The Ministry of Indi-genous People’s Affairs, Ministry of Public Infra-structure and the Ministry of Education’s Department of Culture will work together along with the indigenous people of Guyana to rebuild the Umana Yana, which was tragically burnt to the ground about a year ago.
At a turning of the sod ceremony yesterday at the Kingston site where the monument once stood, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson announced that the rebuilding of the huge benab will cost $66.7 million. That this announcement was made on the last day of Indigenous Heritage Month was only fitting.
“It is a tremendous honour for me, on behalf of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, to be associated with the reconstruction of this magnificent edifice that was burnt down,” Patterson said, stating that while his ministry is known for less glamorous projects such as roads and bridges, he was delighted to be able to lend a hand in rebuilding what is considered part of Guyana’s heritage.
The building will be constructed by Wai Wai master builders, just as the first was, with assistance from the people from Moraikobai and St Cuthbert’s Mission, who will gather and prepare the materials. While the building’s historic look and design will be preserved, Patterson announced that there will be several tweaks that will assist in protecting the building and making it more natural.
“We would like the building to stand for another 100 years and withstand all the elements and climate change,” Patterson said. He added that from the money budgeted for the reconstruction, $9.2 million will be used to rebuild a foundation that will be 12 inches more than the former one and the contract will be tendered in coming days.
“We, as people, learn from our mistakes and we’ve decided that we will not replicate any mistakes that might have caused the first edifice to have been burned down,” he said, revealing that $6 million will go toward fire protection, so that if there were to be another unfortunate event, it will be adequately equipped to prevent the building from going up in flames.
“Obviously you can’t have a thing of beauty, a thing of nature, and let it be powered by artificial energy,” Patterson said, highlighting a $16 million plan for alternative, green energy in the form of solar panels for the benab.
Reconstruction of the building will start as soon as possible and is expected to be finished by the end of the first quarter next year, Patterson said; its re-launching should be one of the premier events of Guyana’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Minister in the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe expressed her joy at the move being taken “to rebuild a majestic Umana Yana that will once again grace our city of Georgetown and remind all that the nine indigenous nations were the first peoples and that we are highly skilled in building and that we know nature well.” She said it was a joy shared by all the indigenous people of Guyana.
Minister of Tourism Cathy Hughes also spoke at the sod turning ceremony, while Minister of Education Dr Rupert Roopnaraine was among the attendees.
