I am convinced that those in charge of the "Culture" of this country are clueless as to exactly what it takes from ground up to put on the "Greatest Show On Earth". Why else would a proposal for Carnival every THREE months be considered? As reported by the Trinidad Express:
SHOULD a proposal be made to have Carnival in this country every three months, Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism, Winston "Gypsy" Peters, says he would welcome it with open arms.He said, "Carnival is the quickest developing thing" in Trinidad and Tobago and, as such, it should be utilised in the best possible way in order to boost this country's tourism industry.Peters made the statement yesterday, as he and Minister of Works and Transport Jack Warner made a tour of the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, where construction work is currently ongoing in preparation for next year's Carnival celebrations.
"We must not be coy that Trinidad and Tobago is the land of Carnival. And if we understand that Trinidad and Tobago is the land of Carnival, we have to use Carnival as a product to bring people to this country, which is what I have all intention of doing," Peters said."We must use it. Carnival is a business. That is what Carnival is. Carnival is what you use to bring people to your country. If we could have Carnival every three months, I am good. I am serious, because Trinidad and Tobago is the home of Carnival."
Peters said for now a temporary structure is being built at the Savannah and is expected to be completed by February 10 next year, adding that the first show at the venue—the Panorama semifinals— would take place on February 20. He said by early next year, a competition will be held where local architects could submit their ideas on how the permanent structure should be built. He said a Carnival museum will also be incorporated in the permanent structure. "In my own mind, I want this place to be a place where people would want to come. Not only for Carnival, but we also want to have a Carnival museum here where all these costumes from yesteryear, what we have now and the ones that are going to come on stream, can be put on show. We can have it here so that people from all over the world can come and see it. That is what is going to be here," he said.
He also again criticised the construction of the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) building by the former Patrick Manning-led PNM administration, saying maintenance alone costs taxpayers approximately $40 million annually.
"NAPA was built for a specific purpose and I want to tell you that it was built to fulfil Mr (Patrick) Manning's ego of having CHOGM in a fancy place. We have to now find something constructive to do with that place. That place is a dark hole that people have to throw money in," he said.
Yes, we are quite aware of the fact that Carnival brings the tourists to Trinidad but did anyone stop to think that these tourists have to save , plan and budget to visit for Trinidad Carnival because of the expense and that it is ludicrous to think that they all have the disposable income to make this trip every three months? Not to mention that the average citizen in Trinidad and Tobago who participates in Carnival also has to fork out the equivalent of some people's monthly salary for a costume? How are any of us going to be able to support and afford a Carnival Culture every THREE months?
Carnival Bands put months of planning into each presentation, how is this going to work with Carnival four times a year? Reuse your costume? Make your own costume and come? What about the music? Is it now that Calypsonians, Steelbands and Soca Artistes have to make new music as soon as one "Carnival" is over or is this going to be a recycled and packaged Carnival on repeat every three months?
And add this quarterly Carnival to the Calender of Jazz Festival, Tobago Heritage Festival, Point Fortin Borough Day, Arima Borough Day, Great Fete and we will surely have to rename Trinidad the land of "fete and music!" because that is all we will be doing all year!
26 comments:
Speaking without thinking!
These asinine announcements just piss me off. They're so poorly thought out and clearly made to curry public favour. But all they do is make me bloody angry.
Having Carnival four times a year will just dilute the product and make everyone sick of it. Not only that, but it would just be completely artificial, like a lot of those small island Carnivals are. Does he now know that our Carnival exists for a reason and has a proper history behind it?
What they SHOULD be doing is offering more funding to the regional Borough day celebrations and working to market the Tobago Heritage Festival, which from my understanding, is an absolute gem.
Improve what we already have instead of just forcing new things down people's throats. But I guess that isn't the Trini way. We don't like to preserve. We just like to force in the new.
I do despair.
If the entire population - even die hard Carnival lovers - think this is a dumb idea, why can't the Government see that?
