Recent discussion on Cultural ambassadors, managers, promoters of our culture had me thinking back to a time when government was involved in showcasing the art-form for international consumption. The name Aubrey Adams came to mind.
My question is why the Government and our embassies overseas are not continuing in these efforts to promote the culture of T&T?
Country mourns Aubrey Adams’ death
By JOAN RAMPERSAD Saturday, September 15 2007
But what really made him famous was his Ambakaila Musical Production and the Trinidad Folk Performing Company. As artistic director, Adams took the production to 33 major cities in the USA and Canada, the Royal Festival Hall in London and Broadway in New York.
All this came after its first showing in 1972 at Queen’s Hall. The production featured folk, limbo, and Arawak/Carib ritual dancing, calypso and steelband music. And so successful was the show that the TT tourist Board succeeded in getting it across the globe.
At that time, serving as Cultural Advisor to the late Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams, Adams gave that international exposure to Trinidad’s culture with performances in a number of countries around the world. He was the first Caribbean producer to have his work presented at the Royal Festival Hall in London and at the City Center Dance Center on Broadway.
The show also went to Bangalore, India, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Belgium, and Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Bethlehem, Israel. In 1980 at the invitation of the UN the Trinidad Folk Performing Company performed at the Human Rights Concert at the UN General Assembly Hall in New York in front of 150 country representatives.
Also in 1980 the show went to the White House during the Jimmy Carter administration and was the main feature in the Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
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I vividly remember the tour, because I attended the riveting performance at Symphony Hall in Boston and saved the program booklet and special souvenir book. These came in handy 20 years later ( 2001 or 2002) when Symphony Hall was planned a retrospective in-house exhibit of past " visiting artistes of color". I was then an in-house employee and was able to submit the souvenirs which were proudly displayed as part of the exhibit.
I was also able as artist booking agent ,to be instrumental in 1997 to facilitate The Mighty Sparrow to appear at Symphony Hall for the first time, as part of Celebrity Series presented there annually. This location previously known as Music Hall is renowned for its outstanding acoustic capabilities and would be perfect for presenting a steel orchestra extravaganza!!( maybe for a celebration of T&T's 55th, or 60th independence anniversary).The TT tourist board is fortunate to have had such cultural ambassadors like Mr Adams, to break ground in such a magnanimous way in 33 major cities in USA ,10 countries( Europe, Middle East and Far east) and to showcase to 150 UN representatives. Maybe it's time to put together another team similar to that which was used for the G Summit a few years back.
Myself as a Media Arts Entrepreneur, I have presented theT&T performance segments a few times on my TV show and many people are delightfully astounded and appreciative at being introduced to the rich variety of art, culture, talent and fresh entertainment that abounds in T&T, which in the 21st century is still an open secret and undiscovered treasure to many despite the presence of the Internet and Youtube.
Mr Aubrey Adams as a visionary, impresario and cultural advisor has done T&T proud through his insight, intuitiveness and love for the art and culture of indigenous people of our T&T along with the hybrids of music and performance that emerged from the amalgamation of peoples who were brought after colonization. This mishap of history enabled us to be the recipients of a rich repository of varied art forms and the ubiquitous steelpan unrivaled throughout the West Indies and the world.
While I am aware that the carnival and steelpan has been exported to the UK, US and elsewhere (I did ,with Cambridge Carnival) the rest of our cultural export is still hidden and relatively unknown.
I'm here and willing to help in whatever way I can to change that statistic, while I still have the platform of Radio and TV at my disposal.
Where there's a will there's a way. We can do it if we tried!!!TOGETHER.
T&T you need to "Show Your Motion...........tra la la la la,........... cause you look like a sugar and a plum"
Lynette: GREAT POSTING!!! Down in TRINIDAD they have NO IDEA how much EXPATRIATES have contributed to the EXPANSION OF THE CULTURE. I don't think that ONE EXPATRIATE has ever been given an award for SERVICE TO THE CULTURE OUTSIDIE OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO.
Maybe this forum should nominate you for one!!!
Hello Lynette, thanks for your invaluable contribution. I don't know if you saw the recent discussion on manager needed for the Codrington Pan Family, this can be a good place to start.
https://whensteeltalks.ning.com/forum/topics/business-manager-needed...
Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm sure your contribution/s can help other performers contemplating making similar decisions or those looking for opportunities outside of T&T.
Thanks ODW, I did know this. I knew who Mr. Aubrey Adams was though; I met him as a pre-teen. He had contacted some performers from Laventille to be part of the 1962 Mardi Gras Show on Carnival Sunday Night. I remember Dougla singing and he just waived to the crowd and left the stage. My brother told me he was sick. I also recall Blakie singing "Maria" and conducting the band with a baton. Lastly, when Sparrow was announced as the Calypso King, he threw his stingy brim hat into the air. Anyway ODW, I know this is not about me, but sometimes memories brings back happiness (lol). Your question is WHY Mr. Aubrey Adams' vision is not being exposed by our Government. Maybe we can start a petition and see it threw.
Ian, I love the story, part of our coming into being as a country, I always felt Aubrey Adams and George Goddard saw their roles as true ambassadors in promoting our culture.
If I recall correctly during his time most of the embassies had a cultural attache' as part of the diplomatic corps, their title as described "an embassy official whose function is to promote cultural relations between the home country and the foreign country" was a big responsibility.
The WHY its not happening today is a mystery to me. maybe the government been downsized. Who knows your suggestion could start the process to help change the country image. Music has a way of transporting people to life experiences that you describe, happy memories.
Steve Sealy - Trini Know How...To Party
We have lost many "cultural soldiers" to guide the way, George "Sonny" Goddard another icon lost in the PT mix!!! 20/20 Vision is lacking in the current order...
Andre' Thanks for the Beryl Mc Burnie link very informative including the additional source links.
Very good memories... My sisters were dancers under Beryl McBurnie and Aubrey Adams when international dignitaries would visit T&T shores. They put on some fantastic showcases for our culture... Often a stage side was commissioned to take the show on the road beyond our shores... > http://www.caribbeanmemoryproject.com/mc-burnie-beryl.html#/
It certainly would be a fitting tribute to his memory and legacy and would once again promote T&T to the world in a favorable light as a testament to our culture. > http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,64436.html
So do you think that if AMBAKAILA is reprised today it can storm the world like it did in the 70's? I saw it at the KENNEDY CENTER in Washington DC in the early 70's and it was pretty thrilling. That's the kind of brains and talent that PAN TRINBAGO needs to take PAN to the world.
But nutten eh happening!!!!
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