This decision, though regrettable, has become necessary to demonstrate the Association’s displeasure with the handling of matters related to the Steel Band movement, and in particular Carnival 2009.
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Truth is unless there is a worldwide body for pan, Grenadian folks cannot be helped..
I dont think this will be the last country this year who are struggling to run a panorama..
how about this for thinking out the box. If you do put on a show like panorama don't pocket the money, give it to the bands..... just a thought
also must say bigUP to Peck Edwards. i love his band too bad and would be sorry not to hear them this year - but if i don't, i say good on him for his firmness of principles.
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GCC CHAIRMAN COMMITTED TO PAN COMPETITION
St. George’s, May 20, 2010
Copyrighted by Grenadabroadcast.com
The chairman of the Grenada Carnival Committee (GCC) has said that he is committed to ensuring that the national steelbands’ competition, Panorama, is held as part of the 2010 carnival that will be officially launched on June 12.
Colin Dowe gave the assurance Wednesday after the Grenada Steelbands’ Association (GSA) issued a statement announcing that members had decided to “abstain from participating in the 2010 National Panorama Championship’’ because of an “ongoing impasse’’ with the GCC.
One of the central complaints of GSA was non-payment of outstanding prize monies of some EC$150,000 owing for such things as the 2009 Junior and Senior Panorama competitions, and for a steelbands’ “Bomb Tune Competition’’ of last year.
The GSA said its decision only related to Panorama and it would be willing to participate in other carnival activities, including playing on the road on Carnival Monday on Tuesday, August 9 and 10.
Mr. Dowe, in a television interview Wednesday night, said the GSA had not officially notified the GCC of its decision to “abstain’’ for Panorama 2010. He also revealed that money outstanding for the Junior and Senior Panoramas was paid on Wednesday, saying there are only a “couple of mop up monies’’ still to be paid for such things as trucking, appearance fees and the “Bomb Tune Competition.’’
The GCC chairman emphasised that steelpan was integral to Grenada’s Spicemas. “Carnival comprises mas, pan and calypso,’’ Mr. Dowe said. “I have been in conversations with the President of the Steelbands’ Association up to today (Wednesday) and it will continue because the commitment of the GCC is there. We need all components – mas, pan and calypso. If we do not have all three, it is not carnival. We are committed to staging a panorama competition.’’
GSA official David “Peck’’ Edward said the association is meeting on Thursday, May 20, to further discuss the Panorama situation. Some steelbands are known to be opposed to boycotting the national pan competition.
Mr. Edwards, musical arranger of 2009 Panorama champions, Coyaba New Dimensions, said a major grouse of the GSA is what he described as the disrespect for the local steelband movement.
“Over the years we’ve had a number of promises and most of these have not materialised,’’ he complained. “It’s like people are not taking us seriously. It is painful for us as pan people.’’
Mr. Edwards, whose band is likely to boycott this year’s competition, said it’s now late to start readying for Panorama. “Preparing for Panorama is not something you can do overnight. We should have started in April,’’ he told broadcaster George Grant in an interview.
In the opinion of Mr. Edwards, carnival is underfunded. It’s not just an issue of the GCC but one that requires a “marriage’’ between government and the business sector, he said."
http://www.grenadabroadcast.com/content/view/8251/45/
Pan is an integral stakeholder in T&T Carnival......It is a business...not a pastime........Consultation must be the order of the day
I respect your views, but I don't agree with them.
I believe the Panorama should be run as a business as I have been saying it for years now, and there are others like Sidd who has been saying it as well. I am a Panman, but I understand that the Panorama must be run as a business; I am sick and tired of seeing steel bands and players being taken advantage of because we don't understand the need to run this thing as a business. I have seen bands lose their Panyards, struggle to raise funds, pay arrangers, pay tuners, pay for uniforms, pay rent for Panyards and sometimes pay for transportation to the museum, all for the love of the art-form, while WIADCA rakes in huge profits. Let me make this clear, I am not blaming WIADCA, they simply put on a show where the bands are participants; it is up to them how bands are compensated and it is up to the bands (steel band association) to agree or disagree to those terms in the form of a verbal agreement or a written contract, which is business.
What we need to do as Panmen, is think like businessmen and put on our own Panorama show, otherwise we will always be taken advantage of...you don't need to be a politician to know that the Panorama should be run as a business by Pan people.
musicians CANNOT think like businessmen. And businessmen CANNOT think like musicians. One is an art form and the other is bean-counting, and the twain shall never meet. is two completely different kinds of minds -
It is not about business people "infiltrating" the pan community, nor is it about them 'leaving us alone to play we pan' -- it's about understanding we have to work together. it's about hiring some professionals to provide us with a service, which is totally separate from the artform. we panmen and women can hire businesspeople to work FOR US, to handle the business parts of producing the 'show' - which has to be managed correctly in order for it to succeed.
we musicians can't do it, we come to play. And we cannot both play music AND deal with the business - it has to be two separate sets of ppl with two different sets of skills, working together in concert.
i just don't get all this confusion about this - the biggest rock and roll bands, and worldwide classical orchestras, all do this as SOP - they have business managers, schedulers, accountants, etc, to do that stuff FOR them so they can be left alone to play - it's so simple. The bean counters work for the band - they're not part of the band, nor control anything about the band, nor make any decisions for the band. They take orders FROM the band as their employer - they are there to do their business stuff and stay outta the music.
We as pan people could certainly control the process the same way - from we own point of view.
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