Schools across the capital city celebrated Guyana’s 50th republic anniversary last Friday, with cultural songs and dances and presentations on the history of the Mashramani celebrations.
Among them was North George-town Secondary School, which organised a large cultural programme and food sale. A student, Joel Nurse, 15, expressed his joy at learning how to sing folksongs and dance to cultural music. “We get to watch videos and read up on how these things are done and it is all about learning the culture,” he told Stabroek News. “For me, I like to dance…it helps me a lot because it relieves my stress and it is especially enjoyable during this time,” he added.
The Guyana Reparations Committee (GRC) set up a booth inside the school’s compound in order to highlight African craft and to award students with books on the history of Mashramani and the roots of African folklore, among other things.
Queen’s College used the occasion to host its annual Market Day. During the day, the students in their different grade levels used the opportunity to sell various cultural dishes, such as seven curry, conkie and cook up. They were also given the opportunity to dress to represent the country’s diverse ethnic groups.
Rasheda Jeffrey, a Sixth Form student, spoke about the true meaning of Mashramani and why it is so important to her. “The meaning of the name, ‘celebration after hard work’ says to me that it is a time to get away from our stress and busy schedules to just relax,” she said.
When asked how her school helps her to appreciate Mashramani more, Jeffrey explained how her school allows her to basically put her theoretical learning into practice. “I’m happy that our school has put aside a time for us where we are using this time to put what we’ve learnt into action, because as a business student, I am allowed to promote, advertise and sell products at our Market Day, which is what I have been learning in school so it is a really nice experience,” she said.
In addition, St. Joseph High School put together a cultural programme where students were given the opportunity to showcase their talents through dancing, public speaking, playing instruments and singing. Javed Troyer, a Fifth Form student and drummer at today’s event, spoke about how important music is to the celebrations. “As a drummer, I’ve realised that music can be used to bring together all types of cultures through the wonderful sound that is creates when to put together with other instruments. Everyone is united and we celebrate as one,” Troyer said.
Joining the celebrations at St. Joseph High was the popular comedian and educator from Trinidad and Tobago, Daniel Loveless. Speaking to Stabroek News after giving a speech to the audience on his rise to fame, Loveless spoke about how Guyana’s diversity in food makes his time here special. “The thing I love about the culture of Guyana is the varieties of food that you have here…it’s my first Mashramani here, so I’m excited to see what things will be like on the day itself,” he explained.
Loveless also spoke about how he believes hospitality is embedded in our culture as Guyanese. “[Since I’ve been here] it has been amazing. The reception from the people here is amazing, [and] people have been treating me real nice. I love the support that I’m getting from the people, so it means a lot to me”, he said.
