PHASE II FIGHTS EVICTION

The attempt by the Port of spain City Corporation to have the steelband Phase II Pan Groove, this year's Panorama winner, evicted from their long time home at Hamilton St., has been resurrected with the attorneys from both sides agreeing to seek to resolve the problem amicably and out of court.
The city is seeking to have the band relocated to another location so that the band's panyard can be annexed to the neighbouring One Woodbrook Place upmarket development.
Apparently having a steelband next door to the posh residence would not find favour with potential occupiers.
This is in keeping with the scant respect meted out to steelbands in Trinidad, where they are not given their just due, for their tremendous role in keeping thousands of youth off the streets or out of a life of crime.
The developers of the facility should be proud to take steps to incorporate the panyard into its development plans with an outdoor auditorium and facilities to accommodate the band and its supporters, to provide for more round the year activities related to music teaching, pan playing and other activities, to promote alternatives to a life of crime for our youth.
Instead they want the band to relocate to a remote area, away from their established community, which will put them and their programmes at a disadvantage.

DSC04959 phase II panyard.JPG

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  • Well! I'm seeing words like discussion and resolve amicably , there seems to be some recognition and a bit of respect in this instance. Initially we would be reading, Steel Band Evicted from premises. I await the result.

  • Like David Rudder said. "The Case Of The Disappearing PanYard". No respect for the culture. We should just give it the Pan to some other nation who would respect and cherish it, because we don't. 

  • Developers as well as most corporations in TnT give short shrift to corporate social responsibility and look only at the immediate bottom line when making plans or investing.

    Culture is very low down on the agenda as well as employee morale, community service, facilities for parents such as day care or any other non-revenue generating activities.

    This is the opposite to what to obtains in the international arena where large corporations go out of their way to provide those facilities in order to attract the best of the workforce.

    Down here it's all about the money.

    • Wayne,

      "Down here" is a part of "Out There" and primitive practices are not acceptable any more. If we accept things the way they are it will remain the same, by talking about it we speak to the powers that be.

  •  what is ironic is that when tony fifi was at  the helm of the duprey building conglomorate they actually partly sponsored the phase 2 carnival- was that a bribe to ask kindly leave- the phase 2 yard has the best vibes in all of tnt

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