Tag: guyana artistic music awards

On Sunday local and Diaspora-based Guyanese music and entertainers are set to gather at the National Cultural Centre for the Guyana Artistic Music Awards, GAMA.

All told more than 90 nominees will be in contention in 34 categories for a GAMA crystal that honours their work and contribution to the development of Guyanese music repertoire.

Contrary to popular belief singers will not be the only ones collecting crystals as actors and Comedians are among the nominees.

GAMA Chief Executive Officer, Sherlon Shepherd, amidst his call for Guyanese artistes to come out and show support for their own, reiterated that the event is aimed at showcasing Guyanese talent musically while saying thank you to the people that make life more worthwhile and stress free.

“Come out and support your own and experience a packed programme of quality entertainment from Guyanese at home and from countries such as Canada and the USA as well as from some Caribbean countries,” Shepherd said.

More importantly, the event is focussed on creating a network amongst Guyanese entertainers in the Diaspora and encourage local artiste to stick to the task of insuring that the Guyanese voice and creativity is kept alive.

The categories up for contention include Best Soul, RnB, Hip Hop, Dancehall Reggae, Culture Reggae, Soca, Chutney, Gospel and Calypso as well as folk. There are also awards for comedians, community workers, entrepreneurs, music producers and engineers as well as promoters and editors.

But there will also be lifetime achievement awards for Eddie Grant and Habeeb Khan, while Natural Black is this year’s international music ambassador. This publication hears that First Born will be among the entertainers up for awards.

The GAMA CEO said without bias based on the selection process, that most Guyanese artistes whose music moved from national to international airtime over the years, will be honoured.

The younger artistes such as Timeka Marshall and Shelly G, as well as Tennecia DeFreitas and Vanilla are also among the nominees, as is Alabama.

The winners will all take home customized GAMA crystals.

The other GAMA committee members include founder Randolph Waterman, CEO of “Randolph’s Building and Renovation Company”; Elton Joseph, CEO of “Nortel Upholstery”; and Andrew Francis, CEO of “Ark Plumbing Inc.”

The GAMA is a production of the Guyana Canadian Artistic Entertainment group GCAE and was created after the President and other members of GCAE realized that many “Guyanese artists living abroad had and are making strides in the entertainment industry without anyone saying thank you or honouring them and we created this event to honour Guyanese artists worldwide,” Shepherd said.

He added, “After presenting the first GAMA in Toronto, Canada, we realized that we were only connecting with Guyanese artists in Canada and the USA, when there are Guyanese artists in many different countries making their mark on the Entertainment scene and so we decided to include Guyanese artists from other countries too to make this a truly Guyanese event.”

The GCAE CEO said, too, that his committee decided that Guyana is the fittest place to stage the Awards because “it is strictly a Guyanese Awards show and we wanted to honour not only the Guyanese artists living abroad but also the Guyanese artists living in Guyana.

Having so far experienced the unwillingness of corporate Guyana to support this venture Shepherd refuses to conclude that “Guyanese don’t believe in their own because the artistes are all here as a sign of support for networking and honouring our own and it’s now up to the public to come out to the National Culture Centre on Sunday April 25 and show solidarity”.

Meanwhile several other Guyana-born artistes based in Canada and the USA have arrived and are optimistic that they will get the local support to build a “Guyanese music network”.

Promoters going it alone

With ideas to showcase and honour Guyanese musicians and create a network, major financial sacrifices and the backing of 21 Guyanese artistes from 13 countries in the diaspora; the Guyana Artistic Music Awards sounds like an excellent package. Its sponsorship package deal offers are relative as compared to the many mega shows that featured no show international artistes. But this idea being sold by Canada based promoter Sherlock Shepherd and his team is not getting the support that it should have gotten from Corporate Guyana nor local promoters, entertainers and to a lesser extent the local media.

Thus far there are no sponsors and this publication understands that the lone sponsor that was on board pulled out at the last minute.

That is not all, even some of the local artistes who have been listed as possible honorees have not responded favourably, and they often complain that they are not getting recognition.  According to Shepherd this is not because of any negative vibe on his group’s part. ” We believe that there is as deliberate attempt to frustrate this effort by persons known and unknown but we will persevere and prove ourselves as genuine people who believe in honouring and celebrating our own while they are alive with no strings attached. America and Canada and most countries do it so on Saturday April 25we will; come what may, Shepherd said.

