Arts on Sunday

Last week the world celebrated the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens who was born on February 7, 1812 in England. 

The imposition of dress codes has been a resurgent and irksome issue in Guyana in recent years, and on occasions there have been public complaints about the manner in which persons are denied entry to public buildings. 

The Darking Thrush I leant upon a coppice gate When Frost was spectre-gray, And Winter’s dregs made desolate The weakening eye of day The tangled bine-stems scored the sky Like strings of broken lyres, And all mankind that haunted nigh Had sought their household fires.

In January 2011 The Theatre Guild of Guyana presented awards to the best performances that were staged at the Guild Playhouse during the year 2010. 

What is calypso?  Many have attempted to answer that question, including a few calypsonians. 

The Trinidad Carnival is often called “the greatest show on earth” even though the Rio Carnival in Brazil might have claim to that title. 

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?

Christmas is a religious festival, but it is much more than that. 

When old age shall this generation waste, Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou sayst, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,” – that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

As mentioned in a previous discussion, there is no shortage of celebrated verses to mark the United Nations designated International Year of People of African Descent (IYPAD) in 2011. 

There is a great irony in Guyana in the way one of its greatest unifying forces has been characterized as a force of division. 

If We Must Die If we must die, let it not be like hogs Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot, While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs, Marking their mock at our accursed lot.

The very popular Jamaican play Ghett-Out has proved itself to be a work of limited dramatic achievements. 

Guyana’s National Dance Company (NDC) performed its Season 32 on October 22 – 23, 2011 on the theme Hello Darkness. 

Two related Caribbean festivals are again topical at this time of the year.

There is a close interrelationship between historical/ anthropological documents about Amerindian culture and traditions and Guyanese Amerindian literature.

The importance of the Amerindian heritage to the literature of Guyana has been articulated with specific reference to the fact that what is normally referred to as Guyanese literature includes Amerindian folk tales. 

Amerindian literature is a significant factor in the Guyanese cultural heritage, and it is important to highlight its contribution at a time when there is a focus on the Amerindian heritage in the country. 

Guyana Prize Chairman of the Jury Victor Ramraj in his official report commented on the excellence of the poetry in the Guyana Prize 2010 which prompted the panel to select a shortlist of six books. 

By Alim Hosein As part of the Guyana Prize for Literature 2010 awards activities at the beginning of this month, items from a series of prints done by one of the judges, Stewart Brown, were exhibited at Castellani House.