Heritage Month Must Confront Indigenous Rights, Land Threats- GHRA

The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) is calling for Amerindian Heritage Month to move beyond cultural celebrations and confront what it describes as growing threats to Indigenous rights, particularly over land ownership, mining and access to justice.

In a statement issued September 2, the GHRA criticised the official opening of Heritage Month, arguing that the programme focused heavily on cultural presentations while overlooking issues affecting the lives and security of Indigenous communities.

The association specifically criticised what it said was the failure to give prominence to the July 18 sinking of the MV Barima, a disaster that claimed dozens of lives and disproportionately affected communities in Region One.