“Celegacy?” What’s that? By now, the once well-kept secret ought to be out. I have a new glossy magazine explaining. And I expect it’s all over the local media.
“Celegacy” is a combination of “Celebration” and “legacy” – Cel-legacy. It’s the theme for the promised spectacular Opening Ceremony of Carifesta Ten this evening just outside of our capital, Georgetown.
Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA) is still the Caribbean–Guyanese arts and culture/heritage festival which Guyana, over the next ten days, seeks to ensure showcases Caribbean culture, talent and aspirations to a far wider world beyond the Region.
So, welcome world, welcome Caribbean! And pardon me for addressing Caribbean visitors primarily. Glad you all came. Especially if you’re here for the first time. What did you hear about your continental South American Caricom neighbour? What do you expect?
Just before I engage you Caribbean friends, a word – or fifty words – on today’s Opening Ceremony. Celegacy beckons all of us to celebrate our rich diverse cultural legacy. It “seeks to trace the magnificence of the Caribbean … from the diverse origins of its many beautiful peoples to the vast natural resources resident in the Region and the important philosophical contributions that the Region has made to World Culture”. As a result, I’m assured, a collective Magical Moment will emerge at the stadium this evening.
Yes, there will be hundreds of dancers of all genres, the drums, fireworks and the usual. But look for Guyana’s Big Birds, horses from our savannahs, jaguars and Sky-People, parachutists, Glyphs and Nymphs. Throw in Dave Martins’ Trade Winds, Rikki Jai, Stalin, the Surinamese, Presidents and Prime Ministers and an excessively-filled arena, and the tone, theme and excellence of Guyana’s Carifesta Ten, will be impressively, creatively well-set.
Caribbean, you understand
Caribbean friends, now that you’re on the soil of our continental brother, you know that despite the lovely messages and promises of the tourist brochures and Carifesta literature, that all could never be well in this Big Beautiful Blighted Land.
Let’s be honest, you all know of our decades–long electricity blackouts, the crime situation, the capital’s ugly squatting-areas and poor drainage.
(You’ll smell the stink in some drains and garbage dumps around Georgetown. But why go there?) I trust you never experience our uncouth mini-bus/maxi-taxi operators or numerous junkies and pavement people. I know our media will “regale” you with the daily disagreements amongst our major political parties and ethnic-specific organisations. You’ll find that they agree only to disagree! Finally, I trust too, that you Caribbean friends are spared the agony, the stress of our urban and coastal flooding whilst here.
So there you have it: A good sampling of our ills and negatives. But you know what!? It should not be that strange to many of you. Okay, I know this is a period for celebrating our way of life, our achievements. But Jamaica is tops in crime, Trinidad close behind; the politicians everywhere in the Caribbean agree on precious little and the Bajans, who flocked to Guyana in the fifties and sixties, like the small Islanders did, they – those naughty Barbadian Authorities are impatient with us at their airport. Trinidad describes their junkies as “vagrants” and their major groups often ‘buse out.
Enough of our common challenges then, but just making a point for those under-informed who might be tempted to laugh out loud at us – in our too frequent moments of distress.
Guyana – Delightfully different!
Oh Caribbean, oh World, welcome to a Festival venue that is, that will be decidedly different from the island-locations. These features we can proudly boast, in the midst of our challenges. Here friends, is a mere sampling.
Our very location – neighbours to Suriname, Venezuela and the mighty Brazil, south of the border. Land and river – bridges can take you into these lands if you wish to get away from Guyana and the festival for a day or two. You can hike through tropical rain-forests, walk above them on the Iwokrama Canopy thousands of feet above ground. You’ve heard about Kaieteur Falls? The highest un-interrupted drop of 741 ft! Special prices for the fares are available. Numerous ecotourism-resorts on mighty river-banks and in the tropical rain-forests amongst our Native people.
Guyana’s animal life is not easily surpassed. Eagles, hawks, rare turtles, leopards and anacondas – you see them real. Not on TV screens.
Now besides the usual, normal categories of standard Carifesta offerings – performing arts, visual arts, soca/chutney/kaiso competitions, Super Concerts and Fashion pageants, et al – Guyana will present a few firsts: Islamic Exhibitions, Hindu presentations and Christian Gospel Concerts (Everything is free!) Guyanese and Brazilian paratroopers will soar from the skies. Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott will lead an impressive team of Caribbean/Guyanese writers/intellectuals coming for the festival’s symposia and many Guyana Classics will be published. Add a brand new Guyana National Steelband; a real six tribe Amerindian Village at the Grand Market and a youth Edutainment City – and you’re bound to experience a Caribbean Festival with a difference.
No incident of negativity can overshadow our unique offerings. You’ll easily agree – Guyana is much, much more than the bad – or the ugly. Once more – Welcome!
The Olympics, yams and
gymnastics
A quick word on what you know: Usain Bolt is no longer athletics best-kept secret. He is, at 22, phenomenal. Jamaica’s time has come to pay tribute fully to Herb McKinley, Don Quarrie and Merlene Ottey. Hail The Jamaicans! Rastafari!
What you might not know is that a high-powered American Team of Food-Scientists is on its way to Trelawny, Jamaica to examine and study the nutrient properties of the ground vegetable yam.
My mind is, once again, even more blown when I watch those teenage girls in Gymnastics. What do their coaches and the judges demand? Pure, Flawless, Perfection! It could be so unnatural! Do we Guyanese understand athletic excellence? There must be no lapse; not the slightest shift or movement especially on landing.
What and when do those youngsters eat? Before the Pummel Horse, the Trampoline, the Uneven Bars, the Parallel Bars, the Beams, the Vaults? It’s great to watch but, for me, it tends to demand Super-human effort!
Carifesta forever
► 1) Carifesta is here! Tell the criminals to hide their weapons and leave people to enjoy the peace, creativity and culture they deserve.
► 2) A good query: how will visitors from overseas get the free tickets?
► 3) Represent! At the concluding Olympics, note the immigrant world embraced! Black Lady Ohuruogu is British. A Gambian runs for White Norway! Lagat and Lamong are Americans fast-forwarded. Is there an African Chinese and Japanese?
► 4) Finally, the Guyana Cook-Up Show is Back!
’Til next week!
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