Guyana @ 50 - Cook-Up Rice

Today is Guyana's 50th anniversary of Independence. I deliberately chose to showcase Cook-up Rice today because I think it is a dish that is truly representative of Guyana. In past writings, I have used this dish as a metaphor to describe us - people of various ethnicities, cultural practices and walks of life - coming together in a singularly unique, creative and cohesive way to create a nation of people called Guyanese.

Just as a pot of Cook-up Rice is made up of various ingredients, each with its own distinctive properties such as textures and flavours, so too are we; we're all different and each one of us brings something special to the table. Just as a pot of Cook-up with various "obstacles" needs to have the ingredients staggered in the cooking process, so too do we in getting people to come to see that in order to survive and live well with each other, that we need to come together. Just as a pot of Cook-up requires the knowledge of a skilful cook to marshal the diverse ingredients into a cohesive dish, one where each ingredient offers an inimitable contribution to the taste, so too do we need leaders to move our country forward while making all of us feel equally important to the process and the sharing of the benefits.

Cook-up Rice ©Cynthia Nelson