AS part of a thrust to bring a piece of home to Guyanese in the United States of America, and in honour of the country’s 50th Anniversary celebrations, several entities have promoted central Caribbean events in various parts of the country, giving Guyanese artistes the chance to showcase their talent and providing them with valuable exposure.Among those events were the Jubilee Tour which was hosted in June, and took artistes to Delaware, Washington D.C., Virginia, New York and other locations; the Caribbean Style and Culture Awards; Guyana Family Day; and the recently concluded Guyana Day event hosted by HUGE Entertainment.
‘Guyana Day’ featured a lineup of several well-known artistes, among them Natural Black, Mystic, Adrian Dutchin, Poonam Singh, Mahendra Ramkellawan, Jumo Primo, Fojo, Terry Gajraj, Little J, Gaddie G, Kwasi Ace, Kapa Shanti, and Jackie Jaxx.
The Buzz caught up with a few of those performers, to find out how they felt about performing on the ‘big stage’ in an effort to promote Guyanese talent.

JACKIE JAXX. After making waves with her recent single, “Guyana” and “Money”, this talented artiste moves on to represent Guyana at several events, including the 50th Anniversary

Celebration of Guyana and Barbados in Washington D.C., the Caribbean Style and Culture Awards, the Detroit Caribbean Festival and other Carib central shows.
Speaking on her experience at several of these events, Jackie said that the response at all of these events was great, adding that she met persons who knew her music, and who expressed that they had been excited to finally see her perform live.
“Being able to perform as a Guyanese was spectacular; it was really an honour, and the response I got was overwhelming,” Jackie said, adding that the exposure is great for local artistes, because there is usually a large mixture of cultures there who openly welcome different types of music. “Promoters should unite and get more Guyanese artistes out to the people, because many really look forward to meeting them,” she said.
Each event, she said, was equally overwhelming, and the exposure has provided her with opportunities to connect with producers and other business persons.

DON JOHNSON. Some of you may know him as the son of ‘Mr. Dynamix’ himself, Ian Johnson. Though having migrated some time now, Don remains committed to his Guyanese heritage, and promoting Guyanese music and culture.
Though he was not on the official lineup, his close friend, Jackie, allowed him some stage time to perform his own single, ‘In the morning’.
Don said it was a privilege to be given the chance to perform at the show. “The show has a great presence, and provides artistes with a grand stage to showcase themselves to the world,” he said.

TONIEKA THOMPSON. Her single ‘Feva’ has been heating up the airwaves in Guyana, and the artistes herself has been promoting those and other tracks off her upcoming EP via Guyana’s Jubilee Tour. Tonieka’s favourite performance was actually at the Guyana Day event in Washington D.C., which was hosted by Caribe Guyana.  “I loved the vibe; the whole Guyanese community came out despite the weather… I feel very good about representing my country of birth. Although Barbados is the place where I live, wherever I go I have to represent Guyana,” she said.
Tonieka is currently working behind the scenes to complete several projects, including the launch of her music video for ‘Feva’ via BET. Later this month, she will also launch her EP in Guyana.

KWASI ACE. According to this lyrically talented artiste, who performed at the Guyana Day event, there were some hiccups in the area of sound and the time allotted to artistes. “But we are professionals, so we worked with that, and gave the people what they bargained for,” Kwasi said, adding:
“I went out there and did my best. I didn’t get to perform some of the songs I rehearsed, but as an artiste, you have to learn to work with the ups and downs and pros and cons. But I believe I gave a good performance.”

As summer draws to a close, and as Labour Day sets in, these and other artistes will be given the chance to perform at other Caribbean showcases such as the upcoming Carifesta Music and Arts Festival, in Washington D.C.
Others have lauded the promotion of such events, which they say keeps the Caribbean people grounded, by continuing to highlight their work and talent in places which can provide them with increased exposure and possible opportunities.