Behind the Rupununi Music & Arts Festival is a dedicated crew who works to keep it alive and kickin’ in beautiful Guyana. Coming from different horizons, each of them bring a stone to make it happen.
Dr. Bob Ramdhanie MBE
Co-founder and artistic director of the Festival. Of Trinidadian and Guyanese parentage, he has been involved in the UK arts arena for over 40 years where he established the Handsworth Cultural Centre, the CAVE Arts Centre, Kokuma Dance Company and the internationally renowned a cappella quintet Black Voices. In 2011, he was awarded the 1st Arts and Cultural Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award by the Drum Arts Centre in Birmingham for his continued engagement and contribution to the arts and was awarded an MBE in 2018, for his contribution to dance in the UK.
Carolina de Andrade Pinheiro
Carolina is the Brazilian coordinator and supporter of the Rupununi Music & Arts Festival since its inception in 2014. She has been a key member that worked consistently hard to ensure that she promotes Brazilian artistes and culture professionally at the Festival. Given her support for diverse and interesting world cultures, in 2018, she was also able to engage resident artistes from Venezuela to attend the Festival. She is also an art teacher, cultural producer and artistic project manager.
Cassie Junor
Cassie is bold, bright and brave. The young teacher is a daughter of Pakuri (St Cuthbert’s Mission) – the only Indigenous Village in the Demerara – Mahaica Region.
A trained teacher, a national volleyball player and active in the fashion/modelling world, Cassie was crowned Miss Pakuri 2017/2018. After completing her secondary education, she enrolled at the Cyril Potter College of Education where she successfully completed her Associate Degree. She performed with the Kanaima Dance Group at the 2019 Rupununi Music & Arts Festival in Georgetown. Cassie’s favourite quote: “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think”- Christopher Robin.
Colin Edwards
Co-founder of the Festival, is the owner of the Rockview Lodge which was the location for the festival in 2014 and 2015 and which is neatly housed within beautiful manicured gardens with an abundance of fruit trees!. He has been living in Region 9 for several decades and is a fluent Portuguese speaker. Colin has been closely associated with Guyana’s development since he arrived in 1969 and ‘has an eye for detail’ regarding site development and logistics! Passionate about the Guyanese interior, he actively promotes sustainability through agricultural and eco-tourism, horticulture and aquaculture.
Denis D’Agrella
Denis is the Georgetown coordinator of the Rupununi Festival and is the key person who makes everything happen! Involved since its inception, he is totally committed, is the Festival’s ‘livewire and Mr. Fix It’ and adapts a very practical approach to problem solving. Denis has a joke for every occasion but his enthusiasm for the Festival has not waned over the years and he remains a reliable ‘foot soldier’. Denis is Mr. Logistics who looks after all the artistes’ arrangements for arrival and departure and more! He knows some of the best places to eat… cheaply!
Gavin Mendonca
Gavin is the social media and public relations representative of the Festival and a team member who will ‘have a go’ at anything to do with the Festival. He is loyal, hard-working and trustworthy and he co-produces our programmes, searches out new local talent and nurtures and supports Guyanese artistes. A talented musician and performer, he is one of very few ‘Punk Rockers’ in Guyana and the host of his self-produced radio show. He is currently the bassist of the local Heavy Metal band “Feed the Flames” and is researching, recording and performing folk songs of his country with the drummer, Chucky.
Jaslyn Hall
Jaslyn Is Madam Festival Administrator. Resident in Barbados, Jaslyn is focused and self motivated, passionate about the arts and has a wealth of worldwide experience in strategic planning and the management of cross-functional teams for projects, events and festivals.Jas has been a key volunteer at the Festival since 2015, and it would be true to say, she manages the entire weekend, with her team of volunteers, with precision and efficiency. Madam Festival contributes all-year round and always still finds time to meet and greet visitors at the gate or in the office during the weekend.
kT Kacur
kT began working as a Photographer’s Assistant in London and spent a decade in the photographic world. Simultaneously, 'World Music' became her second love, and moving to Birmingham, she became involved in the music scene. Together with Bob, they formed mapz arts agency, supporting world music artistes based in the UK. Moving back to Switzerland in 2012 kT has been part of the organising committee, since 2017, of the largest African Festival in Switzerland, the 'Afro-Pfingsten Festival Winterthur', as the Artist Liaison Officer. kT has been volunteering with the Rupununi Music & Arts Festival since inception, assisting with website management and with ideas for ‘world music’ programming.
Kyle Joseph
Kyle is a young Wapichan man from Aishalton. He attended Queen's College and then Pearson College, Canada where he has always taken the opportunity to showcase his indigenous culture. He is currently a Project Coordinator at the South Rupununi District Council, as well as a student pursuing an BA in Sustainable Development at Xavier University Bhubaneswar. In 2018, he was a part of the volunteer group of the Rupununi Music and Arts Festival. Kyle is keen on photography, videography and travel and promotes Rupununi tourism everywhere.
Leanna Lindie
Leanna is ‘born and bred’ in Lethem and was a key volunteer and active ‘worker’ when we launched the first Festival at Manari Ranch in 2018. Prior to and after the Manari Ranch event, Leanna and colleagues from Lethem provided continuity support, tidying up the camping area and liaising with locals to ensure that nothing was left ‘in limbo’. Leanna’s passion for music and arts has increased tremendously since 2018 and now she is active in promoting local music and art. Leanna brings to the Crew a wealth of local knowledge and is always ready to help with the search for new local artists within her region, Region 9.
Luke Johnson
Luke, another key member of the Festival team, has been involved since the 1st Festival and one of his main areas of support, is in recruiting local volunteers from Georgetown. Totally committed, he is a useful handyman to have on site, and like Denis, quickly offers practical solutions to make things happen. Like the rest of the Team, he is actively involved all-year round. A reliable ‘Festival’ driver and local guide to visiting artistes, he is also a travel consultant, a Tour Manager plus a Bird, Wildlife & Culture Guide and a Research Assistant. Luke was Guyana’s ‘Tour Guide of The Year’ in 2014.
Mark Khan
Mark is an award winning industrial designer specialising in Environmental, Product and Graphic design. Raised in Georgetown, Mark and his family migrated and settled in New York City. After attending Pratt Institute, Mark entered the NYC design scene and eventually opened his own design studio, Silverbait Design. With 30 years of design experience in the corporate world Mark now works on his personal projects. Mark has passionately supported the Rupununi Music & Arts Festival since it’s inception as a volunteer, creating all graphic content for the event. He is grateful for this connection to his homeland. His design portfolio can be seen at: www.silverbait.com
Ramona Chanderballi
Ramona is a Cardiac Sonographer from Georgetown, Guyana and currently serves as the Social Media Coordinator for the Rupununi Music and Arts Festival. She has been a part of the volunteer team since 2015; is a self-taught artist and is passionate about supporting the local music scene and arts community. Quiet and conscientious, Ramona volunteers to do anything at short notice and, as is becoming necessary, helps the Team with SM operations as she contributes ‘above and beyond’ the festival weekend.
Ransford Simon
Ransford, a Guyanese artist was born in Rewa in the Rupununi, to Macushi parents. His early education was in North Rupununi and granted a scholarship, he honed his painting skills at the E.R Burrowes School of Art in Georgetown. His love for art is inspired by nature and his home village and recurring themes speaks boldly of his ancestors and the spirits of the forest. Festival Patron, the late George Simon, invited him to join the Moving Circle of Artists and besides regularly exhibiting, he also volunteered with the Festival in 2018 and has been a keen supporter and volunteer since. As an artist, Ransford is growing from strength to strength and, before long, will be exhibiting to international audiences.
