For YEARS now the West-Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA) has been cheating West Indian Associations out of money and no one has stood up for themselves officially whether they be mas camps, steel bands, etc. To the point where this obvious robbery is blind to the general public. Most people feel that the mayhem that occurs every Labor Day is what will bring its end. In reality, it’s the fact that WIADCA mysteriously cannot pay its competitors the prize money that they have worked all summer to win. And now Panorama is still floating in the air with 36 days left until its supposed date. But there are many factors and many people to blame, both young and old alike, as to why the pan community in general cannot gain any success while bureaucrats reap the benefits of our hard labor.
Now I haven’t been in the pan community since I was in diapers like some people. I’ve only been playing this instrument for 7 years. Which means yes, I am a post-Bradley era pannist. But I have been a musician for the past 14 years. Nonetheless, I do have opinions and suggestions on how we could find solutions that could be better for all because I love pan. That’s a given. Ask anyone the amount of events and things of that nature I give up because I have to play pan. I don’t want to see this instrument reach an early demise because of bickering Caribbeans.
The people in power, steelband managers, the board of the United States Steelband Association (USSA). The board of the National Alliance of Steelbands (NAS) as well as WIADCA have all been gaining notoriety as of late. There are people stuck in old ways in power who are fighting a battle they aren’t LEGALLY prepared for. Constantly, we hear of people signing contracts and throwing themselves into the same mess WIADCA provides for them. But never have I heard of any steelband getting a legal advisor to oversee, arbitrate, or negotiate contracts prior to actually signing them. We’re literally just accepting the defeat while WIADCA thinks this is okay. With crappy accommodations, NOTORIOUSLY HORRIBLE sound systems and disgustingly bad video coverage. Never have I heard of even one steelband actually bringing a lawsuit to WIADCA under breach of contract or anything of that nature. Clearly WIADCA is on its last legs and does not have the legal team capable of defending their obvious acts of lackadaisical efforts. Simply put, no one is using the law to their advantage but they’re bickering over the “good ole days” of pan. This conservative nature of steelband elites is what WIADCA is exploiting to keep steel pan in the past. All these people in power are concerned about money. Even in Trinidad multiple panorama songs over the years have lyrics stating that we need more prize money. Well, we here in Brooklyn just need money, period at this point. It is a sad, SAD truth that no one wants to change. And what’s worse is that most of the steelband community, guesstimating 80%, is under the age of 30 so it’s clearly time for change and this conservativism is driving us to the ground.
Young pannists are also partially at fault. Actually I rescind that. Young EXPERIENCED pannists are also to blame. I bet that as soon as I entered the years I played pan, a lot of the people playing longer than I secretly stated, he clearly doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and that’s another problem. Instead of informing and educating the pannists that come before them, they would rather have an air of elitism amongst themselves to the point where they try to make others feel beneath them. If this community is supposed to be about…well, unity then why is it that there is always a dichotomy amongst us. Whether it is panmen vs. panwomen in the past, musicians vs. pannists, 5-year players vs. 15-year players, this constant segregation we find ourselves in is in need of a termination point honestly.
I think this is just a West Indian thing in general (doesn’t make it right) but its like the older you are the more what you say counts which 9 times out of 10 usually is actually the opposite. So, what should we do? Honestly we need to stop TALKING about a REVOLUTION or a REBELLION and ACTUALLY START ONE. Boycotts and the like are beautiful on paper but they need action. A lot of experienced pannists have been saying this the past week or so but I haven’t seen these ideas gain steam, or even gain any sense of organization. No, I don’t know why the USSA Youth Council died out a few years ago at the brink of its inception, but maybe we should bring it back under a new emblem. Something that’s NOT TIED TO ANY EXISTING STEELBAND ORGANIZATION. We need something to show the old folks that we mean business. None of these revolutionary decisions can be made without a physical group forming, in public, not on any social media site.
I always said my dream was to see if NY panorama could eventually evolve into a USA National Panorama; complete with conferences, quarter finals, semi-finals, etc. Now I’m just hoping NY panorama can survive one more year.
http://certified-mg.tumblr.com/post/28149485842/pan-apocalypse-2012
Replies
Marcus . . U R rite-on wid dese observashuns .. . 1st . . mo $$ will certainly help de situashun . .buh it aint all dat is needed .. . C de ole shit-heads dat always trying tuh impress odders wid dey ole war stories . . an yet refusin tuh C dat dese methods 1st didnt work den . . an certainly aint workin Now .... . cause we in de same Mess . . jes different latrines [ wing-bops . . outhouse .. .W.C. ] SAME SHIT . DESE s-tinkers of de past who put themselvs in posishuns of influence an still up tuh 2day cyah c or want tuh hear de troot bout wot dey really doin . . . Pan is ah gift from we Ancestors tuh take we out of dis inferior posishun we were put in by Colonialism an de Racist Caste system of oppresshun dat de Greco - Roman-Catholic Church sanshun an ordered . . so is mind-bogglin tuh overstan Y up tuh dis day WE still followin de dictates of de church .. . even tuh figure out Y we still allowin WE Carnival tuh B scheduled by dese servants of Satan . . an de inventors of Jesus . . We want tuh be free . . buh fraid de troot . . dat is Y we allow dese idiots tuh lead we Important organishuns . C fuh we youth tuh take over an get we outta dis mess .. you all MUST NO DE TROOT ... bout life ..Pan ....Religion an most importantly .. .Spirituality .. We R not West-Indians . .. dey come from Western India .... We live in de Caribbean . . We R Africans . .Indians . .Chinese etc. . ..yuh doe call Americans North Indians .. an dey were colonized de same way . . by de same people .... We have serious problems wid change .. e.g. we no dat it aint have no damm Santa Claws .. .an dat "Jesus wasn`t born on de day dey say .. .yet we celebrate Christmas every year .. .spendin wot we doe have . .an still sayin we no it aint true . . buh is for de Children ... . so we no is ah lie . .buh we teachin de children tuh accept an observe dese B.S occashuns .... Marcus U an yuh younger Crew R de axis of change . . doe follow de same dotishness dat my generashun stuck in . . an doe allow any more ignorant an illiterate people tuh Lead allyuh . . wheather is in Politricks . [President . Prime-Minister ]. . or President of de Pan Fraternity .. . or dis bogus organizashun we call WIDCA .. ALLYUH HAVE MY BLESSINS an full support .... . p.s. dis damm Panorama should be stopped till we develop ah fair system of judgin an organizin of de show . . an it should Always B run by ah reliable , honest an dependable Pan Body .cause Pan is also BIG-BUZINESS ... which unfortunately we doe control . . .yet .. Peace
I will love to meet this young man,who shares my vision. The time for change is now!!! 347-406-1270
You are on point with everything, time has come for a changing of the guard. Now is the time to start planning so that we will not have to deal with this again next year.
Hello Mr. Markus G.
You are a man of my vision. Can you please call me at (954) 380-4590.
Thanks.
What is it with the business of pan that we cant seem to be able to get our act together? Is it home grown - Pandom? Why is that it always seem to be embroiled in bacchanalia? How come it always seem to affect the Pan Diaspora? Lord put a hand! if you can't then please send real pan administrators