By Jasmaine Payne

IN her native village of Mocha, there is hardly a person who has not heard, or does not know of Ann Baker.

The 46-year-old mother of six has, for most of her life, been a driving force behind the promotion of cultural activities in the area; and, through her advocacy, has provided a wide range of activities to keep the village youth involved.
Ann believes that participation in cultural activities is an important part of youth development, and, as a lover of all things cultural, over time, it became natural that she should take up the mantle to be the driving force for cultural development in her beloved community.
“From since I know myself, growing up and going to school, I was always taking part in cultural activities: Dancing, singing and all sorts of things,” Baker said during an interview at her home.
As she got older, she became active in teaching dance to younger people in the community, and having her students participate in various cultural shows and activities.
Ann admits that if it weren’t for encouragement from her own teachers and other elders in the close-knit village, she would not have had the confidence to proceed with her work with youth.
“People like Elaine Thom, Doreen Garden; these are people who gave me the breakthrough; they were the ones who helped me growing up,” she said.
As a young girl, she admitted that persons were not always in favour of her being in the spotlight, but encouragement from these elders, and even her school teacher helped her to shine.
“People would sometimes ask my teacher, ‘Why you always putting this little fat girl in front of the dance?’ But my teacher knew I was brave enough, and she would always stand up for me,” Ann said.
By helping her to continue in her love for these things, Ann grew into the woman who felt responsible for continuing cultural opportunities for the younger generation.

CULTURAL AGENDA
Ann’s agenda for cultural development has been achieved through the formation of the Mocha Dynamic Group (MDG) and the Mocha Culture Group (MCG), both of which she founded at the age of 20.
The MDG is a youth-oriented group. Its registered with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, and has, over the years, allowed young people attached to it to participate in numerous activities across the country, including Mashramani and Emancipation Day activities, through the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA).
Ann has seen many children grow up and go on to become successful adults through this group, and is proud of what it has done for the children in the community.
To date, the MDG has 25 active members. “The group helps young people to go places that they’ve never expected to go, because we are invited to many activities by the Ministry,” Ann said.
Both groups meet on a monthly basis to discuss upcoming events, and the members are currently preparing for the 50th Anniversary Celebrations, which Ann admits they are all excited to be included on.
She says that she feels like a mother to the children she teaches, and is certain that by providing these activities, it helps to keep them out of trouble.
“We try to keep the youth involved; keep them occupied, so that they wouldn’t get into mischief,” she said.

Ann wishes, however, that the community would be able to develop a new training centre for youth, so as to help provide them with skills that would aid in their development, and help them to be employed.
She said that there was once such an establishment in Mocha, but it was demolished years ago. “It would be good to have these different opportunities for the youth, because you know when they aren’t working other things come to their head,” she said.

MULTI-TALENTED
As a woman, Ann is proud of her achievements and the contributions she has been able to make to her community. She believes that women should not be limited in the things that they want to do. It therefore comes as no surprise that, apart from her community involvement, Ann has taken up some less than traditional occupations in her life, having served as a trained welder just after graduating the Guyana Technical Institute, and a Disc Jockey.
Over the past 12 years, Ann has been DJ-ing at bars and clubs in different parts of the country. “My husband was always into music,” she said. “And as time passed, I became a lover of Karaoke. So I did DJ work for Karaoke at first, but then I moved on to a full-time DJ.”
All her work and her busy lifestyle has caused Ann to be recently recognised for her exceptional performance in her community at a conference held last week in honour of International Women’s Day; an honour which Ann said warmed her heart.
To women who are struggling to let their voice be heard, she advises that they stay focused on whatever it is they want to do, since people WILL talk; regardless.
The most important thing to do in those times, she says, is to just be positive, and overcome the words of the naysayers.