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School of Music to be Established by Year End

– Dr. Frank Anthony

A school dedicated to the advancement of the arts and music in particular should be established by the end of 2011. This is according to Minister of Culture Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony. Dr. Anthony made the disclosure while addressing a gathering at School of the Nations as his ministry was handing over a complete steel band to the school.

The news is a welcome development to members of the music fraternity who prior to this announcement had no institutional means of developing their musical talents and being professionally certified locally. The Youth Culture and Sport Minister added that the vision for the school is to develop the talent of persons identified in communities across the country and developing them to a level “which would see persons even making a living” from music.

Though the establishment of a school is an important step forward for the development of the music industry locally, copyright laws need to be enacted in order to provide a legislative framework for such development. The local music industry has significant potential since talent is abundant and stakeholders such as Swansea and HJTV are doing their part to develop the music industry but music piracy is a major obstacle hindering the development of the industry locally. The handing over of the steel pans represented a partnership between the ministry and School of the Nations and in recognition of the work done by the management of the school to assist in the development of the community of Tiger Bay.

The donation was towards the Shemroy Anthony Project, a 11 year old resident of the community who died after being involved in a fight with another child over a cricket game a stone’s throw away from the school. Though the outreach to the community’s youth by the school has been ongoing for the past 3 years, the death of Anthony caused Dr. Brian O’Toole, School of the Nations’ Director, to develop a proposal for intensified interaction with the community in the name of the child. Dr. O’Toole stated that within hours the business community responded positively to the proposal with Stanly Ming pledging US$5,000 to the project within hours of receiving the document.

The Director added that he had a meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport Mr. Alfred King on June 5, 2011 and within 3 days the steel band was available. Dr. O’Toole added that because of the investment into the lives of the children he is “already seeing the transformation of Tiger Bay.” Children within the community would have over the past 3 years been exposed to computer, literacy, numeracy, drama and swimming lessons all free of cost compliments of the school. The band will see the children now being exposed to the pans as well as musical theory to unlock musical potential. The youths will also be provided with the opportunity to attend the ministry’s annual Steel Pan Summer Camp sponsored by Republic Bank.

– By Andrew Ross

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Digicel sponsors “Full Hundred” in Jamaica

– To perform with cast of “ova mi dead body”
Full Hundred, a group of  dramatists who performed at the National Drama Festival Finals from May 30- June 3 at the National Cultural Centre, will be sponsored by Digicel to perform in Jamaica and learn from Stages Production. Stages Production is the company who put on the play “ova mi dead body” at the NCC on June 5.

The announcement was made following the staging of the play and the members of Full Hundred were called on stage and warmly received by the audience. The group includes comedian and actor Michael Ignacious and reigning Miss Guyana Universe Tamika Henry. The performing arts locally has seen some resurgence after years of hardship and the investment of the region’s largest cellular service provider top class actors writers and producers will undoubtedly benefit from the opportunity.

The play “ova mi dead body” though Jamaican in origin touched on issues Caribbean people experience and relate to on a daily basis and as such it did not take long for the crowd to become fully engrossed into the storyline of the production. The main character Melcita Senoirs has an incarcerated boyfriend and leaves him to go to the United States of America in search of a better life. She leaves her daughter Delcits to stay with some senior citizens who physically abuse her.

As the story unfolds issues such as domestic violence, child abuse and women’s empowerment among others are explored in a vivid yet comical manner. Though written for a Jamaican audience the cast skillfully integrated Guyanese activities into the production to add spice for the local audience. References were made to rice fields in Guyana and the One Laptop Per Family project much to the surprise and amazement of the audience.

Members of the cast had an opportunity to witness the final day of the Drama Festival and revealed that the talent of Guyanese in theatrical productions is on par with other countries in the Caribbean with more resources.  The opportunity Digicel has afforded the Full Hundred will therefore serve to build on a solid foundation in theatre and assist in the forward movement of the arts locally.

-By  Andrew Ross

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Feminition Day 1

– As Feminition 2011 opens

Feminition, the first ever women’s exposition, was officially declared open last evening at the Guyana National Stadium Providence with hundreds of persons from all walks of life turning up to celebrate women.

The expo was officially declared open by President Bharrat Jagdeo with him lauding the accomplishments of women to the development of Guyana over the year. He said the main purpose of executing Feminition was because of “recognizing the contributions women have made in Guyana” and the Caribbean.

