As the nation approaches its 50th Republic Anniversary under the theme “Reflect, Celebrate, transform”, a Golden Jubilee has been organised by the Department of Social Cohesion, under the Minis-try of Culture, Youth and Sport, for the people of Guyana to celebrate the country’s golden year. Some of the Golden Jubilee celebrations have already been launched as the nation approaches the highly anticipated commemoration.
The traditional Mashra-mani activities such as Soca, Chutney and Steel Pan competitions are being accompanied by new events which aim at entertaining Guyanese of all ages. The much anticipated Children’s Dance and Poetry, Calypso and Costume competitions are to be in full swing for Mashramani 2020. A youth village has been incorporated into this year’s activities. The youth village was launched on the evening of January 24th and Minister of Social Cohesion George Norton, who was present there, addressed the gathering. “We have crafted programmes specially design-ed to prepare our youths as entrepreneurs. We intend to ensure that no young Guyanese lacks the capacity to create work for themselves. In addition to our many skill training programmes, we also fashioned the Youth Innovative Programme, which assists annually with funding for business start-ups.”
The youth village was a two day event, as it was open on the launch day, Friday, and the following day.
Kicking off the observances, Panorama 2020 was launched on January 12th. Persons gathered at the Kitty Seawall Band stand as they were entertained by the percussions of the steel pans as they were struck by the bands who participated this year. Panorama was followed by a Pop up concert which was also held on the same day. Being the first of the 50 activities the Ministry of Cohesion has planned, the Mash coordinator, Andrew Tyndall said that the steel pan competitions are the biggest event for the Mash celebrations. He noted that the Pan Minors Steel Band competition would be held on February 13th at the Theatre Guild and the Large Band Steel Pan competition would be held on February 16th at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
While similar steel band and pop up concerts just like the one at the Kitty Seawall have been hosted at other administrative regions such as One, Two, Three, Five, Six, Seven and Ten, the pop up concert in Berbice was on January 19th and was reported to be a “thrill” to Berbicians. True to the Guyana Motto, “One People, One Nation, One Destiny”, the pop up concert at New Amsterdam had performances by the Guyana Police Force and PanaManiacs Steel pan orchestras. A Berbician himself, Chanderpaul Nathoo, was the first performer at the concert and following in tow was Chris Ramphal, who is also from Berbice. These performances were backed by DJ Mix Doctor and the Power Tech Sound system. Other artistes who performed were Arijit Singh, Alexander Williams known as A. W. Lyrical, and Bunty. The crowd which gathered at the Banks DIH square were enticed by dance group B3 just before soca artistes such as the reigning soca monarch Brandon Harding and Joseph Smith.
Meanwhile a series of events are set to be hosted in Region Ten, in February. The Deputy Regional Executive Officer, Maylene Stephen disclosed that some of the key activities set to be hosted in the region include a Regional Talent Night on February 12th and the Cocktail event which will be on February 16th. The Soca competition Semi Finals will also be hosted in the region known for its bauxite production. There will also be a flag raising ceremony in Kwakwani and another in Ituni on February 22nd. The following day will host the Linden Float parade and Kwakwani Float parade. An awards ceremony will also be held to recognise persons who have played pivotal roles in the growth and development of the region for over the past 50 years.
Communications network, Digicel, has announced that they will, once again, be joining in the ‘mashing down’ in Georgetown during the National Float Parade on February 23rd, Mash Day. The network provider launched their Mash Band yesterday at the Kitty Seawall, behind the Earth Station.
Also included for the Golden Year celebrations is a People’s Choice T20 Cricket Match, which allows Guyanese the chance to select which country they want Guyana to face at the National Stadium on February 21st, just two days before the national float parade. Another game event will be the Republic Track and Field Games. The games are being hosted on a budget of $4.5 million according to Tyndall. He also said that the department will be partnering with the Guyana Overseas Athletic Association and the Athletic Association of Guyana.
To commemorate the milestone, Tyndall has said that the calendar of events will allow every Guyanese an opportunity to participate in the celebrations, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, geographical location or the demographic they are in. This year’s Mash celebrations’ budget is said to be $290 Million, according to the Creative Director of the Golden Jubilee, Russell Lancaster.
