CubaPLUS Magazine

Every February 23, Guyanese celebrate, because on that day in 1970 the country managed to become a Republic, to live in peace, prosperity and development. Officially called the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, it is the only country in the South American continent that has English as its official language, although a large part of the population –made up of Indians, Africans, indigenous people, Chinese, Portuguese, other Europeans and various multiracial groups– is bilingual, as it also speaks indigenous languages.

Guyana was colonized by the Dutch before coming under British control at the end of the 18th century. It became the English colony of British Guiana, with a mainly plantation-style economy until the 1950s, in 1966 it gained independence and four years later it became a republic.

On the occasion, the ambassador of that nation on the island, His Excellency Mr. Halim Majeed, visited the province of Villa Clara, where the commemorative act for that anniversary took place. According to information published by the local radio CMHW, the diplomat feels a special love for that Cuban province, where he has repeatedly visited different objectives and places of interest.

During the celebration, Majeed referred to the ties of friendship and cooperation that unite both countries since diplomatic relations were established in 1972. Since then, ties have been strengthened in topics of interest related to education, health, agriculture, the biotechnology sector and construction, he said.

A cultural show, under the artistic production of Jorge Luis Pereira Marín, closed the celebration with a flourish, in which several local artists performed, including soloists Amaury Águila, Bárbara Sánchez and Yaser González. Also present at the celebration were the governor of Villa Clara, Milaxy Janet Sánchez Armas, members of the provincial government and other officials of the diplomatic mission of Guyana in Cuba.