Trinidad Express Newspapers
Steelband arrangers blast Panorama pool party: Disrespect for the national instrument
Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Pan Splash, a new feature added to The Greens by Pan Trinbago for Sunday’s Panorama semi-finals, has been criticised by members of the pan fraternity as a blow and a blatant disrespect to the national instrument and the Panorama competition.
Steelband arrangers yesterday spoke out against the introduction of the pool party at the pan semis to be held at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, this weekend.
Arranger for defending Panorama champions Petrotrin Phase II Pan Groove, Len “Boogsie” Sharpe, said Pan Trinbago should be ashamed. “This is our national instrument and a national competition and you want to keep a pool party? This has nothing to do with the steelpan. Panorama is our biggest time of the year. This pool party will take people away from the Panorama. It should be kept on a separate day and kept away from Panorama. A pan man who really loves pan and really respects you wouldn’t stand for that. All pan men should not stand for this. This is disrespect to all of us,” Boogsie said.
....Arranger Pelham Goddard also spoke against the pool party. “That is a big distraction from the main event. This is Panorama and it should have Panorama alone. They should be thinking to promote Panorama and if they have to depend on another event to prosper or to boost Panorama that is bad, that is very bad. Every year they are coming with something ridiculous. That event would not attract anyone interested in Panorama,” Goddard said.
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Replies
In response to a very good and insightful post by Barbara yesterday, ...
.First of all Pan is NOT the NATIONAL instrument of T&T ....I repeat it is NOT the NATIONAL instrument of T&T.
This is a farce as we say "Just ole talk" and I mean it in the literal sense. My friend Hameed Shaqq has put up a post which indicates the Former PM Manning made the statement in Parliament that Pan is the National instrument ...but it WAS NEVER RATIFIED...NEVER ENACTED INTO LAW .... That’s why it is "Just ole talk" and you are 100% right about all of your post. Because it is NOT the NATIONAL instrument of T&T...it is treated the way it is being treated... check the post from John Henry about the ABSOLUT PAN ad near the Jean Pierre Complex.
My take is that we need more than lip service of saying this is our National instrument.
Ms Barbara to address your sincere concerns .... "There is little radio airplay, CDs are hardly recorded, events throughout the year are poorly attended. fewer steelbands are touring. Where are the Pan In Schools programs going? Are students lining up for university/college courses and degrees in pan tuning, pan education, pan performance, pan arranging, steelband management, steelband marketing? Where are the jobs in pan?"
My suggestion is "We Need a Ministry exclusively for the Steelpan in T&T".... nothing else will suffice
Maybe we don't believe that this is possible ..but in reality it is quite possible and it is needed ...If you can come to the Town Hall Meeting at Starlift ...we will be making a presentation on this topic. This preliminary document that I would like to present on this topic will be a fully researched project in my studies. But I will be presenting the outline of this and hope to be there to defend it...because I strongly believe that this is where we have to go with the Pan and we have to go there ASAP.
I am stating here unequivocally that if there is no movement towards this motion by the time that I would have completed my studies, I am prepared to go into Politics in T&T to address this and other relative issues.
Incidentally I had presented a similar document to "The Gypsy" while he held the office Arts & Multiculturalism Ministry......
With all respect to "The Gypsy" .. I only received a reply from him after he no longer held that office. He said it was a good document and wished me the best.
In summation I do not believe that the present government or opposition has the testicular fortitude to move in this direction...so this has to start from the grassroots perspective and the town hall meeting is an ideal launch of this movement. ....Regards
Salah Wilson (MA Musicology)
WST forum with all this rattling going on now about this POOL PARTY - Salah Wilson two years ago try in vain with NO SUPPORT FROM TT PANMEN/WOMEN about getting themselves ORGANIZED for incidents like this POOL PARTY FIASCO - I HOPE George (Ghost) with the Town Hall meeting FEARED much better - I WAIT WITH BATED BREATH on March 7th at Starlift Pan Theater to see a paradigm shift in the Steelband movement, it is NOW or NEVER.....
Gavin: this depends on the support he gets from the people at ground zero, the locals have to want change because they will have to take the battle to the powers that be, after carnival 90% of the players disappear as the steelband is put-away like Christmas tree decorations until next year.
A boycott has happened once before and there was no pan in 1979. I really do not think they have the stomach for a fight. Trinidad pan men/women have become accustom the norm and as such would rather keep quiet and go along with what is happening than take action. The Pan rebels of yester year would be turning over in their graves at the condition of pan 50 years later. As I said before Pan needs to become independent just like what happened with Soca Monarch being run by a private consortium but still part of Carnival. Pan Trinbago will kill pan and the government will just go along with all that they say as kickbacks for ministers and their family would do wonders for silence. When the minister was asked about the pool party, he said if Pan Trinbago thinks it good for pan, he would not object. That is like saying (Have a party sell alcohol to kids and it is ok as long as they do not get drunk). We all need to come up with a solution and get pan out of the hands of Pan Trinbago.
Can anyone clarify for those of us who do not know. First, what is a national instrument? Secondly, when and who declared the steelpan the national instrument of Trinidad & Tobago? To me, there is nothing "national" about the steelpan in Trinidad & Tobago, except for the nationals who play and those who enjoy listening. Over the last 30 years and recent events, clearly indicate the steelpan is being willfully destroyed in Trinidad & Tobago. There is little radio airplay, CDs are hardly recorded, events throughout the year are poorly attended. fewer steelbands are touring. Where are the Pan In Schools programs going? Are students lining up for university/college courses and degrees in pan tuning, pan education, pan performance, pan arranging, steelband management, steelband marketing? Where are the jobs in pan? So tell me, what is "national" about the steelpan? Wake up!
That has to be my Barbara (lol)
Good Post Barbara.
This is so appalling that Pan Trinbago will try to do something so disrespectful and have a pool party on the same night of One of the best events for the Carnival season... Are you all so greedy for money ???? come on guys you'll can do better than that !!!!!
They are greedy for Money, not for the Pan-men but for their Pocket. We need somebody to Audit these Folks.
So now that we all feel absolutely disrespected, how do we plan to register our total rejection of this concept being implemented by Pan Trinbago and the group of companies who own the Pan Splash area? There can be no Pan Splash without Pan.
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