The president also said that even though it is believed widely that women are not traditionally risk takers that may not necessarily be true since in his opinion the “greatest risk taken by women is giving birth to children.” Jagdeo also acknowledged the fact that “girls do better in the education system than boys” and as such that translates to better educated and qualified women being placed in top managerial and administrative positions.

The layout on the National Stadium tarmac was well thought out as booths were separated by special “avenues” dedicated to outstanding women in Guyanese and Caribbean history. Two of the more notable women recognized were Winifred Gaskin whose accomplishments span education, women’s activism and accomplishments as an outstanding Diplomat. The first Guyanese and Caribbean female President Janet Jagan was also prominently recognized by the organizers.

An exhibit which epitomizes the true essence of what the framers of Feminition had in mind was one put on by the Guyana Women Artist Association. The exhibits of 10 members of the association are prominently displayed among which are paintings in various styles such as acrylic, pencil art and dried art creatively assembled to capture the attention of anyone who sees them. A very unique exhibit among the collection by the Women Artists’ are those of honorary member Urma Cramer, who makes beautiful and creative hats, shoes, handbags and even paintings from specially preserved fish scales.

President of the Association Jynell Osborne said she is grateful for the opportunity given by Feminition for members to display their creative pieces to members of the public. Osborne also said that a major hurdle facing members of the association is the “lack of financial support but I am hoping that this serves as an opportunity to reverse that trend.”

Habiba McGregor, a clothing designer, was also thankful for the opportunity to display her craft and said in her view the expo is “good to empower women everywhere” since women from all across the country were given the opportunity to have their products and services put on display over the three day period.

One of the largest banking institutions in Guyana and the region, Republic Bank, was also on show and according to information obtained from the staff members present over 70% of the bank’s staff are females and as such the expo provides the perfect opportunity to have that fact shown to the general public. Two notable contributions made by the bank into the development of women are the partnership with St. Ann’s orphanage; where young orphan girls are housed and the partnership with EMPRETEC; which provides support for women who operate small and medium scale businesses and helps them to expand.

– By Andrew Ross

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“Coolie Bully”, “The Best” electrify Rampage

– “2 Sharpe” Allen winss WBC/CABOFE title

Elton “coolie bully” Dharry electrified boxing fans who turned out to see high level Guyanese boxingat Rampage at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Saturday May 28, 2011. Dharry, who originates fromLeguan in the Essequibo River but now fights under Boxing 360 from New York, looked confident fromthe starting bell and traded punches with the quicker and more agile Dexter “D Kid” Marques. The match, which was for the WBC/ Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) Bantamweight Championships, saw Marques being evenly matched against the flat footed and patient Dharry. The 7th round was however the end of the line for Marques who before the fight had a record of 9 wins but suffering1 loss. 2 minutes into the round Marques buckled from a careful red jab, noticing this Dharry wentinto “bully” mode and dealt Marques a volley of power punches until he hit the canvas and forced the referee to end the bout. The crowd went wild and supporters rushed to congratulate the new champion.

Another exciting match of the evening saw Cruiserweight Champion Kurt “the best” Best taking on Light Heavyweight Champ Mitchell “Strongman” Rogers for the Heavyweight Championship of Guyana. Mitchell, representing Canal # 1 West Bank Demerara, appeared to be the more attacking fighter inthe early rounds of the match. He was however weary of the right hand of Best throughout the match. Mitchell seemed content with wearing down his opponent with jabs to the body. Best was howeverlooking for the knockout punch and found the opening early in the eighth round. After landing a solidjab Best noticed Mitchell staggering a bit and immediately followed with a hard right hand which knocked the 220 lbs “Strong man” flat on his back. Try as he might Mitchell could not survive the 8 countby the referee and even after the match was officially over he was still holding on to the ropes in aneffort to regain his footing.

The feature bout of the evening left a lot to be desired as New York State Super middleweight Champ Lennox “2 Sharpe” Allen came up against Kwesi “The Hitman” Jones. Jones, who usually fights under the Friday night Fights Card, was no match for the seasoned and fit Allen. The Hitman kept looking to land power punches in an effort to bring the match to an exciting and early close but the more experienced Allen evaded him while occasionally landing jabs and solid body shots. Jones was the more active fighter throughout the bout but his tiredness and lack of 12 round conditioning began to show from rounds 10-12. The referee had to continually part the fighters as Jones sought to hold and push Allen into the ropes then try to land punches. The Hitman was visibly shaken several times in the final round but held onfor dear life to avoid taking to the canvas. In the end the judges unanimously awarded Allen the WBC/CABOFE Super middleweight Championship.

