President Bharrat Jagdeo today approved a grant of $10 million to the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) to support its activities to mark the International Year for People of African Descent (IYPAD), the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
President Jagdeo made this commitment after meeting with executives of ACDA at the Office of the President.
The International Year for People of African Descent has its genesis in a United Nations Resolution which was passed with full support from the Government of Guyana two years ago.
At the launching of IYPAD activities held by the government earlier this year at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Jagdeo spoke of the unique contribution made by persons of African descent to world history, and to the development of Guyana.
He also spoke of African slavery as the worst crime ever committed against humanity, describing it as a holocaust in its own right.
Jagdeo also pointed out that much of today’s developed world was built on the back of forced African labour and under his administration Guyana has advocated within CARICOM a call for global reparations to be made for the injustices of slavery.
