DANCE and music are common forms of expression in Guyana and many other parts of the world. In Guyana, dance and music are heavily influenced by the country’s multicultural society.
In Guyana, particularly, people of African descent, who are connected to the traditions of old, use dance and music to commemorate important social and religious events.
One of these many festivals is Soiree, a tradition held yearly in celebration of the Emancipation of enslaved Africans in Guyana.

Similar to ‘Queh Queh’, a pre-marital celebration, Soiree is the gathering of family and friends in celebration.
The joyous occasion is celebrated with drumming, chanting, and Shanto dancing, used to invoke the spirits of the African ancestors.

On the night of July 31st or even on previous nights before August 1, soirees are held in predominantly Afro-Guyanese villages along Guyana’s eastern coast.
This cultural festivity has its roots in the 1800s, and is indigenous to villages along the coast and banks of the main rivers that Africans bought when they were liberated from slavery.
Villages that have embraced this tradition even now are Hopetown, Ithaca, and Belladrum in Berbice; and Buxton, Victoria, and Bagotville in Demerara.

The village of Hopetown was bought by former enslaved Africans in the 1840s, which is around the time the Soiree tradition emerged.
Today, drumming, marching and dancing would start around 18:00hrs on the eve of Emancipation in an area of the village called ‘Twenty-Two’.
The large crowd would disperse into groups to keep their separate libation ceremonies, while the main access road cutting through the villages is flooded with hundreds of Guyanese with their music sets, creating a party-like atmosphere.

Traditionally, on July 31, there is a thanksgiving church service at the village’s traditional church. At 22:00 hrs the villagers then head to the village koker for the libation ceremony.
They dance and mimic the sounds of the drums and other musical instruments. Upon arriving at the koker, the participants sing as they “invite the ancestors to join the celebrations.”
When it is certain that the ancestors are “within their midst”, the celebrants move over to the community centre for a grand enjoyment.

At this time, the centre is filled with spectators, dancers, drummers and singers, as well as children. At about 06:00hrs the following morning, the libation ends, but not the Emancipation celebrations! This continues throughout the day.
A packed programme, prepared weeks in advance, is started at about noon. The villagers gather at the centre of the village, once again, to witness the traditional concert.
This includes African dances and songs, skits, speeches, and, most importantly, storytelling.