Steups. Priorities please. Let's try to make the one Carnival we have the best there is, before adding more. Its still too expensive, traffic flow is a mess, we getting a stage, but what about a permanent Carnival facility....so much needs to be done to make Carnival what it should be, and here we are talking about more Carnivals? Quality, not quantity por favor!
Carnival every three months is a ridiculous idea.
Just goes to show how many people still DON"T KNOW what Trinidad (and Tobago) Carnival is. History is the guide. Sure, Bourough Day, and other significant days can have elements of Trinidad's culture like steeldrums and costuming, but that IS NOT Carnival of the PRE LENTEN days!
IMHO Trinidad's Carnival must be a SINGULARLY annual pilgrimage of a mostly secular life affirming catharsis. It is a ONCE a year destination to share with the world, not a "Carnival Cruise" leaving port every three months. Saucy highlights the points that it does take much planning and expense for participants. So a year round "Carnival" will severly dilute any real meaning and uniqueness of "we ting."
When some Trinis boast with "pride," it really sounds like plain ole RUM TALK oui! LMAO.
SMDH @ it all. Bad idea all around.
Even if different waves of visitors were to go in each quarter, and each carnival quarter had a different cluster of bands, this will create a host of inconveniences. Like having traffic diverted for the street parade 4 times a year for 1 or 2 days at a time. This will surely be a nuisance to TnT residents. And the litter, lawd farder. Cleanup is slow for the real thing. Now try doing that 3 more times. Oh puh-lease! We don't even have a proper stage yet to showcase the mas.
And let's not forget the expense. It's too much for both visitors and locals alike for just one carnival. Ain't enough patrons to go around for 4 times a year.
As bunny said, it is better to just promote what we already have. And yes dougla_1, our pride do sound like rum talk sometimes. Again, SMDH.
...leaving port every four months. (just keeping the math real ;) )
carnival every three months will get real tired real fast. it will turn trinidads yearly spectacle drawing thousands from across the globe to a "oh it's carnival again this month" kinda thing. the hype will slowly fade!
I guess this is his idea for stimulating the economy eh? Desperation is pure comedy!
Such statements must not be taken seriously he is a folly and a couple raisins short of a fullblown fruitcake.
Sauce, mjsbunny I could not have said it better myself. This was one of those announcements that seems to be full of hot air...where was the thought behind this? To what end is this proposal? Who the a$$ thinks that a proper Carnival can be organised every 3 months!
Sigh...nonsense!!
They only thought of the profit that carnival brings the country annually, they thought of nothing else. Worst case scenario they end up with the 4 carnivals a year, only ONE would make money, only ONE will have the attention of the tourists and only ONE will essencially matter. People have T&T carnival mark in their calendars for YEARS to come and will not stray from any other. It will cost the country money for preparations and there will be no one attending. Sorry to say. Talking about bad carnival ideas, how was the Las Vegas carnival?
For someone who runs a blog about Carnival (a year-round blog no less) you show a suprising lack of insight.
From your last paragraphs apparently you think Carnival is about 'affording the expense'. Be assured that the rest of us do not live in your Tribe/Bliss fantasyland. It is not about costumes, it is not about bands. This is but one aspect of Carnival. Please show a little broad mindedness.
To answer your questions, bands are not REQUIRED to make a new mas, some may choose to participate once a year, some forward thinking ones may participate in all, and make great profits, in addition to broadening the creative black hole that currently pervades.
Music: if you know anything, you know that artistes lament the mindset that they only can make music once a year, they have to eat the next 11 months too! What in the world is wrong with our indigenous music ALL YEAR ROUND?!
And yes, we are already the land of fete and music, let's make some money off that before the oil dries up!
Of course Carnival is about affording the expense, didn't you read that the Honourable Minister said it is a BUSINESS... I am positive he is not into the idea of a Carnival every three months out of charity with my Tax Paying dollars!So yes as a BUSINESS you need people to be able to afford it; afford the costumes, fetes, plane tickets and hotel rooms.