As the countdown to the first annual Guyana Musical Splash and the Guyana Artistic Music Awards continue the promoter is reporting that there are some teething problems but they are assuring that the “show must and will go on”.

“We thought this would have been easy and Guyana; corporate and otherwise would have bought into it but with a few days to go we have no response,” Shepherd said

They have thus far invested a tardy sun and are still spending to make this happen even as we await sponsorship. We had one which pulled out at the last minute but we are not fazed we believe that the public will support their own.”  He personally refuses to conclude that “Guyanese don’t believe in their own because the artistes are all here as a sign of support for networking and honouring our own and its now up to the public to come out to the National Culture Centre on Saturday April 25 and show solidarity.

Meanwhile several more Guyana born artistes based in Canada and the USA have arrived and are optimistic that they will get the local support to build a Guyanese music network.

Yesterday, this publication met with Redemption, Kapa Shanti, Cyborg, Yontte Hooper and Donna Makeeda; some of the artistes and they are all excited about being back home and about the events.

Donna Makeeda back after 11years…ready to network and share music

Canada based Donna Makeeda a singer and magazine producer grew up and has won several international awards for her musical abilities in Kwakwani but she has not been home in 11 years. “I’ve live in Canada for quite a while but there is no place like home so I’m home to perform for my people,” she said yesterday.

She said when she heard of the idea for the awards and the Guyana Musical Splash she became excited and encouraged that someone has taken on the mantle to create a network for musicians and also honour their own on home soil.

She said she is encouraged by the music she hears coming out of Guyana and added that back in the day “we did not have that many studios and artistes popping up but this I believe will ensure that locals and Guyanese artistes internationally are honoured and encouraged. So my being her is two fold: to promote my music and to also promote the idea of the need for a united music industry where we can network to all our benefit.”

She is asking for local officials to realise the talent Guyana possess and harness it in a regulated industry where stake holders get their just deserts.

Kapa shanti gives up Germany show to come home after 24 years

US based Guyanese singer Kapa Shanti aged 35 has not been home since 1986 and the former Craig East Bank Demerara resident said “Guyana is like the closest thing to heaven and the people are really warm and friendly, its feels great to be home.”

Speaking to this publication yesterday he said he was on a card to perform in Germany with other artistes but cleared his calendar after he heard of the Guyana Musical Splash. “I’m ready to perform and give my people a taste me as I also experience the local boys, girls and veterans that are resident here.

The Guyana Musical Splash caught my attention first then when I heard of the Awards I said this is  historical and come what may I’ve  got to be in Guyana and here I am to perform, hopefully win an award and  also build   the networking bridge for Guyanese music,” the elated  artiste said.

In his musical career thus far he has produced one album titled Kapa Shanti as well as a mix tape and is currently working on a single as well as a few music videos. Of Guyanese music he said though it has not hit mainstream he likes the sounds coming out of his homeland and hopes that local artistes do not loose faith that one day the relevant legislation will be in place to their benefit. I’m not an authority on music but based on my interaction thus far with my Guyanese brothers and sisters in the entertainment struggle I found that they repeatedly say that their music is being shelved and ignored by radio and television Deejays for foreign music.

In his appeal he said “our music and its stake holders will only be able to develop, maintain their families, be encouraged to produce more at a better standard and quality and hit main stream if we create a demand.  This is done by making the music popular Deejays please make an extra effort to help your own.” He also encouraged Guyanese to come out on April 23 and 25 and be part of the start of a Guyanese musical revolution.

Redemption ready to redeem

With a name like Redemption US based reggae artistes Colin Nigel Simpson said he is home to support this “all Guyanese effort- the Guyana Artistic Music Awards.” The Lindener who became popular in Georgetown as the singing ital seller said too that he’s excited about the idea of “Guyanese honouring Guyanese in the music industry on home soil.” Reflecting he had his share of “fight downs” in his efforts to get studio time at home, not because he couldn’t sing but because he did not have the right linkage.

The positive vibes artiste who has an album out titled ‘Redemption: Good Health Long life’ expressed the hope that this event helps to confirm to all the studios, artistes and music producers “that fighting down artistes and sidelining them does not help to build an industry and we need to unite to charter a way forward so we can actually reap the benefits and create a Guyanese network.”  He said too that he fully supports the GAMA and that’s we he came home. “I’m a firm believer that we as Guyanese peoples are talented and can make this work. This is an event to build on and we will reflect on in years to come.