The regional Children’s Mashramani Competition continued on Friday, with the costume competition at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Some of the other colourful displays at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Friday
The event, which saw a moderately good turnout, was divided into two main categories – topical and fantasy. Participating in the topical category was St Sidwell’s Primary, Graham’s Hall Primary, St Angela’s Primary, Ascension Secondary, St Barnabas Special, School of the Nations and St John’s College while the fantasy category included participants from Bel Air Primary and St Stephen’s Primary.
The children, ages five to 17, who were all decked out in their shiny costumes, marvelled the audience as they danced and showcased the colourful works of art. This had the audience in awe, as they were on their feet and cheering loudly for their respective schools.
Most of the costumes that were on display depicted Guyana’s flora and fauna. One of these was an entry themed ‘Guyana’s Arapaima’ that was submitted by Graham’s Hall Primary School.
At the end of the day, for the topical category, the winners were Graham’s Hall Primary, St Angela’s Primary, St Barnabas Special, St Sidwell’s Primary and School of the Nations. The winners of the individual fantasy category were Bel Air Primary and St Stephen’s Primary.
Coordinator of the event, Sherwyn Blackman, related that there has been phenomenal response throughout the competitions in terms of spectators this year, not only from those held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall but also at the National Cultural Centre.
However, Blackman noted that there can be difficulties since these costumes are very costly to produce. Being a coordinator for the first time, he said there is still work to be done for 2019, which the department is hoping to start working on in the latter part of this year.
“For the costume competition, we have had some support, but I know it can be a whole lot more but what we recognise is that it is really a hefty cost in terms of persons creating the types of costumes. So, there is definitely some more work that we can do for the next year,” he said.
The Georgetown leg of the competition will conclude on Monday with the physical display competition, which is also scheduled to be held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
