DON'T
GALLERY WITH THE STEELPAN
By
Khalick J. Hewitt
International Steelpan & Calypso Society
Nov 10, 2004
Recently, the Trinidad and Tobago Legal Affairs Minister Danny Montano
announced that he was appointing a committee to protect the steelpan
from exploitation by non-nationals. I am always amazed at the amount
of gallerying that goes on between the Government and the steelband
movement. Minister Danny Montano’s latest gallery attempt to hoodwink
the steelband movement is doing it a great a disservice. Mr. Montano
is offering State-sponsored protectionism for the steelpan. In this
age of globalization any form of protectionism is an anachronism. The
steelpan can take its rightful place among the other instruments of
the world without this futile attempt of State-sponsored
protectionism.
On November 5, 2004 I read in the Newsday newspaper that Mr. Montano
announced that Government had appointed a committee whose mandate is:
to prevent a group of individuals such as non-nationals from copying
and exploiting the steelpan; to prevent certain persons from acquiring
any intellectual property right over the instrument and associated
methods of manufacture; to grant the people of Trinidad and Tobago the
exclusive right to make and exploit the instrument; to ensure that any
copies of the steelpan indicate that the origin of the instrument is
Trinidad and Tobago; to encourage international recognition of the
steelpan as a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago
and perhaps as a national icon and national treasure and lastly to
maintain the currency of the instrument so that it continues to be
played and listened to by the younger generation. The reason that I am
outlining the mandate of this soon to be appointed committee is that I
want the pan public and the public in general to understand the
gallerying that is taking place here.
Now, let me address the Minister’s proposed mandate. The first thing
that the Minister can do is get Parliament to pass an Act of
Parliament to recognize the steelpan as the national instrument. No
statements by any Minister, including the Prime Minister will make
this instrument national. Items to be deemed ‘national’ need an Act of
Parliament to get any legal standing in the international community.
The manufacturers of the steelpan should certainly patent their
instruments but that would only refer to the design and not the
steelpan per se. There is no need for a committee to grant the people
of Trinidad and Tobago exclusive rights to make and exploit the
instrument. Already, pantuners/builders have that right and they can
have ‘exclusive rights’ if they patent their various designs. I don’t
know if the Government can ensure putting the words ‘originated in
Trinidad and Tobago’ on any foreign patented design of the instrument.
It would be the right of the designer to put the place of origin on
his or her design.
How can the international community recognize the steelpan as a
national icon and national treasure when the Government has not
instituted the steelpan by an Act of Parliament? National treasures
are the result of legislation and not by making overtures to the
international community for such recognition. In order to maintain the
‘currency of the instrument’ it must be given daily airplay on the
radios and television. The ‘national instrument’ should be given its
own space on the airways. Perhaps, dedicating a half hour each day for
steelpan music would be a start. And, the middleclass must participate
in the steelband movement as stakeholders and not just playing in a
steelband for the Carnival. Also, the instrument must be given social
status. Perhaps, using the instrument to play the national anthem at
the opening of each school day would go a long way for social
acceptance. All schools should have their own steelband orchestra
(instead of borrowing the large steelbands’ instruments) and hold
annual national school steelband festival among the different schools.
The Minister said that the committee is mandated to consider the
establishment of a programme to grant official recognition to
exceptionally talented, tradition-bearers and craftspersons. The best
way to recognize talent is to provide a musical scholarship to
deserving panists so that they may learn to speak the language of
their instrument. What I mean is that panists should be trained in
musical theory so that they can better understand their instrument and
be best able to represent it to the international community. Too many
times you would see a panist being interviewed by the international
media but he (and it is usually a male) is not able to put his craft
in musical terms. Learning music will enable the panist to explain his
instrument to the world.
Lastly, the Government can assist the panist and the steelband
movement by addressing the unemployment among the panists by providing
jobs and other economic opportunities for them. Most of the employment
in the country is situated in the areas where the steelbands dominate.
The eradication of the drug trade, that is devastating those areas,
can be eradicated by developing economic opportunities in those areas.
No, Mr. Minister you are only gallerying with steelpan but I await to
see the results of your State-sponsored protectionism.
To the rendezvous of victory,
Khalick J. Hewitt, President & Founder
International Steelpan & Calypso Society
11/10/04
Contact Khalick Hewitt
<KHewitt@lsnj.org>
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