Dear Editor,
The Government of Guyana’s Christmas Market has ended, and it did so with a sense of success. A public programme with the potential to be hampered by weather, traffic, or just organisational problems, Guyana’s Christmas Market was instead a model example of the genre. It delivered a warm, festive atmosphere where Guyanese could go shopping, artisans could get attention, and families could enjoy being out together.
Christmas is an expensive season for most families, not least because so many goods in Guyana are imported. Guyanese consumers can be expected to shop more locally when presented with convenient, attractive alternatives – and in many ways, this market provided just that. By supporting artisans and entrepreneurs to access high-volume traffic with their products, it also provided sellers an opportunity to improve their businesses that could translate into future success, making the market a cost-effective, low-risk investment in the economy.
Christmas in Guyana is also a time of cultural pride, and while food, crafts, music, and other aspects of the market are year-round activities for many Guyanese, a festive public marketplace was also a means to recognise and participate in the cultural aspects of the season. Guyana’s Christmas market, as a free and family-friendly activity, was one that could be enjoyed across economic and social classes, and where Guyanese culture was not only expressed in consumption but also in production.
A seasonal market’s success should be determined not just by how many people attend, but by how much it allowed its participants to do. The current edition’s organisers are to be congratulated, and an opportunity exists for the Government to build on this year’s event to make Guyana’s Christmas market an even more important and impactful event in the coming years. Through proper logistics, organisation, and support, the market can be a yearly opportunity to help the small Guyanese business, local shoppers, and the broader national culture.