MINISTER of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., and Minister within the Ministry, Steven Jacobs, on Wednesday held an early engagement with Mashramani stakeholders to discuss plans for expanding and improving the country’s premier cultural festival.

The meeting brought together representatives from government agencies, ministry officials, designers, and other cultural stakeholders. It served as an opportunity for participants to share questions, suggestions, and ideas with the Ministers as part of the collaborative effort to ensure Mashramani 2026 is “bigger and better.”

Minister Ramson emphasised that Mashramani, as a national representation of Guyanese culture, can be executed at a higher standard if the solutions proposed are carefully implemented. “If we’re going to make a decision to do something, we also have to make that decision that we’re going to do something well. And that’s what I want us to agree on here too,” he stated.

He stressed the importance of consistency, improved planning, and timely execution. One of the key points raised was early access to funding for designers, which has been an ongoing challenge. Ramson noted that for the 2025 celebrations, funds were secured as early as November of the previous year, allowing designers to prepare their proposals earlier.

The Minister urged stakeholders to accept proposals from creatives by October or mid-November at the latest, so that contracts can be signed early and designers have enough time to order materials and avoid delays. At the same time, he encouraged designers to submit detailed, feasible proposals and avoid overcommitting.

“Many times, you also find that you take on too much work and you don’t have all of the capability to implement within time,” Minister Ramson cautioned.

The meeting also heard calls for the reintroduction of the Masquerade Competition to Mashramani. A representative of the Masquerade Association of Guyana made the appeal, which Minister Ramson welcomed. He noted that in the past, insufficient attention was given to the quality and detail of masquerade designs, but moving forward, the goal is to raise the standard and make the country proud.

With this early engagement, the Ministry signalled its commitment to changing the approach to Mashramani, ensuring that planning, funding, and execution are handled in a way that elevates the festival’s impact and cultural significance.