While Guyanese are getting into the spirit of Mashramani, the Guyana National Museum brought this spirit to Linden on Wednesday with several exhibits and artefacts depicting the history and various aspects of the Mashramani celebrations.The exhibition which will last for three weeks culminating on the March 3, had its opening ceremony at the Egbert Benjamin Conference Centre, which saw attendance by several students, regional officials and residents. Some of the exhibits include: the National Bird, costumes depicting the annual calypso competition along with the steel pan, musical instruments, masquerade and floats along with painting and sculptures.
The theme of the exhibition is ‘Celebrating with Liberty, Dignity and Greater Unity.’ At the opening ceremony the students were reminded that Mashramani started in Linden and that being cognisant of this historical fact will motivate them to have an appreciation for the national holiday which symbolises our nation’s liberalisation from colonial rule. Director of Culture (ag) Miss Tamika Boatswain told the audience that the Museum chose Linden to hold the exhibition this year since Linden is the place where Mashramani started. She said that the Museum chooses various regions to host the annual exhibitions, to allow persons who do not have the opportunity to journey to Georgetown to witness the annual float parade, to still enjoy a bit of Mash.
Making brief remarks was Mayor of Linden, Carwyn Holland, who expressed appreciation to the Museum for bringing the celebrations to Linden. “Great things started in Linden and we must commend those Lindeners who started these activities which are now recognised nationally,” Holland said. He added that Mashramani is not a time to ‘whine up’ and encouraged the youths to find the true meaning of the national holiday. Similar sentiments were echoed by Regional Chairman, Renis Morian, who expressed appreciation for the decentralization of the exhibition so that the Linden youths can use the artefacts as a road map to find the true meaning of Mashramani. The pioneers of Mashramani can be credited to the Jaycees; a social group in Linden which organised and held the first Mashramani Carnival in 1966 on Arvida Road, Mackenzie in celebration of Guyana gaining its independence. Over the years, the celebration bloomed and today Mashramani is celebrated nationally.