‘The Joker is Wild’ masquerade band is one of several local bands that was given an incentive to keep the tradition alive, after the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) company donated $1.2M to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to develop the art form.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release GT&T CEO Joe Singh on Wednesday handed over the cheque to Minister Dr Frank Anthony in the presence of Mashramani Coordinator Lennox Canterbury and other officers at the company’s main office on Brickdam. The money is to develop masquerade for Mashramani and to keep alive the art form.
Masquerade is a choreographed dance involving a series of steps, done by musicians and flouncers bearing the name, Mother Sally or Long Lady, Bam Bam Sally, Monkey man, the stilt walkers/dancers and the Mad Cow. The flouncers are usually the main attraction of the band as they dance and acrobatically pick up coins or other monetary rewards thrown by onlookers. The musicians control the movement of the other groups with their fife, kittle, boom and steel instruments, the release said.
Anthony said masquerade is an important aspect of Mashramani. Although it has gained popularity in many Caribbean territories it has developed its own uniqueness in Guyana. At the same time Anthony said there had been a steady decline in the masquerade tradition; saying that the lack of support is one of the reasons for the poor quality of the bands.
“If we understand the historic significance of masquerade and the role it played in colonial times then we will want to work very hard to preserve this art form. When we look today at what is happening in the art form the sponsorship that we are getting from GT&T is significant because it is helping to preserve and sustain a very important art form,” the minister said.
According to GINA the ministry has set out a mandate to work with masquerade bands. It has already hosted some workshops with the aid of persons knowledgeable about the art form. Anthony said that with greater collaboration the mandate can be accomplished. He also suggested that parents encourage their children’s interest in the art form. The minister also lauded GT&T’s commitment to development across the board. He said the telephone company over the last three years has been working closely with the ministry, starting with Cricket World Cup in 2007 and the Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA X) in 2008.
In response, Singh said GT&T is proud to identify with an aspect of Mashramani that is symbolic of Guyana’s history. “We hope that by sponsoring the masquerade band, we will not only identify with a very important component of our history but that it prompts more in-depth research so that we can do some comparisons or analytical work of what still obtains in countries like West Africa,” he said. Singh also said he was hopeful that as the art form develops it would prompt more research into masquerade.
After ceremony ‘The Joker is Wild’, which is managed by Adrian Waldron, entertained onlookers with their dance. Waldron said he has been involved in masquerade since the age of six and has been managing a band of 40 members for more than 18 years. “Masquerade has nine traditional steps and it would take you a very long time to learn. It took me at least one year to learn but today I am a teacher and I take pride in doing my work,” he said.
