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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