In the supporting bout of the night Edmond De Clou, from the mining town of Linden, defeated WinstonPompey in the middleweight non title matchup. Meanwhile in the other non title fight the younger and faster Ray Sandiford won his first lightweight fight against the seasoned Cecil Smith.

– By Andrew Ross

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Alpha United through to CONCACAF Champions League

–          Puerto Rico Islanders successfully defend CFU Club Championship title

Tempete FC out of Haiti played a spirited game of football last evening at the National Stadium Providence but that was not good enough to defeat the defending Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Champs, the Puerto Rico Islanders. The defending champs struck first as Jay Needham split the defense and had enough time to look as his ball hit the back of the Tempete net early in the first half.
The first taste of drama came when frustration crept into the Puerto Rican players following attacking and aggressive play by their competitors, saw a serious foul being committed against the opposing side causing a player to be sent off with a red card and awarding Tempete a penalty kick which found the back of the net.  Despite being one man down the Islanders defended well against Tempete until halfway into the second half when the Haitian goalkeeper was sent off for a vicious elbow to the face of the Puerto Rican striker. The penalty was however saved by the replacement keeper.
The game went into overtime and the attacking style showed by the Haitian club began to show as the defense broke down allowing the Puerto Rico Islanders to break through twice with Jonathan Fana being the architect during overtime to seal their victory 3-1 and retain the CFU title.The game which attracted the most attention of the small crowd was however the third place playoff between Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force and local football powerhouse Alpha “the hammer” United. The two teams played an evenly matched game for the first half. Dwight Peters struck first for United in the 50th minute of play which sent fans wild. Eight minutes later Richard Roy however equalized for Defense Force with a brilliant header.
The game went into a stalemate to the end and was forced into a penalty shootout to determine the final spot for the CONCACA F Champions League. The penalties was a nail biting, electrifying and emotional experience for Alpha fans but in the end the local side created history by becoming the first team from Guyana to advance into the CONCACAF Champions League by scoring 4 penalties against 3 for Defense Force. Though most fans were disappointed that the hosts did not take away the winning trophy, Alpha played according to plan to satisfy the local supporters. Speaking after the victory, a very emotional head coach Wayne “wiggy” Dover said the win was because “the goalkeeper and guys did great and executed well.” He added that adjustments were made to ensure that “the team follow the game plan and came out on top.”
President of Alpha United Odinga Lumumba shared similar sentiments adding that he will ensure that the team “will be stronger” as a result of the victory and is optimistic of advancing to the final stages of the Champions League. Head coach of Defense Force Colin Clarke said he was pleased to see the level of football being played in Guyana during the semi-finals and finals of the tournament by the local side stating that “soccer is improving in Guyana because I know this is a mainly cricketing country.”
The historic win by Alpha will serve to improve the level of football locally as well as showing the corporate community the levels football can reach if adequate funding is made available for the sport.

By Andrew Ross

 

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Windies Salvage Pride But Lose Series

After an impressive showing to win the first three games in the Digicel Home Series, Pakistan suffered their second defeat in front of a sold out crowd at the National Stadium, Providence in the 5th and final One Day International. After winning the toss Pakistani skipper Shahid Afridi elected to bat first in hopes of putting up a formidable total. The pitch at providence however proved to be in the favour of the West Indian medium pace bowlers. Very early in the innings there were signs of uneven bounce making it difficult for the visitors to settle and put runs on the board. That proved to be their undoing as Trinidadian medium pacer Ravi Rampaul continued his impressive bowling by varying his pace and taking 4 wickets for a mere 45 runs. The only Pakistan batsman who actually got into a rhythm was all rounder and man of the series Mohammed Hafeez who made 55. Only two other batsmen from the visiting side scored double figures; Umar Akmal who made 24 and 21 year old Mohammed Salman who was unbeaten on 16.

The bowling attack was led by Rampaul but the West Indian captain Darren Sammy also played his part by taking 3 wickets, Dwayne Bravo chipped in by trapping 2 Pakistanis leg before wicket and local spinner Davendra Bishoo did his part by taking 1 wicket. Pakistan did not get the chance to establish a strong partnership after loosing their first wicket for only 16 and were bowled out for 139.