Hmm I agree with GHF, you have to think about what’s in it for the economy which as a government official is ones remit surely. If his remit is to increase the number of visitors to T&T and the biggest pull of visitors to Trinidad is Carnival then surely it’s an idea worth exploring, four times might be excessive but in comparison to the other Islands Trini doesn’t have much a tourist pull to it outside of Carnival. As the vast majority of tourism to T&T is from Europe and the UK in particular, you cut out a vast swathe of people who would visit for carnival by not having a “carnival” when the vast majority of your potential visitors are actually on holiday themselves which is not Feb, March!!
The stark facts are that like countries in the UAE, Trinidad needs to start diversifying and diversifying quickly especially as asphalt, gas and oil production has been dropping steadily year on year (even with the introduction of LNG). The picture based on proven reserves is actually quiet bleak, with tens of billions of dollars required to explore potential new fields mostly deep offshore with all the dangers that brings.
I think it’s extremely naïve and as said earlier narrow minded to think that people won’t come and to suggest an entire population is against the idea of more than one iteration of carnival, based on what? Now the demographic of the visitors may change but who is to say it will and if it does so what, as long as the economy benefits who cares??? Carnival is more than beads and bikinis!!
So yes things need to be improved for the existing one carnival and yes other reasons to visit the isles need to be better organised and promoted but this should be part of an ongoing process of continuous improvement which should include new ideas.
co2 and GHF are clearly living on the same planet as our Honourable Minister.
The reason why our Carnival is so popular and successful, is because it's organic. It is a genuine celebration of something, born out of our history, which makes it more meaningful. It's sonething that primarily exists for the locals. The tourists coming is just an added bonus. But Carnival exists, really for 'us'. If the tourists didn't come, Carnival would still happen and it would still be ace. Yeah, the bands might be smaller, but whatevs. Plus you forget all the foreign-based crew (to which I belong) who make this an annual pilgrimmage. Even those Carnivals in the States, Canada and the UK came about because of ex-pats who wanted to recreate that sense of being at home.
FORCING it, like yer man is suggesting, is just plain dotish. Like someone above said- Las Vegas Carnival, anyone? We already have one of the highest public holiday counts in the world. You want to add SIX more days to it? So nobody would do any work...ever?
There is nothing wrong in wanting to have some sort of celebrations all year round. But hello? Isn't this what happens in the Borough Days? Offer more funding to those regional corporations or councils, promote their fetes, subsidise truck rental or something. But Carnival four times a year? I'd like to say a bad word, but I'd be moderated.
And co2, Europeans have some of the most generous annual leave allowances in the world. The Brits have roughly 25 days, on average and mainland Europeans have as much as 34. They can take these whenever they want. So it really makes no difference when Carnival is. Therefore your argument about vacation is not only stupid, it is null.
Improve what we already have. Newer doesn't always equal better.
as much as I will love to play mas and hear new soca all year around, this will prove to result in a watered down, lack lustre carnival event.... I certainly cannot fete every week and work for all the concerts etc either..... Sometimes people just say stuff to get your attention, Mr. Minister you have my attention, but Im looking at you with raised eyebrows, too much foolishness coming from your mouth..
The joy in carnival is teh climatic build up to those two days.. new soca, fetes, buying costumes, accessories, planning, waiting watching... 3 times a year? I gonna get an anuerysm!
Wow, the saying a little education is a dangerous thing springs to mind. I won’t respond to your “stupid” comment (pun intended) as frankly I found it like you rather boring. I think people should educate themselves as to the state of the Trini economy, the state of play with regards to the countries natural resources (proven and unproven) before they even think about investigating Trinidad’s tourism numbers. With the generous holiday limits in Europe it’s a wonder why they aren’t flocking to Trinidad even when they were flying to Tobago (numbers have dwindled there as well), if the Ministers suggestion can reverse the drop and target an event when traditionally the majority of people in Europe are using their generous holiday allowance then kudos to him.
Hey but as long as people can fly in from foreign for their week or two and attend the carnival that’s for “us”, well who cares about the remaining 50.
In the country of the blind the one eyed man is president.
