Emancipation 2025: National Park to Come Alive with Celebration, Reflection, and Reggae Icon Maxi Priest
By Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News
The African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) has officially launched its 32nd annual Emancipation celebration, promising a powerful fusion of culture, music, and ancestral reflection on August 1, 2025, at the National Park.
The highlight of this year’s event will be a performance by international reggae sensation Maxi Priest, alongside a lineup of local Guyanese performers.
During the launch ceremony at the Pegasus Hotel, Dr. Eric Phillips, Chairman of the Guyana Reparations Committee and an ACDA executive member, delivered a stirring reminder that while Africans in Guyana were freed from physical bondage in 1838, the struggle against economic, mental, and systemic harm continues to persist.
“We must remember we were enslaved in Guyana — we were not born slaves,” Dr. Phillips said, adding that true emancipation means freedom from physical, mental, spiritual, and economic oppression.
This year’s feature village will be Buxon, in honor of the late Baba Jussu Quamina, one of ACDA’s founders, who would have celebrated his 100th birth anniversary in 2025.
The theme for Emancipation 2025 is:
“Highlighting the Connections of All People Through African Culture as We Strive to Build a World Where All Children Are Loved and Protected.”
Pre-Emancipation activities will include:
- African Market & Main Street Bazaar: July 15–31
- Ancestral Tributes & Cultural Nights: July 29–31
ACDA says this year’s celebration is more than entertainment — it is a national call to honor African heritage, confront lingering injustices, and protect future generations.
