THE historic Cricket Carnival events and Caribbean Premier League (CPL) matches were undoubtedly sources of unification, as persons, regardless of their race, creed, sexuality, religion and other individual features converged at the various venues to celebrate as “one people.”

In every corner of the Guyana National Stadium, the Guyana National Park or any other carnival venue, there were persons, not necessarily friends and family, sharing light conversation, a fist bump or high five, a layman’s analysis of the cricket game, and even some friendly dance moves.

This display of cohesion was also observed at various bars and restaurants, especially when the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) was engaging in “battle” on the cricket field.

When they weren’t collectively acknowledging a boundary or wicket, Guyanese were tasting food at the three-day Regional Food Festival, or raving together at the One Guyana Concert, the Stink and Dutty J’ouvert, and the Super Concerts.

The road parade was the closing event of the Cricket Carnival, and it was no surprise that thousands of persons lined the streets of Georgetown to celebrate together. Many persons even attended after parties held all over the city as a final celebration.

Reflecting on the activities, especially cricket, Ameera Majeed from the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) said that growing up, the CPL games were always on the television in her home, even when she couldn’t fully understand the game, so she would watch it every year.

She attended her first CPL tournament back in 2016, and her second this year.

Majeed related that she went along with her friends and family to see three matches: The GAW versus Barbados Royals (BR), GAW versus Trinidad Knight Riders (TKR), and Saint Kitts and Nevis Patriots versus the Jamaica Tallawahs.

“I always say that the experience is definitely worth it, because even if they (GAW) don’t win, when you sit in that stadium and you feel that atmosphere, it is always unmatched. You can’t get that anywhere else in the world, so, even if they did lose, it was worth the experience,” Ameera said.

Her favourite match was GAW versus TKR, as the unity among Guyanese was ever present, since it was a renowned competitor. She said that for most people, the match was most important to them, and that when GAW won, the audience went crazy with their cheering and the music and commentating, which were all top tier.

“Everybody went ballistic, because, you know, that is a tough match when is TKR. There is always an ongoing tension between TKR and GAW. So, when we win against Knight Riders, that’s always a good feeling,” Ameera said.

Javed Nurhausain, another cricket fan, said he’d attended multiple CPL tournaments over the past years, but the vibe this year was different and exciting.