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Global
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This year,
2010,
steelbands
in England
participating
in the
Panorama at
the Notting
Hill
Carnival,
played for
free. That
is, the
bands
received no
monies for
appearance
fees or for
prizes. It
is reported
that this
was due to
the economic
melt-down
now being
experienced
in that
country.
In
neighbouring
Grenada and
St. Lucia
there were
no steelband
Panoramas
this year.
In both
cases the
lack of
appropriate
funding
silenced the
orchestras.
At the
Panorama in
Toronto’s
Caribana
celebrations,
the bands
have been
playing for
‘bragging
rights’ and
little or no
money for
the past few
years. It is
anyone’s
guess how
long this
will
continue.
Miami has
now wiped
out Panorama
completely
from the
diary of
carnival
events in
that city.
One can even
predict that
in a year’s
time there
may be
another
casualty. St.
Vincent 2010
Panorama
attracted
more pan
players than
audience, we
can only
hope for the
best and
fear for the
worst here.
The
remaining
‘safe’
Panoramas
are: Antigua
and Barbuda;
Barbados;
Brooklyn Labour Day
weekend (New
York
Panorama), and Trinidad
and Tobago,
where it all
started
almost fifty
years ago.
The major
problem in
all of the
above,
including
the ‘safe’
ones, is
appropriate
funding. The
economic
melt-down is
taking a
heavy toll
on
steelbands
in all these
affected
territories.
The
purpose of
this piece
is to
examine this
trend of the
global
demise of
The
Steelband
Panorama and
to make some
suggestions
for its
sustainability.
London
Notting Hill
Carnival
The Greater
London
Authority (GLA),
the funding
agency for
the
Carnival,
informed the
British
Association
of
Steelbands
(BAS) that
the
melt-down
has forced
them to cut
their annual
grant for
the 2010
Panorama.
This grant
was cut from
150,000 to
30,000
pounds, a
decrease of
eighty
percent
(80%). It
was at the
very last
minute the
bands
decided to
proceed with
the Panorama
after much
uncertainty.
There were
only seven
bands in the
competition
this year.
The Voice
newspaper
(London) has
stated that
the Notting
Hill
Carnival
generates 93
million
pounds in
revenue to
the coffers
of the city.
This figure
was also
given by
cultural
researcher
Dr. Keith
Nurse in a
document
published
online.
It stands to
reason that
there must
be a problem
in the
accounting
if there is
a profit of
that size
- and the same
city is
cutting panmen’s
money by
80 percent.
It is the
same
steelbands
that started
this Notting
Hill
Carnival
that is now
dubbed “The
largest
street
festival in
Europe;” it
attracts
close to
2,000,000
spectators
over two
days. The
profits of
their labour
are now
enjoyed by:
airlines and
shipping
companies;
rail and bus
companies;
hotels and
guest
houses; food
and beverage
companies;
the pubs and
restaurants
and other
services.
The ‘little’
that the
BAS was
getting was
taken away,
while these
businesses
are booming
and they are
smiling...“all
the way to
the bank.”
Toronto
Caribana
When I
visited that
Carnival in
2008 there
were some
noises of
discontent
with the
money paid
to the bands
for
Panorama.
The panmen
complained
that the
grant for
preparation
was too
small and
the prize
money was
insignificant.
Thousands of
people flock
to this city
for these
celebrations,
millions of
dollars are
made and
steelbands
play for
almost
‘nothing.’
Dr. Nurse is
quoted as
saying that
Caribana
generates
more than
$200,000,000
to the
city’s
coffers. Again the
business
sector is
smiling
while the
steelbands
are
suffering.
The
Trinidadians
and other
West Indians
made this
carnival the
profit-making
machine it
is today.
They have
struggled
for years to
keep this
tradition
alive in
this city
against real
odds. Pan
people and
others “mind
the
goat”...and
somebody
else...“drinking
the milk.”
The
Caribbean
The
Panoramas in
Grenada and
St. Lucia
were
cancelled
this year
because
funding was
not
available
from their
respective
governments.
No one can
say for
sure, what
will happen
in the years
to come.
Those
national
economies
are under
real
pressure and
the future
of this
event looks
grim.
In both St.
Vincent and
Antigua/Barbuda
the Panorama
is lacking
audiences.
Of all the
pre-carnival
shows the
Panorama is
the least
attended in
both
territories.
Other
activities
like Soca
Monarch have
overtaken the Panorama
by leaps and
bounds.
Brooklyn
Labour Day
(New York
Panorama)
It was
reported
that dozens
of police
cars
descended on
the panyard
of the
defending
champion band Sonatas
the night
before the
Panorama. The report
stated that
the police
went to
inform the
band that
they must
end practice
by ten
o’clock.
There was a
great panic
at the Crown
Heights
panyard when
dozens of
armed,
uniformed
officers of
the NYPD
charged into
the area to
deliver the
message. The
unsuspecting
people, made
up mainly of
pan players,
their
relatives,
friends and
supporters,
could not
understand
the reason
for this
massive
‘show of
force.’
One
eyewitness
to these
remarkable
events noted
that...
“because
it was a
group of
black people
of mainly
Caribbean
descent, the
police
treated the
matter so
militarily.
