Back in the EIGHTIES (it could have been the NINETIES) they try that CLOSED CIRCUIT angle with THE CARNIVAL and they LOST SO MUCH MONEY they never attempted again.
But it could be a learning (and losing) experience for the LOCAL GENIUSES so I would like to see them give it a shot which will give them a REALITY SHOCK much like the PAN SOLOISTS when they WENT INTERNATIONAL.
Even so, they should flush the 48-HOUR broadcast idea and just try a 2-hour show with the BEST OF THE MAS BANDS and the KINGS and QUEENS properly captured by QUALITY VIDEO CAMERAS. They will have to compose a couple SOCA SONGS geared to GLOBAL AUDIENCES -- NO JAM AND WINE!!! Mix in some TOURIST SCENES from the ISLANDS and feature a small steelband playing a couple POP SONGS ... if they could add an EXPAT SUPER STAR to that -- they have a chance!!!
Thet would have to spend a lot of money PROMOTING THE BROADCAST.
If the GOVERNMENT really wants to invest in CULTURE, my suggestion is that they set up a PAN PRODUCTION CENTER (PAN TRINBAGO IS ALREADY PRODUCING THE DRUMS) and you take some of the YOUNG GANGSTAS off the street and instead of putting them in prison -- you put them into this PAN PRODUCTION PROGRAM under the TUTELAGE of some of the OLD TUNERS and get a 5 to 10 year DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAM GOING. Imagine you take a young 15 year-old POTENTIAL GANGSTA from the EAST-WEST CORRIDOR and you put him in this program and give him some basic ENGLISH and MATH and WRITING and SPEAKING SKILLS and turn him in a DECENT PAN TUNER. Ten years down the road THIS INDIVIDUAL is hopping a plane at PIARCO headed to Schools and Universities around the world to TUNE PANS and give LECTURES on THE PROCESS.
This is the better investment to me because there is such a WORLD OF DEMAND for GOOD PANS our there -- from the small JUMBIE PANS (especially) to the STANDARD CIRCLE OF FIFTH PAN!!!
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