Amerindian Heritage Month continues to be observed across Guyana under the theme “Igniting unity, celebrating progress, advancing our culture.”
One of the main features of the annual celebration is the heritage village hosted at the Sophia Exhibition Site. Today, some vendors there voiced concerns about financial hardships. While opinions differed—some reporting that “things [are] slow this year” and others noting average sales—the common complaint was the lack of a storage facility.
Vendors, many of whom told Guyana Standard they have participated in the activity several times before, explained that this year has been particularly difficult, as it is the first time they have had to commute daily with their stock. They said the facility they previously used was deemed unfit, with some citing leakage and others pointing to security concerns. Whatever the reason, the result has been the burden of transporting commodities back and forth each day.
Those travelling from far distances lamented that “any lil profit [is] going back into transportation.” One vendor explained, “We have to take two taxis—one for the goods and one for me and my husband—because we cannot fit in the same car.”
Despite these challenges, many vendors remain hopeful that the government will step in to provide some form of assistance.
