As Guyana celebrates 49 years of independence, there was yesterday’s opening of the Independence Day archives at the National Museum as part of the scheduled activities.Service medals, part of the GDF exhibition, from left: the 25th and 40th Anniversary Medals, the Border Defence Medal, Military Efficiency Medal, the Independence Star and the Military Service Star (MSN)Since it was a collaborative effort with the National Archives of Guyana, there were many historical exhibits depicting crucial events before,Malik McDowell Womens Jersey, during and after May 26,John Johnson Youth Jersey, 1966, as well as scholarly works from former Presidents Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Forbes BurnhamMinister of Education with responsibility for Culture,Taylor Moton Womens Jersey, Dr. Roopnarine Roopnaraine, was also present as were members of the Diplomatic Corps and special invitees.The Guyana Defence Force (GDF), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, also partnered with the National Museum. It made an appearance for the first time in the exhibition with its own section.One wall was devoted to former Governors of British Guiana,Brett Hundley UCLA Jersey, while another was devoted to pictures from the Duke and Duchess of Kent’s visit to British Guiana in May 1966 in order to hand over the instruments of state.The exhibition also featured works and publications from President David Granger, who is a noted historian and who has written books on National Defence and public security issues such as National Defence: A Brief History of the Guyana Defence Force 1965-2005; Public Security: Criminal Violence and Policing in Guyana; and Public Policy: The Crisis of Governance in Guyana.He has also written several monograms including The Five thousand-day war; the struggle for Haiti’s Independence, 1789-1804; the British Guiana Volunteer Force, 1948-1966; the Guyana National Service,Roberto Perez Indians Jersey, 1974-2000; the Guyana People’s Militia, 1976-1997; the Queens College Cadet Corps,Vincent Kompany Jersey, 1889-1975; Guyana’s Coinage, 1808-2008; the era of Enslavement, 1638-1838 and the Village Movement, 1839-1889.Over the past week, Georgetown underwent a massive cleanup campaign as part of activities leading up to Independence Day.While it initially began as a collaborative effort between the Government and private partners, the efforts have since served to inspire citizens from all walks of life to join in the clean up.