During a tour of the Museum of African Heritage in Georgetown, he said he was very impressed by the literature and historical items showcasing the traits of the African ancestors during the days of slavery in Guyana, but more needs to be done to increase public awareness and appreciation of history.

"There is need for comprehensive programmes so as to educate people about African culture. Once in a while people get bits and pieces about African History, but because it is limited, they do not get the flow," he said.

The President suggested, that in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, television programmes in the form of a series, be produced and literature on the culture be complied into a booklet for distribution countrywide. In this way, he noted, knowledge about the rich history of Africans in Guyana can be spread.

"I think that enough people do not see it; hopefully, the media will do much more to make people aware of what is going on here. Sometimes, we just focus on other things, and these wonderful efforts that are taking place to preserve our culture and to give our young people a better sense of the history, have gone unnoticed.

"We need to get much more of this on the radio, television, and newspapers to our young people. It (the culture) is fantastic. I am very impressed with the museum," said the President.

External sources can also be use to complement the research on Africans, President Jagdeo said, adding that local personnel should utilise the media fully to broadcast and promote African culture, not only at this time of the year when Emancipation is being observed, but throughout the year.

While the museum has an impressive library, much more can be done to increase its stockpile. Material and information, the President added, could be sourced from people Government functionaries meet during trips overseas.

He urged, that with the help from the Ministry of Culture, the officials in charge of the museum could pursue this path.

The Museum of African Art and Ethnology was founded in 1985, with the purchase of the Collection of African Art of Mr. Hubert Nicholson and Mrs. Desiree Malik. These collections were annotated and accessed through UNESCO by Dr. William Seigman, Curator of African and Oceanic Art, Brooklyn Museum in 1993.

The collections also include paintings and models by Dr. Jane Phillips-Conroy, Biological Anthropologist, Washington School of Medicine and Dr. Denis Williams, Archaeologist, Guyana.

Since then, donations from the local community have continued to be collected and they include art and craft brought from local African communities, collected pieces from the Burrowes School of Art and other day to day artifacts from Guyanese.

In 2001, the museum was renamed the Museum of African Heritage, in order to open their doors to a wider audience and begin to fully address the African experience in Guyana.

The existing collection includes items on African Art, mostly West African, from the wooden mask to the carved door of secret societies, helping to educate people about the meaning and reasons behind African art traditions.

Also in the collection are more practical pieces like the brass weights used for measuring gold dust, drums, musical instruments, games and clothing.