Al Creighton

Why re-celebrate Martin Carter? Last week we highlighted contributions to the celebration of the life and work of Martin Carter and to the rememberance of the poet. 

Celebrating Martin CarterCastellani House has a very distinguished history.  It was named after an architect from colonial times who was a quintessential artist, leaving his exceptional marks of distinction as monuments in Guyana’s history and architecture. 

Religion and theatre still interact dynamically Even now, after so much has developed and so much has been said about it, the close inter-relationship between theatre and religious ritual remains an interesting subject. 

‘All walls crumble where art is concerned’ As a part of their diplomatic strategy it is common practice for nations to maintain cultural outreach activities in foreign countries with which they have relations. 

‘Season 29’ Guyana’s National Dance Company celebrated its Dance Season 2008 with a programme that it called ‘Season 29 – Theme and Variations’ at the National Cultural Centre. 

Kanyadaam: Statements on various issues A considerable amount of attention is being paid at the present time to the problems of domestic violence and domestic abuse. 

A more expository than experimental production One of the important developments in Caribbean drama in the middle of the twentieth century was a phenomenon called the ‘theatre of the backyard’ and sometimes ‘yard theatre.’

David de Caires: a true connoisseur of the arts So jail me quickly, clang the illiterate door If freedom writes no happier alphabet.

Personal odyssey Among the most recent new books of poetry is In a Boston Night  poems  by Guyanese poet and fiction writer Sasenarine Persaud, published by TSAR in Canada in 2008. 

Reconnection of a theatre and a play When Moon on A Rain-bow Shawl returns to the Theatre Guild of Guyana’s Play-house in Kingston on November 7, it will be a rewarding reconnection between the oldest and most established theatre in Guyana and one of the most established foundation plays of the West Indies. 

Poui accepts Simmons-McDonald’s burnt offerings The editors of Poui, the Cave Hill Literary Annual, “are happy to see that so many of our regular contributors continue to send us work” while at the same time they feel “it is good to find a number of new voices”. 

Poui introduces poet Richard Allsopp One of the many significant features of Poui, the Cave Hill Literary Annual, is that one can always look forward to its introduction of noteworthy new writers.

‘My life, my country’ There exists a slim, neat volume of some fifty pages, unobtrusive and unheralded, whose worth is several times more than its unassuming appearance and deserving of much more attention than it has ever been given. 

So was Carifesta X worth the effort? Carifesta X is already fading from the headlines but it will take a much longer time before it begins to show any signs of fading from memory. 

Was Carifesta worth the effort and expense? Among the most memorable features of Carifesta X in Guyana were the interventions of the major writers, and, generally, that is how it should be. 

The Pre-Carifesta programme has paid off As the Tenth Caribbean Festival of the Arts gets into full stride, the public awareness campaign in Guyana seems to have already begun to show some positive returns.

‘One people’ Wan one tree so many leaves one tree one river so many creeks all are going to one sea one head so many thoughts thoughts among which one good one must be one God so many ways of worshipping but one Father one Suriname so many hair types so many skin colours so many tongues one people Robin DobruTo be described as Janus-faced is no compliment.

UG has a close partnership with Carifesta management We would like Carifesta X to showcase not only the great cultural talent that this region has spawned over the short period of Caribbean history, but the great philosophical legacy and diverse economic, productive and natural resource capacities that we as a region have to offer.

We have on several previous occasions alluded to the common features of various different traditional festivals and, in particular, those that are primarily religious.