Dear Editor,
Many assumed that Mash 2016 activities would have been a passing memory due to the grand celebration of the fifty years’ jubilee. However most Mash activities are set to take off and others would have been already celebrated.
I was happy to be part of the viewing audience at the National Cultural Centre for the Junior Calypso Competition on February 6th, 2016. There was the rich talent of ten young Guyanese who delivered amazing performances. Congratulations are in order for those made it to the top three positions, especially the new Monarch Miss Tishanna Cort, who hails from Essequibo.
Like any other event the Junior Calypso Competition result was not without controversy, and thus sparks interest for the coordinating body to do some introspection. Ms Patricia Chase-Green has been the Coordinator for Mash Calypso competitions for the last ten years and somehow it appears that there is no one else capable of replacing her.
The Mash Coordinating Committee should seriously do some introspection on the decline of calypso in Guyana under the leadership of Ms Chase-Greene. Calypso was once an art form that most Guyanese anticipated, as the National Park was always packed out to hear Mighty Rebel or Lord Canary, and now calypso competitions are free and there are still many vacant seats. Ms Chase-Greene gives the impression of not being interested in developing this art form.
Ms Chase-Greene is the Coordinator for Mash Calypso competitions including both junior and senior events. She also sits at the table of the judging panel as chief judge, which I see as a conflict of interest. As the Coordinator, Ms Chase-Greene would frequently visit the rehearsal sessions when the contending participants are rehearsing. Even though Ms Chase-Greene may not be required to judge the participants, as the chief judge her presence there can be perceived as influencing the judges’ decision.
Ms Chase-Greene is a professional and a leading public figure, and she should be aware that transparency is needed in the execution of her duties at all levels. The Mash Secretariat needs to either move Ms Chase-Greene from the position of Mash Calypso Coordinator, or if not, she should not sit as chief judge in any competition she is coordinating. Ms Chase-Greene and the Mash Secretariat should be more ethical and need to address this issue urgently as they conduct their duties with transparency. We are stamping out corruption in all forms and in all spheres, and therefore even in the execution of our national activities we need to have integrity.
All the best for future development of our calypso art form.
Yours faithfully,
Joveta Beresford
