Look bacchanal, no money for carnival!
The government have to borrow FIFTY BILLION to keep the country afloat; no money for MAS.
Meanwhile PANTRINBAGO is FIVE MILLION DOLLARS in DEBT ... maybe this 2016 Panorama is the right year for the Government to call PanTrinbago's bluff on SELF-SUFFICIENCY and have them finance the event themselves.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20151208/news/economist-urges-cutback-on-carnival-expenses
Replies
These fools were owing local Pan men thousands of dollars for the 2015 competition and yet the Government gave them millions of US dollars to produce a world competition.
That competition only took money out of supplying each school in Trinidad and Tobago with a complete set of instruments and training for music and pan tuning.
It is time Pan men demand that Pan Trinbago give them an audit of their books and their program for the next 10 years.
John Dunbar,
The last Minister of Culture was weak and PT took advantage of his weakness. In my opinion the ICP was a waste of time and money. It was a PR ploy to keep PT popular and destroy the NV chances in the later election.
Pan People should never have to wait for money from PT that is due them.
Cecil Hinkson: Lincoln Douglas was the most qualified MINISTER OF CULTURE in the HISTORY of TRINIDAD and TOBAGO. I eh hear a word from your school-girl chemist as yet. And furthermore, all this CULTURE TING getting ready to take a BIG BACK SEAT because that T&T economy is in FREE FALL. And with Saudi Arabia continuing to flood the market in an attempt to stifle SHALE PRODUCTION who knows how long that oil war will last and who will win it. Of course all these commodity markets are cyclical and subject to PANIC BUYING (and SELLING). So the pendulum could swing back on a wild rumor. Or Iran could get bold and make some waves in the Persian Gulf now that they have a nuclear bomb and oil prices could skyrocket. Rowley assured the T&T public that the prices will get back to budget projected levels soon.Let's hope he gets lucky because if people start losing jobs in this crime-ridden environment ... Lord knows how bad things will get.
I keep telling you that if PAN MEN want money they should start producing some MARKETABLE PAN MUSIC. That I believe they could do with a little guidance from some KNOWLEDEABLE EXPATS. As much as I criticize the PAN MUSIC SCENE, I am convinced that there is a global market for PAN MUSIC (and CALYPSO) if the music is recorded and formatted right. You cannot leave out marketing. Raf Robertson outlined the problems in that recent interview but I think there has to be some reasonable and approachable PAN MEN in Trinidad who could see the bigger picture. Dat MERRYTONES fellah seems very rational and there must be another HUNDRED like him around. Every program has to be sold with patience and that bridge between the LOCALS and the EXPATS has to be shortened. Making music together could accomplish that end just like PJJ was doing it with RECORDING the PAN MUSIC.
THE MERRYMEN became millionaires singing, producing and marketing CALYPSO around the globe and the calypso singers whose songs they performed are now OLD and BROKE and begging the government for money for health care and housing. Even the CALYPSO KING OF THE WORLD have his hand out to the government.
Pan People should focus on RECORDING SOME MARKETABLE PAN MUSIC.
The same way the worlds great Symphonys has their supporters, the great Steelbands will have theirs.
As for brake through music this will come from a small ensamble, the people that buy music are young and want music with a world beat,I believe that young panist will soon get their groove on.
It is a fact that only a handful of people make a few dollars in pan and that is the arrangers and tuners The only band that have some financial security is Trinidad All Stars. Pan Trinbago is always in dept and the panmen voted Diaz back in office so you think you will see any changes. 97% of the 170 plus steelbands in the twin islands have no sponsorship and rely on the Pan Trinbago for financial help to compete in panorama. If Pan Trinbago is 5 million in dept what is this saying for 2016. Every year we singing the same song but 2016 with T&T in a serious recession I dying to see who will bail the panmen out. We my have to start a Go Fund account for our local pan people.
Government will have to get the money from the Stabilization FUND, they can’t afford to have Pan Men and Women revolting like slaves for their MONEY. That will destabilize the economy.
Maybe this is an opportunity to take a look at who benefits most from carnival. We know the government put a certain amount of tax payers money into carnival, we also know Hotels, Airline, Carib, Stag, Fernandez, Angostura and band leaders make BIG DOLLARS, my question is, do any of the money rub off on the ordinary tax payer? we know shareholders in these companies are joyful after the season. Educate me somebody.
Cecil, you shouldn't forget that these hotels, airlines,Carib, Stag, etc. employ a large number of Trinidadians, who take their wages and spend, mostly in Trinidad, on the necessities (and a few luxuries) of life. Carnival does bring foreign money into Trinidad. Probably not as much as oil/gas, but a significant amount. That money goes into the economy.
Also, the income from Carnival probably goes to the "little" people far more than the income from big oil/gas.
I hear yuh PJJ but I still wonder if whatever rob off on the "little " people is pittance? the Lion share goes to the big companies, after carnival many of the little people end up in debt. The way it look to me is tax dollars is used to put on a show that mostly benefit Big business. Somehow I get the feeling the little people are being played here.