A night of Guyanese folk songs

A FEW months ago, local rock musician Gavin Mendonca stumbled upon a book of 100 Guyanese folk songs, a treasure trove in its own right. Back then, he could not have realised it as yet, but this discovery would set into motion his endeavours to rekindle, rejuvenate or even recreate these essential bits of the authentic Guyanese culture.

Gavin’s journey to ‘Folk it Up’ began with performances in open spaces in Guyana before making its way to online streaming platforms, gaining traction in its own right. This led him to the United States of America (USA) and even on the other side of the globe, in China, where they strummed those sweet, authentic Guyanese melodies. At the end of his most recent tour, Gavin made a stop in Trinidad and Tobago.

During his stop in the twin-island republic, the musician decided to pay a visit to the contingent of Guyanese studying at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and entertain us in a session of ‘Folk it Up.’

It is just my luck that I happened to be in the right place at the right time; so, Tuesday last, on the lawns of UWI’s Student Activity Centre under the starry evening sky and surrounded by our famous ‘fairy lights,’ it was ‘vibes’ with Gavin. Let me affirm, the ability to sit with my fellow Guyanese (and friends from other Caribbean countries), from various walks of life and sing about a brazen ‘lili gyal’ is a beautiful experience that cannot be replicated.

‘Folk it up’ did more than just provide a space for us Guyanese to show off a bit of our culture, though. What it also did was function to stimulate a conversation on our (my generation’s) connection to those elements of our culture that have long shaped our identity.

At the beginning of the semester, during the first week of September when the ‘Guild Fest’ week of orientation activities was held, there was the parade of nations which allowed each of the country associations to parade in their traditional wear. As part of this parade, each of the groups sought to liven up their sections by ‘vibing’ to songs that were unique to their country. Trinidad obviously brought out their soca; Jamaica, the reggae and dancehall and so forth. The Guyanese contingent, however, decided to sing a few folk songs. It was all good and well until midway parading through the massive UWI campus, we realised that we lacked sufficient knowledge about our folk songs.

The fact that I don’t know more than four folk songs (and I don’t even know them in their entirety) is something I would not like to easily admit, but it is a hard truth that I have come to accept. And the only way I believe that we begin thinking about supporting Gavin’s efforts to replenish our knowledge on these is by first acknowledging that he is right when he posits that we have lost our connection to our roots.

I take pride in the fact that my Guyana has always been a cultural melting pot, with its diverse ethnic backgrounds mixed into an authentic Guyanese product. This isn’t to diminish the individual uniqueness of each ethnicity, but rather to show that there is an entirely new product created out of the co-existence and amalgamation of these.

Our connection –or lack thereof– to our culture is not limited to our knowledge of our folk songs. It has also manifested in the ways we dress, some of the foods we eat and some of the music we listen to. We attribute the changes we have gone through to the prevailing ethnocentrism (eurocentrism, to be precise) of the days gone by. Nowadays, perhaps, these changes are attributed to our own actions which have been influenced by the ever-expanding pool of information to which we now have easier access.

Gavin continues to emphasise that he is on a mission to rekindle that interest Guyanese had in their folk songs; he indicated that he was particularly pleased that he was able to connect with a group of young adults like ourselves, and hopefully instill in each of us a desire to get to know our songs a bit more.

What he has been able to present is a unique model of integrating more modern elements (rock) with those simple devices that hold part and parcel of our culture and heritage within them. He might be strumming ‘Small Days’ or ‘Lili Gyal’ on his guitar, but the creole language that has always been used is still omnipotent.

Change is not bad, it is constant and it is inevitable. In the face of an ever-changing environment, the only alternative we do have is to be more diligent in ensuring that our culture is not erased and forgotten. Our culture defines who we are as a people, and it is and will always be ‘we own.’

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