Press Release 20 October 2003

Book Launch, "The Iwokrama Forest"

The Iwokrama International Centre will launch its book, titled "The Iwokrama Forest" by Shirley Felts on Tuesday, October 21, 2003 at 17:00 hours at Castellani House, Vlissengen Road, Georgetown. The book also features the foreword by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and the Preface by His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo, President of the Republic of Guyana.

Ms. Felts, well known for her botanical paintings in Britain, is an exemplary "Friend of Iwokrama" and in return for fulfilling a life-long dream to paint the rain forest, she has donated the use and reproduction of these paintings, sketches and the book itself to Iwokrama's fundraising drive.

Copies of the book are currently available for sale at the Iwokrama International Centre office - 77 High Street, Kingston, Georgetown and information is available on the Iwokrama web site. The book was published with support from the Canadian International Development Agency.

Shirley Felts' beautiful book captures the delights and fascination of the Iwokrama Forest in a series of watercolour paintings and line drawings. The 42-page book is a compendium of the artist's experiences in the Iwokrama Forest and North Rupununi since 1996.