Revitalising Masquerade in Guyana

– Merundoi Incorporated partners with UNESCO to restore a Guyanese tradition

Through an initiative entitled ‘Masquerade Lives on’, Merundoi Incorporated will consolidate plans to stimulate creativity and innovation in the Masquerade tradition in Guyana.
Plans include opening spaces for the achievement of sustainable livelihoods for this Guyanese Intangible Heritage form, in industries such as Tourism and Entertainment.
According to their press release, Merundoi foresees an all-of-society conversation on strategies to maintain Masquerade, through intensified collaboration with public, private and civil society entities.
These entities include the University of Guyana (UG), the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), and Moray House Trust, along with the Ministries of Education; Culture, Youth and Sport; and Tourism, Industry and Commerce.
‘Masquerade Lives on’ will continue to build on the solidarity engendered in Masquerade Lives, a 2012-2016 collaboration among the Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc (GCA); the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport; UG; Theatre Guild and Merundoi Incorporated.
The release noted that the main activities of ‘Masquerade Lives on’ include organising a national workshop regarding the ratification of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), and the role and responsibility of Guyana in this important cultural field.
The initiative will also be arranging an all-of-society National Symposium that will include the voices of Masquerade practitioners, who deserve sustained attention.
In addition, Merundoi will work to create an awareness building exercise with a view to deeper understanding of, and respect for this age-old Guyanese cultural practice, aimed at the general public, and particularly young children.
This will be carried out in collaboration with: institutions such as the Ministry of Education and UG, with a view to using materials such as Dr Juliet Emanuel’s My First Book about Masquerade – a colouring and activity book, and others.
Merundoi will also include media systems for information sharing and feedback among itself and stakeholders, as well as continued research.
The initiative will focus too on assisting in the establishment of a Guyana Masquerade Association, and facilitating relationships with the hospitality, tourism, entertainment and entrepreneurial industries and other such entities in the Caribbean region.
The initiative will also work to encourage research and training through collaboration with the Institute of Creative Arts, UG, as well as appropriate institutions in the Caribbean Region.
The National Workshop on The UNESCO 2003 Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage and the National Symposium “Masquerade Lives On” are scheduled for April 23-25 and April 29 -30, 2025 respectively.