Mash 2007 launched
By Shauna Jemmott
Guyana Chronicle
November 1, 2006
MASHRAMANI 2007, expected to be the biggest carnival staged in Guyana in years, has been launched with a team of 30 from various government ministries and other agencies charged with bringing it all off.
Under the theme “A cultural invasion in 2007”, the Republic anniversary programme was last night kicked off by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony, at the Sophia Exhibition complex in Georgetown, where the annual Guyexpo trade fair and exposition is into its final stages.
Anthony said his ministry has “taken the word Mashramani quite literally” and with the need for a “cooperative effort” in mind, the committee was selected from various agencies, including several government ministries, the Joint Services, the media, the Mayor and City Council and from the administrative regions throughout Guyana.
The steel band competition, the children’s Mashramani competition, the Calypso contest, the masquerade competition, the Chutney competition, the Costume Band and Float Parade, and the flag-raising ceremony will each be supervised by members of the Mash board.
Anthony said Mashramani this year will be a truly national event, with preliminary shows going to each of Guyana’s 10 administrative regions, and he hopes the festival can become more widespread, securing a place on the Caribbean calendar in the coming years.
There will be a Mash concert in Region One, the Chutney finals in Region Two, a Masquerade competition in Region Three, and the Calypso semi-finals in Region Five. Region Four will host the Calypso finals and two concerts for the elderly are to be staged at the Georgetown Seawall and in the Botanical Gardens, while the Chutney semi-finals will be held in Region Six.
Region Seven will hold a Mash Splash concert, while the Junior Calypso competition finals will be in Region Nine. Region 10 will stage a ‘band concert’ and a preliminary calypso competition.
Anthony said Guyana can reap great benefits if all Guyanese come together as one people and ensure the successful staging of Mashramani.
He pointed out that festivals like Mashramani are essential in sustaining the entertainment sector and allow for the discovering of new talents, the creation of new clients and expansion of such products to new markets.
“Mashramani is a good tourism product. It offers a blend of tourism and culture and if done correctly, we can see the blossoming of the arts, popular music and other forms of entertainment,” Anthony said.
He also listed as other positive impacts “an increase in visitor arrivals, airlift and hotel occupancy rate going up, demand for local transportation -- for example car rentals -- and an increase in consumption of food and beverages and our restaurant sector doing well”.
According to the minister, Mashramani can be used as a cost effective means of developing and promoting Guyana as a “destination village”, encouraging more tourists to visit and investors to express an interest in the country.
“(Mashramani) is also a catalyst for infrastructural development, heritage conservation and investment in the arts,” he further explained. “All this potential can be optimised as more emphasis is placed on creating this wonderful sector of Mashramani 2007.”
Businesses and individuals have already been expressing their interest in participating and sponsorship pledges have been made, Anthony said.
He announced that some 200 entries had been made during the competition to select the Mashramani theme, and an entry by Alex Wayne won the contest.
Anthony said pledges for sponsorship have already been made by beverage giant ANSA McAL, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company and Sterling Products Limited and he is expecting more businesses to come forward.
Guyana’s rich culture, aspects of which were on show at the Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA) in Trinidad and Tobago last month, will be showcased at Mash again next year, he said.
“Mash gives us the opportunity to demonstrate ourselves, the Caribbean and the rest of the world our unique `Guyaneseism’ by bringing to life our folklore, stories, creolese language, songs and dances”, the minister said.
He is urging the public to extend early invitations to their relatives and friends to come to Guyana early next year for a double treat of Mashramani 2007 and CWC 2K7.
“There will be a serious transition from sporting in the street to sporting at Providence Stadium as our teams do battle in the Cricket World Cup and I’m sure they’ll bring us victory,” Anthony said.
The Mashramani 2007 plaque and logo were unveiled by acting President Samuel Hinds.