– And the other side of entertainment
Naturally, it had and has to. The Mashramani Festival is the celebratory component of Guyana’s annual Republic Anniversary observance. The tenth Caribbean arts festival held here in August last is the regional event now touted to be held every two years in various territories of the Caribbean Community. Mashramani is especially Guyanese. Exclusively ours!
But in a paragraph or two below, I’ll mention how the Caribbean–wide festival impacts, or should impact, on our own national event next month.
Incidentally, to personalize these thoughts even more, I must mention that last year, though in spirit and many deeds, I supported and promoted Mashramani 2008, I disallowed myself from revelry on Republic Day. Why? I was paying my own tribute and respect to those fallen in the Lusignan and Bartica massacre by the criminal mass murderers, so well-trained by some “professionals” who still dwell among us – the innocent and the law-abiding.
Recall the debate ignited last February by certain religious bodies and specific individuals of conscience? Fast-forward now to the stress and tragedy surrounding hundreds of citizens in the low-lying coastal villages and other vulnerable communities along rivers and near to conservancies. Floods from the unrelenting rains and poor drainage have devastated both farming and urban communities since pre-Christmas. Now, millions upon millions have to be accessed and spent wisely on rehabilitation and compensation. Even as infrastructure crumbles, farms are obliterated – and vegetable prices soar, can I approach those affected villagers and farmers about Mashramani celebrations this year?
Senior officials of the Central Mashramani 2009 Management Committee feel that I should! The reasoning – with which I generally concur – is that, as in 2008, we as a challenged people need to recognize, even if we don’t accept, two things. We need to persevere with the celebration of our national anniversaries as they give us identity; they can, at times, be the adhesive that binds us together in some achievement – however symbolic. Secondly, celebrations like the Republican Mash however muted, act as much-needed National Collective Therapy. People under stress so continually need to let go steam, pent-up emotions, all the bile and vitriol they have stored within.
Priorities, CARIFESTA – and Mash
On Crisis TV the other day, the villager asked the eager interviewer: “if dey doan have money fuh a new koker, how come we afford Carifesta?” Those affected by our annual crises which, seemingly, are not attracting continuous, consistent, expert priority attention, are asking similar questions about the new stadium and other prestige projects.
The answer, of course, is that we need both the infrastructure and the celebration, the sporting event. The challenge for the government is simple: Prioritise the emergencies and the long-term, then show the current victims what the cricket and the celebration could do – for the country and for them.
Which takes me back to Carifesta Ten. Just a week ago Culture Minister Frank Anthony was insisting that our hosting of the August 2008 Carifesta has left us with desirable components of its cultural legacy. He listed trained personnel in drama, stage management, technical abilities; he spoke of improved venues and concert facilities, and a Regional Publishing House has been committed to, by Guyana. And even I am exceedingly heartened to know that between the pre-Carifesta period and today, we now have twenty-three (23) steel-bands of varying size!
Of course, the negatives would be the ill-will engendered by Carifesta late-payments and the soured relationship; the reluctance to participate without some written, contractual guarantees and so on.
So now it’s days to February’s Mashramani with preparations already underway. The glitzy parades with the glamour, dance, music and pageantry are promised – however muted and sponsorship-willing, but there are plans to have more CARIFESTA –type Regional Nights; some folkloric ritual enactments, photography competitions, essays and debates to add a more intellectual/academic component to the Republican Anniversary Observance.
I will support the latter with enthusiasm even as I advise the Mashramani organizers to balance sympathy, empathy and respect for citizens’ on-going dilemmas in the flood-waters, with the need to keep our traditions alive.
Entertainment’s down side…
Regular readers will recall that I examined briefly the state of popular entertainment in Guyana these days. As compared to the “old” forties-to-seventies” days.
I had therein lamented the paucity of good big-bands, musicians lack of ability to read music, the over-powering influence of the Jamaican genres over our (copy-cat) compositions, the state of local calypso, steelband and so on.
Today, I reiterate my concerns and distress over those facts and use just a few lines to ponder the following: is it true that some promotions – those “foreign-artiste” shows – are vehicles for naughty illegal international activity? And why is it that venues where once the highest officials in the land would party, are now harassed? (What did the law discover?)
I saw first-hand last Friday evening, how the campaign to rid the community of noise nuisances could be manipulated to be used as a personal instrument of victimization when compromise could have been utilized. The result? For the first time in four decades band leader Eze Rockcliffe has been charged during his work. Petty-mindedness and spite versus life-long contribution to national identity. But don’t, never change the tempo!
Stay dry…
1) I know that feasibility studies, pre-planning for all its might, will not uncover or predict specific problems once a national project starts. But couldn’t they anticipate the more local problems which surrounded the construction of the Berbice River Bridge?
2) Predictably, there is going to be rancour surrounding the Trade Union Recognition Amendment 2008 Bill. For me, it is unfortunate that bitterness will attend the verifiable fact that the FITUG group is immensely more representative than the old GTUC…
3) What’s this rumour? Joint Services to be back on the road? The Mash Road? Just a rumour?
4) And what!? The PPP/C is coming on the road for Mash this year? What about PNC/R-1G?? Mashing together? More Rumour?
’Til next week!
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