Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism, Winston "Gypsy" Peters, has revealed plans for a wholly inclusive FREE Carnival Band where all masqueraders are welcomed to bring their costume and participate in next year's Carnival parade. Sponsored by the Government, the People's Band will provide music for masqueraders with the emphasis on your own costuming. Both The Trinidad Express and Guardian Newspapers are reporting on the People's Band; see the following quotes or visit the links for the full article:
You can play mas free on the streets of Port of Spain for Carnival 2011.This was announced yesterday by Minister of The Arts and Multiculturalism, Winston "Gypsy" Peters.The Ministry of Multiculturalism will provide music trucks and anyone interested can play mas in the band that will require only that one wears some form of costume."We are bringing out the People's Band. Just bring your costume and come. We will provide the music trucks. I want the people to be creative. There will be no restrictions, no sections. This will encourage the return of traditional mas and I'm hoping people will pull out those antique costumes they have stored away, clean them off and come play mas," Peters said during a walk through the Queen's Park Savannah. He was accompanied by the board of the National Carnival Commission.As for how this People's Band will affect registration and ultimately income of the commercial mas bands, Peters said he is not concerned as they have been taking away jobs from people by importing ready-made costumes from China and India as well as denying food vendors from earning income through their all-inclusive services."I am not concerned about taking away sales from the mas bands. They import costumes from India and China putting people out of jobs. Carnival is about people enjoying themselves, not about having to buy costumes for $3,000 and $4,000. When they provide their premium bars and food the small man on the street not making any money because the masqueraders just passing them by. Make a costume and come, just not one from India or China," Peters said.
People's bandOne of the ministry's plans is to bring out a "people's band" where the People's Partnership Government will provide music trucks and "anybody could bring their costume and come," Peters disclosed. The aim is to draw away some of the Savannah masqueraders and decrease the crowd there. "People will go to that (the people's band)," Peters said. "I hope to see the return of antique costumes and creativity. There are no restrictions. If you are unemployed, make a mas face and come." Peters also dismissed questions about taking away sales from mas designers."That's not my concern," he said, frankly. "They are bringing mas from India and China and I don't know if they are taking away jobs from the people and suppressing their creativity." Asked the cost of the exercise to beautify the Carnival "place" in the Savannah, the minister replied: "Whatever it takes for us to be here. "I'm not saying we're sparing no cost. The whole country is under financial constraints but Carnival is also a business." De Silva said his passion was Carnival management and said the NCC board held its first meeting on the site yesterday afternoon. A Ministry of Works engineering team and an architect also were supposed to visit the area to begin preparations, De Silva said. "I'm looking forward to coming up to everybody's expectations," he said.
While I applaud the idea as critics have been lamenting the fact that rising costume prices and the exclusivity of all inclusive Carnival bands are leaving those who cannot afford a costume without the experience of playing mas, there are a few concerns for me personally.
The first is with the band being open to all what measures of security will be in place? Where will the band headquarters be and who will be distributing information on meeting times, parade route and the such? How many masqueraders is this band catering for and will they be crossing the Savannah stage, adding to the "grid lock" to enter the Savannah?
On the positive side I am hoping that this move might help take some spectators off the street and put them on the road as well as divert some of the stormers from the more popular bands as they can now "storm for free".
What are your thoughts on the proposed "People's Band"?
25 comments:
Sauce, my sentiments exactly. But since this is our esteemed Minister's idea, I'll leave the logistics to him. Sink or swim, that's his baby. Hopefully as you say.....less stormers!
Steups...
Dat sounding real grimy.
Is a recipe for disaster!!!
Crazy idea. NOw it SOUNDS god.. but ideally, we know the elements that will choose to take part in this, (no apologies for the expression elements)in addition, will the be on the usual band routes? Because Imagine the chaos of a band like that in front your band, the disorganisation and slow movement because like everything else here in T&T... it's going to be a serious case of don't-care-about-anyone-else-itis. They need to reform that idea. Maybe sponsor a band.. a traditional and and have patrons buy cheap costumes with a non-inclusive option. But that bring your own costume business.... cant work.
It sounds chaotic, it seems like there's no structure in place.
It wouldve been better for people to be given a piece of fabric or a specific theme and have them build around that. (Similar to IP and the yellow fabric) at least there's some sort of uniformity.
It just seems like unorganized chaos, but we shall see.
I like the initial idea though
What about security!!! Who is paying for that? That is organized chaos! And that isn't going to affect registration ppl play with a band for the extra convenience of being catered for which this free band cannot give
The esteemed Minister said Carnival is bacchanal so...
It would make more sense to get students from the carnival workshops to design and craft costumes. Then offer the costumes at cost price to the public keeping it under $1000 - $1500.
How do you begin to identify or account for a sea of unknown people with no commonality? Steups
Forget security and organization. No I do not want my tax dollars to pay a dj and music truck owned and operated by Kamla's first cousin. Utter nonesense. The only time politics can be accepted in carnival is during J'Overt (political parody) and Demanche Gras (kaiso)...Wait I don't pay taxes in Trinidad....carry on
I absolute LOVE this plan. No apologies :) People play yuh MAS! Make something and come dong de road! One LOVE!
...absolutely...
I'm with you Dougla1 -I LOVE IT!!! Whether or not any of us choose to take advantage of it doesn't matter. People will jump on this wagon and they SHOULD have the option to do so. As for concerns about security and such..its very possible that those of us that have those concerns may not be the ones jumping in this band. At the end of the day, there are tons of free and/or cheap events that ppl partake in, sometimes with mishap, many times not but carnival IS for the masses. I have tons of analogies running thru my head of the reaction to this and carnival of our colonial past but I'll spare allyuh this morning :-)
Safety is my only concern with this. Otherwise I say let's see how this pans out, could be a cool Monday mas scene. ALLYUH PLAY AH MAS!!!!
