Congratulations to Parkside Steel

Parkside Steel Orchestra arguably remains the modern Guyanese steel pan music standard bearers who continue to redefine musical excellence with their every performance. From its humble beginnings downstairs of the Department of Culture building which was located at the back of the National Park, Parkside has become the top steel band in the country.

I would like to congratulate the men and women of Parkside Steel for winning the recently held Republic Bank’s 2011 Mashramani Steel Band Competition. Parkside showed its dominating excellence by convincingly winning the competition by an astounding 36 points, beating their opponents by a wide margin.

As they enjoy their success, I would like to encourage the performers of Parkside to continue raising the bar for steel pan music in Guyana. I believe I can speak on behalf of all former members of the band who at some point would have contributed to the sweetness of the Parkside sound when I say we are exceedingly proud of your achievements thus far.

Republic Bank must be congratulated on their continued corporate sponsorship of this genre that so fittingly reflects the rich musical culture of the Guyanese people. It is hoped that other corporate sponsors could be so moved to support and develop this aspect of our national heritage.

Keep the notes sweet and the chords harmoniously rich with the musical genius and complexity that can only be produced by Parkside Steel.

Dictatorship is finally broken in Egypt

There is a saying that goes like this: ‘Unity is strength and strength is power’. On Friday afternoon the world witnessed the powerful effect of Egyptian unity when their dictator Mr. Hosni Mubarak stepped down. It is important to note that at the best of times, Egyptians are a divided people. This division is either by religion, tribe, or just geographical location. Egyptians from Cairo often snob their Alexandrian bothers, Muslims and Christians are often at odds with each other. But over the last 18 days, all these differences were put aside as together Egyptians stood shoulder to shoulder in Tahrir square and demanded that there be an end to their three decade dictatorship. Over the last three weeks, Egyptians had one enemy and that was Hosni Mubarak the Dictator!

One of the many moving scenes from the Egyptian protests was the number of young people present. All these Egyptian youth know is dictatorial rule. The older protester can probably relate to the 60s and 70s when Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar el-Sadat ruled respectively. But the concentration of the crowds was young people who could not be dissuaded by Mubarak’s excuses for wanting to hold on to power. They had enough of him and wanted him gone. 

As the cries of Egypt is free, Egypt is free rose from Tahrir square and other parts of the country, great expectation grows in the hearts and minds of all . What will be the future of Egypt now that dictatorship has fallen and fled? Egyptians have demanded democracy, they have fought for change.

The events from the last few weeks carry lessons that can be learnt by other nation-states around the world. There are serious implications for some political leaders who believe the tyranny of their rule will continue forever. Oppressed masses need to be inspired by the events in Egypt and recognize that together much can be achieved.

Political change cannot come from the feeble voice(s) of one, two or five lone individuals. There needs to be an awakening where hundreds and thousands of people can unite around a common issue like elected dictatorship for example and work together to bring about change. Those who suffer under regimes that exercise blatant, brutal power to intimidate, silence and punish citizens who dare to criticize the corrupt and incompetence governance under which they struggle must be inspired by the events of Egypt.

After winter must come spring. The wintry days of dictatorship are over for Egyptians. As the spring of democracy blossoms, Egyptians will be living the change they fought desperately for with a unity never seen before.

Egyptian dictatorship is quickly expiring

The people of Egypt are demonstrating that dictatorship has an expiry date. Their refusal to let up in their protests against the three decade dictatorial rule of President Hosni Mubarak is a sign that Egyptian society has had enough of his repressive rule. While the world watches the growing power of the Egyptian people that has taken to the streets of this past week, the sobering actions of the Egyptian Army is what is most stunning.

The huge demonstration which took place on Tuesday that saw several hundred thousand people taking to the street came on the heels of a crucial statement released by the army in which it vowed not to use force against the protesters. "The presence of the army in the streets is for your sake and to ensure your safety and wellbeing. The armed forces will not resort to use of force against our great people," read the statement. It even went further by calling the protesters’ demands legitimate.  "Your armed forces, which are aware of the legitimacy of your demands, are keen to assume their responsibility in protecting the nation and the citizens, affirm that freedom of expression through peaceful means is guaranteed to everybody."

The army statement also warned people not to resort to acts of sabotage that violate security and destroy public and private property. The statement seemed to suggest it would be playing a role akin to the police. It said that it would not allow outlaws to loot, attack and "terrorize citizens".

