St. Lucia, W.I. - There will be no Panorama this year. Again! And one of the main reason, I understand is that money promised has not been paid for competition since 2008. I could not believe my ears. Can someone confirm for me, please? If this is indeed true, it is, indeed, a sad state of affairs.
Pan has always seem like the bastard child of our culture, despite its position at the apex of Caribbean innovation, having earned the accolade as “the only musical instrument to be invented in this century”. The humble birth place and the early history of Pan may have had something to do with lingering image of “badness”. But Pan has elevated the status of every Caribbean person for its amazing versatility and uniqueness. So why the disrespect? Only two nights ago, I listen to Chalkdust deliver a lecture on NTN and he intimated that every time we respect Mas and Pan we pay homage to our African ancestors who were the original Mas makers and Pan-men/women. We are standing on their shoulders.
Replies
It seems like pan on strike this year
I Pass though Gros Islet no "Pantimes" practice
I Pass through Central, no "Northstars" practice
I Pass through Marshtown, No Diamonds and No Emralds
Right now I fraid to go looking in Babanneau
So I going to Cul De Sac and Vieux Fort so
Though I fraid to look for pan any more
I have a virus it alone can cure
No practice means no pan.
Nothing said to the public who support pan every year. We need an explanation too
And what about all the youth who play pan and have been looking forward to the season? Right now the majority of pan players are of school age or just left school. Youth, Youth, Yourth, they are the ones keeping steelband alive. Who is considering them?
And adults talk about crime on the increase. We blame the youth for society's ills, yet this positive avenue to keep them occupied is being witheld ......what are they expected to do when everything is taken from them?
I have seen youth at their happiest when they are beating pan.
And whay is there not more intervention on their behalf instead of just canceling everything?