As you may have surmised by now, I have no PERSONAL NEEDS when it comes to the STEELBAND THING. There are a few things I would like to see and participate in as a team player. But as my Uncle Kenny used to say at least three times every day: It's neither here nor there with me!!!
But Cecil taking this thing real seriously. He wants STEELBANDS back on the road for Carnival. And even though Oswald and Gerard Clarke and merrytonestothebone (ah know ah not supposed to call that man name again) tell Cecil that PAN ON THE ROAD FOR CARNIVAL gone the way of 8-TRACK and the PHONE BOOTH -- Cecil eh believing nobody.
And with all the money that THE PNM borrowing if they don't turn the economy around in time, the whole society is going to cave in and when EXPATS like Cecil go home to see PAN ON THE ROAD FOR CARNIVAL their chances of coming out of that country alive is a very low percentage. But that is another story.
I think that you and I should have an off-line discussion on how we might to able to start the process for Cecil by getting one or two bands back on the road and try to rebuild his dream from there. Some thing about a journey of a thousand miles!!!
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I know that the book has been closed on the issue for some time, but my purpose is to point out what a bad decision that was.
We owe all the pioneers of the steelband a debt of gratitude, especially the ones that went to jail or got killed, who got stabbed, cut, chopped, shot, who got buss-head, hit with baseball bat, iron bolt, bull-pissle, big stone, bottle, those that runway from home to beat pan on the road, all this did not happen so that the steelband be pushed to the side of the road, and people talk about the road ain't good or we have to see about the children, today they ride and play get food and drink still they don't value the presence of the steelband on the road. What ah shame.
My band, San City on the road for more that twenty years now. In San Fernando there about seven bands come on the road every carnival. However, to get pan music to play a more important part on the road is easy, do like Point Fortain borough day, PAN ON THE ROAD ALONE. I have notice on carnival Tuesday when the police shut off the DJ every body start following the steel bands. People need music to enjoy themselves, then give PAN the Monday night for the pan mass competition. and the last two hours on last lap Tuesday. That maths not hard and it is do-able.
Well you know that CECIL has been killing me with this PAN ON THE ROAD THING for years now. And since my only reason for being on this forum is to SUPPORT CECIL -- I have thought about his WISHES from TIME TO TIME and this is where I am at with the issue.
If I had to approach it, I would work on a PLAN to bring TWO STEELBANDS ON THE ROAD on the CECIL TIMESLOT in 2018. Now picking and negotiating with those TWO BANDS will take a lot of hard work. But once we agree with the NUMBERS from the BANDS that is where I think that I can put MY BEST FOOT FORWARD.
You and I should bounce that ball and see how far we could go with it. I have a lot of ideas already worked out!!! I have an EXPAT MINDSET and it is really hard for me to see EYE TO EYE with the LOCALS but something about you gives me a LITTLE HOPE.
... and I eh bigging you up just to come and stay by you for CARNIVAL because I eh never coming back to Trinidad and I don't like South. But don't hold that against me!!! We could still work together!!!
You have a Carnival,and you have a National Instrument, why take your National Instrument out of your carnival? The wise thing to do is build your carnival around your instrument.
This is not about what Cecil want, it is about depriving the youth a part of their heritage.
Cecil: I am offering to work with Aquil on YOUR PROJECT -- frankly, my friend, I don't give an EFF about the "youth and their heritage" because when I DEAD I DONE!!!
But I don't want to get into the "PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE" but I do believe that Aquil and I could work something out FOR YOUR SAKE.