By Vishani Ragoobeer and Navendra Seoraj
ON Friday, Guyana celebrated 48 years of its republican status; a title which means that there is a government elected by the people as representatives to work for the people. And in just two years, in 2020, Guyana will celebrate 50 years of being a republic and also the ‘first oil’.

As one of the most anticipated celebrations of the year, Mashramani remains a candid illustration of the special colours that make Guyana distinctive, and Friday’s celebration was no different. The Ministry of Natural Resources was no-holds-barred in their design, and how could they not? With all the buzz surrounding Guyana’s forthcoming oil production and current gold production, the ministry needed to highlight this.

Speaking about the ‘buzz’, revellers of the ministry’s band was clad in black and gold — just like the bee! This perhaps sought to illustrate the ‘sweet’ oil and gold, which cleverly could also be garnered from the colour scheme, since oil is often referred to as black gold, and gold is well… gold. Of course, Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, could not let her ministry stand alone. She had to join in the procession and as the band crossed the stage, she was seen prancing in front as well.

Mashramani this year was a perfect, yet subtle way, of reaffirming that Guyana is on the cusp of transformation — or maybe even already transformed. Leaning on this idea of transformation was patron, Joshua Sam. He told the Guyana Chronicle, “As a youth I believe we need to build on our parades and attractions, especially Masharamani.” At the same time however, he observed, “What I saw here was magnificent and worth travelling all the way from Berbice to see.”

You see the revellers in their thousands, but there’s always something extra special about seeing familiar faces on the road. There’s something about seeing your government ministers on the road that fills you with some certainty that they are similarly proactive in getting the work done through their ministries.

President impressed
In a brief comment, President David Granger said that he was pleased with the massive turn out and extremely impressed with the creativity of the floats and energy of the revellers. “The floats are very good, they depict not only our cultural heritage, but also our economic prospects… This is a form of national and social cohesion where our people have come together; this is really a national celebration in which different people from walks of life are celebrating as one,” he said.

The President noted that the majority of the floats recognise ongoing programmes and initiatives by the government and represent economic progress and cultural and social cohesion. He also called for this level of creativity and celebration to be replicated in all of the other regions of Guyana.

Similar sentiments were expressed by the First Lady, who was very happy that good weather had prevailed after the heavy showers during last evening’s flag-raising ceremony. She lauded the designers of the costumes and floats, noting that “it’s great how they are using their initiative and imagination to express national sentiments… It builds cohesion and helps people to express themselves.”

Meanwhile, the Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge said that he is one of those people, who, traditionally, would line the Vlissengen Road route to watch the parade and said how impressed he was at how much the parade has been transformed over the years, in terms of creativity and variety.

“It is an opportunity to show that we are part of one culture… Mash is a distinctive product of West Africa… but we have made Mashramani something special because we have added all the different cultures and for that reason it is a great platform and a great opportunity to show Guyana to the world,” the minister said.

The minister reminded Guyanese that the country is on the brink of being able to achieve great things and said it is important that they recognise their responsibility to direct their energies and their enthusiasm to doing something better for Guyana. “It is your responsibility to help to build a national spirit and a national mood, so that we can achieve our destiny,” he said.

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, when the Guyana Chronicle visited her ministry’s bands as the revellers lined up on Camp Street in preparation for the float parade, she was in front ready to hype her revellers. While supported greatly by her ministerial colleagues, her track record shows that she is adamant about having Guyana stampede on the digital sphere.

And of course by now, everybody would have seen Minister of Social Cohesion, George Norton. If you haven’t though, just know that he was the most jubilant person on the road, aptly dressed in the colours of the Golden Arrowhead and showing why he has responsibility for culture, youth and sport. Not forgetting Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, who also mashed down the town with her ministry’s band.

Soca jammed non-stop
Meanwhile, along the route, popular Soca music filled the air and those at the edge of the road waiting to get a glimpse of the various floats could not help but shake to the beat. This year, as opposed to the past, the parade began at Thomas Lands and Camp Street then turned onto Vlissingen Road and straight to D’Urban Park. “I was skeptical about the route, but thankfully I decided to go out and enjoy the festivities… I think the route ended up being the best, because we had a lot of space on Irving Street, especially to dance along and watch the beautiful parade,” said one of the many spectators, Keisha Smith, during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Friday.

Smith was among the thousands of people who visibly enjoyed the popular cultural event which is held every year in Guyana to commemorate the country’s Republic Anniversary. Guyana became a republic in 1970.

The festival, Mashramani, which has as its main attraction the February 23 costume and float parade in the capital, is preceded by several activities in the various regions. Mashramani is also known as a celebration after hard work and Guyanese did not fail to make use of the opportunity to celebrate by dancing, singing or even having a simple picnic with their families as they watched the floats make their way to D’Urban Park.

It was all fun and games for the onlookers, but it was a bit more serious for the revelers, since the parade was also a competition. Judges were strategically placed at points along the parade route in order to get a clear view of every aspect of the floats. “When they start reaching the judges, the people got more coordinated and the floats looked real good…I loved the different designs and patterns that I saw… hopefully next year we get more floats,” said Andrew Thompson, a spectator who was at the entrance to D’Urban Park.

But after wooing spectators on the streets of Georgetown, bands took to the centre and corners of the Park, flouncing and bouncing to impress the judges, President David Ganger, ministers of government, dignitaries and other distinguished guests.

The floats paraded around the tarmac of the park, their performances reaching high points as they passed the judges’ stand. After doing their best, revellers will have to wait until the end of today or tomorrow to know the results of the competition, said one of the judges. Mashramani is a celebration after hard work, but when the celebration is done — the hard work begins all over again.