(By Mondale Smith)The Ministry of Culture is encouraging all to come out and enjoy some sweet steel pan music a the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, tomorrow, as the Republic Bank-sponsored National Mashramani Steel pan competition is staged for an over all purse of $2.3M in cash prizes.Andrew Tyndall, the event convenor, said that the show is part of the national programme but persons looking for a uniquely entertaining evening flavoured with sweet quality pan should ensure that they get to the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall early as the nation’s pan players take on each other competitively.On that occasion ten bands are expected to compete in five categories that feature school bands and small bands. There are three minor categories such as junior and senior Soloists and duets.The bands include the Guyana Police Force, Parkside, and Pan Groove Steel orchestras. In addition, there will be heated competition from the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School,Cheap Jerseys For Sale, The Bishops High and Dolphin Secondary school bands as well as the roots and culture steel band,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, Outreach Ministries and Lady Fatima steel bands.In the minor categories, Colgrain Whyte, will be the man to beat in the senior solo category as he has never lost that title for seven consecutive years.? Three years ago, he took a break from the competition but will be returning this year.Predicted to be the hottest, the junior category is in its second year and will feature six contestants including Akeem Pompey who is the reigning champion going up against five competitors namely Akeem Mohammed,Cheap Authentic Jerseys, Michael Smith Junior, Amanda Noel the lone female in the category,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, Takuma Bailey and Desmond Long.The senior category players include Jvanka Williams who will be debuting as the first female at that level in recent times and she will be coming up against players such as Clayton Daniels and Ray Sparman.Sunday’s duet category will offer a level playing field given that it was not part of the competition for about six years. The hot contenders’ pair is Colgrain Whyte and Troy Hunte up against pairs of Akeem and Romario Mohamed, Ryana Lewis and Clayton Daniels as well as Michael Smith Junior and Amada Noel.Guyana’s steel pan competition has its origin dating back to the 1960’s but there was a break for the period 2007 and 2008 as the art form according to some was headed for extinction.However,Buy Air Max 95, Andrew Tyndall is the programme manager for the Ministry’s Music development unit and he told this publication that through the Culture Ministry’s intervention a plan was hatched to resuscitate the art form in 2008.This led to the development of a national steel orchestra that played for Carifesta and subsequently the Ministry launched a school development programme through which instructors are availed to teach at school where there were instruments but no teachers. He said, “the programme has taken off well and has seen the launch of a national school steel orchestra through collaboration with Ministries of Education and Culture on December 4,Cheap Jerseys Outlet, 2009.”Tyndall said, too, “it’s this kind of developmental work that has helped us to re-launch the competition.”While there is not a large increase in bands, the members of the bands have dramatically increased in some cases from seven to twenty.