Tag Archives: culture

“[…] The main argument in defence of what’s in effect a Machel Monday redux on Carnival Friday was that ISM was dying anyway, so what’s the problem letting Monk have his way and have the day? “It’s a strikingly bad argument. If your beloved relative is dying, you don’t finish …

Last Sunday’s Junior Panorama was a scintillating competition. The crowds were so large that, as the Primary Schools category was completed, their supporters were politely asked to leave and make space for the next category, Secondary Schools. The quality of the musical performances of the participants in each of the …

“Pan is in good hands,” they said—after experiencing the energy and exuberance of the Junior Panorama finals at the Queen’s Park Savannah. But is it? The Presbyterian schools dominated the 2023 competition. Guaico Presbyterian Steel Orchestra scored a hattrick by winning its third National Primary Schools Trophy. NAPs Combined (students of Naparima …

Sadly, the wonderful atmosphere of last Wednesday’s celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Independence may be merely a transient feel good moment given the sorry state of our country. The work week began on Monday with remarkable chaos as a result of the confluence of continued protests, ostensibly about the …

If I wanted to make my mother Celia steups, I would tell her that Sparrow was better than Kitchener. Of course I did not mean it because I became a Carnival piong when they both ruled town. This column focuses on Kitchener because this year is the 100th anniversary of …

Nestor Sullivan was modestly described as manager of Pamberi Steel Orchestra when we lost him at the beginning of this month. My few precious interactions with him and his cool, dry witticisms caused me to become aware that he was a tireless presenter of scholarly but practical papers on the …

“[…] The truth is that culture and, moreso, the business of Carnival has lost, both in terms of revenue generation and reputation, over the course of these two missed years. “Our refusal to even so much as  consider hosting a festival this year will only be seen as an opportunity …

‘Covid-19 will force us to re-build our economy,’ I wrote nearly two years ago, in April 2020. ‘We should place our vibrant performing arts at the core of the recovery agenda, not merely with the disproportionate focus on one transitory carnival season, which we may not even have in 2021. …

The raucous sound of cuatro and maracas spills from a variety store in Arima. A woman in a long wrap skirt stands nearby, hips swaying in time.  Behind her, whistling along, a street vendor measures out bags of the bright red sorrel that will flavour his customers’ Christmas drinks. A …

Our governance arrangements and political style have left us in an uncomfortable void. Our country is not nearly as well managed as we could make it. We have not employed an enlightened combination of the country’s resources, citizen commitment and fairness. There are not many countries that have achieved satisfactory …

The words of Kahlil Gibran in The Prophet inspire generations of readers all over the world. In the words of an Oxford University lecturer, the book ‘serves various occasions or big moments in one’s life’. I have so far escaped the worst of the deprivations of the pandemic. My pandemic …

The following is a press statement on the passing of calypsonian and Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO) president Lutalo Masimba—better known as Bro Resistance—by the National Action Cultural Committee (NACC): The National Action Cultural Committee (NACC) wishes to extend its condolences to the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO) and to …