The West Indian openers Lyndel Simmons and Keith Edwards made light work of the 140 target and treated the packed National Stadium to some fireworks completing the run chase in just 23.3 overs. Simmons, who was judged the man of the match, finished on 77 while Edwards made 40. <br><br>In the final analysis the Windies may have salvaged some pride and after the convincing victory may have also gained some momentum. The question remains however if they would be able to continue along that vein for the 1st test match at the same venue. With the addition of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and a pitch friendly to the bowling attack West Indian fans are yearning for another victory.

By Andrew Ross

 

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Vanilla’s Mash Plans

In an effort to keep in contact with our artiste, we at Guyanalive.com conducted periodic interviews with various artiste. This will serve to keep our readers up to date with the current and future plans of our artistes. Keep an eye out for more interviews.

In this first interview we will seek to find out the plans Vanilla has for Mashramani 2009…and beyond.

Q: How is your experience in the Carib Soca Monarch Competition this year different from other years gone by?

A: Smile………. this is my third year in the competition, the past years I was there to garner experience and to be part of the backbone for the Headhunters Krew but this year, I’m here to vie for the crown.

Q: Other than being involved in the Soca competition what do you have planned for Mash 2k9?

A: As you know, I won the Road March in 2007 and missed it by one point in 2008. This year I intend to regain that title. So look out for me “behaving RUDE” on mash day.

Q: Besides being a singer you are also a producer, as such do you have any projects in the making for 2009?

A: Smiles……… I have a lot of projects I’m doing which in most cases comes under the belt of Kross Kolor Records. You see, I’m responsible for other artistes as well, so my projects do not only include myself.

Q: After having such a successful run at the Accolade Music Awards, what can Guyana expect in 2009 from Kross Kolor Records?

A: Kross Kolor is always working for the betterment of Guyanese music, our motto “Taking Guyanese Music to the World” and we intend to do just that, in the meantime look out for a lot more videos.

Q: Being a producer and a performer how do you view the progression of local music over the years?

A: I should have corrected you the first time; I’m not a producer but a performer among other things. They are quite a number of issues that I’m disappointed with. If I were to discuss them at this point I may never stop typing. I have to prepare for the Soca Monarch Semi Finals so maybe in our next interview I’ll get in-depth, in the mean time you can wish me luck.

Q: In your view, what is most needed for the local music industry to develop?

A: It is necessary for us (artistes, managers, producers, promoters etc.) to work as one body, when we can do that, then and only then we will be able to move forward as an industry.

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Coming Soon…

The days of looking for affordable brand name clothes are almost over. There will soon be a place in the city where your individuality can be displayed through your clothing at a very affordable cost. Brand names such as DKNY, Guess, Banana Republic, Aeropostale & American Eagle will be made available at affordable prices. A wide variety of male and female apparel will be available…

A quantity of clothing are already available to give interested persons a sample of what will be available within the next few months.I will keep you posted on the progress but for now if anyone is interested leave me a comment and i will let you know the specifics…

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Mash in Guyana

Since hearing some nice tunes on the radio a few weeks ago i decided to tune in again this morning. From as early as 9 am nice music from some of our most talented artistes were on the radio. but its not the ones kicking up a storm in the music industry today, but rather some classic mash tunes. yes people the radio is already in mashramani mode. as the different radio shows progressed throughout the day more and more fresh soca music could be heard playing to hype persons for the mashramani celebrations. since the soca competitions are still ongoing i will not say who was my favorite but it must be said that the level of soca music produced over the years have gotten better, while others need some serious help! looking forward to mash 2k9!!!

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Saturday Morning…

Saturday is one of those days i wont usually listen to the radio because by friday i already heard one set of music over an over on the radio. but last saturday was different i was forced to listen to the radio. i was thinkin this was going to be torture but surprisingingly it was refreshing.

Throughout the day fresh tracks from international, caribbean and to my surprise local artists were featured on the various programs broadcast.

It seems like we are taking steps. However small, in the right directing of promoting Guyanese music on the nation’s radio. i do understand that the sponsors of the segments have some leverage over what is played since their dollar must be spent in such a way that audiences hear what is hot and popular. but at the same time local music is being stitched in so as to ensure exposure is given. this must be commended.

progress…