*runs off to sketch ideas for a costume*
uhmmmm "...uhmm just bring yuh costume and come...."
First off I would say not a bad concept. However as some others mentioned before, who's dealing with the logistics of this? Who's the DJ? (Ah hope some form of tendering process is involved and is not somebody tanty, cousin, friend!) How would you know who in this band or not? ('cause if i was a band leader I would want to know so I could NOT be behind this band!...yuh could imagine chaos when dis band hit d stage...ah getting flashbacks of Poison and the 'sit-in'!!!)
Sooo, I await the details of this 'Peoples Band'
ewwww...this sounding so nasty. Sorry to say.
Did someone say chaos! I hope he has a solid plan in place. Instead of this poorly thought out reactionary plan Mr Peters should create incentives for more lower priced options,add significantly higher taxes on imported costumes, and offer better compensation for well designed and "traditional" mas and small bands. All non essential commodities come in several price levels.A carnival costume is a disposable luxury item! When did it become an essential worthy of government sponsorship to one and all? Is there a limit to the band size or budget? Does anyone else see a dangerous trend towards entitlement that encourages hostility towards those able to afford higher priced all inclusive bands? Someone looking to spend less presently has several options, from fancy sailor in steelbands, small and medium "pretty mas" bands and neighborhood groups. I found the complaint that "all inclusives" were "taking income away from the street vendors" a dangerous trend that failed to consider the rights and needs of the masqueraders. Encouraging hostility based on class is unhealthy.Don't be surprised by an increase in violence towards those perceived as having taken that bread away!...I shudder at the memory of trying to find a decent meal, long lines and diarrhea.As for lack of creativity,most would welcome more relevant but attractive costumes but too many designers provide one or the other.After the promise of intelligent design I was disappointed by "Skullduggery" as not one section appealed to me.At the end of the day, the average masquerader settles for a bbf costume. It's been at least 20 years since we've been promised an end to the Savannah gridlock! Please find the key to Open D Gate.
this is so wonderful. It captures the essense of carnival. all the naysayers perhaps have no imagination or knowledge of what carnival is truely about. we can all focus on the potential drawbacks or celebrate the wonder of this idea. gypsy i salute you. at least you are showing so insight and love for your work
Talk of the town.I'm loving the organise bachanal before it even starts and wholly support the idea, give the military and police something to do Carnival Monday!
I think its a great idea. Many of us take our ability to pay these ungodly costume prices for granted, when there are so many Trinis who can't afford to play ah mas.
But, as with all things political, I have my doubts. I seriously hope they are thinking about all possible logistic problems. My suggestion would be to take the People's band to somewhere outside of POS where there is mas - like Arima or Chaguanas where the competition isn't that strong. This is because you never know how many people will show up, and the bands still do have to compete and flow freely. Imagine, if its so hard for an organized band to get their masqueraders to leave the stage, how difficult it would be with the People's Band! And I for one want to cross the stage and not sit fiddling around for hours waiting to do so - so I think its best to take the People's Band somewhere outside of Port-of-Spain to jump up.
For those who think this plan is for "Monday" mas, or taking this out of POS, how presumptively "bougie" is that? I still do believe there is a passion to create from nothing, come out ON TUESDAY! It's ah TRINI thing! :)
Its a great idea although I have a serious issue with my tax dollars being used for people to jump and wave and wine dong de place.
However once the logistics are in place ...it can work...
HOWEVER I think this idea is better suited to carnival monday...since there are less bands on the road and tourists and locals complain every year that there is NOTHING to see.
So giving some uniform piece of fabric or headpiece or sumthing for people to design around is a better idead..
my 2cents
Empath, "tourists and locals complain every year that is NOTHING to see" is not just about Monday, only. The lament IS about Tuesday, as well. Just saying ;)
Karen making damn sense. Why not create incentives and stimulate entrepreneurial activity instead of yet another governmental giveaway?
I haven't been on here for a long while but I get a sense of overall negativity towards this idea. It is a TERRIFIC idea.
Most of the reasonings are couched in "us". What gives "us" this sense of entitlement to believe that our needs (not being stuck behind this band etc) comes before the needs of the everyday Trinidadians who make Trinidad and therefore Carnival what it is. Security? Security is not a man on a rope- security is feeling safe and the people who have the temerity to make a costume to jump wont be looking for trouble, its not a FREE FOR ALL. A band headquarters and all this parade route and goody bag thing is NOT a requirement. All people need to know is where the starting point is. Why do they need a band headquarters when they are soley responsible for their costumes?
I say hooray for democracy and hooray for bringing mas back to the people. I was horrified in Trinidad at how MAS the great equaliser, had become commoditised to the extent of excluding the small man. Even JOURVERT, in all its representativeness and commonality had become a money spinner. I say three Cheers to Gypsy, this is forward thinking. We don't want to go back to the 1790's where only the privileged elite could enjoy masquerade. How dare this is even an issue?
Just had to add the Guardian's Editorial on this. Lots I agree Link
the people's band - a few mas players that did not have the 4-5 thousand dollars were very happy to found this section designer from macfarlane that only cost - for the male 3hundred for the female 5hundred and the individuals 1thousand. this section was beautiful - go errol
Post a Comment