THE 2019 Mash celebrations focused on the central theme of having victory in mind- which could mean the 2020 50th Republican celebrations and the highly anticipated ‘first oil’ production.

As usual, Mash is a time for celebrating- I mean, the word literally connotes a celebration after hard work. But this year, what stuck out for me was the effort put into ensuring that avenues are created to foster the development and promotion of the arts.

I had written previously that Minister of Social Cohesion,with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. George Norton, had encouraged persons to use the month-long activities of Mash to develop their skills.
My issue with his statement was, that there would be avenues provided through the month of activities, and then what? What happens for the other months of the year? And what happens to persons involved in the arts?

Well, at the junior level I found out that efforts were being made to promote the arts within the school system.
The Unit of Allied Arts is the centre for the promotion of Arts in schools; it deals with ensuring that within the school curriculum, there is allocated space for the Arts-either through dance, drama, music, physical education or visual arts.
What I did not know was that, this unit is the only unit in the Caribbean that looks at the Arts in that specific way. And if you ask me, in a region that touts its culture through the Arts as an income earner (tourism) – that is exceptionally progressive.
I was happy to learn about that and to learn that the Administrator (ag) of this unit, Lorraine Barker-King also coordinated the children’s Mash activities. She would have had the institutional knowledge and could have easily linked these activities to the efforts within the schools’ curricula.
We do have the National School of Music and the National Dance Company which cater for some young people, but beyond that, however, there is still an evident deficit of sustained and year-round avenues to promote the arts.

As a huge fan of Soca, I compare Guyana to Trinidad. In the twin island Republic, Soca is a big, big thing; it is a huge income earner and an integral part of the country’s cultural fabric. The country also has a plethora of well-developed artistes, some of whom have massive international recognition (I mean- Machel Montano, Kes, and Olatunji, hello!). Then I look at the Soca Monarch competitions here.
Our artistes are just as talented (Have you heard Stephen Ramphal’s ‘Soca in meh vein’?), but our industry isn’t anywhere close to that level of development. And I think, it’s because Soca isn’t appreciated year-round- only maybe at Mash time and that’s it. And even then, local support isn’t as strong as it could be.
It is my hope, that more effort would be placed on fostering the arts by providing avenues for development and outlets for expression. If Mash has shown anything, it is that there is an immense pool of local talent yearning for avenues to project their talents.

And while reflecting on Mash, let me take the opportunity to highlight, that there were quite a few companies that chipped in to make sure that the festival continued with all the grandeur that it usually does. Major props must go to Banks, Ansa McAl, Republic Bank and everyone that participated-particularly in the children’s competitions where the returns might be less.
And more so, some companies will be sponsoring beyond Mashramani; Caribbean Airlines has taken the Parkside Steel orchestra under its wings, and GBTI has been a longstanding supporter of the Buxton Pride Steel Orchestra.

Mash is done now, but there are still a few activities left before the season comes to a complete stop. And then, we start preparing for Independence and Guyana Carnival, and next year’s jubilations.

I know there are persons who see Mash as being eroded because of the advent of Guyana Carnival, but I don’t see it that way. I think Mashramani is a uniquely, Guyanese celebration that focuses more on the promotion and development of our multi-tiered heritage than on the commercial side of things. And for me, Guyana Carnival is the reverse- it focuses on boosting the local commercial sector. I’m really okay with having two avenues to celebrate because they belong to their own niches and serve their own purposes- and both function to help with the promotion of the arts.

I think Mash this year was a great celebration and I cannot wait for next year’s Golden Jubilee!