Mr. Thomas Bailey, President of the West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA),
I am writing this public letter in the hopes that you will eventually see this promptly. This is in regards to the article you posted on the New York Carib News website regarding the Brooklyn Panorama 2012 situation. Now, I come to you, not as a disgruntled bureaucrat, nor will I approach this matter as a representative for any existing steelband organization. I am writing this letter as a college student/pannist who is currently preparing for a panorama event that I am not even sure is set in stone at this point.
I read your article and while I would like to give you a fair opportunity to speak your case and not judge you based on the actions of those before you, I do find some of your statements to be rather problematic. In general, I’ll be blunt, I found your article to come off as defensive propaganda against the National Association of Steelbands (NAS) and those who oppose you. Yes, I understand that multiple people have bashed you and the association that you lead, but that does not mean that you have to retaliate in the same fashion; especially since you are trying to gain the support of pannists who are tired of the lackluster efforts put forth by WIADCA as a whole. However, now I feel that I’m judging you without giving proper reason so please allow me to explore and analyze your article so that I can point out the areas that seemed problematic.
For starters, you make it seem as though the team of the NAS, as well as the Municipal Credit Union (MCU), were trying to sweep the rug from under your feet. Even though you recently came to power as President of WIADCA, I do not believe you did not see this coming. For years, the pan community has been complaining about the less than stellar efforts WIADCA has provided when it comes to panorama, did you not think that we would seek some type of alternative? So when the alternative arose with this new alliance, why act like the Panorama competition is so precious now when the last few years show otherwise?
You also stated that “panmen were reluctant to move from the Brooklyn Museum” to its would be new home of the MCU Park. I—naturally—disagree. From idle conversations, many of the panmen and women I have spoken with recently challenge that theory and were, like me, actually eager to play at a new venue. Considering multiple reasons. For starters, panorama is like a Superbowl to many West Indian young adults in the tri-state area that play this instrument and you’re trapping it in a parking lot. No matter how you try to glorify it, clearly you cannot accommodate all what needs to be accommodated…in a parking lot. For example, the musicians, you know the ones who are pretty much the reason why there’s a show to begin with, are only treated with free entry. But when the song is done, we same pannists have to look around and find seats wherever we can, sometimes way out in a grass hill.
Secondly, you stated that “the logistics of moving large steel bands to MCU Park would necessitate a large financial outlay by steel bands because they would have to rent flatbed trucks to transport the pans-an additional expense.” While I partially agree, you seem to forget that getting to the museum (parking lot), in itself is a problem, that is, if you haven’t noticed. Steelbands can’t even get so much as a police escort to the venue, but instead we have to be at a designated area before a certain time or risk disqualification. Sometimes bands have to push racks and floats themselves up and down the hills of Brooklyn on nothing but manpower, but Panorama is precious to you, so MCU promising a police escort to MCU Park is outlandish right?
Thirdly, advertisement. While we’re on the subject, how’s the flyers for panorama coming along? Haven’t seen any lately. The only form of advertisement I’ve seen from WIADCA promoting any Panorama I’ve ever been a part of included one flyer and the occasional radio commercial on a local radio station that isn’t fully accessible anywhere in Brooklyn. I hope you see a problem in this. How do you expect to get a good turnout if your organization never advertises to a new audience. This is where MCU would have been a better alternative. Already, the new venue would have attracted a new audience, thus expanding the community as a whole. Aside from that, MCU has partnered with other companies both currently, and in the past. In fact since you are evidently a fan of numbers, MCU hosted a Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling house show at its venue and it still holds the record of being the most attended house show in TNA Wrestling’s history with over 5,000 attendants. This is the opportunity that you chastise because you have essentially trapped a gold mine in a parking lot.
Even your statement stating that “[i]n the midst of all this WIADCA still decided to negotiate in good faith,” is hypocritical. You challenge the NAS to produce documents from a deal that you know is dead and even go so far as to say that you wish them well if they decide to hold their own panorama. Didn’t you state earlier that “[a]t stake was about $200,000 in funding that was only going to be available if there was one Panorama,”? So are you saying that you don’t want the added funding now? Is that why the sound systems and the video replay always come out the way they do year after year? Now I’m catching on.
