AT this point, Mash activities have been picking up the pace and it is no doubt that cultural participation is at a high level. But what I personally want to see is the development of avenues for cultural participation throughout the year.

Minister of Social Cohesion, with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr George Norton has stressed that persons should use the myriad of activities being organised for Mashramani to develop their skills and talents.
According to him, the government has been investing heavily in these activities, not only in the celebration of Guyana’s Republic status but also as part of concerted efforts to bolster cultural participation.

I have mixed feelings about this. This year, every region is expected to receive support from Central Government to organise Mash programmes and activities. In my opinion, yes that does provide an avenue from persons from within each region to showcase their skills. Further, within each region, those who illustrate a greater degree of skill would then move on to the national competitions. So that’s a plus.

But on the downside, it bugs me that there is no clear or definite sense of what happens after Mashramani, vis a vis developing these skills and talents in the arts. Alright, so there’s grand support at Mash time, and then what?

To be fair, I don’t think this is ultimately a central government issue to always provide the avenues for the development to the arts. But there must be some alacrity in developing this field since it is touted as an inseparable component of the focus being placed on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Now here’s where Bartica again shows why it is poised to become Guyana’s first model town.
Mayor of Bartica Gilford Marshall highlighted that after Mashramani, the town, through its own volition, would endeavour to create spaces that would ultimately provide its people (youth in particular) with the opportunity to develop their skills and talents in the arts and sports year-round. In addition to providing those spaces, this would also provide some leeway for the town to craft programmes that would allow the young people to showcase what they’ve got.

So, it is not just the green infrastructural development that would speak to Bartica’s model town status but also its evident intention to focus on social development.
Bartica and its local government has shown one instance of how other stakeholders can step up and take some responsibility, but of course, there is also the private sector component to factor in.

Take Ansa McAl for example. The company restarted their contributions to the Children’s Mashramani activities last year and continued this year with $1.3M in cash and kind.

For many young people in the school system, these children’s Mash activities give them a unique opportunity to explore things beyond their academics, and for many, this time might be one of the few times when they have the opportunity to do so. The first (and last) I ever danced for an audience was at my school’s Mashramani dance competition.
Aside from companies having a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), it augurs well for them and their marketing when they can tap into these events and establish their presence.

Another recent example of this good show of CSR in promoting cultural participation was Caribbean Airlines and their launch of their new corporate campaign-the Caribbean Identity. The wider known aspect is that the launch featured Machel Montano- Mr. Fete/Dr. Mashup himself, but perhaps a lesser known fact was the airline’s sponsorship of the Parkside Steel Orchestra.

The Parkside Steel Orchestra has been around for years, and it’s impossible to enjoy the yearly panorama activities without hearing about this band. Now, Caribbean Airlines has stepped up to sponsor this band in an effort to promote the continuation and growth of the band throughout the year, and by extension the people involved in the art form. This isn’t unlike GBTI, which sponsored the Buxton Pride Steel Orchestra years ago.

I say all of this to underscore that cultural participation extends beyond the scope of Mashramani. The government and the private entities must work in conjunction to provide avenues for cultural participation-beyond just facilitating participation when Mash time comes around. And most importantly, it goes without saying that persons have a critical responsibility towards pursuing these avenues, and as well, participating.