Mash get mash by de pandemic!

Our Republic Day celebrationsmoreoftenthan not coincide with the period during which both Trinidad and Brazil celebrate their carnivals.ThisyearTrinidad and Tobago celebrate their carnivalinthesameweekas our Republic Day celebrations and Brazil CarnivalendsonMashDay

This has been the trend for a number of years.What it means is that it is very difficult for Guyana to convert Mashramani into a major tourist attraction and to get the sort of visitor arrivals as Trinidad and Brazildofortheircarnivals.

But no one dares to suggest that we change the date of our Mash day celebrations This would leadtouproarandallmanner ofcharges.

Even without the competitionprovidedbytwo of the region’s largest festivals, Guyana would struggle to attract tourists to Mashramani which is nothing short of a diluted mimicry of Trinidad’s carnival. Over the years, Guyana has failed to move awayfromcopycattingwhat takesplaceinTrinidadandto develop our own unique culturalfestivals.

Also, Mashramani is a shade of what it used to be, even though the public viewingofMashDayevents now surpasses anything we hadinthepast.Thefloatsare no way as spectacular as in the past and are far more substandard, but the bands do have greater and more diverseparticipation,evenif whatpassesforacostumeis simply a decorated jersey And of course far more persons are now lining the streets to watch this spectacle than ever before. Kind of ironic: the poorer Mash gets, the greater the publicparticipation.

Part of the problem with the quality of the parade is that Guyanese have grown accustomed to State sponsorship of Mashramani and even with the private sector coming on board in a bigger way there is just too much dependency on government sponsorship This is quite unlike what takes place in Brazil and Trinidad where the majority ofrevelersactuallypurchase theirowncostumes. If there was ever a suggestion that all those willing to participate would have to foot their own costumes, the Float Parade would fold up overnight. And yet the children of Guyanahaveshowntheway forward not only by their enthusiasm but also by the fact that the costumes are funded by the respective schoolsandparents.Sowhy should bands not sell costumestoadultswillingto