Co2, has it occurred to you that maybe airfare is one reason why tourism numbers have dwindled? There is no need to educate me on the state of the econonmy in Trinidad. I still have ties there and they keep me informed.
Airfare has gone up drastically in the past two years. I know. I've seen it with my own two eyes. In 2008 I was able to get a flight home for £407. Now the cheapest I can find is £667. And with air passenger duty expected to go up again, that will only increase.
And in case you seem to have forgotten, the global economy is in the toilet. There is massive job insecurity, and the eurozone is in crisis. But yeah, let's put on three more Carnivals, at great expense to the Trini taxpayer, to attract those travellers from bankrupt countries. Great!
But as we're on the subject of the economy, you seem to be quite happy to give Trinidadians six more days off per yer. Any idea as to what that will do to productivity? In terms of dollars and cents I mean? I'm not an economist, so I can't state for certain, but I'm pretty sure SIX extra days off per year, is not going to go down well with employers across the land.
In addition, Europeans are more inclined to come to the Caribbean during the winter months, i.e. the months Carnival is traditionally held in. So a Carnival in June/July makes no sense, because holidays to other parts of the continent are half the cost of a holiday to the Caribbean. I can have two weeks on one of the Costas for £500.
We all know the oil and gas are running out. That isn't a secret. My sister is a corporate attorney in the oil industry, and this is something we have discussed at great length. But what we don't want to do is fall into the trap that some of the smaller islands have done, and rely too heavily on tourism. With APD going up, those smaller islands will feel it. In any event, we are NOT a 'touristy' country. We don't have the beaches, we don't have the facilities or infrastructure. If they want to focus on tourism, look to Tobago and develop there. But Trinidad should look elsewhere- manufacturing, or even alternative fuels (Caroni could look into planting sugarcane for bioethanol production) for example.
If you want to maximise the money received during Carnival, then bloody make sure bandleaders are paying the taxes they should! Or let the TDA come up with solutions, such as a properly devised, organised and run tour schedule.
This 'Carnival' idea is just lazy bollocks. There are other ways to beef up the Trini economy. Multiple Carnivals is most certainly NOT the way forward.
as much as I LOOOVEEE mih carnival and I loooveee mih mas, this makes NO sense. It would take away from that "special essence" that Carnival brings as it is once a year....isnt there a saying that "too much of a good thing, quickly amounts to nothing"
Well thanks for pointing that out to me, didn’t realise that there had been a global slowdown but hey you learn something new every day. The fact is that tourist numbers in Trinidad have been down for years hence one of the drivers behind the 2020 tourism development plan.
So the Minister of Arts should be pronouncing on matters outside of his ministerial responsibility and start mouthing off about energy matters? How does “Trinidad needs to start diversifying and diversifying quickly” read as focusing a nations energies on one sector of the economy?
I repeat just in case it was missed four times a year is excessive but if additional days are given as national holidays (not sure why they have to be) but the economic benefits from construction, tax, additional revenue flows to both the government and the private sector is why the Minister would be thinking of doing this.
There is plenty to attack when it comes to what the government does but this isn’t even a concrete proposal but hey I guess that doesn’t stop people getting personal after all it’s the internet and you can say what you like.
I think if this is modelled and it brings economic benefit then I’m all for it, after all there is always one of the Costas.
Good grief, all this debating taking place...meh.
Carnival 4 times a year doesn't interest me, i love the build up, the anticipation, all that drama.
I could sleep through the other 3. Why is it so hard for some to see, though, that having a carnival 4 times doesn't mean it will generate the same amount of money or even the same amount of general interest from tourists 4 times.
Thank you mjsbunny for those thoughts. Lemme add 2 more cents.
For starters, the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism etc should be concerned about multiculturalism. No? Then why not promote the nation's multifaceted life. Not everyone is into Carnival so it would make more sense to try to attract different crowds to different events. The Carnival industry will end up fighting for the same carnival crowd over and over. Even carnival lovers would appreciate something different. There is life after and besides Carnival and it's a hassle to prepare for. To get vacay time and to save money are hassles. Even though the European set have more vacay time than others, I'll bet everything that they will have other interests besides Trini carnival and would like to see and do other things.
