of volunteers. Our Volunteers worked tirelessly without any promise of compensation. We thank you.

We would like to take this time to acknowledge our Corporate sponsors and donors. You all are the pillars on which this festival stands. Thank you. Thank you all!

Lastly, we would like to encourage all Guyanese to reflect on the various contributions and hardships overcome by persons of African descent and utilize these lessons towards the development of policies and practices that exemplify equity, inclusion and holistic environs for future generations. Remembering that no matter who we are today, we were all African at one point in time