CaribPR Newswire, New York, NY, May 2, 2008: Some of Guyana`s outstanding folk musicians are set to lift their voices in Manhattan later this month, as the Guyana flag is again raised for the second time in New York`s financial district on May 31st, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at the Bowling Green Park, in Lower Manhattan.
Guyana Master Drummer, Menes Griot, who just returned from Trinidad where he performed for the Reconnection Festival, & The Shanto Troop, featuring Harmonica Man from Venezuela, have joined the cultural line-up along with Junior Kulture and the `King Of Folk,` Marlon Jardin.
Menses and his troop of folk singers and drummers can only be described as a cultural icon in the Guyanese community, keeping Guyana folk music alive despite very little financial support. The troop and their Griot have performed around the world and at top U.S. venues including for many of Guyana`s leaders. They form part of the group that continues to preserve the folk songs and culture of old.
Menses recently performed at the Reconnection Festival in Gasparillo Santa Cruz Trinidad. He will be performing with the traditional ancestral drum, the trinity drum made in South Africa.
Junior Kulture will best be remembered for songs like `Bad Man Na Laugh,` `Jah, Jah Da Ruler` and `Culture Talking` while Jardin, former musical director the Yoruba Singer may be remembered for the song `Guyana Looking Like China.`
The event, to mark the 42nd anniversary of Guyana`s independence from Britain, will also feature veteran Guyanese singer Cliff Joseph and his daughter Coriena, rising chutney and reggae stars, DJ Prakz and H20 Wata Flo, respectively. The S.T.A.R.S Teen dance group of Brooklyn are also set to perform while King Raj Of The Indo Caribbean Star Finals Competition, Anand Kishore and the Inner Power International Band are set to add their own flavor to the celebration.
Almira Brasse is again set to lend her operatic voice to the national anthem of Guyana while dancehall fashion designer Goldteeth Lance is set to also showcase his men`s wear at the event.
Hollywood actor Marc Gomes is set to join the celebration this year, a brain child of Hard Beat Communications, CEO Felicia Persaud, who formed the Committee to Celebrate Guyana last year by reaching out to nationals like Chuck Mohan, Ron Bobb-Semple, Allison Skeete, Roger Gary, Rickford Burke and Marina Sahadeo among others last year.
`The aim of reaching out to a diverse group of people, whose political and racial identities are as different as night and day, was largely because of my belief that Guyana needs to move to a higher height; where nationals begin to see the power of viewing themselves as Guyanese first and moving beyond the huge racial and political divide that continues to hamper progress in the country,` said Persaud. `It is time nationals see the bigger picture and understand that especially in New York City and the U.S., unity is our strength and the divisive tactics of racism and politics only continue to foster the disrespect we largely suffer, despite being the fourth largest group of foreign born in this city.`
The 2008 event is being presented by Western Union in association with Admiral Couriers` Ray Rafeek, RK Office Supplies in Long Island, the Bowling Green Association and media partners, CaribWorldNews, CaribPR, The West Indian newspaper, Caribbean Spotlight TV, GEM Magazine, RBC Radio and One Caribbean Radio.
The inaugural event in 2007 featured cultural performances came from many Guyanese artists including Slingshot Drepaul, Courtney Noel, Almira Brasse, The Triad Group, the Verna Walcott, Deeraj and dance groups, drummer Akayo, poets James Richmond and Francis Quamina Farrier and musical saw player Moses Josiah.
Thousands of Guyanese gathered near The Bull in Lower Manhattan to celebrate the 41st anniversary, including Guyana’s ambassador to Washington, Bayney Karran, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and several other elected and appointed officials, Hollywood actor Sean Patrick Thomas, boxer Vivian Harris, Bollywood actor Kumar Guarav and movie producers, Rohit Jagessar and Mikey Nivelli.
Nationals of Guyana account for the fourth highest number of the foreign born population of New York City foreign and continue to make great strides as entrepreneurs and homeowners. In one area of Queens, NY alone, their annual earnings are more than both native born black and white Americans according to the US Census’ recent American Community Survey report.
To see video scenes from last year log on to: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.channel&ChannelID=278192014
