Twelve students have graduated from the University of Guyana’s inaugural Elementary Wapichan Language Course, marking what the institution says is a significant step in its efforts to preserve, promote and strengthen indigenous languages through higher education.
The graduates received their certificates during the inaugural Guyanese Languages Unit (GLU) Indigenous Languages Awards Ceremony, held on June 17 at the Education Lecture Theatre at the Turkeyen Campus. The GLU is a unit within the International Centre of Excellence for Modern and Indigenous Languages, Literatures and Linguistics (ICEMILL) in the Faculty of Education and Humanities.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Paloma Mohamed Martin congratulated the graduates, describing them as pioneers in the programme and acknowledging the years of advocacy that led to the establishment of the course.
“…we also want to thank you for being self-respecting enough, being respectful of the language and your Guyanese-ness, and courageous enough to be the first to have taken the leap to learn this language,” Professor Mohamed Martin said.
According to a press statement from the university, Mohamed Martin said the introduction of indigenous language courses demonstrates the institution’s commitment to preserving Guyana’s cultural heritage while expanding opportunities for learning and research. She announced that the university will offer approved and accessible courses in Guyana’s 10 indigenous languages, including Creolese, as well as Garifuna, an indigenous language spoken along the Caribbean coast of Central America and the Eastern Caribbean.
She also paid tribute to educators, advocates and indigenous scholars who advanced the formal teaching of indigenous languages, including the late Dr Desrey Fox and George Simon, for their contributions to indigenous knowledge and cultural preservation.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Priya Manickchand, who delivered special remarks, reflected on the role of language in preserving identity and empowering communities.
“I was once someone who believed that speaking well mattered more than surviving,” Manickchand said.
Drawing on her experiences in hinterland communities, she noted that language is closely connected to participation, understanding, culture and identity.
Coordinator of the GLU and chair of the programme, Dr Tamirand Nnena De Lisser, described the ceremony as “more than an awards ceremony.”
“This evening is more than an awards ceremony. It is a celebration of the linguistic and cultural heritage that forms an essential part of Guyana’s identity,” she said.
She added that “your presence underscores our collective commitment to a future in which Guyana’s linguistic diversity is respected, celebrated, and sustained.”
GLU lecturer Charlene Wilkinson described the event as unprecedented.
“This celebration has never happened before in Guyana, in any recorded history that I know of,” Wilkinson said.
“I want us all to go home tonight remembering that you are part of something extremely new, first time, and something extremely sacred,” she added.
Wilkinson said the initiative reflected the University of Guyana’s longstanding role in nation-building and emphasised that language remains central to identity, culture, memory and community.
ICEMILL Director Dr Penelope Montfort highlighted the educational value of multilingual learning.
“Native languages form the root of our identity, influencing how we think, how we learn, how we understand the world,” Montfort said.
She told graduates they had become part of an important chapter in Guyana’s educational and linguistic history.
Course lecturer Dr Adrian Gomes said many students entered the programme with little or no previous experience in speaking, reading or writing Wapichan.
“Yet, despite these challenges, the students demonstrated a remarkable commitment and perseverance,” Gomes said.
He added, “For some, the course became more than an academic exercise. It became a journey of reconnecting with identity, heritage, and community.”
According to the university, members of the graduating class also shared personal testimonies about balancing work, family responsibilities and academic commitments while completing the programme. Several said the course had deepened their appreciation for indigenous culture and strengthened their connection to their heritage and community.
Certificates were subsequently presented to the 12 students who successfully completed the university’s inaugural Elementary Wapichan Language Course.
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