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 »Vaneisa: Steelpan unity, disingenuous Gypsy and a Carnival of identity
Something of an epiphany came to me after the Panorama finals. Steelband arrangers genuinely seem to respect and admire each other. I couldn’t think of any instance where they have made derogatory remarks about their competitors. Apart from the swagger that is typical in a competitive environment, there is a …
Read More »Vaneisa: The season of everything—embracing the Carnival spirit
One thing this country is extraordinarily gifted at is its creative impulses, and Carnival is the premier showcase for it. The sound of steel pans was my first and abiding connection to Carnival. It is still the most powerful bond. Just as cricket fills me with a sense of West …
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: Saturday morning serenade at the Green Market
Upon arrival at the Green Market in Santa Cruz, two Saturdays ago, I bumped into a professional couple—each highly placed where they work. One of them asked me to write some more about the pan and the peace dividend. The week before what I am about to describe, I met …
Read More »Daly Bread: Thinking amphitheatre for pan
I am thinking amphitheatre for pan and for a place into which to throw those who damage the institutional integrity of our supposedly independent constitutional bodies to be subjected to public heckling. Unlawful and deeply troubling actions such as those taken by the Judicial and Legal Service Commission against Marcia …
Read More »Daly Bread: Spaces for culture and the arts
In the aftermath of the annual ritual of the presentation of the Budget, three of Trinidad and Tobago’s most credible and authentic practitioners in the arts and culture were reported in the Trinidad Express newspaper, last week, as expressing reservations about what is passed off as Government support for culture …
Read More »Daly Bread: The Invaders’ fish broth tale
So let’s get to the promised fish broth story. I am an All Stars sailor. I became a Carnival Tuesday sailor when mas completely surrendered to the big truck phenomenon. Both before and after returning to sailor mas, which I had loved as child, I repeatedly advocated for the sustainability …
Read More »Daly Bread: Mamaguy in reflection season—TTPS, Gov’t and Business community must improve
There is a discernible season, which commences on Independence Day on 31 August and ends when the annual National Awards Ceremony takes place on the evening of Republic Day on 24 September, which falls next Sunday. That period may be categorised as a season because it characterized by certain events …
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