Pan In Me Head

The international and local landscapes are so full of negatives, that this week, my column takes a different, more positive approach by looking at some issues dear to Caribbean historical and cultural development- the steel band or “Pan” as we simply say.

I must admit that in spite of my deep undying love for this art form, I have never played pan. I was even involved while in the leadership of the “black power” organisation, BLAC, as part of our wider community approach to activism, in organising a steel band for the organisation in the 1972/3 period. However, with leadership responsibilities encompassing our political work, journalistic responsibilities and organising football and netball teams, as well as community development responsibilities, I never found the time to practise with the steel band. Incidentally, BLAC was the only organisation outside the local steel band movement which attempted to organise an out-of-Carnival Panorama in late 1973. I grew up in the Long Wall (Upstreet) area of Kingstown and could not help as a little boy by being awestruck to hear the likes of “Big Bull” and “Kibba” practising and performing. In addition, from small, I was a radio man, addicted to exploring the limited possibilities of listening, news, sport, kaiso and pan available through such

channels as the BBC and the two Trinidad stations, especially Carnival activities. Panorama finals in T&T got on my agenda by the mid-sixties and have remained there since then.

So strong was my attachment that the first musical record I bought, from the then Connells store, from my first salary in 1965 was a Pan Am All Stars LP. For years pan records continued to be part of my musical collections, rare at the time. But the highlight was overcoming the challenge to pick up radio coverage of

the T&T Panorama finals for Carnival each year. It was quite a challenge, sometimes having to travel up the steps to Lowmans to see if I could get good reception at Grand Gate.

Those early encounters made pan an inseparable part of my lifetime experience to this day. I have found it hugely gratifying that modern technology enables us to get livestream coverage of not only various Panorama competitions, but of the many out-of-Carnival activities both in T&T as well as locally. Indeed, it is very encouraging to see our local Steel band Movement organising and participating in out-of-Carnival concerts and street parades. My congratulations to the stalwarts in the Pan movement who press on in the face of real odds.

I understand that there is a certain level of collaboration between the Youlou Pan Movement here and Pan Trinbago, and, given the level of development of pan in Trinidad and Tobago, I am encouraged by this development. The Pan movement in T&T has been making huge strides and there is much that we can learn from it.Pan is always prominent in entertainment activities there and we must make every effort to learn from their rich history.

One of our biggest challenges is the expenses involved. Given the size, it is much harder to find a place for a pan yard than it is for an ordinary musical band to find a band room to practise. Then there is the cost of the instruments themselves, rising astronomically. SVG is not gifted with large multinational firms with deep pockets like those in T&T so sponsorship is a major challenge. In addition, not many successful private sector enterprises are inclined to go for steel band sponsorship, and the finances of both the central government and related institutions like the National Lottery are limited.

How are we going to develop and equip steel bands in schools and rural communities, perfect breeding grounds for the pan. Even in T&T they boast of how the development of pan in such communities have helped in engaging youth and in the fight against crime. I have raised in one of my earlier comments whether a T&T initiative, the single-pan orchestra can work in our circumstances.

Another very exciting experience we can learn from PanTrinbago is the professional development of the pannists. Many are now attending not just musical schools, but have also taken it to the tertiary level through UWI St Augustine and other universities in North America and Europe. The pan movement is now blessed with a number of qualified young professional musicians, turning out arrangers, pan tuners and composers in droves. Yes, music is now on the tertiary options in T&T and the pan movement is benefitting greatly from it. It is an issue which not just the pan movement, but education authorities and the government here must address. Music and pan also have lifetime professional futures and should become part of our Education Revolution.

Yes, the horizon is expanding and so too must the future of pan.

• Renwick Rose is a Social and Political commentator.