By Carl Parker
Cultural exchanges between Lethem and Bon Fim, neighbouring communities on the Guyana/Brazil border, received a shot in the arm with the hosting of two nights of activities on Friday and Saturday night at the Lethem Rodeo Ground.

From the inception, the weather seemed as though it would have the final say as to whether or not the outdoor activity would have been allowed to proceed. But as if in homage to the defiant thousands who flocked the ground to witness this historic event, the rains held off for both nights and those in attendance were thrilled beyond their expectations.

The event, though off to a late start, began with a simple opening ceremony where functionaries from both sides of the border congratulated the organisers of the event. First up was the President of the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), Alfred Ramsarran, who along with the wife of the Vice-Consul of the Brazilian Consulate at Lethem, Seline Santa Cruz, were the architects of the event. In his welcoming remarks, Ramsarran gave a brief background to the event. He said that the event was being held under the Theme: “Integration for Development.”

He said that he and Santa Cruz agreed that the peoples of the two neighbouring communities, needed to interact, co-operate and respect each other more. He said that it was also agreed that if the above could be fostered then it was possible for greater understanding among the two peoples. Ramsarran informed the gathering that these thoughts were born out of the opening of the Takutu bridge, and some initial glitches in the implementation of certain policies, and the thought that the establishment of the link was not achieving its full potential.

Ramsarran said that as a result, RCCI held a meeting with the military and teachers of Bon Fim on the 30th June, and the idea was born. According to Ramsarran, another meeting was held shortly after, in the Boardroom of the Regional Democratic Council, Region 9 (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo), and included the Regional Chairman, Clarendo Lucas; Chairman of the Ireng/ Sawariwau Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Terrence Boston, members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Guyana Police Force (GPF), and important citizens. At this meeting, according to Ramsarran, a Frontier Committee was formed to plan and execute a range of activities. “The committee decided on this event,” Ramsarran said in his brief remarks. He also informed the gathering that the Committee has decided that the event will be held annually, alternating between the two communities yearly, “therefore we will see you again next year, but this time in Bon Fim,” Ramsarran said to a tumultuous applause.

He said that the plans started with the committee not knowing where the monies would come from to host the activities. He also said that the Brazilians insisted that no one was to be charged to enter the Rodeo site since that could have hindered attendance and by extension, the integration process. “Hence we decided that admission to the event would be free,” Ramsarran said to a cheering crowd of about 800.

In his remarks, the Ambas-sador of Brazil to Guyana, Luis Gilberto Seixes de Andrade, said that the event witnessed was the answer to many questions. He said that the people have spoken and they need to be listened to. He said that what was taking place was a legitimate expectation of the construction of the Takutu Bridge. The Ambassador reiterated that the two peoples must develop side-by-side and this “will impact positively in the development of business as is evident by the participation of many businesses in the two communities.”

Also delivering brief remarks were the Minister of Local Government,  Kellawan Lall, and the Vice Consul, of the Brazilian Consulate in Lethem, Tetatonio Santa Cruz.

Guyana Night
Ramsarran, in an invited comment to Stabroek News, declared the event a  huge success. The event was attended by approximately 800 persons on the first night and over 2000 on the second.

The first night was deemed “Guyana Night,” where a Guyanese cultural presentation was done. There was song, dance, drama and poetry galore. The highlight of the night was a piece performed by the Surama Dance Group entitled “The Cotton Dance,” where participants were dressed in traditional attire and moved rhythmically to guitar music. Another favourite was a rendition done by local star Roger King who wooed the crowd with his strong, melodious voice.

GDF soldiers did a skit after the event was set ablaze by siblings John and Joanne Ford who performed an electrifying dance to the song `Love And Unity.’

Francis Bernard of Nappi Village did a tune on the mouth-organ which was well received by the crowd. This was preceded by a dance to `Oh Beautiful Guyana’ by students of the Arapaima Primary School. Later on, Desmond Adams wooed the crowd with a number of reggae tunes accompanied by his own mini band which included a keyboard and some African drums. The night culminated in a big ‘bashment’ under the huge tent erected for the event and by the time it was stopped by the police sometime after 1 am, the crowd had forgotten about the difficulties they had to endure to get to the ground: the slushy road just at the entrance of the Rodeo Ground, the many vehicles that got stuck resulting in many of the spectators having to abandon their vehicles, or being asked to leave the taxis taken, and walk the remainder of the way and the times when some of them stepped into pools of loam-red water, soiling their colourful attire. To many the time was worth all the troubles.

Ramsarran said that he sees the process of integration as being underway as many business both locally and in Brazil, as far away as Manaus, pitched in in one way or the other, to make the event what it was. He said as a result, several meetings with businesses in Brazil are to be scheduled shortly. He said at these meetings, the RCCI will encourage the Brazilian business community to form itself into an association not dissimilar to the chambers of commerce in Guyana. Ramsarran informed SN that among matters to be discussed will be agriculture, agro-processing, aqua-culture and commerce.

Motorcycle race
Night two saw some improvements in the road, which was repaired during the day. The activities got off with a bang: an unscheduled motorcycle race, which many were unfortunate not to have seen. The race started at 5 pm and was over a distance of two miles at the grass-track adjoining the Rodeo Ground. The contestants were all Brazilians and the event was keenly contested. Then there was the long wait for the planned activities to get underway, which it finally did at 8:10 pm. It started with another simple ceremony which was attended by more dignitaries including the Vice Consul, Guyana’s Ambassador to Brazil, Harripersaud Nawbatt and the Governor of the State of Roraima in Brazil. Once the cultural activities got underway, spectators were glued to their seats, not wanting to miss a beat.

The crowd was an ocean of colours as they spilled onto the lawns of the Rodeo Ground; the limited pavilions were straining at the pillars in an effort to contain the now excited audience. The cultural presentation, which was deemed “Brazil Night” got off to a tame start with a dance by a pair of young ladies, but was soon transformed into a carnival-like atmosphere. The ensuing presentations were very colourful and included some magnificent performances to Samba and Forro music. The performers gyrated as though they were boneless and the crowd enjoyed every moment of it. The performances depicted several aspects of the history of Brazil and  even though, for many, the language was not understood, the music and the actions filled them with some sort of appreciation for the art.

One senior spectator commented that these kinds of activities were reminiscent of the sixties and early seventies when Guyana was a cultural mecca. “This reminds me of the days of square dancing and drama at the Theatre Guild” she reminisced. One thing was certain though, the crowd was not disappointed, and the general feeling was that they could hardly wait for the next chapter which will be held in Bon Fim next year.

Ramsarran said that he hopes the Government follows the peoples’ lead and does all in their power to cement the integration movement in relation to, not only culture, but also commerce and trade. He said the two sides will now sit and “iron out some of our recent difficulties as a result of us now being able to understand each other.”

At the conclusion of the cultural presentation, Digicel’s Retail Sales Executive, Shondel Reece, presented hand-sets to the two Border Queens – one from Bon Fim  and the other from Lethem. This was the cue for more partying that went way into the wee hours of Saturday morning.