Dear Editor,
The August Monday Fun Day, or whatever you may call it, was held at Aurora Village, Essequibo Coast on Monday 1st August, 2016. This annual event to coincide with the abolition of slavery started more than a decade ago, and although people from all parts of the region and elsewhere travelled in their numbers not a single person would be attired in any form of African wear, neither would there be any African food or drink on sale, nor African music to be heard, including the beating of the Congo drum.
This event started with one music set, now there are two of these sets with seven boom boom boxes. However, when you look at the area where the event is held it is a congested area in terms of houses, and unfortunately, my bedroom is about fifty feet from where one set of these boom boom boxes would be blaring their music. Despite several reports to the police at Aurora Police Station by me and other persons over the years, this loud, lewd and vulgar music is allowed to play much to the discomfort and annoyance of residents of the area.
The Sergeant in charge of the Aurora Police Station prior to the event did some investigations by taking statements from persons, and he led me to believe that he had recommended that permission should not be granted to the applicant to hold this event on Lot 54 Aurora Village. That report was forwarded to the Divisional Commander, but lo and behold, the applicant went ahead with the event and the music, which I have reason to call noise, and which was louder than last year.
The question is what was the purpose of the police investigation, and whose report would the magistrate be guided by. I like music ‒ Indian and English music of all types, calypso, reggae, pop, soul, you name it.
I had a friend who used to say, show me a man who does not like music, and I would show you a dead man, while a teacher used to say there was a difference between music and noise and the volume determined this. What I and others had to endure for more that twelve hours was definitely noise. One music set was clearly trying to outdo the other. The granting of the permit or application must be investigated; they are not at the National Stadium, the National Park or the Anna Regina Community Centre ground.
While I support the holding of this event, if I had a say I would recommend that approval be given only to one person, so we can have music and not noise; once there is more than one music set, there would be a competition to see which set could play the loudest.
Yours faithfully,
Archie Cordis