The truth is
that no real
threat was
made to the
community,
no one at
the Panyard
that night
had
terrorist
intentions,
no one there
had plans to
rob and
kill. They
were there
to see their
children,
grand
children,
nieces,
nephews and
friends
practice an
art form
that is
indigenous
to their
Caribbean
roots.”
In spite of
this gross
intimidation
marshalled
by a
seemingly
uncaring
city and
executed by
an
aggressive
police
force...Sonatas
won the
competition
the
following
night...
Congratulations
to them!!
The West
Indian
American
Labour Day
Carnival
generates
more than
$300,000,000
to the
businesses
and the city
of Brooklyn.
This is [in
spite of] the
treatment
meted out to
the champion
steelband by
the same
city.
POSSIBLE
SOLUTION
The
questions
that pose
themselves
now
are...
What
will happen
to Panorama
in the
future and
what can be
done to save
this
critical
Carnival
spectacle? In answer to
the first
question I
will say
that “the
future of
Panorama is
in serious
doubt in
most of the
territories
and it could
eventually
die out
completely.”
In all of
the territories
where there
is Panorama
they tend to
follow the
lead of
Trinidad and
Tobago (T&T). Our
nationals
dominate the
technical
side of most
of these
Panoramas,
services
like:
arranging;
tuning and
blending;
drilling the
band;
balancing
the
orchestra;
setting up
on stage. In
the area of
adjudicating
the criteria
for judging
is the T&T
model and
the judges
are mainly
nationals of
this
country.
In fifty
years we
have
transported
this major
steelband
event to
these
territories
where our
nationals
have
settled. We
have created
a potential
global
industry in
the process
and we are
now
experiencing
the rapid
demise of
the
Panorama,
the biggest
event on the
global
steelband
calendar.
In Trinidad
and Tobago
carnival
generates
profits of
more than
$600,000,000
to the state
and the
business
sector.
These two
national
institutions
that benefit
from the
carnival
should be
approached
to secure a
percentage
of the said
profits to
the
steelband
movement.
The
contribution
can
alleviate
some of the
difficult
financial
situations
the
steelband
movement is
facing now.
The movement
will be able
to: pay
prizes and
appearance
fees;
complete the
headquarters
[of Pan
Trinbago];
sustain
year-round
activities
for the
member
bands;
re-invest in
the
steelband
industry;
maintain and
train the
administrative
staff;
undertake
more capital
projects.
GLOBAL
EXAMPLE
Trinidad and
Tobago’s
representatives
to regional
and
international
organizations
like CARICOM
[Caribbean
Community],
OAS
[Organization
of American
States] and the
Commonwealth,
may want to
present the
T&T model of
support for
the
steelband
movement. We
can present
this
position to
the British
government
in support
of the
steelbands
at Notting
Hill
Carnival who
play for
free and are
openly
exploited.
We hosted
the
Commonwealth
Summit last
November. Let us use
that
goodwill
that still
exists, for
the benefit
of T&T
culture in
Britain.
CARICOM
should be
the first
target group
we should
convince of
our T&T
model of
Steelband
Development
through
funding from
the profits
of carnival.
In all the
territories
the role of
the
steelband
was central
to the
beginnings,
development
and
sustainability
of the
carnival.
Through the
OAS
and our
embassies
and
consulates
in those
cities, we
should
approach the
Mayors and
the
political
leadership
of Miami,
New York and
Toronto. All
with one
view, that
is, to seek
their
support for
the T&T
model of
steelband
development
in those
cities.
Trinidad and
Tobago will
also have to
convince the
Mayor and
political
leadership
of the City
of New York
that steel
orchestras
preparing
for Panorama
pose no
threat to
the safety
and security
of the city. On the
contrary
these music
groups
provide
important
community
services
especially
in the areas
of
Youth
Development,
Music
Education
and
Community
Building.
ROLE OF PAN
TRINBAGO
It is now
for Pan
Trinbago,
the world’s
governing
body for
steelbands,
to convene
an urgent
meeting
firstly with
the
government
and business
sectors here
in Trinidad
and Tobago
to come to
an agreement
on the
Carnival
Profit
Sharing Plan.
The next
step is for
us, as a
country, to take this
model of
steelband
development
to the other
territories.
Pan
Trinbago
should call
another
meeting with
representatives
of: the British
Association
of
Steelbands
(BAS);
Ontario
Steelband
Association
(OSA);
United
States
Steelband
Association
(USSA); and the
steelband
associations
of St. Lucia,
St. Vincent,
Grenada,
Antigua/Barbuda
and
Barbados.
The agenda
for this
meeting
should
include
other ideas
for the
development
and
sustainability
of the
Panorama in
the
respective
territories.
There is a
critical
need for the
global
Panoramas to
get some
sort of
stimulus
package. The
steelbands
are major
contributors
to the huge
profits
generated
from
Carnival.
As a
country,
Trinidad and
Tobago can
take the
lead role in
saving the
steelband
Panorama in
the various
territories
where it is
now under
threat. The
Profit
Sharing
Model is a
possible
solution, we
can present
it to all
the
countries
concerned.
This is the
solution I
am
suggesting...
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