Since 1963 THE PNM pouring MONEY LIKE RAIN into the AFRO CULTURE WITH ZERO RETURN ON INVESTMENT. Now this budget coming up and everybody got ELEGANT PLANS to take THE CULTURE WORLDWIDE and bring in MILLIONS (BILLIONS?) in FOREIGN EXCHANGE.
But once they GET THE MONEY it does just DISAPPEAR and GET REPLACED by MORE PAPER PLANS. Elegantly written proposals OVER-RATING THE LOCAL TALENT -- devoid of ANY UNDERSTANDING of what THE OUTSIDE WORLD wants to hear or see.
As a lifelong CALYPSO LOVER, I am TOTALLY CONVINCED that if we BLEND THE CALYPSO RIGHT and we have some WORTHY STARS -- we could CONQUER THE WORLD with OUR MUSIC. But the MUSIC PRODUCERS in TRINIDAD don't have a clue on how to REACH FOREIGN AUDIENCES with HYBDRIDIZED CALYPSO/SOCA.
LOOK!!! THE PNM could give A BILLION DOLLARS to ALL THE LOCAL THEORISTS and that money will DISAPPEAR in two years and they will be back BEGGING FOR MORE MONEY like they are doing now. How many HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS have the PNM HANDED OVER to PAN and CALYPSO and FILM and DANCE?
And look who BREAK INTERNATIONAL with the SOCA: ARROW and KEVIN LITTLE. Well ah leave out ANSLEM DOUGLAS but that turned into a LEGAL QUAGMIRE.
THE MERRYMEN must have earned MORE MONEY singing CALYPSO than ALL THE TRINIDAD CALYPSONIANS COMBINED between THE SIXTIES and EARLY TWO THOUSANDS.
And when it comes TO PAN -- IT'S ALL EMOTION and CORRUPTION!!! Imagine the 2021 ELECTION CAMPAIGN done start already so that the WINNING PRESIDENT could PULL IN $30,000 PNM DOLLARS a MONTH and leave PAN MEN STARVING.
I am not a PAN LOVER, but I have WITNESSED the MESMERIZING EFFECT of the PAN on a large number of FOREIGNERS in LIVE EVENTS. However, the EMPHASIS has to be ON RECORDING QUALITY PAN MUSIC THAT APPEALS TO GLOBAL AUDIENCES.
THE PNM will always PUNISH the SOCA CHUTNEY COMMUNITY on RACIAL GROUNDS -- but that music has a lot of GLOBAL POTENTIAL. The problem is that the GENRE is represented by some BACKWARD COUNTRY BOYS who cannot see outside of the VILLAGE CULTURE. But they have a POTENTIAL GLOBAL AUDIENCE that is just WAITING TO BE ENTERTAINED by a BUST OUT SOCA CHUTNEY.
I still would like to see a GREATEST HITS PANORAMA PRODUCT put out there directed at the HUNDRED OF THOUSANDS of TRINI/CARIBBEAN EXPATS and the TENS OF THOUSANDS of FOREIGN PAN LOVERS. Of course if PAN TRINBAGO gets $100,000 to produce and market that PAN PRODUCT -- half the money would the STOLEN and a sub-standard product will be released.
For the last time I say: THERE IS A LACK OF ADMINISTRATIVE and CREATIVE TALENT in TRINIDAD if you really want to talk about GLOBALIZING THE ARTS.
In the words of DOCTOR ERIC WILLIAMS: MONEY IS NOT THE PROBLEM!!!
I will add a very favourite line that I have come to accept as GOSPEL: There is no SHORTAGE OF MONEY -- there is only a SHORTAGE of IDEAS (and TALENT) that MAKE MONEY!!!
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