While posters on this forum are criticizing THE PRESIDENT OF PAN TRINBAGO, local panmen are hailing him the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST -- here to save PAN and the GREATER ECONOMY OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO.
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I would like to thank Clause Gonzales for posting this video. It highlights the growing pains experienced by many organizations.
As an Environmental Health and Safety researcher/ auditor focusing on the activities of the steelpan industry, you have posted a very interesting piece of the information about Pan Trinbago and the way it operates as the World Governing Body of Steelpan as per the Momorandum of Understanding (MOU) many of us signed at ICP 2015 in Port of Spain.
Please note that I am commenting here to address the general approach of doing well-intention-ed things for steelpan. This is definitely not about individuals per se. It is about me giving back to the people who love the steelpan. My research aims and motives are to substantiate with unbiased integrity, the attention needed to address human health in the steelpan making community and to present issues pertaining to a healthier environment in general for the global steelpan industry.
In this video I see some notable errors in judgment that should be avoided in the future, and this always come with unplanned photo ops. I am hoping that Pan Trinbago and the wider steelpan building industry would appreciate and acknowledge the observations and recommendations to improve our status and practice on the global stage.
Firstly, I am speaking positively about the World Governing Body of Steelpan. It is commendable that our resources are being developed to manufacture our pan with the best grade of steel, so for me as a buyer of steelpans, this is great news. I look forward with great anticipation to purchasing drums from this factory in the near future and receive my orders in Toronto, Canada soon. Next, thank you for validating certain aspects of my research into Environmental Sustainability Education (ESE) for Steelpan. This video validates some points I made at the recently held ICP 2015 in Trinidad. For instance, there is a casual approach to steelpan that would have a inverse/ adverse effect on the goals we seek. Meaning, we show the damaging pespective to the world and smile while we are doing things badly. So let's review this video for the future benefits.
Now on to the issues observed from this video, and the very important lessons for the world are that we in the home of the steelpan take a very lackadaisical approach to the concerns, impacts, effects and efficiencies of the global marketplace. Point noted shows that no one in this video is wearing protective clothing as required by functionaries in an industrial setting. Eg. There are no safety hats, reflective vests, eye ware protection, hearing protection, and footwear protection nor appropriate lane markings for the vehicle to traverse away from the scattered and mobile onlookers. Workers are making light of the movement of the vehicle and are approaching the moving vehicle to make what seems like slight flippant remarks with the driver. A casual atmosphere prevails in the style of a BIG Lime and essentially, this puts everyone at risk.
On to my recommendations for ensuring that the next similar shipment of special steel for making pans with the associated photo opportunity for the world to see our parent organization at work with systems in place to advance the steelpan industry, I hereby humble submit the following:
Please visit my blog www.ese4steelpan.tv and comment accordingly.
Collaboratively Preparing the ENVIROPAN GREEN SEAL
www.ese4steelpan.tv
This is great. Let us have some production from his disciples.
With all due respect to the Prof. Sir, if Mr Diaz is forward thinking how come steelbands still depend on whatever they get from panorama to operate, if they are not able to generate income how can they buy the pans we produce?
Nothing is being done to involve the steelband in carnival, forward thinkers should see the opportunity missed by not being able to partake of the carnival win fall.
Cecil: We get shut down again!!! Every time the locals come on board the EXPATS get shut down because we are not there ON THE GROUND living that life DAY TO DAY.
Look at the vote count in the last PAN TRINBAGO election ... KEITH DIAZ got a lot of supporters at every level of Trinidad society.
Old Chinese Proverb: A journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step. I cannot speak for Mr Diaz; I don't even know where he lives. I can only give my views on what I have seen over the years and my comments are based only on the initiatives I have seen over the past 5 years or so. Its's not at all perfect, and almost certainly carrying some of the baggage of the past, but certainly there is a lot more positive forward thinking and openness than before.
Openness than before!! Whey dah Doc. living!?!?!?
It is said that he lives at 1 Woodbrook Place, what a life style. Quite a few people might disagree about the openness and if one can rely on the Government to bank roll your projects and not demand repayment anyone can be a forward thinker. Progressive thinking is finding your own way to fund your projects not depending on the peoples tax dollars. It is my opinion that priority should be given to making steelbands self sufficient, everything else is secondary.
I could not agree more about the self sufficiency of the steelband. In a way they are doing it already .. just yesterday I was trying to compare the average age of the local steelbands with that of the conventional bands. Check it ... only Roy Cape and Joey Lewis have survived the test of time. They will fade because they revolve around an individual. So the steelband, it seems, has something that others do not.
Some studies have been done on this issue. For example, I examined an MSc project by Marina Smith two years ago that looked at the managerial and accounting skills in Trinidad steelbands. It was a good piece. I think Junia Regrelo followed up with a similar study for his MBA.
Marina's work referred to the historical context of Trinidad steelpans as a basis for explaining the state of the art form and reminds us that the steelpan and steel bands came out of the “lower strata” of society and had to struggle for the little acceptance that it has. She therefore opined that, as a consequence the steelpan movement, as it is called, is essentially a social phenomenon with steelbands providing community focus and a medium for simply having fun and for proving self-worth. I don't think many historians will find her analysis to be misplaced.
Truth be told, I think the way forward is for bands to diversify their activities. This requires the development of a business case for individual bands. Some have tried - Renegades and Exodus come quickly to mind. It cannot be done strictly on musical performances, particularly in a seasonal environment like ours and with a people who, in large measure, really give only lip service to musicians and artists. This is why Marina Smith's thesis pointed to the need "for the general population to be “reconditioned” to incorporate the art form in more of their activities."
Even before we started the Steelpan Initiatives Project - my gosh, that's almost 10 years ago to date - our thinking was that the growth of the industry required that we start by looking at the instruments and their production. In a way what is going on at Macoya is a direct consequence of this. However, we are still not where we had hoped to be.
From where I sit, I could see growth potential for individual performers and small ensembles. However, because of their sheer size, traditional bands do have a challenge in self sufficiency unless they diversify as I think they should. This is not an uncommon approach, where the core business is not viable on its own but is of strategic and, perhaps even nostalgic value, and is strengthened by supporting income-earning activity that leverage some of the innate skills and resources in the organisation.
Is your band registered as a business?
A fine , thought provoking analysis , Mr. Copeland.
"the steelpan movement, as it is called, is essentially a social phenomenon with steelbands providing community focus and a medium for simply having fun and for proving self-worth."
I agree with this , which is why I always emphasize the cultural aspect of the steel band .
"However, because of their sheer size, traditional bands do have a challenge in self sufficiency unless they diversify as I think they should. This is not an uncommon approach, where the core business is not viable on its own but is of strategic and, perhaps even nostalgic value, and is strengthened by supporting income-earning activity that leverage some of the innate skills and resources in the organisation. "
This is also very true ; the steelband's unique role in the community could provide a ready-made foundation for constructive community activity , youth development , and business innovation.
We have to get real about our expectations about receiving adequate government funds to meet the needs of the art-form and artists, regardless of the politics , policies or business practices of Pantrinbago.
"the steelband's unique role in the community could provide a ready-made foundation for constructive community activity , youth development , and business innovation."
This is so well said and gels with the latest concepts of sustainability of a society. Some thinkers have proposed that sustainability is really supported by three pillars: the economic, the social and the ecological. One contributes to sustainability by bringing startegic value to any of these three pillars.
However, we generally over-stress the economic without consideration of the other two pillars. Perhaps this is where we have to come to terms with the role of the large bands as social players. At the same time, it has to be acknowledged that we generally cannot build and maintain the social and ecological without funding. Apart from philanthropic giving by the business sector or Government patronage, and until such time as the value of the other two pillars are fully embraced, I am not aware of any other way in which the required support could be SUBSTANTIALLY achieved.
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