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World Steelpan Day falls in August, which was a month designated as Steelpan Month in Trinidad and Tobago some time before the United Nations proclamation of that special day in 2023.
Do these August activities, including the annual event at Times Square—as enjoyable as they are—in reality do anything for the further development of the panyards, steelpan music, or the steelpan industry?
Photo: Consulate-general.
The evening after the performance of Massy Trinidad All Stars in New York City at Pan Times Square III, celebrating World Steelpan Day, Kavita and I were at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center for the showing of the Panazz movie, followed by a live performance by All Stars.
This venue is located within the premises of the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) in the buzzy Tribeca area, well known for the Tribeca film festival that annually features a successful mix of music and movies.
Robert De Niro co-founded the Tribeca festival in 2001. According to the New York Times: “the festival was established to revitalize Lower Manhattan after the 9/11 attacks and has since become a major cultural event. It has generated over $1 billion in economic impact for New York City.”
Photo: Consulate-general.
After the showing of the Panazz movie and before Trinidad All Stars played, there was a question-and-answer session (Q&A) with Barry Bartholomew and Dane Gulston. Albeit briefly, the sensitive issue of “freeness” was raised during the Q&A.
It was put this way: “A lot of people feeling that when there is a steelpan concert it must be free.”
Pan can be much more than freeness. It has an untapped potential for employment opportunities and foreign exchange earnings on both the performing and industry sides and it deserves a place in economic development.
On the manufacturing side, investment in a steel drum factory to make us less dependent on the very sporadic imports of drums is a priority, as is a formal training programme for pan tuners.
At short notice I can set out my blueprint regarding both the performance and manufacturing aspects of pan.
Better attention should now be paid to the earning potential of pan, particularly if cultural tourism intertwined with our creative arts and festivals gains feasible momentum—given what Indera Sagewan, economist, last week described as “our chronic lack of diversification”.
Photo: Pan Trinbago.
There are international development agencies which may support the development of this potential.
As to the question which opens this column, the Times Square event is important but it has been largely a one stop event. I pay tribute to the drive of our consul-general in New York, Andre Laveau, who makes Times Square happen with assistance and support of others—this year with the added event in Tribeca.
After the acclaim in the Trinidad and Tobago media and loads of official self-congratulation, not much economic development will come out of the Times Square event or the other August events.
Photo: Pan Trinbago.
There is serious follow-up work to be done regarding pan in New York. We must now immediately seek to have pan engaged in the Tribeca film festival.
Another level on which we must set our sights is the performance of pan in New York and other major cities, in engagements in and around the Lincoln Center and other famous concert halls.
We have been in Carnegie Hall and must regularly return there. A significant presence in the digital world is also required if we are to stimulate intergenerational interest in pan music.
Photo: Pan Trinbago.
Meanwhile there is increasing adoption of the concept of the panyard model, a phrase which it is acknowledged I first used in 2007 with appropriate deference to Lloyd Best and his work Schools In Pan.
As I have emphasised, the panyards provide surrogate parenting and nurture as well as productive activities. The development of the panyard model will yield a peace dividend, but short term, photo-op pan camps will not yield much.
I guess partisan politics, and perhaps even vanity, prevent the high officials who now nearly two decades later, refer to “the panyard model” without acknowledging the sources of the concept.
(via Highlanders.)
I do not care much if they persist in their partisanship and vanity as long there is in depth advancement in the areas of potential identified above.
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Martin G Daly SC is a prominent attorney-at-law. He is a former Independent Senator and past president of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago.
He is chairman of the Pat Bishop Foundation and a steelpan music enthusiast.
