Dr. Merle Albino-de Coteau is a retired Director of Culture, in the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Women's Affairs. She is asking the Senator, the Honourable Donna Cox, appointed as Senator and Minister of Social Development and Family Services, to assist her in getting the money owed her for services rendered through the ministry from July 2016 to December 2019.
Dr. Merle Albino-de Coteau is a stalwart in the steel pan community. Outside of her music school she in a music scribe, composer, arranger and author. She has taught in secondary school and at the University of the West Indies for some time but in her latter years mainly taught at the music school located in Laventille. Her thesis was done surrounding women in pan. She would have been just one of the rare women who went against what was culturally and socially accepted at that time, just to be a part of the development of the music surrounding the instrument.
Dr. de Coteau was involved in a programme which taught music literacy including the national instrument, the steelpan, from 2009 to December 2019 to senior citizens through the Ministry of Development, Culture and Women’s Affairs. She claimed that this started in 2009 and in 2016 was the last time she got paid. She, like all other musicians and music educators, is feeling the financial depression due to the lack of work caused by the pandemic. After years of appealing to the Ministry and reaching to a place of financial inadequacy, we are appealing to you, the Honourable Minister Donna Cox to come to her rescue.
The members of Pan Moving Forward(PMF) have already stepped in and would like to encourage Pan Trinbago, Music schools, Panist, both local and international and some of the more successful steel bands to do the same. PMF believes that if we don’t change the way we presently treat the elders in the steel band movement, we too will become victims of neglect when we become the elders. It is the responsibility of the government and the public to honour, preserve, respect and celebrate the people who gave Trinidad its national instrument and our identity as Trinbagonians. Trinbago is the land of limbo, calypso and steelpan. However, if our own members and institutions don’t see about our elders, how can we expect anyone else to care.
Dr. de Coteau made her contribution to Trinidad and Tobago and it is time for Trinidad and Tobago to make a contribution to her. Let us all keep being a people of love and let us not allow the trying times make us turn a blind eye to royalty in pan at her most vulnerable time.
Dr. de Coteau +1 (868) 325-7620
Pan Moving Forward president
Aquil Arrindell
Replies
I don't mean to change the topic; but if an ACCOMPLISHED WOMAN (and HISTORICAL CONTRIBUTOR to the PAN WORLD like that) is facing FINANCIAL HARDSHIP in T&T right now ... think about the ORDINARY PEOPLE and the ORDINARY PAN PLAYERS.
And the fact that THE PRESIDENT OF PAN TRINBAGO is currently ON VACATION collecting her $27,500 a month (plus perks) while she does not LIFT A FINGER to take care of PAN BUSINESS.
And YES!!! DR. MERLE is a PART OF HER BUSINESS ... her, referring to SELF-SERVING BEVERLEY RAMSEY-MOORE!!!
The "copyright issue" was incidental to this conversation.
To be clear -- When Steel Talks has not now or ever taped or published any info/videos/ and or articles of Mrs. Merle Albino-de Coteau without the expressed permission of Mrs. Merle Albino-de Coteau. That can be easily verified with a simple Google search of all WST sites. And we certainly did not tape the event she speaks of in the interview with Aquil Arrindell. Unfortunately When Steel Talks does not control material posted in WST forum by people outside of our control. Mrs.Merle Albino-de Coteau should be respected, honored and commended for all her contributions to the global steelband movement. She is indeed a Trinidad & Tobago national treasure.
WST
As far as the statement above: "Dr. de Coteau made her contribution to Trinidad and Tobago and it is time for Trinidad and Tobago to make a contribution to her" goes, I humbly beg to disagree.
Dr. Albino-de Couteau is not looking for handouts, contributions or other forms of alms. She is, according to the article, "owed money for her for services rendered through the ministry from July 2016 to December 2019."
If there were a Musicians' Union that represented the rights of musicians (not like Pan Trinbago which is about steelbands, but does not protect individuals in the industry) Dr. Albino-de Couteau would not have to resort to "asking" anyone - be it a senator, a minister or anyone else related to her field of endeavour - for "assistance" in getting paid for her services to the said ministry.
The attorneys in such a union would have long ago brought the case up in the judicial system, using the relevant legal channels, wjthout her having to pay a cent in legal fees, and gotten a judge to order the ministry to pay her the money owed, as well interest on the money owed, and the legal costs incurred by the Musicians' Union.
Of course, the first step is for musicians to form a union.