38 to be honoured at Guyana Folk Festival 2004
Guyana Chronicle
July 19, 2004

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In 2004, 38 awards, representing the number of years of Guyana's independence, are to be presented to individuals who have made important contributions to Guyana's cultural life, stated a release from Dr Vibert Cambridge.

THE organisers of the Guyana Folk Festival 2004 announced last week that 38 Guyanese will be honoured when the Third Annual Wordsworth McAndrew Award ceremony is staged early in September.

The release continued: The awardees have shared their talents through broadcasting, cultural promotion, drama, music, painting, theatre, and writing. Many of the awardees have produced work in the genre related to this year's Festival theme: “Guyanese Words: Written, Spoken, Sung, and Drawn”.

Among those whose works have been notable for decades are Edgar Mittelholzer, Jan Carew, Denis Williams and the Rogers brothers, Eddie and Bert. The accomplishments of all the awardees have mutuality with the spirit of the man for whom the award is named. Wordsworth McAndrew is one of Guyana's leading folklorists, poets, and creative artists. Through his work as a broadcaster in Guyana during the 1960s and 1970s, he helped to make Guyanese recognise and feel proud of their mythological and folkloric heritage. His study and celebration of Guyanese language and culture is an inspiration to the humble radio listener and to the scholar. “He used all media available to explain and promote Guyanese cultural characteristics. Wordsworth McAndrew is a pioneer.

The 2004 Wordsworth McAndrew Awardees were selected from a list of 150 persons nominated by Guyanese worldwide. A committee chaired by Ron Lammy and Tangerine Clarke made its thoughtful selection from a combination of attributes defined by the following criteria: Originality, scope, impact/influence, integration, pioneering spirit, challenges and achievements.

The Awards Ceremony and Dinner Dance is Friday, September 3, 2004 at 8 pm at the Rose Castle Grand Ballroom in Brooklyn, New York. Tickets are available by telephone at 718-209-5207.

Guyana Folk Festival 2004 Wordsworth McAndrew Awardees are:
1. Andre Sobryan -Theatre

2. Aubrey Cummings - Music

3. Aubrey Williams - Painting

4. Basil Hinds - Broadcasting

5. Bert Rogers - Music

6. Charlie Knights - Music

7. Chuck Girard - Music

8. Claire Goring - Cultural Promotion

9. Clairmonte Taitt - Broadcasting

10. Daphne Elaine Rogers - Drama

11. David Dabydeen - Writing

12. Denis Williams - Painting

13. Desiree Edgehill - Drama

14. Eddie Hooper - Music

15. Eddie Rogers - Music

16. Edgar Mittelholzer - Writing

17. Henry Muttoo - Theatre

18. Henry Rodney -Theatre

19. Jan Carew - Writing

20. John Agard & Grace Nicholls - Writing

21. John Rickford - Writing

22. Keith Proctor - Music

23. Malcolm Hall - Dance

24. Marc Matthews -Theatre

25. Michael Gilkes - Writing

26. Moses Josiah - Music

27. Philip Forrester - Music

28. Pitra Pyari - Dance

29. Rector Schultz - Music

30. Romanie Kalicharran - Dance

31. Ron Robinson -Theatre

32. Rudolph Shaw -Theatre

33. Sheik Sadeek - Writing

34. Uncle Ramdhani - Music

35. Victor Davson - Painting

36. Victor Forsythe - Broadcasting

37. Wilson Harris - Writing

38. Wrickford Dalgetty - Music

The 2004 Guyanese cultural heritage celebration begins with a symposium on Guyanese Words: “Written, Spoken, Sung and Drawn” at the Columbia University of New York campus in Manhattan. The opening session is from 12 noon to 4 p.m. on Friday September 3, 2004. The symposium continues at the same location on Saturday, September 4, 2004 at 10 a.m. culminating with a performance at 6 p.m. Guyana Folk Festival is the presenter of the symposium. It is co-sponsored by The Center for Ethnomusicology at Columbia University, through the auspices of eCaroh Caribbean Emporium, and Ohio University's Department of African Studies.

On Sunday September 5, the Folk Festival Family Day will take place in Brooklyn and will feature folk games including one-tip two-tip cricket, arts and crafts, Guyanese cuisine, Queh-Queh dancing, Tassa Drumming, Maypole plaiting and other exciting cultural presentations.

Persons interested in learning more about this event can contact Vibert C. Cambridge, Ph.D., Chair

Department of African American Studies

Ohio University

Telephone: 740-593-9178

Fax: 740-593-0671

web: http://www.ohiou.edu/aas/

email: cambridg@ohio.edu