It is heartening to see that the Egyptian army taking a firm stance against any form of political interference in the execution of its duties. Too many times in situations like these the coercive arm of the state is used by governments to stifle freedom of expression.

No one is being arrested on trumped up charges and being harassed unnecessarily because they choose to protest for political change. Very strong language is being used and yet no one is being arrested and thrown in jail for treason.

The Egyptian people are demanding change! And the delicate international political/diplomatic position in which Egypt finds itself with the West has most Western leaders hoping for a peaceful end to the Mubarak era. The US is threading very carefully on the matter.

Guyanese need to take note of how people in repressive societies collectively rise in unity for change. Muslims and Christians are side by side shouting for political change in Egypt. Tribes are uniting and calling for change. As one Egyptian analyst said on Sky News, “not even football has brought this kind of unity among Egyptians”.

The world is watching closely to see how this all ends. But one thing is sure: the Egyptian people are resolute in their demands for Mr. Mubarak to demit office immediately.

Democracy is in demand. According to the great Mahatma Ghandi, “people must be the change they wish to see in their world”. 

Can the Guyana Police Force really justify making in front of Hotel Tower a No Parking Zone

Guyana has never established an institutional body that deals with parking. It seems that the Guyana Police Force is left to deal with most issues of parking in and around the city. Unfortunately with the consistently large influx of vehicles into Guyana over the years, there still are no established parking lots available for persons to park when in Georgetown. On-street parking remains unregulated. There is no underground parking or multi-storied car parking facilities in Georgetown or anywhere in the country.

The decision to disallow parking in front of one of Guyana’s oldest hotel is astounding as it is asinine. Where is the documented evidence that parking in front on Hotel Tower impedes the free flow of traffic when compared with other parts of the city? If one were to believe the words of Traffic Chief Neil Semple, then there should be the eager expectation that parking would be prohibited in front of a number of places. Some of these businesses are John Fernandes Ltd, Republic Bank, Fogarty’s, GBTI, and many other businesses on Water Street since to my knowledge and experience, the free flow of traffic on that street is reserved only for Sundays outside the Christmas season.

I empathise with Mr. James Manbahal proprietor of Hotel Tower who has invested millions of US Dollars in Guyana’s flagging tourism industry and is now being given the unfair treatment of the state. With this kind of treatment meted out to current investors, it will only adversely affect the way potential investors view the eco-political climate of Guyana.

Hotel Tower’s parking facility cannot have a greater impact on the free flow of traffic on Main Street than other businesses on that same street that allow parking in front their premises. The Guyana Police Force needs to commission a certified scientific time and motion study that highlights that the Hotel Tower ‘parking lot’ is affecting the free flow of traffic on Main Street more than other businesses on that street. Unless that study can also showcase the Hotel Tower ‘parking lot’ impedes the free flow of traffic more than other areas in front of other businesses in Georgetown, then the Police need to allow parking to continue in front of Hotel Tower or disallow parking in front of business places on Main Street altogether.

Like many Guyanese, I know that there is a greater obstruction to the free flow of traffic in other streets in Georgetown that should have attracted the attention of the Guyana Police Force.  

Dancehall reggae needs to regain its authenticity

I read with deep interest an article in the Wednesday January 12, 2011 edition of the Jamaica Observer entitled, Reggae sales slump in 2010: poor marketing sales to be root of global decline, in which a number of contributory factors were discussed attempting to plausibly explain the reason for this dilemma in reggae’s profitability.

The article mainly argued that a lack of robust global marketing strategies might be the contributory factor in the decline in reggae sales. While I agree that indeed more vigorous marketing can result in some degree on improved sales, there might also need to be an equally enthusiastic approach towards the quality of the music being produced.

This emphasis on quality of music applies more daringly to dancehall reggae which of late continues its morphology into a genre that is overloaded with hip hop influences. While I will agree that maybe this new generation might find their musical gratification in the new direction in which dancehall reggae is heading, I also feel that the genre is somewhat losing its authenticity.

During what I always refer to as the golden era of dancehall: the 90s, dancehall artistes did flirt with numerous cross over riddims as was evident in some of the recordings by Shabba Ranks, Super Cat, Cutty Ranks and a number  others. However, dancehall still managed to remain ‘pure’. I’m afraid that with a product not being what it ought to be, it would cause great difficulty to its marketers to convince customers to buy it.

