RIP Cur­tis Pierre: A soldier of pan falls…

[Claude Gonzales]

Guardian Sep 12th, 2019

Peter Ray Blood

"Tak­ing to the in­stru­ment like a duck to wa­ter at a young age, not sur­pris­ing­ly, Pierre got stern ob­jec­tion over his at­trac­tion to what was then con­sid­ered an in­stru­ment for hooli­gans, ruf­fi­ans and crim­i­nals. His moth­er was es­pe­cial­ly ve­he­ment that he should not play the in­stru­ment.

But, Pierre was de­ter­mined to mas­ter the in­stru­ment, at­tract­ing fel­low stu­dents from pres­ti­gious St Mary’s and Queen’s Roy­al Col­lege, in­clud­ing teenagers like the late George Ng Wai, Mervyn Telfer, Hady Lee, Bil­ly Car­pen­ter and Ju­nior Pouchet."

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[Russell Providence]

"...South­ern Rhode­sia where they were guests of the In­ter­na­tion­al Con­gress of African Cul­ture (ICAC)."

Thank you Claude Gonzales for sharing this Peter Ray Blood article, as the world governing body for pan Pan Trinbago does not seem to have any such information archived.

Abstract:

"In 1962, African and international delegates met in Africa for the First International Congress of African Culture. This little-known event showcased the superb aesthetics and power of both classic and contemporary African arts, refuted bias and misrepresentations, and demonstrated the influence and contributions of African culture to world culture. Although there had been two Congrès des écrivains et artistes noirs in Paris in 1956 and Rome in 1959, this was the first congress on the broader subject of African culture to be held on the continent. Encompassing visual art, music, dance, and architecture, it involved practitioners such as Simon Okeke, Selby Mvusi, Pearl Primus, and Pancho Guedes; scholars such as Saburi O. Biobaku, Hugh Tracey, and Janheinz Jahn; and leading figures from the international art world such as Alfred H. Barr, William Buller Fagg, and Udo Kulterman, as well as historians, critics, museologists, and anthropologists. One of the exhibitions specifically juxtaposed African art pieces with works by Picasso, Brancusi, Paolozzi, and others. The congress was held at what was then the Rhodes National Gallery in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (now the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare, Zimbabwe), initiated by the institution's director, Frank McEwen. This essay provides background information, analysis of the context, summaries of some of the important papers presented, and looks at the local and international impact."

Thank you Curtis Pierre for representing.

Farewell Mighty Warrior.

 

[James Martinez]

We salute you Curtis Pierre. Thank you for your enduring legacy and contribution to pan culture in T&T. Well played. Your place in history could never be denied, nor will it ever be erased. Your work on this earth is done and you have been called to glory. Your life's purpose fulfilled. May you rest in everlasting peace.