Work to rebuild Guyana’s historic Umana Yana, which was destroyed by a fire in 2014, is in full swing.
It is expected that the new structure will be built, using traditional methods, by members of the Wai Wai tribe. The materials will be supplied by villages of Masakenari and Moraikobai.
Umana Yana was erected for the Non-Aligned Foreign Ministers Conference in Georgetown, Guyana, in August, 1972, as a VIP Lounge and recreation centre. The 55-foot high structure was made from thatched allibanna and manicole palm leaves, and wallaba posts, lashed together with mukru, turu and nibbi vines. It was erected by a team of about 60 Wai-Wais.
Work commenced since last year at the original site, and the cost of the entire project is expected to be around $66.7M.
The original structure was destroyed by fire in just 15 minutes, on September 9th, 2014.