The international market want dancehall reggae not convoluted synthesized keyboard chords being often overpowered by robotic drum loops. Dancehall reggae gained notoriety worldwide as a rhythmical genre that bore with it the authenticity of its place of birth: Jamaica.

A good point to note is that whenever there is a glut of any product existing in any marketplace sales will be severely affected. The proliferation of dancehall riddims that are churned out almost on a weekly basis cannot help the dancehall cause. Maybe the emphasis really needs to be shifted to the quality rather than the quantity of dancehall reggae being produced.  

Late last year Sean Paul performed to a huge maddening crowd on the beach in Abu Dhabi and the pieces he chose to perform are what I considered his dancehall standards. The crowd simply soaked it up. Mr. Paul might have himself been surprised to see that so many people in the Middle East turned out and knew all of songs. It was a very special moment for me to witness the effects of this powerful genre.

I sincerely hope that 2011 bring better prospects for dancehall reggae and reggae album sales as whole.

The Richard Francois Blog: Banks DIH Groovy Soca Competition should be an annual event

The Richard Francois Blog: Banks DIH Groovy Soca Competition should be an annual eventI would like to congratulate the winner of the inaugural Banks DIH Groovy Soca Monarch competition, renowned Guyanese and Caribbean recording artiste and entertainer extraordinaire, Mr. Jomo Primo. Also, the other two top finalists, Michelle ‘Big Red’ King and Dallas Forte along with the other finalists who provided fierce competition ensuring that a high quality of groovy Soca musical excellence was maintained, must be commended as well.

From the unedited recordings of the finals I’ve seen, there was no doubt that Jomo’s international experience and his captivating stage presence and performance made him the clear favorite among the judges to be the winner.

Banks DIH must be lauded for conceptualizing and executing such an innovative and successful competition that has produced some very musically appealing groovy soca pieces for Mash 2011 and beyond. Mr. Birchmore Simon and the entire Kros Kolor team must also be applauded for their invaluable role in making this competition a success.

Groovy Soca is a sub-genre of Soca and is arguably a more memorable and musically digestible form of Soca music that inevitably finds its way into the clubs and parties held in the months leading up to Carnival/Mashramani and those that follow. It is easy to dance only requiring its listeners to engage their hips in a minimum continuous rotation to the rhythm.

I hope that as the Banks DIH executives review their reports on this major initiative, they are significantly satisfied with the amount of brand visibility and awareness that was created as a result of this competition and of course the high quality of the musical pieces that it produced. I’m sure that as a result of this competition, Banks DIH achieved an elevated brand position among the minds of Guyanese.

This ought to be an annual event! I sincerely hope the management of Banks DIH shares this view.

Guyanese must be proud of Banks DIH for producing a unique competition of such high quality. In return we must show our support for the Banks DIH brand by supporting their various products.

Banks DIH Groovy Soca Competition should be an annual event

I would like to congratulate the winner of the inaugural Banks DIH Groovy Soca Monarch competition, renowned Guyanese and Caribbean recording artiste and entertainer extraordinaire, Mr. Jomo Primo. Also, the other two top finalists, Michelle ‘Big Red’ King and Dallas Forte along with the other finalists who provided fierce competition ensuring that a high quality of groovy Soca musical excellence was maintained, must be commended as well.

From the unedited recordings of the finals I’ve seen, there was no doubt that Jomo’s international experience and his captivating stage presence and performance made him the clear favorite among the judges to be the winner.

Banks DIH must be lauded for conceptualizing and executing such an innovative and successful competition that has produced some very musically appealing groovy soca pieces for Mash 2011 and beyond. Mr. Birchmore Simon and the entire Kros Kolor team must also be applauded for their invaluable role in making this competition a success.

Groovy Soca is a sub-genre of Soca and is arguably a more memorable and musically digestible form of Soca music that inevitably finds its way into the clubs and parties held in the months leading up to Carnival/Mashramani and those that follow. It is easy to dance only requiring its listeners to engage their hips in a minimum continuous rotation to the rhythm.

I hope that as the Banks DIH executives review their reports on this major initiative, they are significantly satisfied with the amount of brand visibility and awareness that was created as a result of this competition and of course the high quality of the musical pieces that it produced. I’m sure that as a result of this competition, Banks DIH achieved an elevated brand position among the minds of Guyanese. 

This ought to be an annual event! I sincerely hope the management of Banks DIH shares this view.

Guyanese must be proud of Banks DIH for producing a unique competition of such high quality.  In return we must show our support for the Banks DIH brand by supporting their various products.