Guyana prez to headline Jubilee State Dinner in NY

Guyana’s President David Granger will deliver the keynote address at a State Dinner in his honor at the Sheraton New York Time Square Hotel & Towers, on June 11, 2016, organizers in New York say.

The Brooklyn-based Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary Celebration Committee (New York) said on Wednesday that the State Dinner is a part of a spectacular “Guyana Jubilee Week” celebration in New York City from June 4–12, 2016.

It commemorates Guyana’s historic Golden Jubilee of Independence. Guyana gained independence from Great Britain on May 26, 1966.

“Guyana Jubilee Week NYC 2016” is being organized by Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary Celebration Committee (New York), in conjunction with Guyana’s Embassy in Washington D.C, and Consulate and UN Mission in New York.

Award Winning Guyanese-American Actress, CCH Pounder, will be Mistress of Ceremonies at the State Dinner, the 50th Independence Anniversary Celebration Committee (New York) said.

Pounder can be seen on the hit CBS series, NCIC: New Orleans.

Her movie and television credits include Warehouse 13; Sons of Anarchy; ER; Law & Order; SVU; the shield; Avatar; and her breakout role in Bagdad Café. The black tie and red carpet affair will also be attended by US federal, State and City officials, as well as other Guyanese Hollywood, music and sports celebrities.

Granger will be the Grand Marshall of the 2016 Guyanese American Unity Parade and Mashramani in New York City on June 12, 2016.

Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary Celebration Committee (New York) said that Granger will also address a Unity Rally, at the end of the parade, to conclude “Guyana Jubilee Week” in New York.

It will be Granger’s first address to Guyanese nationals in New York since his election to the presidency in May 2015.

Several celebrities of Guyanese heritage; including actors, singers, professional basketball, soccer and football players will also march in the parade, the Committee said.

The parade, the second annual Guyanese American parade in Brooklyn, will also commemorate the historic 50 years of Independence of the Republic of Guyana.

The Brooklyn-based Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID) and Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary Celebration Committee (New York) are sponsors of the carnival-styled parade, called Mashramani, an Amerindian word for community celebration.

The parade will start on Church Avenue at Bedford, proceed east to Ralph Avenue, south on Ralph Avenue to Flatlands Avenue and West into South Shore High School Park in Brooklyn, where Granger will address the Unity Rally.

The “Guyana Jubilee Week” will be held under the theme: “Reflect Our Journey: Forging Unity and Embracing Modernity.”

Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and other officials of the government of Guyana, as well as U.S. federal, state and local officials, will be guests of honor at various “Jubilee Week” celebration events, the committee said.