The theme for this year’s Mashramani is ‘Mixing and Mashing as One Guyana.’
This theme creates a picture of Guyanese being in one struggle. Of the amalgamation of cultures, erasure of the political and racial divide, and as a collective tackling of the common enemies who wish to exploit, enslave, and destroy us.
Are our themes in these momentous events like Mashramani and Independence simply to impress or deceive us? Deception to con us into believing that no borders or features separate us. At the 53rd Republic are words with powerful meanings irrelevant to the reality that is the truth about the lives of most Guyanese or are they needed to boost the morale of the people even when they know that the dark hole of desperation is widening in Guyana. Do we celebrate and pretend for one day that we are healed, and every Guyanese can live a life free of poverty and threat. The resources of this country tell us that every Guyanese can live a life free of poverty. The threats are not only the common social issues like crimes and mental instability, but watching Guyana quickly change before our eyes, shows us that the very essence of what it means to be Guyanese and therefore our existence is at risk if we do not truly mix and mash and stand as one Guyana and own our country.