By Naomi Marshall

LINDEN came alive on Saturday as masqueraders and revellers pranced through the streets of the mining town to the sounds of soca music to mark the launch of Mashramani 2018.
At the Linden/Georgetown Bus Park , where the parade ended, hundreds of Guyanese gathered for the grand launching ceremony which was attended by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. George Norton.

Region 10 Regional Chairman, Rennis Morian, and the Mayor of Linden, Carwyn Holland, were among the officials present along with Jimmy Hamilton, the distinguished Guyanese who helped to coin the word “Mashramani.”. Mash 2018 was launched under the theme, “Unity in Diversity.”

Reminding Guyanese that it was in Linden Mashramani was birthed, Minister Norton pointed out that it was the Jaycees of Linden, who had formed a Jaycees Republic Celebrations Committee when Guyana became a Republic in February, 1970.
That committee was spearheaded by Jim Blackman.
“Many persons would have put a lot of work into organising the first Mashramani, but the most notable persons are Mr. Blackman, Hernan Nobriga and Jimmy Hamilton,” Minister Norton said.

“Together with their teams, they were able to, in a matter of weeks, pull off a very successful Mashramani which saw persons from all regions of Guyana gathering in Linden to engage in three days of fun and frolic,” he added.
According to him, Guyanese owe a depth of gratitude to these three men for their role in organising the first Mashramani.
“That is why we saw it fitting to launch Mashramani 2018, a celebration of Guyana’s 48th Republic Anniversary, here in Linden, the “Home of Mash,” he added.

Minister Norton said Mashramani is a true Guyanese celebration that provides the opportunity to highlight the country’s rich cultural diversity and heritage, as people from all walks of life unite to showcase our culture, traditions, history and art forms.
He said next February, thousands of Guyanese, visitors and those from the diaspora were expected to line the streets and other venues throughout the country to witness the costume parade, dancing, dramatic poetry, steel band, calypso and chutney competitions, masquerade, a Mash night, and many more events.

“Mashramani represents the essence of social cohesion and therefore the recent subsuming of the department of Culture, Youth and Sport into the Ministry of Social Cohesion is very timely,” he noted.
And as a result, he said it creates a platform for advancing the social cohesion agenda in Guyana.

“Year after year, this festival sees persons, regardless of their differences, uniting to celebrate our Republic anniversary in true Guyanese fashion,” he noted.
Holland in delivering brief remarks said, “It is time Mashramani emerge [sic] as a brand renowned internationally. Foreigners must not only actively plan to attend Carnival and Caribanna, but Mashramani as well, so that our culture, our craft, our fine local products, our ecotourism , our hospitality and so much more can be popular internationally. We can do it. We can build and showcase Mashramani as a brand that is irresistible.
“I look forward to all our people, especially our children and our youths, participating in fun and wholesome festivities that will create excitement, which will draw visitors both local and foreign, while at the same time preserving our rich integrity of our fine people,” Holland added.

Morian in his remarks stated that they were not only celebrating Mashramani, but celebrating the results of hard work as the Regional Democratic Council and The Mayor and Town Council will be celebrating with the young people who were successful at the National Grade Six Examination and the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate.
“I’m saying to all of us, the things that we want to accomplish, we want to achieve and now we want to come to that place of celebration, it will take not just hard work but collective work, because Mashramani speaks of people, communities, groups, families working together,” he noted.