ecomuseum of the Kaw-Approval

Timeline

Origin and history

The Ecomuseum of the Approuague-Kaw (EMAK), inaugurated in May 2008 in Regina, is the only ecomuseum in Guyana. This collaborative project involved partners such as the European Union, the State, the Region, and the Guyana Museum of Cultures. It extends over 1,500 m2, combining a permanent exhibition in a restored Creole house, a hangar housing an old sawmill, and an ethnobotanical garden of 200 m2.

The site showcases the region's natural and cultural heritage, including the nature reserves of the Nouragues, the Kaw marshes and the Grand Connétable Island. These spaces protect diverse ecosystems, such as forests, flooded savannahs and mangroves, while testifying to Amerindian history and the exploitation of gold or phosphate.

Local architecture, marked by climate-friendly wooden houses, reflects the influence of 18th and 19th century construction techniques introduced by immigrants. The traditional carbets, open and stilt, illustrate the nomadic way of life of the Amerindians, while the Creole houses, with their ceiling heights and their Persians, meet the climatic requirements.

Régina-Kaw, with its two towns, preserves an urban frame in checker inherited from the settlers. The ecomuseum, installed in the former Aubin-Laignier sawmill, also values the work of wood, a central material of traditional habitat. The site includes educational spaces for schools and temporary exhibitions, reinforcing its role of cultural and environmental transmission.

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