T&T will host its first ever international Panorama competition in August 2014. Pan Trinbago president Keith Diaz said the International Panorama Competition will be held at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain on August 2, 2014, the day after Emancipation Day, a holiday that is historically associated with drums and pan. He said he expects representation from Japan and Africa, as well as bands from T&T, Antigua, St Vincent, Grenada and St Lucia. There is a restriction of 60 players per side for the one-off performance. There will also be an international pan conference carded for July 30-31, 2014, in which delegates from Australia, France, England and the USA have already expressed interest.
Panyards can help reduce rising crime in the country, Diaz said. He was speaking at Pan Trinbago’s interfaith church service and procession at the St Joseph’s Convent Chapel, Abercromby Street, on Sunday. “Our organisation has developed strategies we don’t want to divulge at this time. However, we’re willing to work with the powers that be to eradicate crime using our programmes. “We started to work with the former National Security Minister Brig John Sandy with solutions about crime when they moved him and all those plans were shut down.
“It was a programme for not only one panyard or one community, but for implementation across the board.”
He said anywhere the steelband went across the world, the instrument brought “peace and love” with it. In other countries the pan has helped in alleviating crime, Diaz said, citing international examples of rehabilitation programmes that gave juvenile offenders the chance to participate in the programmes involving steelpan in lieu of serving custodial sentences. He said another benefit was when young people got involved with pan, they developed discipline, character and achieved higher marks in education. Diaz said he would ask the executive of the national pan body to consider Fr Clyde Harvey’s suggestion of a competition for panyards which came up with the best programme to deal with the rehabilitation of young people.
During his homily, Harvey said the congregation should not wait for the government to help with the crime situation, but should start to help themselves. Diaz said too many young people and young fathers were dying and leaving orphans behind. Pan Trinbago will hold a March For Peace on August 10 from 1 pm, to highlight this disturbing trend. The march will go from Morvant Junction, along the Eastern Main Road, up Abercromby Street, across Duke Street West, then to Victoria Square, opposite Pan Trinbago headquarters.