GUYANA FOLK FESTIVAL
2008 SYMPOSIUM
AND FESTIVAL OF FOLK GAMES & TOYS
"Creole Mehcheh Mehcheh"
Celebrating Mac: Folk, Identity, and National Cohesiveness

The Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc., is proud to provide details for the events of the annual Guyana Folk Festival. This year's festival will be held in New York and Guyana, as part of the pre-Carifesta X celebrations.

These are the currently available details on the plans for the 2008 Guyana Folk Festival Symposium and the Festival of Folk Games--"Creole Mehcheh Mehcheh" to be held in Guyana during the period August 15 to 17, 2008.

What follows are details on the Symposium and the Festival of Folk Games--"Creole Mehcheh Mehcheh.

THE SYMPOSIUM
Friday, August 15, 2008 and Saturday, August 2008
International Convention Center
Liliendaal, Lower East Coast Demerara

The symposium titled Celebrating Mac: Folk, Identity, and National Cohesiveness will be held at the International Convention Center, Liliendaal, Lower East Coast Demerara on Friday, August 15 and Saturday, 16, 2008. His Excellency, Bharrat Jagdeo, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana has been invited to declare the symposium open at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, August 15, 2008.

Papers and Presentations

Among the scheduled papers and presentations are:

• Ms. Elfrida Bissember, Curator, National Collection, Images of Folk in the National Collection.
• Dr. Ian Robertson, Berbice Creoles
• Dr. Claire Smith, Guyanese Proverbs and Community Building.
• Gillian Rosemarie Richards-Greaves, Ph.D. Candidate (Indian University), Performing for Identity: Kwe-Kwe Ritual and Afro Guyanese in Guyana and the United States.
• Roger Hinds (Young Bill Rogers), The Life and Works of Bill Rogers the impresario and the origin of Shanto music.
• Dr. Kimani Nehusi, The Slave as slave narrative: The Mighty Sparrow and (re) memory in Caribbean society.
• Dr. Simone James Alexander, Narrating the Folk (Culture): Language, Identity, and National Unity as Folk Groundings in Grace Nichols' Poetry.
• Dr. Juliet Emanuel (pictured at right), Roy Heath, Language, and Play.
• Ms. Gentian Miller, Use of wake rituals in fiction: Wilson Harris's The Whole Armour, Rambai Espinet's, The Swinging Bridge and Lorna Goodison's poem, The Woman Speaks to the Man who has Employed her Son
• Rohan Sagar, State of the Arts: Guyana's Traditional Music.
• Keith Waithe, LRSM, PGCE, The Diversity of the Flute: With emphasis on the Guyanese Masquerade Fife.
• Dr. Vibert Cambridge, Ved Vatuk and Indo-Guyanese Folk Music.
• Dr. Albert Cumberbatch. Guyana's Folk Culture: Surviving Western Civilization.

Documentaries Two documentaries (a) Caribbean Dreams and (b) Undermined will have their premieres during the symposium. Calypso Dreams, directed by Geoffrey Dunn and Michael Horne, explores the history and functions of calypso. The film has been described as doing for calypso what Harder They Come did for reggae and Buena Vista Social Club did for Cuban music. The Executive Producer is Guyana's Superstar Eddy Grant. Undermined is a 35-minute documentary profiling the perspectives of eight Amerindians about issues related to mining - in particular, the importance of meaningful community consultation processes. The film explores how one particular Wapichan community is responding to a Canadian mining company that has been operating in their ancestral lands for over ten years. While there is some mention of the negative impacts of mining, the film concentrates on exploring solutions. Emily Wilson and Brent Parker are the Co-Producers. The symposium will end with a roundtable discussion on Safeguarding Guyana's material and intangible heritage. Dr. Frank Anthony, M.D., M.P.H., M.P., Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sport will give the closing address on Saturday, August 16, 2008. Dr. Prem Misir, Pro-Chancellor, University of Guyana and member of the Symposium Planning Committee is coordinating arrangements for the symposium in Guyana.

The Festival of Folk Games--
CREOLE MEHCHEH MEHCHEH
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Carifesta Sports Complex,
Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown

Folk games in Guyana have always been the site for the creation of identity.. They have facilitated inter-generational communication and nourished Guyanese creativity. In addition, folk games have supported the building of valuable attributes such as team work and inventiveness and have contributed to important inter-generational and community dialogue--important ingredients for nurturing national cohesiveness.

Conscious of the fact that folk games take place in a context, the organizers of Creole Mehcheh Mehcheh are developing a wonderful program for Sunday, August 17, 2008 at the Carifesta Sports Complex, Carifesta Avenue.

Participants

Among the organizations that have confirmed their participation as of August 2, 2008 are:

• The Chinese Association
• Guyana Organization of Indigenous People-- the Kai Kushi Dance & Culture Group of Region 10
• The Indian Arrival Committee
• The Palm Tree Culture of Region 10
• The Rainforest Culture Group of Bartica
• The Toucan II Multi Purpose Club of Buxton

Features

Some of the features of the Creole Mehcheh Mehcheh program are:

• Folk and Contemporary games. These will include sal, gam, tyre race, football, and blind cricket.
• Performances will include songs and dances highlighting the traditions of the porkknockers
• There will be cassava grating and pepperpot competitions
• Allan Fenty will launch his book on Guyanese folk culture
• Traditional Guyanese Food

The team organizing Creole Mehcheh Mehcheh include Basil Bradshaw, Alan Fenty, Terry Holder, Nazim Hussain, Russell Lancaster, Margaret Lawrence, Ron Robinson, Henry Rodney, and Rohan Sagar.

The Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting, and propagating Guyana's cultural heritage is proud to partner with the University of Guyana; the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport; and the National Communication Network (NCN), in the organization of this historic symposium and Creole Mehcheh Mehcheh the related Festival of Folk Games.

For details on the Guyana Cultural Association program for the 2008 Folk Festival season in New York, please visit: http://www.guyfolkfest.org