Trinidad Guardian
Trinidad & Tobago: Attendance was high on Saturday morning when the National Carnival Commission (NCC) hosted its Carnival Stakeholders Consultation—“Crystallising the Role of the NCC”—at the UTT Auditorium, National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Port-of-Spain. Chaired by NCC deputy chairman Don Sylvester, the consultation was attended by major stakeholders in T&T Carnival, including heads of special interest groups, bandleaders, masqueraders, calypsonians and steelband personnel.
Emphasising that “Carnival 2013 was the worst ever” he’d witnessed, Legacy bandleader “Big Mike” Antoine accused the NCC of running away from its responsibility, reminding that the NCC was mandated through legislation to manage T&T Carnival. He suggested that the NCC seek the assistance of Caribbean Prestige Foundation chairman William Munro to run Carnival, to redound to the similar success Munro has had in producing the annual International Soca Monarch event.
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Agree. Haven't attended Trini Carnival since 1978 and can't say I was impressed. I attended most of the CCD events which were high priced (Panorama Finals) $450 for regular Grand Stand seats, $350 for North Stand which 1/2 empty. Dimanche Gras wasn't what I know as Dimanche Gras because de calypso monarch was on Saturday and the Sunday wasn't as good any Best Village Show. I did j'ouvert with 3 Canal and de Laventille Rythmn Section it was the besss and washed off in Maracas Bay for the rest of the day. Tuesday I deposited my 95yr. oleman in the Grand Stand with family and their coolers and went of de road. I saw many patrons leaving the Grand Stand in the earlies, I guess from boredom. I was on Charlotte Street from the Savanah down to Renegades yard and back and met the same bands standing and moving and standing. The backup was unbelievable. Despers played but pan can only play for so long. All Stars did the same. Now I was planning on being on board with All Stars dressed in whites for de $80 band fee. I was glad I choose to be ah spectator. I see masqueraders in air condition buses, now is this mass. They have pee trucks, cooling stations and the trailers are loooong, so long they were having problems negotiating the turns with the crowds. Surprise no one got killed. Someone suggest band leaders pull numbers to see who goes on stage Monday or Tuesday to unclog the jam in that hot sun. The point is, Carnival was way better even before 1978. The Carnival Village is beautiful with lovely white tents and is a free event. The bess part is still the drag when the Pan drill and Despers, Invaders and Skifle yards located on the other side of Charlotte Street between Jerningham Avenues and Belmont Circular Rd. Is Reel Pan Heaven. May be the next regime will bring it back.
You are so on the money. Trinindad is touted as the home of carnival. Bring back the ole time days and ways when people really played mas and had a great time. Now its about sophisticated people fulling their pockets while we get not much for our dollars....and some of us are buying it wholesale. Fire all of them in bring in marketing people with talent and common sense to get D carnival up to a world class format. We loosing it just as we loosing Pan..
You tell them ama, when we talk about how carnival was some try to tell us we old and have to accept change, I say that's a lot of "bull crap" we will accept good change, if you don't have any bring back the ole time days.
Glenford, you missed out the Ambulance behind the pee truck, I said to myself the next thing they will have is an undertaker behind the Ambulance.
HA HA HA!!!!!!. Cecil, is everything and everybody does make Mas in dis place of Baccannal!!
Everything about carnival needs fixing, it's good to see that someone woke-up.