With Emancipation celebrations just days away, the capital city of Georgetown was lit with brightly coloured outfits, with the scenery reaching its peak at Main Street, Georgetown, where an exhibition is being hosted.
A crowded section of Main Street, lined with not only exhibitors but also excited shoppers who were delighted by the wide variety of African printsSome of the pieces created using seeds and other natural materials
Every year, Main Street usually comes alive with exhibits for this special time of year. The scenery was quite the one expected on Tuesday afternoon when Guyana Times took a walk around the various booths which had a number of shoppers trying to secure the perfect outfit for Emancipation celebrations this Thursday.
Although it rained during some parts of the day, this did not stop shopaholics from visiting the various booths and getting a glimpse of the many colours and designs available for sale at the exhibition which is held annually for locals to showcase and market their talent.
Designers usually seize this opportunity to display and vend not only African clothing and footwear, but diverse and unique pieces of jewellery and even foods and drinks.
One designer explained “We have caiman skins, alligator skins and snake skins as well as leather jewellery because this is nature. It’s all-natural materials, most of the stones [used to make rings and necklaces] are natural”.
In addition to the materials she listed, a wide range of her exotic pieces was also fabricated with wires instead of gold to create a more natural effect.
In relation to the colourful prints, she pointed out some which were made using a technique called “tie-dye” where a piece of cloth is folded, tied and dipped into paint. That exhibitor had shirts and scarves made using that design. According to her, those are more expensive than the usual pieces due to the time and dedication it takes to create those.
Another vendor, Patricia Helwick, noted that she has been coming out to the Main Street exhibition for the past 15 years. She boasted that her customers usually look out for her annually due to the unique pieces she offers.
She had on display clothing for men, women and children with fabric imported from Nigeria. Helwick said she takes pride, especially in head wraps among the other pieces, which include pantsuits for men, dresses, skirts and even shirts.
She said she joined the exhibition on Monday but has seen a slow influx of customers in comparison to last year. While persons have been visiting her booth, she complained that persons are more interested in describing the outfits rather than purchasing, although she termed her pieces as “affordable”.
Near her was Antwon Austin, who had a unique booth with wines and juices.
Austin had on display and for sale wines made from natural herbs such as Sarsaparilla, which has been used for ages. He listed a few others, “aunty desmond, jamoon, passion fruit, plum and granny backbone”.
According to him, those herbs are usually used for medicinal purpose such as cleansing the urinary tract to treat urinary tract infections, back and joint pain among others.
