Government is to spend $8 million to stage an elaborate programme of activities to commemorate the United Nation's International Year for People of African descent.This was revealed by Arts and Multiculturalism Minister Winston Peters during yesterday's post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair.He said a stakeholders committee was established to plan and implement the celebrations.It comprised representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Community Development, Ministry of Social Development and the People, Ministry of Tobago Development, Ministry of Gender Affairs, Youth and Child Development, NJAC, Emancipation Support Committee, T&T Organisation of African People, the UN Information Centre and the Government Information Services Ltd. He said 12 months were not sufficient for the celebrations.He said the celebrations included the documentation of all the heritage sites relative to Africans arrival in T&T.He added: "We are going to be embarking on a programme to expose the children of African descent in this country."We are going to be embarking on African murals in quite a few parts of T&T, which would be an everlasting thing, really. It is something that is going to be there and will be maintained."He said the murals would be placed in Port-of-Spain, San Fernando, Mayaro and other districts in T&T.
Other highlights of the celebrations include:
• A Yarouba village;
• a compilation of calypso/songs about the Africans In T&T;
• lectures of Africans involvement in agriculture in T&T; and
• story-telling.
"These programmes are actually going to take longer that the one year but we are going to be celebrating well into the year 2012," Peters added.Foreign Affairs and Communications Minister Dr Surujrattan Rambachan said the UN General Assembly had adopted a resolution to declare 2011 as the year of observances.Rambachan said the observances will run from 2011 to 2012 in T&T.