On Sunday, August 6, the community of Laventille will make its contribution to the 2006 Emancipation observance with a steelband street parade free of DJ music.

     Showtime is 4pm for the cultural presentation billed as the 7th Annual Laventille Steelband Festival Pan Parade, held under the patronage of His Excellency President George Maxwell Richards.

     The theme of the production is "Proud to Be...Laventille III," which is being staged by the Laventille Steelband Festival (LSF) Foundation.

     At a meeting convened last Thursday for participating steelbands in this year's Festival Parade, foundation chairman Michael Cooper announced to the gathering that entrepreneurs in Laventille accept the fact that the Festival puts the community in a positive light. 

"Consequently", he said, "they have pledged to work with the organizing committee, by allowing pan music to feature exclusively on the day."

     Cooper related that last year was the first time the DJ free experiment was tried at the Festival and it was a success.

"Residents who operate businesses immediately along the designated parade route are beginning to believe in the Festival's potential and have promised to turn off their music sets on the day during the time of the event."

     Thirty steel orchestras (single pan and conventional) will join a tamboo bamboo band and the Laventille Rhythm Section in the parade which starts at Mc Allister Street in Laventille (heading east) to Leon Street.

     But before that segment, there will be a street theatre presentation where the Emancipation story will be re-enacted, chronicling the abolishment of slavery. This feature, produced by Norvan Fullerton, will take place in front of Trinidad and Tobago Instruments Limited, Dorata Street, Laventille,

    As usual pan lovers can look forward to infectious performances from their favourite steel orchestras.

     They include: Laventille Serenaders, bp Renegades, Angostura Woodbrook Playboyz, reigning National Panorama champion Phase II Pan Groove, Sagicor Exodus, WITCO Desperadoes, Harlem Syncopators, Clico Sforzata, St James Tripolian, PCS Nitrogen Starlift and Uni Stars.

     Also at Thursday's meeting, committee member Richard Forteau (who is also secretary of Pan Trinbago) urged steelbands to take "full advantage" of the DJ free format which the Festival offers.

     He said: "It is up to us to make this a reality. We must not give businesses in the area an opportunity to say that pan music alone is insufficient along the route and therefore bring out their sound systems to fill the void. We have to think about the future of the Festival. There must be no void. We have sufficient steel orchestras capable of keeping the parade route alive and that's how we want the Festival to be remembered...as a lively event."