by Sharmain Baboolal
Arima, Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Thieves climbed through a very small space between the roof and the wall at the Marsicans Steel Orchestra panyard and stole five chromed tenor pans from the band on Monday night.
That represents more than half the frontline of nine tenors for the single pan band, former national champions, who are practicing for Panorama 2019.
It put the 30-year-old unsponsored band back by TT$25,000, given the cost of one tenor pan, at its lowest, is TT$5,000.
They could easily be hustled off for less than half the price and an alert has gone out to bands to look out for the hustlers trying to sell the tenors.
Sadly it was not the only band in Arima to be affected. Recently, Pan Elites also of Arima suffered a similar fate when pans were stolen.
“A lot of bands want pans and people are hustling, looking for your vulnerability.
“We practiced until 11 p.m. on Monday night,” Cindy Rosemin, the band’s trustee said.
“Neighbors reported hearing movement around one o’clock in the morning, but did not think it was unusual.
“The next day we found a steel object which they used to try to open the door from the inside. They could not. If indeed they had done that they may have moved out with a lot more,” she explained.
“We are now working on trying to secure the space,” she assured, adding that Marsicans will just have to borrow pans from other bands to make it to the Single Pan Preliminaries on January 25th.
Marsicans will play a Marlon White-arrangement of Kitchener’s ‘Rain-O-Rama’ for Panorama 2019.
A Journalist/Editor based in Trinidad and Tobago, with 35 years experience in print, broadcast and digital media. As a founding member of the T&T Mirror Newspaper, I served as photo journalist, columnist and editor over 23 years.
My experience in broadcast journalism started and ended at the now defunct National Broadcasting Service (Radio 610 AM and Radio 100 FM). I honed my skills in broadcast journalism at the Radio Netherland Training Centre (RNTC) and I am a certified media trainer.
Single-handedly, I established a small but effective News Department at Trinidad and Tobago Radio Network Limited (TTRN). As a seasoned news woman I am skilled in photojournalism, parliament and court reporting, writing and producing for print, electronic (radio and video) as well as digital media and promotions. I have mentored and trained a few younger writers and producers along the way. For this and more I earned a National Award in 2012, the Humming Bird Medal (Gold). I am the mother of a young scholar, an undergrad at Columbia University in New York, and a lover of steelpan music.
contact Sharmain Baboolal at: sharmain.baboolal@gmail.com
Replies
Let's hope and pray that Marcicans, Pan Elites and any other steelbands will surmount this travesty and the criminals who perpetuate this and face justice. Real shame and scandal this immorality has contributed to the suffering of people.