Doing Jehovah work while enjoying the Steel pan music

I jump out of the bus with plenty other passengers near the Botanical Gardens and I realise that I still had the money in my hand. Some notes of the first steel band playing. Clouds provide a nice eclipse of the sun so 4pm it is cool. Gardens look nice and clean but some Guyanese can't make it to the rubbish bins.

A former work colleague has her stand set up. She is a Jehovah Witness and preaches at the Gardens. Her grandson is one of the bands and she said that last year, the crowd seemed larger. The steel bands are around the bandstand. I ask her if she is not coming in and she laughs and says "I am doing Jehovah work while enjoying the steel pan music"

I sit at the edge of the manatee pond. The music is kind of faint and there are some children talking excitedly because they see the manatees. I have not seen the manatees in years and feel foolish that I could not find anything to feed them, though I think we are not supposed to feed them.

Imagine that there could be a Guyana experience - feeding manatees while listening to live music.

Place is cool. Some light breeze blowing. The school bands are good, some are better than others.

An APNU supporter says that she is glad that her people doing good cultural things. I told her that the event happened last year too in PPP times.

The Buxton Steel Orchestra is a hit with the trumpet (I think) doing Hear O Lord and moving on to other tunes which had a lady get up and start dancing.

(Here is a video of another performance)



A man who used to play when he was a student said he brought his daughter hoping she would be interested in learning to play. He was glad for the event because he said that there are very few things events for children to attend.

The sun starts to go down. The moon rises in the east, the large disc reflecting the setting sun. There is a view of it over one of the kissing bridges.  I did not have a camera so I was able to enjoy it without worrying about trying to get the image.

Some pans strike up the National Anthem and catch people by surprise. The National Anthem doesn't sound too perfect - I am hoping that the youngsters wanted to improvise on it a bit.

 We talk about how nice it would be if there could be more events like this at the public spaces. A young man who was directing his first play said it was nice to rehearse in the gardens with all the trees and the back drop. Maybe a stage will be created somewhere with some mics so that there could be some performances.

A woman said , yes, and we have to support them. She had been to the Cultural Centre for the Champion of Champions Calypso  and there was a small audience. I asked if the dress code stopped people from coming. She laughed and said, but we need standards in one place. I said but how you gun dance and enjoy calypso in nice clothes?

Place is dark as we leave the Botanical Gardens.  Two young people are playing music at the gate while another one is selling some chains. I see my former colleague who was doing Jehovah's work and she asked me ' you aint gun give them something?' I said okay,. I asked one of the girls ' De Donde Eres' and she said Colombia. I put the bus fare in the hat.

I thought of Minister Felix finding them and deporting them for working without work permit or busking without permit.

In the bus coming home , I sit next to a man who was a conductor who I think from his accent had been involuntarily remigrated to Guyana and who had argued with me about gay rights and Hinduism. I thought ow lard, we gun argue again and my lil nice feeling gun gone.

He laughed , "long time" ..  the bus driver had migrated. He started talking about how he and the bus driver would argue with passengers just for the fun of it because they were bored  .

That's Guyana and the world.. if you can't find things to enjoy, you have to create your own.