"Carnival 2017 will be a success" is the assurance given this week by Minister of Community Development, the Arts and Culture Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly in the wake of the 2016-2017 Budget presented last week Friday by Finance Minister Colm Imbert, referring to expected reductions to the transfer of subsidies to statutory bodies, specifically as this pertains to culture.
With Carnival 2017 a mere five months away, the Culture Minister sounded upbeat when she added:?"There are a couple of new initiatives we are currently discussing. We have been through recisions before and carnival has survived. There is no cause for concern, like everything else, we now have to count our costs and ensure that the money we spend is impactful."
With reference to next year's Carnival, the minister continued:?"The allocation to the National Carnival Commission (NCC) has been reduced as the NCC no longer has a loan, which was a substantial amount to the allocation made in the 2015-2016 budget."
An area of concern within the steelband fraternity for the past few months has been the non-payment of money by Pan Trinbago to pan musicians for performing at the 2016 National Panorama competition. The minister explained: "Pan Trinbago receives a sum of money from the NCC to manage Panorama. With regards to their internal affairs and finances, how they pay out money is strictly to the remit of Pan Trinbago.
"Pan Trinbago has to organise its finances based on the 2016-2017 subvention from the NCC and that has not been decided as yet. We intend doing that pretty early to ensure that they can then consider how they will service their outstanding debts and the arrangements they will make for Carnival 2017. I have been in constant communication with Pan Trinbago sensitising them to the fact that their allocation will most likely be reduced in keeping with the general reduction of expenditure that the government has embarked upon."
David Lopez, chairman of the National Carnival Bands Association (NCBA), is concerned that no significant mention was made in the budget regarding culture and its myriad components. Stating that the Finance Minister did make mention of government stating its commitment to upgrading and refurbishing cultural institutions, and expanding music and cultural camps across all communities, the chairman said: "With respect to carnival and what is expected I have always said the money that is divested to the NCC for carnival does not redound to the benefit of the producers of the carnival. The people who benefit are the service providers; the people who provide the stages, tents, sanitation amenities, lighting and sound, and all the hospitalities pertaining to food and drink.
"In terms of the money that is allocated, the government continues to say we have to tighten our belts and come up with creative ways of generating revenue. If we look at the money that goes into carnival in recent budgets, of $344M that goes to the NCC to run the carnival, out of that the three interest groups that have the responsibility of producing carnival just get about $75M in all. In terms of money allocated to culture from this recent budget, which has not been mentioned, the minister indicated under the transfer of subsidies to statutory bodies might indicate exactly how much will be given to the NCC.
"If we are to go with what the prime minister is saying, on one hand he is calling for private participation in organising the country going forward and on the other hand you have the NCC saying that the government is not involved in running the carnival.
They have to decide what they should do in terms of realignment of the social programmes as if they want to run the NCC under the ambit of a social programmes I guess the NCC also should be realigned because the NCC has not fulfilled its mandate of making the carnival a viable financial venture. Instead, a lot of money has gone into the NCC to pay contractors who are aligned to political parties across the board."
Keith Diaz, president of Pan Trinbago Inc, said on Tuesday: "I wish to state very clearly that the economic situation in the country is faced by all Trinbagonians; all of us. In the pan movement we will try and work with whatever allocation is given to us by government for the 2017 National Panorama competition.
"We would also like to state in other areas we will like to have continued dialogue with government in plans that Pan Trinbago has to carry the movement forward. We are a part of this nation and we would like to be heard as I think that we also have valuable suggestions that will redound beneficial to the entire national community. The pan factory is one of the projects that we know can boost business in our beloved country, creating employment for many."
Diaz added:?"I hope to meet with the Culture Minister soon to discuss when Pan Trinbago will get any outstanding moneys so that we will be able to facilitate the payment of outstanding stipends to pan people."
On Wednesday, National Carnival Commission chairman Kenny de Silva said:?"This year's budget is reflective of what we got from the last budget, with a difference of about $12M-$15M less. For 2016, we got a revised estimate of $230,619,000 and for 2017 we are getting $168,500,000. Though we are working with less money, the SIGs will get exactly what they received for Carnival 2016.
"In terms of goods and services, the NCC?received approx $15M. Our challenge is that we will have to negotiate with suppliers for goods and services for Carnival 2017 and hope to get their understanding that this is what we have. I am confident that they will assist us as most of them are long serving suppliers for carnival.
We will initiate an attractive marketing thrust to get the corporate community more on board in 2017 which will assist in any shortfall we receive. I don't see it a major challenge.
"I wish to emphasise that the SIGs will receive the same money they received for 2016 Carnival."
Larry Denalli, president of the National Parang Association of T&T?(NPATT), having just released the 2016 National Parang Festival schedule, was blunt in his response about receiving any government subvention for his association. He said:?"We haven't received any subvention or grants from the culture ministry. We have pledges from corporate sponsors for the 2016 parang season. We have applied to government for a grant and are expecting a subvention but don't know when we will get it. The last year we received a subvention was in 2014 so now the government has two outstanding ones for NPATT."
Lutalo Masimba (Bro Resistance), head of Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) said last Monday: "Tuco is accustomed to cuts. We received cuts in our subvention for the past few years, so if we get cut for 2017 you can't get blood.
"What we are very concerned about though is the framewok with which we operate. We are concerned about the long overdue acquisition of 50 per cent of local content on the national airwaves; have been lobbying for our broadcast license since 1999 and we have a serious concern about the scarcity of performance spaces nationwide. These things are more critical than cuts in a budget and allocations for carnival.
"Overall, Tuco finds it extremely sad that on one hand the government is talking diversification to boost the nation's GDP and the development of the creative industries and on the other is cutting the funding. This will stifle the economic activity of the creative arts, and carnival in particular."