When Steel Talks receives many hundreds
of thousands of hits weekly on our websites from
people all over the world looking for
information on the steelpan instrument. In
addition, we field numerous inquires from some
of the world's most prestigious music
institutions interested in every aspect of the
steelpan instrument. The popularization of the
steelpan instrument is a global phenomenon that
has been fueled primarily by the steelpan
players.
As recently detailed in one of Trinidad's
national papers (the Trinidad Express), it has been brought to our
attention that the Trinidad and Tobago government has a bill payment
problem. Specifically it has a chronic problem - being the root cause
of its steelband musicians and organizations not being paid in a
reasonable and timely fashion. As if it is not embarrassing enough not
to pay your own country's musicians and organization, Trinidad and
Tobago actually owes the foreign participants in the 2005 World
Steelband Music Festival held in the summer of 2005 at Madison Square
Garden - prize purses won at that competition. Several of the foreign
participants have expressed their dismay and shock at the Trinidad and
Tobago government's behavior.
Trinidad and Tobago is currently
experiencing a booming economy because of its oil exports - oil costs
per barrel have reached record levels. There is no financial burden
here. It is time for the Trinidad and Tobago government to catch-up
with rest of the world, and accord respect to its national instrument,
and those who are directly related to its prominence - musicians, and
their music organizations - respect that they have already earned
globally.
One would expect the Trinidad and Tobago
government to take the lead in respecting all aspects relating
especially to the business matters of the steelpan, given that the
country is historically the originator of the instrument. They send a
very dubious signal to the rest of the global steelpan community.