For examples on diversity, I know for a fact that Borough Day tends to attract folks who don't care for the big Carnival and prefer the J'ourvert vibe. Same thing goes for St. James' WeBeat. Had Pan Ramajay continued it could have developed into an awesome annual event. We have Tobago Jazzfest for the laid-back vacay scene. Also Great Race and Great Fete, and the list can go on.
Why should TnT be limited to Carnival when we have a rich diversity of events? TnT has a rich mix of ethnic/cultural attractions that can rival other islands (no disrespect intended to my fellow Caribbeans, just stating a thought).
Secondly as for the music industry, why not release music just because. An entire cd was recorded and only 2 to 3 will be used for the Carnival season and bootlegged. Wasteful, man. For the industry to grow people need to stop having soca music as purely Carnival-centric. Why not have music for Carnival and then music for 'other'.
And btw, shouldn't the Ministry of Tourism worry about developing, well.... Tourism? If Minister Peters wants to work in tandem with them, great. I just want him to come again, because this approach is ridic. Just saying.
V well said Carnivalcocoa. Excellent point on the multiculturalism.
What about looking at festivals like Divali and Hosay and Phagwa? These have so much potential, and I don't mean for exploitation. These can be developed and promoted for what they are. And they have the added bonus of being authentic celebrations, and not things that are created just to generate a fast buck. Once again, Las Vegas Carnival anyone?
And CC, you're also so right about Pan Ramajay. Maybe they could look into reviving that?
And yes, Europeans most certainly have other interests. Yes they'll be interested in Carnival, but sometimes it takes a backseat because they might see a deal to go on safari in Kenya, or get a last minute special to Thailand or Vietnam. There's loads to do on this side of the world.
And you and I are on the same page with the music as well CC. I've always felt that soca artistes would be better off producing singles as opposed to entire albums. I'd definitely buy a CD single of a top track, for $15 as opposed to paying a pirate. The CD could contain the original song, plus a remix and maybe a live performance. Also, what are the criteria for making sure soca is available on iTunes? Is this the remit of COTT or the individual labels? This is the first year a lot of big hits have been sold on iTunes and I happily paid for them. Give the local artitstes their dues. I hope this only continues. It made me so proud and happy to be able to buy Huntin' by Blaxx.
Trinidad has so much going for it. We are such a diverse people with such a rich history. Thinking that Carnival is all we have to offer is what is narrow-minded.
Thank you mjsbunny.
Those are excellent points msjbunny and carnivalcocoa. I have friends that I brought for Carnival, who are anxious to experience Trinidad and Tobago outside of the Carnival season - they are particularly interested in Divali and seeing the Caroni swamp and bird watching in Tobago. We can definitely increase the activity for Phagwa, Hosay and Divali, instead of this Carnival business. Has the Minister though of how much state resources are needed for Carnival? - Police, etc.
Its a bunch of BOLLOCKS if you ask me!
Trinidad carnival is part of the christian calander and MUST remain on the two days before ash wednesday. From the minute you interfere with that it becomes the generic and artificial carnivals of the small islands.
Furthermore, I refuse to believe that this govt is prepared to take MY TAX dollars and use it for people to jump and have a good time...4x for the year?!!
Also Gypsy is not looking at the social impact this will have...
(1) Secondary school students are EXTREMELY distracted around carnival...so with mas 4x a year...no work will get done.
(2) There will be a yearlong occurance of HIV and other STDs.
(3) Definate increase in road accidents...some major and many minor ones.
(4) Work productivity may come to a standstill....
(5) When will the police get a BREAK to rest and actually focus on other tasks at hand?
(6) Who is cleaning up the trash and human waste on POS every time this carnival occurs? The city is barely cleaned as it is already....
What I would suggest is that the minister finds a way to BOOST carnival in san fernando....probably give incentives to big bands like Tribe to make Sando mas a force to be reckoned with.
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