NUMEROUS meetings and discussions are presently in progress to ensure the celebration of Mashramani 2015 is a success.The theme for this year’s celebration is “One People, One Culture, One Celebration”.

Last October, on Main Street, Georgetown, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, in association with the Mashramani Secretariat, officially launched Mash 2015 “open-air-style” with great pomp and ceremony. The event began with spectacular renditions by the National Steel Orchestra, as MC Kirk “Chow Pow” Jardine created an atmosphere that was truly festive, in keeping with the Mashramani celebrations.

Speaking at the launch, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony said Guyana possesses a unique fusion of diverse cultures which unifies us, ensuring that social cohesion works for us.

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, when contacted by the Guyana Chronicle, explained that the Mash Committee was currently engaged in a series of discussions and meetings to put the final touches to the schedule of events for Mash 2015, so as not to have any major hiccups along the way.

Information emanating from the Mashramani Secretariat is that while the Calypso and Chutney auditions have already been held, submission of musical scores for these events was completed by December 31, 2014, and rehearsals for the Calypso event will be conducted on January 12, 2014 at the Carifesta Sports Complex in Georgetown.

The celebrations will then move to Berbice with a Steelband Concert on January 25 and a School Steelband Competition on January 30 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall; and later, a date will see the Junior Calypso Competition being run off at the National Cultural Centre.

Finals of the Chutney Competition will be held on January 31 at Anna Regina, and the semi-finals of the Carib Soca Monarch Competition will be held in Berbice. On February 1, the elderly will be treated to a bumper Mashramani Concert, while the closing date for registration for the Child Art Competition will be on February 3.

The semi-finals for the Adult Calypso Competition, which never falls short of being entertaining, will be in Bartica on February 7. After that, the Steel Band Competition will be held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. On February 9, the National Museum will host a Mash Exhibition that will conclude on March 6.

The enjoyable Children’s Competition will commence across the regions from February 11. The closing date for the ‘Bright-Up Guyana’ Competition is February 13, and the judging for that segment will be done between February 20 and 22. The Mega Finals for the Carib Soca Monarch Competition will be on February 14 at the National Park.

The Folk Concert, Children’s Parade, Miss Mash Queen Pageant are all slated to be held on February 14. A Steel Band Concert would also be held on February 14 and 15, while the Masquerade competition would be held on February 15. A Republic Lecture, which started in 2014, will be held on February 18, and a Republic Lecture Series Workshop will be held on February 19/20.

The Final segment of the Adult Calypso Competition would be staged at Thirst Park on February 20, and would the Literary Street Fair would also be held on that date. Closing date for registration for the Essay Competition will be February 20.

The traditional Flag-Raising Ceremony at Parliament Buildings is scheduled from 07:00 hrs on February 23, and the always exhilarating Costume and Float Parade will be held from 10:00 hrs in Georgetown.

Closing date for registration to participate in the ‘Capture Guyana’ Photographic Exhibition is February 27, and celebrations will continue with the Berbice and Linden Mash on March 1. (Rebecca Ganesh-Ally)