It was at about 10:00 hrs on Mashramani Day — that a representative of this publication walked along the promenade at Vlissengen Road to see what was happening.
The vendors had spent the night setting up their stalls and tents and stocking up on the foods and drinks they would sell during the day.
But the atmosphere was depressing. Rain was pouring with a vengeance from dark clouds overhead. Many of the would-be vendors were lying on the wet grass under tents sheltering from the rain. The rain-flooded promenade was deserted. One female vendor was heard saying to another, “girl, this ent looking good.”
This publication decided to speak with a few of the vendors.
A woman who said her name is Lorna, was seated on a chair under a tent which she said she had rented for the day. Her table was packed with various foods. She said that by this time on any other Mash Day, a quarter of her foodstuffs would already be sold. Gesturing at the deserted area she said, “Everybody staying home because of the rain. I am a housewife, I invested all my money here; if this rain don’t stop, I’m in deep trouble.”
Farther along the walkway, three young men had set up a table on which several wines were displayed. The men — obviously in their twenties — were taking shelter while anxiously watching the sky.
This publication spoke with them. The three men are friends who put together money to purchase wines to sell to revellers. “Things looking brown, though,” one of the young men said. “This rain better stop.”
But, to the surprise of many people, although it rained all day long, at about midday, everything changed; Guyanese came out in droves to mash.
Upon visiting the same location at around 5 p.m, this publication’s crew could barely squeeze through the crowd of rain-soaked revellers. The streets and walkways were packed with people. The rain was still pouring, but now, the music was blaring, the barbecue grills — safely sheltered under tents — were giving off the mouth-watering aromas of various meats, and everyone was enjoying the day. And, of course, the drinks were flowing. The whole day was an informative and extraordinary experience.
Observations such as were made by this publication remind us that many Guyanese live on the edge. The woman who said that she invested everything, for example. She was worried that all could be lost just because of one day of bad weather. Fortunately, everything turned out very well.
This publication is pleased that Guyanese came out and supported our own brothers and sisters who were trying to make a dollar, even as everyone enjoyed themselves. We need to cultivate the spirit of Mashramani and support our own every day.
