We the WST members have a golden opportunity to interact with people who have intimate knowledge of those people who played major roles in the early steelband movement. George Goddard the son of George "Sonny" Goddard is one. Let's not waste this opportunity to learn real details about the man who contributed so much to the steelband movement.
bugs
Replies
I am unaware of what vision many people have for pan but I know my uncle had the vision to which, the ministry of education, Trinidad & Tobago is still fighting up to properly structure and formerlize, today - there should be a pan ensemble in each school and that music literacy should be on the curriculum, but...sigh!!!!
Sandra!!! You made my day! (And, it's my birthday, too.) Thanks for speaking up. I hope that some day they also honor our other uncle (daddy's brother), the late Julian Goddard, who also worked tirelessly on behalf of the steelband movement, and, to date, has not received ANY recognition. They also need to honor you as well, one of the early "woman on de bass" - when Pandemonium was Pandemonium! Great hearing from you, cuz. Love ALWAYS!
GHOST (David)
Sandra L. Blood...your honor is well documented ...in Dr. Kim Johnson "The Illustrated Story of Pan" you will forever, be part of our women in Pan history "Women on De Bass" much respect!
I do recall back in the day late 60s when Martin Albino as a young primary school teacher at Diego Martin Boy's RC school, he made attempts to start Pan in school...the many challenges he encountered with the ministry, the rest is Pan history, in Canada they were able to recognize and honor him for his vision.
The question remains today...who or where are the true leaders in the steelband movement who can carry out George Goddard's vision and make this happen or at least complete the process....Pan Trinbago???
odw, I am so happy that you are a part of this WST forum. Your experiences help in explaining the history of the movement. My cousin is a die-hard pan woman, and it is no surprise that Kim made her contributions known. As to your questions, I think that what made my dad and NATTS successful, was their unified commitment to each other, the members, and the movement. They understood their political power, and trusted the leadership, not blindly, but by that leadership earning the trust, that they represented the membership, and rejected having to answer to any outside entity, whether business, political, religious, or otherwise. Once they chose a leader, they respected and trusted his leadership, and, became fiercely loyal. This enabled them to make demands and take strong positions, and in the tug-of-war battles of power and positioning, they often found themselves on the winning side of the field. So, what is really needed is a strong, unified leadership, out of which a "leader of leaders" would naturally surface, and gain the trust of the executive.
The fisrt thing we need to do, is to get ALL the steelband members on the same page with us; rather, we on the same page with them. We need to hear the voice of every pan player in Trinidad & Tobago: What do they want for their future? How do they feel? What ideas do they have? We then need to address those needs and concerns, prioritizing them and implementing solutions. We need a "blueprint", that can be used by any "leader"; one that represents the desires of the membership, and addresses their concerns.
Finally, we ALL need to understand and be able to accurately define "leadership", for oftentimes, it is confused with "management", and they are completely different things. Once in a while, the Universe sends someone who has a clear understanding, and I think that my dad is one of those people. Who knows, there may be someone among us, that we overlook, simply because we do not know what to look for. Pan Trinbago was not created, nor is structured, to benefit the local steelbands nor their members, and it is time we all understand this. So, it is not surprising (at least, to me) that just a few days ago Pan Trinbago President Diaz, was quoted as saying that he has to "get back with his stake-holders". Stake is right; that's the metaphoric dagger that will strike that final, fatal blow to the local pan industry, driving the local, lumpen-proletarian panman and panwoman (as we know them, yesterday, and today) into extinction. I say corporate greed is not the answer, and until the pan industry workers - pannists - have proper union representation, we will remain a powerless fraternity made up of individuals, none of whom really benefits the other, with an organization that does not live up to its claims. Can anyone say coup d'etat? Maybe, that is what is needed in dealing with Pan Trinbago - an overthrow of the "world governing body for pan". Or forming an entirely new international organization. It remains to be seen what we are willing to do, in order to get what we want; what sacrifices are we willing to make, and how powerful (or powerless) can we become.
GHOST
Ghost - what exactly was the vision your father had for pan and it members?
bugs
Sidd i had made a comment towards your article,,,,clicked thrice for the same to be saved or viewed by others on this website to no avail,i know not what,s the problem,even though it was within the rules and regulations of this website,,,, nevertheless in trying once more i will take the opportunity to make it a bit short,,,,there are many Trinbagonians whom are aware,of the sacrifice and 40 years of dedication towards the Steelpan movement of T&T by Mr/Sir Sunny S Goddard , educated ones,,,Historical ones,, such as Sidd, mInd you this is not an attack,,just Facts,but what,s strange is that this man,,,George S Goddard energy,love and endless support was and has never being mentioned on this website,,STRANGE,,,,i am a Panman from another land/Country ,,,had made many sacrifices with joy just for the upliftment of the Pan/steelpan,, from the late 60,s,he who feels it knows it all,i have been there and have done it all,, in ending,,,HE WHO FEELS IT KNOWS IT ALL,,, OELA,OELA,, OELA,GOD BLESS.
Corrections,i was addressing Bugs.
Yow, Bugs. Sorry for the late response. The answer really lies in his writings, some of which appeared in his book. Needless to say, he would be very proud of many advancements - social, musical, and scientific - that have already materialized, some by the tireless efforts of others, and some by natural due process. His vision for the local pan player and local steelbands, have not been met, though. He, obviously wanted a united front, and was more focused on having them buy into the concepts of autonomy, honesty, transparency, and sense of their national and political power. He would have hated that, in 2012, we still have dependent, "squatter" steelbands, and he definitely would be against Pan Trinbago's (apparent) "for-profit" corporate structure, that answers to "stake-holders", and not the association membership. In the new edition to his book, we will include some more details of his "vision" for the steelband movement. Also, in my "Blueprint", I proposed some ideas, that I think would be in alignment with his positions. Thanks again, for your support, Bugs. We'll keep in touch. GHOST
Ghost,
Any idea when we can expect the new edition to his book to go on sale?
odw, realistically, to do it justice, I would cater for at least 6 to 9 months, because of some of the "upgrades". We also want to keep the text original, focusing more on grammatical and typographical error, and format. We also have a few surprises, that will make the book very attractive. This is my first literary assignment, so you can imagine the adrenaline levels right now. We have a lot more work to do, before publication. Will mos' def' keep you all posted, and we'll probably do a book launching.
P.S. I know there are many qualified members on WST; I would appreciate ANY positive advice, direction, and feedback. (I know I'll be soliciting Kim's advice. lol.) Thanks.
GHOST