It is part of the collaborative two-year project on ‘Democratisation and Conflict Resolution in Guyana’ between Atlanta University Center (AUC) and University of Guyana (UG) and is co-sponsored by the Department of African Studies, Howard University.

The ongoing programme has been made possible by a small grant which United Negro College Fund Special Programmes Corporation received from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to conduct an International Development Partnerships Activities Programme.

The December 14 deliberations are aimed at sharpening the focus of Guyanese in United States (U.S.) on the challenges and opportunities in Guyana and would bring together academics and other professionals from here and the U.S., representatives of the Guyanese civil society as well as political activists in the U.S.

Four consecutive panel discussions, each lasting one hour and thirty minutes, will constitute the format and the titles for the panelists are;

· ‘Perspectives on Stratification, Political Rivalry and Ethnic Insecurities’;

· ‘Cultural Identities and Related Economic Pursuits: National Building or Stumbling Blocks?’;

· ‘Relations within the Diaspora and between Guyana and the Diaspora’ and

· ‘Strategies for Conflict Management and Conflict Resolution’.

Every panel will consist of lead presenters and discussants, among whom are:

· Mr. Errol Arthur of the Guyanese American Organisation in Washington, D.C;

· Dr Rishee Thakur, Dr Mark Kirton, Dr Clive Thomas and Professor Deryck Bernard of UG;

· Dr Wilfred David, Dr Kenrick Hunte and Dr Tabitha Ishmael of Howard University;

· Mr. Annan Boodram, Editor-in-Chief of ‘Caribbean Voice’ newspaper and Dr Gary Girdhari, Editor of ‘Guyana Journal’;

· Mr. Rickford Burke of Clarke Associates International;

· Dr Brenda Do-Harris of Bowie State University, Maryland;

· Dr Horace Henriques and Dr Alissa Trotz of Toronto University, Canada;

· Dr Percy Hintzen of University of California;

· Dr David Hinds of Temple University;

· Dr Ivor Mitchell and Dr Ganga Persaud of Clark Atlanta University;

· Mr. Paul Tennessee of World Federation of Labor and

· Mr. Clarence Ellis of Ellis Associates.