The Ethnic Relations Commission sponsored production I Am Us, played to satisfied audiences at the National Cultural Centre last Saturday and Sunday.
The purpose of the play was to promote unity and preserve the peace and good relations, especially at a time Guyana is preparing for general elections.
I Am Us was written in 2015 by Neaz Subhan. The play focused on two families reflective of the two major ethnicities in Guyana. The story surrounds the lives of Surwah and Coalpot and their families. The two friends were also neighbours who would get together to have an occasional drink. However, with elections around the corner, friends of Surwah and Coalpot brought the topic of elections into the conversation. This was not a topic either of the men felt comfortable with. Though they tried to stay silent, their friends insisted on them sharing their views with each other which led to a disagreement on what they think about the government in power.
In events that followed, the neighbours had their wives join them in discriminating against each other and prevented their children from hanging out. When one of the children fell ill and was hospitalized, their love for the child led to them embracing their differences and reuniting again as friends.
The play, because it was reflective of the two major races, was accepted by the audience and throughout the evening, persons in the audience nodded and murmured in agreement. Its humour made the points light and saw the audience being entertained all through, applauding at parts that hit home for them.
I Am Us would have positively impacted its audience.
The one-of-a-kind Guyanese play saw a cast of almost a dozen actors: Paul Budnah (Surwah), LaDonna Kissoon (Kunti – Surwah’s wife), Gerard Gilkes (Coalpot), Simone Dowding (Norma – Coalpot’s wife), Troy Parboo (a Portuguese man called DeFreitas), Romel Edmondson (Fiedtkow – an Amerindian man), Malisa Mathur (Surwah’s daughter Rekha), Yohance Koama (Kevin – Coalpot’s son), and Godfrey Naughton (Slacks, the policeman). In addition to the play, there were Indian Tassa drummers, African drummers, Indian dancers, African dancers, Amerindian dancers and Chinese dancers.
Among the dignitaries in attendance were Minister of State Joseph Harmon and member of the opposition Priya Manikchand. The event concluded with Harmon and Manikchand posing for a photo with the cast.
