Afro-Costa Rican Culture Celebration dedicated to paralympic athlete Sherman Guity

Published Friday, August 9, 2019

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The Afro-Costa Rican community invites all to participate in the activities that will take place this Friday. / Ministry of Culture courtesy photo.

Afro-Costa Rican Culture Celebration dedicated
to paralympic athlete Sherman Guity

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

In April 2018, congress declared the month of August as the month of Afro-descendence, to promote the heritage and cultural values of the Afro-Costa Rican community.

Afro-descendence or Afro-Caribbean is the shortened ethnicity term of African-Caribbean, which refers to the ethnicity and cultural heritage of Caribbean people whose ancestors were taken from Africa.
 

The government announced on Tuesday the celebrations would be dedicated to Paralympic athlete Sherman Guity.

Almost two years ago, Sherman Guity had a traffic accident that resulted in the amputation of his left foot.
 
"Far from being the end of his sports career, it was a boost to become the fastest Paralympic runner of the year, worldwide," said the government in its statement.

Guity recently qualified for the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games, the Dubai 2019 World Athletics Championships, and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

"Every time I have set a goal, I have tried to achieve it," said athlete Sherman Guity. "When the accident happened to me, I swore to be the best parathlete in Costa Rica, and I fulfilled it. Now, I want to be the best in the world."

The Afro-Costa Rican community invites all to participate in the activities that will take place this Friday as follows:
 
- Presentation of the film: Building Our Nation: The contribution of the Afro-Caribbean population in Costa Rica. It will be presented at the public library of Hatillo at 10:30 a.m., and at the Heredia library at 2:00 p.m.

 - Presentation of Afro-colonial Poetry, Kilombo Poético, in the public library of Cartago at 6:00 p.m. and at 8:00 p.m.

 - Exhibition of Afro-descendant photography, in the José Figueres Ferrer museum, in Alajuela, during the day.
 
- Exhibition of paintings alluding to Afro-descendence contribution, during the day in the Social Protection Board building in San Jose.
 
- A presentation of Black Music and a sing-along to honor Black Spiritual, in the Major Lynch Library, in Limón, at 3:00 p.m.
  
On Saturday, the Afro-Costa Rican Rights Talk will be presented, at Liberty Hall in Puerto Viejo, Limon at 4:00 p.m.

 More information about this month's activities can found at the Ministry of Culture's office at 2221 2154 or ministry website here.*

 
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