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Soca artistes bringing hope to T&T youths
Published: 12 Jan 2010
Gospel artiste Jaydee, left, speaks about his love for young people during the launch of Digicel’s Lyric and Song programme. The launch took place at Constantine Suite, Queen’s Park Oval, yesterday. Looking on are soca artiste Kees Dieffenthaller and Digicel’s communications manager Penny Gomez.
Photo: Marcus Gonzales
Soca sensation Kees Dieffenthaller and popular gospel artiste Jaydee yesterday pledged to bring hope to T&T’s young people through their involvement in Digicel’s Lyric and Song school programme. The programme was launched at the Constantine Suite, Queen’s Park Oval, yesterday. It will be carried to five schools around T&T and will allow students to “get up close and personal” with artistes such as Alison Hinds, Dieffenthaller, Jaydee and Ziggy Rankin. Visits to the schools will take place every Thursday, starting from January 21. The first school to be visited will be Holy Faith Convent, Couva.
“Everybody has a lot of negative things to say about the youths of T&T,” said Jaydee. “But I have a lot of confidence in the youth and I believe there is greatness and that lies in the schools,” he added. Dieffenthaller said he viewed the programme as an avenue for artistes to not only inspire T&T’s youth, but also as a way for artistes themselves to be encouraged to “step up to the plate.” According to Penny Gomez, Digicel’s communications manager, the aim of the programme was to nurture and promote soca and calypso.
Digicels initiative to go to
Digicels initiative to go to the schools may have good intentions . However, I beseech them to ensure that there is discipline and respect displayed by all performers.
Some years ago, I saw performers in another high school type iniative who only worked up the poor children into a disturbing frenzy, simply to advertise some soft drinks.
There was no real displaying of talent since they just encouraged the children to sing along and urged them to wine.No doubt this made the performers life easier and most likely encouraged teenage pregnancy.
May Digicel make sure that all is decent and respectable at the end of this exercise. Good luck.
Gloria May
Gloria
May Digicel make sure that all is decent and respectable at the end of this exercise.
For once, I agree with you. (^_~)
La Diva
The smarter the journalists are, the better off society is. For to a degree, people read the press to inform themselves-and the better the teacher, the better the student body. Warren Buffet
If Kees Dieffenthaller and
If Kees Dieffenthaller and popular gospel artiste Jaydee want to bring hope to the young people of Trinidad and Tobago, they must first be true to themselves. First, they have to shed their foreign style as it relates to dress. Jaydee and Kess you are living in a tropical climate. Stop dressing in Spring and Winter clothing. You are giving the youths a false sense of hope by imitating the artistes you see on BET, MTV etc. Jaydee if you claim you are singing gospel, you have to renew your mind and stop trying to imitate some one else. Kees stop wearing cardigans and long sleeves polos.
Cymande
Rapsoman/Ph.D candidate
JMU
Your comment... I think your
Your comment...
I think your comment is so ridiculous and idiotic; and what makes it more nonsensical is that you dared to put that you are a PhD candidate!
What someone wants to wear is of NO VALUE whatsoever to what they are capable of doing. You should focus on what these young artistes are trying to do and focus a bit less on 'macoing' and trying to degrade people for their efforts. Wearing cardigans is not going to limit peoples' hope! What kind of crazy unfounded comment is that?!
I think you need to get a life!
These kinds of comments is what makes Trinidad and Tobago remain a 'banana republic', it's this 'backayard, fight-down' mentality that has our people in this stagnant state. Come on, if you're educated, wake up and realize that your comment needs to be removed!
I am not trying to degrade
I am not trying to degrade any one; What I am saying is the artistes should be true their culture. Culture is as way of life that includes the foods a people eat and clothes they wear. Clothing relates to the climate a people resides in. From the 90s to the present, Trinis are trying to dress as if they live in temperature climates, especially as it relates to Spring and Winter clothing. In addition, they are using Terms like Summerfest etc. T&T has two seasons. We don't have summer. Therefore, you need to stop being ignorant because people are laughing at the nation and its false sense of identity. There is a crisis of identity in Trinidad. We want to be like other peoples but don't want to fully embrace what is unique to Trinidad and Tobago.
Yes, I am proud to be a Ph.D candidate.
At the end of the day- you
At the end of the day- you are trying to degrade and discredit what these people are doing. I will stick with my argument that I feel that your comments were completely out of line. Before commending these individuals and digicel for their efforts, you are putting up talk about clothing.
Clothes does not dictate culture; but if you want to get into that argument, it's simple. In Trinidad, we get American clothing. Where do you buy your clothes? What do you want us to do:wear Radical designs or Pilar? colour them bright-they are STILL american styles! I just think that bringing up the clothes they are wearing and talking about how Jaydee should stop trying to be someone else, is absolutely ridiculous! You missed the point of the article completely.
You also need to realize that a person's sense of style is their own and if they choose to dress with thigh high boots and a scarf in Trinidad, that is their prerogative.
Personally, the comments that you've made to incite this conversation thread is the only thing that will create a false sense of hope in the youths-because, YOU have decided to judge people based on their clothes, which I think sends a HORRIBLE message to those who are impressionable.
And yes, there is a crisis of identity in Trinidad because we have become so American-ized in every way but that does not alter the good intentions of these people, which was the focus of the write up and which should have been your focus when you read it.
