Main Street Transforms into a Lively Bazaar of African Heritage Ahead of Emancipation Day
By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — In the lead-up to Emancipation Day 2025, a bustling stretch of Main Street in Georgetown has come alive with the sights, sounds, and flavors of African heritage. Bursting with color, textured fabrics, handwoven crafts, and ancestral rhythms, the annual African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) Emancipation Bazaar is back—and this time, it’s bigger, bolder, and more flavorful than ever.
Stalls filled with African-inspired crafts, resplendent garments, jewelry, and traditional foods line the avenue, each telling a story of resilience, identity, and pride. This year’s celebration marks 191 years since the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 came into effect, freeing more than 750,000 enslaved persons in the British West Indies on August 1, 1834.
Food, Culture, and Criticism
In an exclusive interview with HGP Nightly News, Sister Pendugan, executive member of ACDA, explained how this year’s celebration differs from previous ones.
“This year we’ve decided to have an entire segment with all the food. We call it a Food Mart. Here they can come and get all their foods—cook-up, metem, jolof rice, egusi soup,” she said.
To accommodate the surge in vendors, the organizers expanded the space by renting from Church Street to Middle Street, ensuring better access and reduced congestion.
However, Sister Pendugan criticized the lack of government support, especially from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, highlighting ongoing security, sanitation, and infrastructure issues.
“There are no toilets, no security. These vendors can’t leave their tents up. We’re here for two weeks, sometimes more, and they have to dismantle every single night,” she lamented.
Call for Cultural Investment
Organizers believe that an annual celebration of this magnitude, which not only showcases Afrocentric identity but also provides economic opportunities for small businesses, deserves structured and sustainable support from relevant authorities.
“Main Street becomes a place of cultural immersion. Government support should be automatic,” said the ACDA representative.
As Emancipation Day 2025 approaches, the Main Street bazaar stands as a powerful reminder of Guyana’s rich African heritage and the continued fight for recognition, representation, and resources in preserving that legacy.
