Carnival pores now raising up. Driven in part by the regret of pockets not filling, there are calls to do something to mark the spot normally occupied by the Carnival season. But Sekon Sta is smarter than all of those who are belatedly rushing into the headlines. In the words …
Read More »Demming: Giving ‘Covid Carnival’ a second thought; T&T can show world we aren’t cowering from virus
So Gregory Aboud jumped out of his corner and suggested that we have a carnival celebration and everybody wants to kill him because, primarily, they say it is too little too late. Is it possible that he is too far away from our perceptions of who can speak about carnival …
Read More »ACTT: Aboud is right, T&T must let ‘Virtual Carnival’ fast-track its digital economy
“[…] ACTT believes the Virtual Carnival also could be the leverage for the fast-tracking of T&T’s digital economy. With no physical Carnival we will lose 55,000 visitors—but we can gain 55 million pairs of eyes! “We will never get a captive audience like this again…” The following press statement on …
Read More »Post-Covid-19: Why our next Carnival is likely to be in 2022, and how to plan for it
As the global community grapples with an insidious pandemic, creative and tourism sectors worldwide have already incurred substantial losses due to significant economic contraction, triggered by the suspension of events and the closure of borders. Undoubtedly, stakeholders within the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival industry have already begun to wrestle with …
Read More »Daly Bread: Swallowing the Carnival wrecker and other camels
Carnival post-mortems are usually futile because the vested interests in Carnival are so strong that those with the power to make changes will not attempt to solve congestion on the parade route, the marginalisation of traditional mas and other problems. Nevertheless, all praise to Pan Trinbago, under the presidency of …
Read More »Demming: What if Tribe ran the country? T&T needs leaders with grit and imagination
Another Carnival is here again, and we are seeing examples of excellence in performance, delivery and customer service. If these things work in one area of society, why is the performance in other areas so dismal? The answer lies in the proliferation of square pegs in round holes. Visit Rosalino …
Read More »Seditious Thought: even Carnival would be in trouble if Police enforce our colonial laws
“Act 51 of the Summary Offences Act prohibits ‘indecency’ in public places specifically mentioning anyone who (a) is indecently attired; (b) performs any lewd or suggestive dancing or actions; (c) in any play, song, ballad or speech, uses language, or makes use of any recording, which is profane, indecent or …
Read More »Daly Bread: Needing a new Kambule; why T&T Carnival requires a paradigm shift
At the Panorama semi-finals two weeks ago, I became involved in a discussion with Eintou Springer, her daughter Attilah and an official of Pan Trinbago. The discussion turned to how Pan Trinbago spent the taxpayers’ money it received from complicit governments in the past and apparently continues on the same path. …
Read More »Crowne: Mas Confusion; videos or photos for personal use do not infringe copyright laws
Works of mas have come into the spotlight recently. In particular, the right to photograph, record or broadcast such works during Carnival. The Trinidad and Tobago Copyright Organisation (TTCO)—the collective management organisation (CMO) that claims responsibility for administering the copyright in ‘works of mas’—has suggested that photography, videography and/or broadcasting …
Read More »Daly Bread: Stubbornness that hurts; why climbing murder rate and Panorama issues persist
Readers have surely noticed that each time the police high command claim credit for a temporary decrease in murders, the murderers mock them with a quick spike in killings. We refuse to accept that there are degrading social conditions which fuel gun and domestic violence. Such stubbornness is more than …
Read More »Dear Editor: Will separating Groovy and Power revive International Soca Monarch?
Ian ‘Socapro’ Henry: “As soon as the current ISM organisers made the mistake of removing the separate Groovy Soca and Power Soca categories in 2016, the show has rapidly and steadily gone downhill in terms of excitement and audience attendance. This is no coincidence…” Martin Raymond: “Sorry, I totally disagree with …
Read More »Daly Bread: Leave me with the dutty; laugh and cry in the same cultural yard
Some years more than others, the Christmas message of peace on Earth and goodwill to all persons takes on a tone more urgent than the general warmth of the message. This is such a time. There have been over 500 murders for the year, a number of unsolved disappearances, significant …
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