Last week’s column was forced to return to what I assert is the government’s unwillingness to take any responsibility for the prevailing rampant killings, particularly for the easy passage of guns and drugs into our island for well over a decade. If not government agencies, who else is expected to …
Read More »Daly Bread: Government extends blame game while crime rampages on
For some weeks this column had been focused on the good, the bad and the ugly of Carnival and its component parts. Last week, I returned to commentary on the government charades that are passed off as effective governance—on that occasion, dealing with the haphazard situation in respect of the …
Read More »Daly Bread: Game of blood; T&T needs empirical data on blood collection
Obtaining blood when persons need it can be a harrowing experience. Very recently, I felt it vicariously while a comrade urgently required blood. Eighteen months ago, on 30 August 2022, the Minister of Health, Terrence Deyalsingh MP issued a message concerning blood donation, which created misgivings in some of those …
Read More »Daly Bread: The road make to walk; preserve Pan On The Avenue!
The centrality of the Panorama competition to the steelband movement cannot be doubted. However, there are some downsides to it receiving paramount attention. In the Newsday, early last week, Mark Lyndersay penetratingly labelled Carnival as “an entrenched competition economy” and summarised the deficiencies of Carnival in its current form as …
Read More »Daly Bread: Supporting the authentic mas
How do we get our brilliant steelbands and their significant numbers of youthful players and supporters back on the road on Carnival days? The steelbands are a unifying and healing force and are capable of mitigating the divisiveness and socio-economic exclusivity with which the Carnival band scene is riddled. Carnival …
Read More »Daly Bread: “Conglomerate mas” subduing our authentic Carnival experience
There is speculation how tomorrow and Tuesday’s Carnival will turn out, as it is taking place amid concern about the price of Carnival participation and the possible deterrent effect of rampant violent crime. At last, there is also intensity of concern about the changing character of the mas’. Social media …
Read More »Daly Bread: The Panorama bond—panyards remain a zone of peace
Last Sunday, this year’s Panorama semi-finals brought strong feelings of peace and togetherness to the Queen’s Park Savannah and its environs. The event mirrored the camaraderie of the previous Sunday when the Panorama judges visited seven Port of Spain panyards and the crowds were so big that they could only …
Read More »Daly Bread: Growth and re-growth of genius; invest in pan, PM!
The crowds are as large as ever, the competition as keen and the bond of the band and followers as strong. We already therefore have some confirmation that participation in pan music has not been significantly suppressed by crime. That is a relief. However, the joyful surge of emotion does …
Read More »Daly Bread: A social force for good—the gov’t can still do more for pan
The Junior Panorama took place last Sunday. It is the Carnival event I most enjoy. This year, my annual attendance was seasoned by an insightful statement from a member of the current government, whose communication is regularly that of deny, deflect and denigrate. The phrase that headlines this column is …
Read More »Daly Bread: Harmony from opposite dem boys jail
The State funeral of former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday last Tuesday occupied the centre of the first news cycle of 2024. Sadly, it did so jointly with a renewed onslaught of murder and violent crime, which once more made a mockery of the statements of the Prime Minister and the …
Read More »Daly Bread: Criminals ducking the lack of political will
A New Year traditionally renews feelings of hope. Realism may dash hope so commentators feel pressured not to write gloomily during the Christmas/New Year season. My first column of last year invited a re-imagining of the possibilities of sustainable co-operation within communities. I had been departing from the subject of …
Read More »Daly Bread: Illuminating the achievements of pan music
As previewed last Sunday, Pantopia is a steelband musical inspired by the music of Ray Holman, scheduled for performance in April next year. I describe this week the strong historical context that should impel support for Pantopia. The historical context includes the insertion into the Trinidad Music Festival of competitive …
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