Merundoi Incorporated has partnered with UNESCO to revitalise Masquerade in Guyana.
Through the initiative entitled Masquerade Lives on, Merundoi Incorporated will consolidate plans to stimulate creativity and innovation in the Masquerade tradition in Guyana. A release from Merundoi said that this includes opening spaces for the achievement of sustainable livelihoods for this Guyanese Intangible Heritage form in industries such as Tourism and Entertainment.
“Merundoi foresees an all-of-society conversation on strategies to maintain Masquerade through intensified collaboration with public, private and civil society entities such as the Ministries of Education; Culture, Youth and Sport; Tourism, Industry and Commerce; University of Guyana; Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana; Guyana Tourism Authority and Moray House Trust.
Masquerade Lives on will continue to build on the solidarity engendered in Masquerade Lives, a 2012-2016 collaboration among the Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc.; the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport; the University of Guyana: Theatre Guild and Merundoi Incorporated”, the release said.
The main activities of Masquerade Lives on are:
-Organisation of a National Workshop regarding the ratification of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage and the role and responsibility of Guyana in this cultural field.
-Arranging an all-of-society National Symposium that will include the voices of Masquerade practitioners, who deserve sustained attention.
-Execution of an awareness building exercise with a view to deeper understanding of, and respect for this age-old Guyanese cultural practice, aimed at the general public, and particularly young children. This will be carried out in collaboration with: institutions such as the Ministry of Education and The University of Guyana with a view to using materials such as Dr. Juliet Emanuel’s My First Book about Masquerade – a colouring and activity book and others.
-Assisting in the establishment of a Guyana Masquerade Association and facilitating relationships with the hospitality, tourism, entertainment and entrepreneurial industries and other such entities in the Caribbean region
-Encouraging research and training through collaboration with the Institute of Creative Arts, The University of Guyana, as well as appropriate institutions in the Caribbean Region.
The National Workshop on the UNESCO 2003 Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage and the National Symposium “Masquerade Lives On” are scheduled for April 23-25 and April 29 -30, 2025 respectively.
