For strangers and locals who would be apt to be confused by emphases, I repeat my basic, albeit personal, explanations and opinion, with respect to this national event which attracts the most widespread national attention and participation- after and except the pervasive Christian festival of Christmas: Firstly, Mash-ramani is the celebratory aspect of the anniversary of the nation’s Republican status. Various art-forms, cultural traditions and other creative presentations are showcased as both citizens and professional performers are mobilized to actively celebrate another political/constitutional milestone.
In passing, I direct your attention to the issue of quality and standards with respect to the very art forms and categories of entertainment usually presented during the Mashramani festival. We can return to that burning issue some other time as many of us feel that instead of progress our mass-driven cultural entertainment is severely challenged – even downright mediocre.
Secondly, the honest majority of Guyanese would be justified in asking why celebrate a 40th Anniversary when Republican status has brought no significant social justice or progress, or any marked improvement in their quality of life over four decades.
You can count this writer amongst that lot. For I know the intent behind political independence (1966) and the move from monarchy to Republicanism (1970). Power is supposed to reside in the people in a Republic as to a King or Queen. How true is that today in this Beautiful Blighted land of ours? After giving some politicians our vote at elections, how much say do we really have? And be honest about any real representation for your specific constituency after Polling Day, in our system. (No wonder I’ve long decided to be like the Jehovah Witnesses!)
However, if only for our youth’s national identity; if only to declare a constitutional achievement and milestone in an economically integrated, inter-dependent world, I agree to observing the 40th Republican anniversary. There is little to celebrate in truth, but we deserve the collective therapy of national stress relief that some merriment would bring. So by today you’ll know just what the National Mashramani Management Committee and all of “Regional” Guyana have in store for Mash 2010.
Fraud!? Fooling me with the music!
The Mashramani Festival of Entertainment and pageantry would be relatively flat without music. But I’ve been discovering how some entertainers, singers and their big bands on stage actually fool and deceive me – and you, I bet – at many big open-air “Concerts”. Consider the scenarios.
Machel Montano, Allison Hinds or the Mighty Sparrow (or Beyonce Knowles?) is on stage with their respective big bands. Do you know that for much of a show sometimes the star artiste is not actually singing? But pretending? It’s called Lip-synching as the singer synchronises pre-recorded sounds with movements of lips and tongue to fake real singing. The pre-recorded backing track is the thing!
For some big shows the producers and their big-star artistes dare to pre-rehearse and pre-record a whole show on tape to feed into their keyboards and consoles. Both songs and band music are recorded in full. The Dee-Jay and sound technicians then join with the on-stage singer and band to fool us in the audience, especially those drinking and “smoking-up” or those of us not savvy about how musical technology can be used to deceive. Man the technician-recorders even put in breaks in the one-or two-hour pre-recorded backing tracks! So the sometimes tired star performer could do some real live gaff and ad-libbing/singing, whilst the rest of the performance is fake!
As happened when Allison Hinds performed at the stadium the other night, a key-board may fall down or a singer would wipe away sweat or spit, but the backing track singing and music would continue!
I suppose if the happy, uninformed patrons are entertained and pleased, I should not care. But when I pay to hear Beenie Man actually sing, or pay dearly to hear the Byron Lee band play their real music, I would feel cheated and fooled to realize that for much of a show the artistes are not really giving me the live show I paid for.
Another aspect to this fooling is this scenario: When poor Mingles or Mischievous Guys, for example, follows the foreign big band with its excellent technological pre-recorded sounds, the local band with its genuine on-stage presentation might just not sound as classy. This is not always the case but it can happen. Poor us. Check for the fake and the phony next show, O.K.?
Poor Dr Narine Singh…
One of the Chronicle newspapers has just reported that the Region 3 Health Services director, Dr Narine Singh, has promised that “major works are expected to be done to improve the West Demerara Regional Hospital especially to make the theatre fully operational.
Stressed-out citizens, potential patients can learn a lot, whilst being frustrated over our “normal” neglect and under-development. Imagine a leading Regional Hospital suffered from electrical problems, poor water-supply a mal-functioning generator and frequent GPL blackouts. (Of course, there were specific staff shortages too.) I know that these challenges are still common to many entities in this beleaguered society. But why should a hospital wait one year for such relief as promised by Dr Narine Singh.
It’s too stressful to continue but I hope the good Doc gets through. And that he and his whole family use the West Demerara hospital services.
One point to ponder…
*1) After the last week-end Safraz Sports Bar murder/robbery, one victim telephoned his own cell-phone then in the possession of one of the robbers. Who actually/-answered!
Now, if the police had one of my Fort Lauderdale spy-shop cellular phone-interceptor/tracers to use, they could have located the bandit(s); right?
‘Til Next Week!
(Comments? allanafenty@yahoo.com)
