The historic Umana Yana, which was rebuilt at an estimated cost of $106M, was on Thursday officially handed over to the Ministry of Education, Department of Culture, Youth and Sport by the Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson.
Minister within the Ministry of Education, Nicolette Henry, in an interview with the GINA was quoted as saying that the Umana Yana is one of the premier buildings in Guyana.
The original building which was destroyed by fire on September 9, 2014 was one of the primary Amerindian heritage sites in the country.
The structure was rebuilt from thatched allibanna, manicole palm leaves, and wallaba posts latched together with mukru, turu and nibbi vines.
The Umana Yana was erected in August 1972 for the Non-Aligned Foreign Ministers Conference in Georgetown, Guyana, as a VIP Lounge and recreation centre. The landmark structure served as the venue for a number of historical and cultural events for over four decades.
The following scenes were captured by INews photographer, Carl Croker:
