On what keeps his passion for the instrument going - Bowie Sonnie Bowei says:
“At first, it was the uniqueness of the instrument and the positive reactions on the faces of people who listen to pan for the first time. Now, it is the joy that it brings to families who have children that play the pan. Pan has created opportunities for children to travel out of Nigeria for the first time. It has given them the opportunity to travel by planes for the first time. It has given them the opportunity to meet with people from other countries for the first time. The joy and fulfillment this brings to the children and their families boosts my passion for pan.”
What started off with so much promise, quickly descended into a finger-pointing legal battle and global embarrassment.
In spite of having experienced his own version of “When Things Fall Apart” through an ill-fated and since aborted joint Pan Trinbago venture a few years ago - Bowie Sonnie Bowei remains positive, undaunted, buoyant and confident. Confident that the future for the steelpan instrument, the Pan culture and art form remains bright in his homeland, Nigeria, and the African continent. His optimism is not based in wishful thinking but rooted in his decades of first-hand experience as a frontline educator, manufacturer and marketer of all things Pan in Africa.
Replies
Power to you Mr. Bowie you have made my day you are an asset to the Steelpan Family I would like to meet with you in person ......keep up the good work!
KNOLLY: I totally appreciate your comment. The STEELBAND COMMUNITY (both local and foreign ) live in an UNREALISTIC, SENTIMENTAL, LOST-IN-THE-PAST WORLD.
And it is not like ENGLISH IS A SECOND LANGUAGE to the 20,000 members of this forum. But they pretend to NOT GET THE MESSAGE that Mr. Bowei delivered in this interview.
NUFF RESPECT, MY FRIEND IN GLOBAL PAN PROGRESS!!!
Mr. Bowei say that he reached out to BEVERLEY but she was STIFF!!!
What Mr. Bowie does not know is that BEVERLEY has ZERO CONSCIOUSNESS of GLOBAL PAN and she has NO DIPLOMATIC SKILLS and that unless SHE IS IN FULL CONTROL -- she does not want any part of the project because she wants ALL THE CREDIT.
That is so sad how DIAZ and FORTEAU get all that BIG MONEY for performances in AFRICA and then they ROB THE PAN MEN and give them a little STIPEND.
Well at least DIAZ give dem ah lil STIPEND. Beverley tell them NOT A DIME for 2018 or 2019 or 2020.
But why AFRICA have to get caught up in all this PANORAMA STUPIDNESS.
AFRICA is where THE ORIGINAL MAN EVOLVED!!! So AFRICA should come up with their own ORIGINAL SHOWCASE for PAN!!!
And to think that the TRINIDAD AMBASSADORS to AFRICA was leading all the RACKETS -- WHAT AH SHAME!!!