On a night when many Guyanese were home eagerly awaiting NCN’s cricket highlights broadcast to pass judgment yet again on the fading West Indies team, something special was unfolding at the Sophia Exhibition Site – the Guyana Gift and Craft Show.
Publicized a month in advance with regular spots on radio and television, the show’s opening night had a fairly sizeable crowd. If there is better entertainment on for Cricket World Cup word is yet to circulate for without any doubt Sophia is where all roads should lead.
The Sophia site has been magically transformed into a fancy little getaway of tiny fountains, pictorial cricket history, an explosion of arts and craft and in one section, a dreamlike local rainforest that brings the sounds, animals, trees and serene beauty of the rainforest to the city.
“Is this where GuyExpo does be?” a confused child asks of his mother and was stunned into silence when he was told yes. The place does look different and if the physical set-up is not enough to impress, the organizers have thrown in an absolutely, wonderful show titled, “Guyana Roots and Rhythms” that celebrates local culture like never before.
Guyana Roots and Rhythms combines the spellbinding dance talents of Le Classique dancers; the wacky yet serious acting of Henry Rodney, Kirk Jardine and Michael Ignatius among others and has a local flavour rich in our ethnic diversity. Additionally, the show features some spectacular video footage.
But if only one reason were enough to ignite interest, that would be the amazingly, sweet and commanding voice of Jessica Xavier.
Her unforgettable performance comes late in the programme which is regrettable because the show is over an hour long and many persons left before she sang. Still, the few left seated gave her deserving praise and thunderous applause.
Belting out two original songs and dressed as angelically as the voice she owns, Xavier moved the small crowd. She too seemed a bit taken aback at how good she sounded and could not hold back a few giggles while on stage.
What actually unfolded on the stage at Sophia was more than any would have expected.
The cultural show, which was organized by Gem Mahdoo-Nascimento, was a fitting celebration of Guyanese culture, while the overall craft show at the site is a statement of national pride.
Judging from the reactions and how refreshing the show was the event should be made an annual one. Whether the intention was to attract visitors or just celebrate Guyana is not that clear but if it’s the latter, the call for it to be made annual should be taken seriously because such an escape is often welcome.
The events at Sophia will be in full swing until Sunday. Every night, Guyana Roots and Rhythms will be on and there is no additional charge after the gate fee. The two main auditoriums at the site are buzzing with local craft items and locally designed clothing.
There were even some non-craft booths like Digicel, which seems to be everywhere these days since arriving in Guyana with a bang.
Security at Sophia is tight with police ranks visible at almost every spot and the traffic ranks are doing an excellent job in terms of directing traffic in and out of the site. Some of them were even smiling broadly with just about everyone who enters the site. Maybe locals can thank Cricket World Cup for that. ianaseales@yahoo.com