Arguably because of the outstanding balance from your company, a staple at YOUR Panorama event since 1989, 4-time Champions, CASYM, had to drop out of the competition this year. And while you may not see the problem in this, I as a competitor, pannist, musician, …person, see the problem in this. So rather than bash your opposition to make WIADCA look better to West Indians, I beg you to realize that the pan community deserves better than what we have received in the past (Seriously, can a ticket for a free cup of corn soup hurt anyone?).
I thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to read a letter from just one concerned individual. I urge that if you feel the need to respond please do so in a public manner, much like how I approached you, so that the public, more specifically the pan community, has a chance to see what you have to say. Like I said, I want to give you a fair opportunity and trust that you wish to put on a great show on September 1st. Please don’t prove that you are just singing the same song as the rest.
Sincerely,
…Pannist
Replies
Very well said Markus G. but at the end of the day it is left to the bands and their leaders to decide whether to leave WIADCA alone to themselves and move on... as simple as it is if they (bandleaders) just got together and met with say MCU, NAS whoever, then end of story progress in motion...On this board We heard from WIADCA... We heard from NAS... But not a word from any bandleader whether up in arms or in agreeance with the outcome of the subject, but everybody practicing... not knowing what's going to happen as far as Panorama this year but knows that an opportunity of advancement has been lost... its really not fair to the players to not be able to bear witness to the progress and continued progress of one of the greatest musical events ever... period!! Panorama! Especially when the opportunities exist. The nonsense of "He/She can't lead me" or "I don't like him/her" is old. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses... nevertheless we have to work with each other, faults and all. Strengthen each others weaknesses and compound each others strengths...
Its obvious that the number of enthusiasts who want to see "Pan Progress" is overwhelming...but Its the bandleaders across the globe who can/will actually make it happen. Its not about just bringing your band out for Panorama season because your players and supporters look forward to it or "name in lights" syndrome... its got to be about forward ever backward never, progress, raising the bar, advancements, state of the art, professionalism at its finest because it is the steelband that is in jeopardy of dying not Pan but steelband as we know it.
Eye4Pan, I could not have said it better, even if I tried.
Wow...."True Pan Players"....(I'm sure all those young talented pannist who grew up in the US within the last 20 years just love that statement)...I'm guessing you have a model T ford in your driveway to be a "true car driver"...lol..nothing in this world stands still and remains the same - its called Progress and evolution, things that don't evolve eventually die - for example Huge multi-milion dollar companies like Eastman Kodak, Wang (to name a couple) who refused to evolve in conjunction with the times - eventually DIED or are in the process of dying. True Pan Players are those hundreds and thousands of young people who are in the panyards week after week year after year and LOVE to play pan some of them have never pushed pan in their lives but that does not make them any less True Pan Players.......
Not because this is they way things are ALWAYS done, makes it the best way! Furthermore, bands continue to cry out for respect from PanTrinbago as well in Trini...so we all have our problems. Finally, Trinidad IS NOT NY and you cannot draw such parallels with the two environments, especially when we have different laws to abide by.
On the contrary, I've been doing this for a while. And please inform me where in my letter did I ever mention having to push racks outside of the arena. I wasn't complaining about having to push racks, what I was complaining about is that we're not guaranteed a police escort through some bands come from different cities or states even. It was implied that we in Brooklyn have no problems with how things run with WIADCA. I simply laid out the problems that we all have stated at one point and for you to say we need to just make things work will simply lead to top 3 bands waiting for whenever WIADCA feels to pay them their prize money.
And for me to take this as a valid response please show me where exactly I'm speaking total garbage and where you propose a better alternative...shouldn't be hard since you have "half the things [I] am saying" as back up.
I don't play Pan but have been around Pannist and agreed with you totally! Who in God's name would think that the conditions that this Panaroma is OK to all Pan Men? What a shame!
Wow. This mentality is why the bands in NY are where they are right now.
Well put...leaves the way open for dialogue, not argument.
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