THE Ministry of Education (MOE), Department of Culture Youth and Sport, wishes to remind the public that despite Ansa McAl choosing not to host the Soca Monarch Competition as per annual norm, the company is still very much involved in the Mashramani celebrations — but on a different level.

According to the MoE, Ansa McAl has just decided to “refocus its involvement.” And though Ansa McAl has not yet revealed what exactly these activities will include, the MoE says it’s going to be “hot.”
“This year, having refocused its involvement, the company is offering Guyanese soca music lovers some hot soca entertainment at the international level through another promotion that is not competition- based,” a press release from the MoE explained.

Over the last decade or so, Ansa McAl has been the chief sponsor of the national Soca Monarch Competition, branding it the Carib Soca Monarch Competition. However, Guyanese learnt earlier last week that there will be no Soca Monarch Competition as part of this year’s ongoing Mashramani activities, since Ansa McAl has chosen not to extend their usual sponsorship to that event, and the ministry stated that it was not in a position to be able to take over and fund the competition.

However, Andrew Tyndall, of the Mashramani Organising Committee, has explained that the absence of a Soca Monarch Competition for Mash was not necessarily a complete cancellation of the event, but a postponement instead. Tyndall related that a Soca Monarch Competition will be part of an upcoming national music festival later this year, and it is hoped that this will compensate for the absence of one (soca competition) during the Mash celebrations.

The ministry said it is still grateful for the support that it had received over the years from Ansa McAl. The release went on to add that: “While the company is not sponsoring a national Carib Soca Monarch competition this year, the company has expended more than $90M over the past 10 years on that competition. Closer to the major Mashramani activities season, the company will make public what the content and format of its three days of activities will be, but it is safe to say that a three-day mega soca fete is planned.”

Additionally, Ansa McAl will still be a part of “Stage 5”, which they will support under their Stag Beer brand; this event will be held from February 20-22.
Nonetheless, some were not happy that Mash celebrations would go by without the usual Soca Monarch contest, especially since there was also none last year. Last year, after the usual Mash float parade was moved from February 23 to May 26 to commemorate Guyana’s 50th independence anniversary, Ansa McAl decided not to hold a Soca Monarch Competition in February.

Another section of the media had reported that Ansa McAl officials thought that the change of date of the float parade meant it made no sense to hold the Soca Monarch Competition in February.
It was hoped that there would have been a smaller Soca Monarch contest to go along with the May month celebrations, but that too never came off. As such, Jomo “Rubber Waist” Primo continues as the Soca Monarch after winning the competition in 2015.