Judging Nepotism Uncovered in Single Pan Fiasco by Sharmain Baboolal
The judge did not declare a conflict of interest when she turned up at the San Juan Eastside Symphony judging point. Instead, she sat like normal, hoping everyone else would also pretend that they did not know her close male relative was drilling the band. After all, she got away with it in 2020. She was, however, reported to be the only one of the three judges who gave San Juan East Side the highest score among the Single Pan Bands, when the panyard judging was completed. Everyone else had another band at the top, heading into what should have been a semi final.
And that is how the defending champions topped the preliminary round. She has since been removed from the slate of judges who will now do the impossible task of listening to 30 bands in a makeshift finals for the single pan bands.And that was just a minor glitch.
Five days after the ill conceived decision was taken to call off the semi finals carded for last Saturday night, the Pan Trinbago executive, led by Beverley Ramsey Moore, will meet with bandleaders at the Queen’s Park Savannah, on Thursday morning, when the draw for positions was held.
Indeed, the Grand Stand of the Queen’s Park Savannah will be on lockdown from Friday as the ruling People's National Movement (PNM) gears up for its annual convention, hence the reason for the finals being pushed to midweek when 30 bands will start performing at 7pm, in a show that is likely to go into 3am on Thursday.
“This will be a disadvantage to all bands. All have been judged in a different atmosphere, with advantages and disadvantages,at the audition point, at the first round of single pan panorama,” one of several bandleaders and arrangers with whom I spoke, declared.
(Please note that no one will go on the record, for fear of being victimised).
“The semi finals would have actually been a place where everybody stands on one common ground, a level playing field.
“Can the five judges make a fair adjudication on 30 bands, in one night? They are human beings. How much can the human mind retain to be able to judge 30 bands fairly across the board?” one arranger asked.
“This is setting a bad precedent for the fraternity at large. The leadership will not do that in the large bands category and this shows a lack of planning and creativity.
“The most sensible thing when planning an event in the rainy season, in the worst case scenario, was to have a back up.
“Pan Trinbago is not self-sustaining and is being controlled by the government, whoever is in power. If the government does not finance Pan Trinbago no event will be taking place, they are just promoters,” a bandleader insisted.
“The Prime Minister’s Facebook post in which he declared the bad weather as a national emergency led to the reaction from the President to call off the semi finals, too early in the day.
“It would prove to be a bad decision when several large events went ahead as planned, around the island, on Saturday night as the rain stopped by midday,” the bandleader explained.
“A lot of bands were already mobilised, in terms of having meals catered for their players, uniforms for the semi finals and covering transportation costs, almost all of which were out of pocket.”
Toco based, unsponsored, Pan Stereonettes, for example, was already at the site at the Arima Basketball court when the announcement was made.
“Single Pan is what they talk highly about because it is where the majority of the votes are, but there is no progress, only disrespect. “Panmen are told to hush up and eat ah food so Pan Trinbago can get votes and give the impression they are doing something to uphold the single pan, from which the entire steelband movement evolved. It is the foundation,” another bandleader insisted. The frustrations of a bandleader is hardly ever recognised : “The idea of having the single pan Panorama event in November/December is ill conceived.One of the major problems bands are facing is funding from corporate Trinidad. We write to corporate entities asking for funding for Panorama 2023, but you give dates that are in November 2022,” another explained.
“The budgets of most companies are already exhausted. Even from a cultural perspective the whole country is into Christmas mode, so having a Panorama at this time is a bad idea. It needs to be revamped,” he stated, suggesting the run offs be held in December with the final in January, within the carnival season. All the time he was shaking his head, acknowledging what he called the 100 percent dictator at the helm of Pan Trinbago.
“They could have hosted the semi finals either Wednesday or Saturday, all they had to do was just switch venues. There are so many other places in Trinidad to host the Panorama. It’s not like we are already in the carnival season and places are booked,” the bandleader, who insisted on remaining anonymous for fear of victimisation, noted.
“Only a handful out of the 30 bands competing in the finals are community based. “They have strayed far from their moorings as bands are created ( for votes) And they have also created a cadre of hustlers (players). In some cases one person plays for eleven bands in one night,” an arranger explained.
“While there is not a shortage of players, there is a shortage of incentives, as players refuse to play for little or no money, hence the reason they have to spread themselves thin. “In 2018, on assuming the role as President, Beverley Ramsey Moore took away the players’ remittance, promising to return it in 2020. Bands are under pressure to pay players,” the arranger noted, citing concern about the quality of the music, in the long run.
“Bands are supposed to be assisting their communities. Pan, we know, is a thing that pulls you away from whatever you are doing wrong on the streets.
“They should be grooming players ( since Pan in Schools is almost non-existent) and invest in the community,” the arranger said. People are not seeing the big picture of what the steelband is about: it brings together people in peace, love and music,” bioth bandleaders and arrangers agreed.
“The single pan style of music is a lot different and definitely cannot be compared with large or medium bands. Single pan calls for tempo, phrasing that’s more rhythmic and high execution by the frontline. And while it does not have the depth as a large band it is a lot more intricate than any other band,” a young upcoming arranger explained.The Pandemic was a time for recalibration and reset and they should have come with better plans. But from 2019 to 2023, we can't even say it's the same thing. It is far worse.
The Single Pan is treated like a nuisance and is not getting national coverage. Instead we see and hear about the President herself, rather than the bands.
And still the full story has not been told. If there is a single pan band that made a profit in this Panorama, it should stand out as a business model. Who ent dead, badly wounded.
Photo: Judges@ John John on the EMR Laventille.
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