Dear Editor,

Forbes Burnham removed elements of colonialism by quickly having us attain republican status and contributed to our rich cultural diversity by awarding holiday status to our main religious denominations so as to celebrate major aspects of their religion.That contributed to our richness in diversity and our cultural cohesiveness.

Isn’t the clothing, food and music enough of “yankee imperialism’ in our society that we also have to “copycat” Halloween and Thanksgiving.Would Mr.Urling care to comment on the use of the word “summer” to describe our “August holidays” when there is no such thing as that here.

The thing about Halloween in Guyana is that it is being celebrated by mainstream Guyanese, not Americans in our society and 90% who celebrate it do not know the meaning or significance of it. I called it cultural plagiarism.

It is our “foreign mindedness” that allows American consumer goods to flood our markets and minds to the detriment of our local products.

Mr. Urling should understand that St.Patrick’s Day which is celebrated in America has its genesis in the Irish colonists in the mid 1700s and was popularised by the large Irish immigrant population there just like Diwali, Phagwah, Eid etc bought to our society by Indian Immigrant population.

Happy Diwali to all Guyanese, it’s part of our rich cultural diversity.

Yours fauthfully,

Ravin Shivnauth