Hands off Mash
Editorial
On Wednesday, Guyanese the country over will celebrate Mashramani, the Amerindian festival which has been adopted by the nation to reinforce our identity as Guyanese as much as to remind us that we had broken all ties with our former colonial masters. In recent times, even before the advent of the present government to office, Mash had begun to be a festival which was cutting across racial barriers at least among the young Guyanese in and around Georgetown. The music pounded out on the day by the various sound systems, steel bands and orchestras was appreciated by the young Indo-Guyanese as much as the Afro-Guyanese. So much so that when the Government in its haste to deny all the things set in place by its predecessors in office had sought to downplay the celebrations it was forced to reverse its decision. The celebration of Mashramani in the form with which it is now associated has its roots in Georgetown and for a long time was urban-based. As such it was fashionable to regard it as a "black thing" with any attempt to involve the other races being viewed as mere tokenism. But as the nation struggled through the hard times particularly in the 1980s it came to be regarded as a day to take a respite from the trials and travails of the times. This was the attitude of the urban population then and now even though its composition has changed drastically over the years. It is no longer overwhelmingly black and the appreciation of the music is not restricted to the members of any one ethnic group. The reversal in the Government's attitude which it had adopted when it first came to office, was not mainly due to the action of the PNC in ensuring that the festival was kept alive. It was due as well to the fact that Indo-Guyanese in growing numbers were taking up their places along the route in Irving Street and Vlissengen Road making the day one huge block party with the races mingling freely. There have been no reports of any disturbance that could be attributed to any tension between the races. One may argue that was not its original objective but that is the reality now. In 1998, following the disturbances of December and January, the PNC in a move calculated to demonstrate the strength of its following held its own tramp which attracted a huge following. But that crowd was in part generated by the government's wariness in supporting an activity which it still regarded as being a "PNC/black thing". In 1999 when the government decided to devote some energy to organising the festivities, the results were different. The PNC again held its tramp which had a large following but it did not break up the lime as had happened before. This should have sent a signal to both the Government and the PNC that Mash could no longer be manipulated as a political tool. The government seems unable or unwilling to turn it over to the people completely and to provide the incentives which would allow the promoters to seriously consider taking it over. Both the government and the PNC have refused to seize the opportunity to let the festival become a truly people's festival. In recent times Mash Day has increasingly demonstrated that it has this potential to contribute to the bridging of the gap between the two races that the PPP and PNC pay so much lip service to doing. Among the mash activities which could do well with proper organisation are the calypso, Mash night, and steel band competitions which cry out for innovative promotion. This year, when there is so much that could go wrong, they have both once again set out on that familiar path of madness. But it is not too late for both government and the PNC to at least revise their Mash Day plans so we can take the first step towards shedding the stupidity of racial animosity. This madness has for too long bedeviled our path to prosperity as a people, and makes a mockery of the national motto of One People, One nation, One destiny. It would do wonders if President Bharrat Jagdeo can join his band from the Office of the President for some part of the tramp and Mr. Desmond Hoyte can lead his PNC trampers along the route traditionally taken by the float parade. If by chance they both meet and can demonstrate that at least in this festival they can both be magnanimous just imagine what a boost that would be for the nation. The motto for the politician, government and opposition, should be hands off Mash. Given the events of the past week, we need some reassurance that we are not plunging headlong into an abyss of despair, all our dreams of February 23, 1970, irretrievably scattered to the four ends of the earth.
|