|
The inaugural steelpan conference Steelfestt, with its theme Pan Globalisation—Progress and Possibilities, ended on a high note at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Port-of-Spain on Wednesday evening. The three-day conference, which opened on Sunday, but got going on Monday, seeks to put pan as the global focal point, and develop a road map for the national instrument. The project, the brainchild Dave Dedier, saw Pan Trinbago coming on board with the National Gas Company as sponsor.
There were informative and exciting presentations with lively question and answer sessions. Presenters touched on a range of topics dealing with the pan, from the now-controversial Pan in Schools programme to the ambivalence of past and present governments towards pan. Pan Pioneer Sterling Betancourt, MBE, opened the event on Monday with a lively and informative session titled War and Rebellion which tracked the early years of the steelband development.
The conference closed with attorney Martin Daly SC, a known pan lover, pointing the way forward for the steelpan. Before him Sunity Maharaj, editor of the Trinidad and Tobago Review, called for the validation of the pan by the People’s Partnership government. She lamented trade missions were leaving these shores without the pan, pan entrepreneurs, or a representative of the national instrument. She also called for a rebranding of the music, and the sale of training programmes to foreign colleges and universities in this age of certification. She said the revenue possibilities of pan should be acted upon before the oil and gas runs out. It was truly an insightful presentation. But Daly closed the conference with delightful off-the-cuff pace bowling which had participants at times in stitches. There was no time for nodding as he said Panorama was not only about “jukking yuh waist, it is a social investment.” He said it was “a glue that holds society together.” He called for pan music to be everywhere people eat and drink, and urged Pan Trinbago to create an environment where pan music was available throughout the year. He said Ariapita Avenue should be the hub of pan music on weekends.
He lamented that people who are “chipping, limping and in wheelchairs” were attending pan events, and outlined five of a ten-point plan, which included the rebranding of Carnival, a first quarter (January, February and March) Festival and the embracing of all drums of Trinidad and Tobago. He even aimed a few bouncers at divisive politicians seeking to create disunity over the drum. He said that an imperative should be created where pan and pan players view Trinidad and Tobago as the home of pan, where they seek accreditation and validity. Daly hit the right notes about pan highs and lows, bringing down the curtain on an exciting Steelfestt, which saw presentations by Professor Brian Copeland on Pan Technology; Pepe Francis of the London-based British Associations of Steelbands who spoke on the work of his organisation and veteran arranger and pannist Robert “Robbie” Greenidge on Making a Living With Pan among others. Organisers assured that ideas presented at the conference will be documented and acted upon.
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2012-05-10/inaugural-pan-conference-ends-high-note
|
