on the road.Digicel almost ready for the road On Friday

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(By Mondale Smith)With eight days to go before persons adorn themselves with costumes or joining the revelry to celebrate Mashramani 2010, designers and their teams are working overtime to showcase Guyana in various creative forms and colourfully so.A Mash Secretariat team headed by Culture Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, his Permanent Secretary, Alfred King, and Mash Co-ordinator, Lennox Canterbury, visited five Mash camps in the city.They have all expressed satisfaction with what they have seen. Minister Dr Frank Anthony and PS Alfred King share a light moment with Digicel’s head of Marketing Jacqueline James.On Friday, the Minister said that 31 companies, groups and regions as well as religious bodies and political parties have already signed on while he is optimistic that at least nine more companies will sign up for the mash day float parade. The aim is to have at least 40 costume bands (contingents) on the road.Digicel almost ready for the road On Friday, the team’s first stop was the Digicel camp in the company’s parking lot where costume designers were busying themselves with final touches to the individual creations such as a giant size hibiscus flower, the mammoth honey bee, and the wings of the Humming bird.Contracted designer, Olympia Sonoram, reported that all the full costumes, numbering more than 100, are completed and that the main focus at present is on the completion of the large individual ones from each section.“Our work is 98 percent complete. By Sunday the Digicel camp will be ready for the road,” a beaming Sonoram reported.Obviously impressed and pleased with the quality of work and the finish, as well as the pace at which the costumes were completed, Digicel’s head of Marketing, Jacqueline James, said that “all our costumes were free and they are all gone. So look out for us on the road because we will be out to win all the prizes.”James also said that the company’s Mash fit work out programme being executed by the Curtis workout team and will be hitting the road with many surprises in formations and co-ordinated dances etc.As the Minister’s team viewed the costumes and hard of the concepts, words such as impressive, commendable, creative and a great encouragement were used to describe the costumes and the rate of construction as well as the themes that will take to the road on February 23 as Guyana celebrates its 40 Republic anniversary.The next stop was the Ansa McAl Carib Beer mash camp on Robb Street. This is also being headed by Sonoram. There, camp workers were busy cutting cardboard headpieces and pasting and shaping other materials to create a sea of mostly yellow and blue costumes accentuated by sequins and Guyana flags as well as Carib signatures.Again Sonoram said that the work is almost 95 percent completed. “The costumes are all done. So we are finishing off some others and are also working to complete the bigger individual pieces.“Those should be done by Tuesday or Wednesday in time for the Mash night showcase on February 22,” Sonoram said.That camp also features some blasting Soca music from the Stereo Sonics sounds spun by DJ Bevaughn. Last night, the Mash camp soca partying and hang out got started. The costumes are being constructed under the theme that focuses on promoting low carbon development and climate change with golden rays of the sun that offer hope on the horizon, according to Sonoram.All told, the Carib camp will be creating a sea of yellow and blue numbering more than 200 strong in full costumes.Minister Jennifer West ford designs PSM costumes The Public Service Ministry, as at yesterday, was a cut above the rest when the Mash committee team visited. Minister Jennifer Westford is wearing the costumes designers’ cap.Her Ministry is the first to showcase its costumes and will be making its debut in the costumes float parade with an individual queen and 50 revellers.The theme centers on ensuring Government’s focus on development of its human resources in the various sectors be they medical, engineering or agriculture.There is also a special section for electricity with helmets that light up and the Minister said the concept is hers and with the help of her staff her costumes constructions were cost effective and made of materials bought locally at some unbelievable prices.“I decided to do this because most of the designers’ prices are exorbitant so I decided to do it myself and you wouldn’t believe how much cheaper it is,” the proud Minister turn costume designer, said.The Mash camp visits ended with the official launch of the Banks DIH 500 strong mash band.