We know that our athletes get better by foreign competition.


Our educational standards are judged by and compared to international , universal standards.


But foreign music and compositions are excluded from panorama and calypso competitions because we somehow believe this "protects" the local artists.


This all started many years ago when steelbands chose to play popular tunes like "Valderee Valderah" and "Ke sera Sera" on the road for carnival , tunes that competed with the calypsos of the day , and even won the road march competition (Valderah or The Happy Wanderer , 1955 ).


As a result , we decided to restrict foreign competition so that the Road March and Calypso competition winners will remain local.


This was done with good intentions , to support the local culture,


IMHO , however , this lack of foreign competition has had a negative effect on the ability of our composers to create world class music, and has done more harm than good to our culture and local art-forms.

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  • Before we hop, skip and jump to that, we have to get an organization that represents pan players.

    • I'm sure we're capable of holding multiple thoughts at the same time , Mercer Ramdoo.

  • Wow! Something to ponder over.

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