So if you want to help with this identity crisis you should stop inciting prejudice!
An educated person should be able to logically deduce that that is what you are doing, so coming from a person who is so highly educated, you should have thought before you typed!
Redhand
Redhand
a) How do you dress?
b) How do you think people in T&T ought to dress?
Some photos will be most helpful. (You may hide the faces if you wish...)
La Diva
The smarter the journalists are, the better off society is. For to a degree, people read the press to inform themselves-and the better the teacher, the better the student body. Warren Buffet
The smarter the journalists are, the better off society is. For to a degree, people read the press to inform themselves-and the better the teacher, the better the student body. Warren Buffet
Dear La Diva I came to my
Dear La Diva
I came to my friend's house and saw the on-going conversation concerning dress and climate. My name is CICI and I live in Virginia. In the Winter I wear long sleeves, sometimes two layers, depending on how cold the weather is. But in the Summer, I wear light clothing like dresses, sandals and capris.
I have never been to T&T but looking at the picture I am of the impression that the two artistes are from the US. If they come to perform in the US during the Summer, they can't dress like that and be comfortable because the weather at that time is very humid.
By trying to look as if they are from the US, They are not expressing the culture in which they live and certainly they are not impressing any one from the US.
BE BLESSED
CICI- US friend of Redhand
Redhand and CICI Lovely to
Redhand and CICI
Lovely to meet you both. I still believe the criticism re their clothing is unwarranted.
- The type of clothing I see the two guys wearing, I see all the time in the shops/malls in Trinidad. So, even without knowing if they have been overseas, namely the US, they could easily have bought the clothes (and NY cap!) in Trinidad.
- Remember that the television (Cable) is pretty much American. Therefore, in my opinion, the children/teenagers see the American progammes and probably don't notice the two guys are dressed 'American' as you and Redhead seem to view it.
- As hot as it may get in Trinbago, there are times when it gets quite cool. Perhaps the room they are in was air-conditioned and they were pre-warned or had prior experience? I know people who have WOOLLEN jumpers/cardigans in their offices, as it is kept so cold... then you go out into the heat.
- A lot of the business men in T&T wear suits, some of which, without touching the arms or shoulders (^_~), actually look as if they have a percentage of wool. Tropical weight wool? As for the formal or ceremonial uniforms of those in the T&T Forces - long sleeves, buttoned up to the neck, hats and... worn outdoors during the day, sometimes in the midday sun...
- To my knowledge, only Bermuda/the Bahamas has a 'shorts' dress code in the the Bermuda shorts for work attire (April/May to November) and even that has strict etiquette rules eg. how many inches on/above the knee, any colour other than navy so as not to blend in with the knee high socks which are usually navy blue.
- Trinidad is a lot cooler in the evenings (and a lot warmer during the day) than I recall it when I was a child and I am known to carry wraps when out after a certain hour because of this coolness in the air.
- You wrote they could not dress like that and "be comfortable because the weather at that time (US) is very humid". As we are not privy to their sweat glands production schedule (^_~) I feel that is a bit of a generalization. Do spare a thought for the Queen's Guard (UK) and the bearskin caps they have to wear, even in the Summer!
- As far as I am concerned, they look clean and presentable although perhaps a tad casual, but then, that is my personal view. To their credit, I did not see any 'bling', but that may have been covered up their long sleeves. (^_~)
- I would really like to know how Redhand feels they ought to have been dressed to express the culture of T&T.
La Diva
The smarter the journalists are, the better off society is. For to a degree, people read the press to inform themselves-and the better the teacher, the better the student body. Warren Buffett
La Diva I grew up in
La Diva
I grew up in Boissiere Village, Maraval, lived in Petit Valley and Belmont. Apart from wearing the occasional suits, Trinidadians dressed in materials that suited our climate- 60s, 70s and 80s. With the proliferation of cable TV and the globalization thrust, we have bought into more foreign tastes and dressing. I worked in air conditioned offices in Trinidad and never wore cardigans/sweaters. The coldness in Trinidad is a joke. It does not warrant wearing thick jackets, cardigans etc. In addition, the clothing the army and police wear is not suited to our climate. They should be wearing uniforms made from lighter materials. The police wear clothing that is a hangover from the colonial period and the authorities have not seen it fit to change the statutes.
The justifications you gave as to why they are the artistes wore the clothes are weak. You are correct by saying that they are copying what they see on BET. LA diva, globalization has the effect of destroying a people's culture and identity. We were never a big coffee and sandwich eating nation. All that has changed with the proliferation of coffee shops and Subways tec. Moreover, some of the DJS on the radio stations speak in a Yankee accent and others try to sound Jamaican. Therefore, La Diva, a people who does not understand their history and are not proud of its rich cultural heritage will be prey to conquering entities who own and control the global media. In Christmas 2008, I came to Trinidad and while traveling to Chaguanas, a young girl sitting next to me in the taxi told me that she wished snow that snow would fall in Trinidad. This statement blew my mind. It just shows how the minds of the younger generation have been distorted by the foreign images shown on Cable TV in Trinidad. Even the older ones are distorted because grown people who should know better are purchasing quilts for their beds. Again, this is a recent trend.
Sparrow sang Capitalism gone Mad in Trinidad. I am saying Globalization has gone Mad in Trinidad.
Redhand
Redhand
Apologies if I have missed it, but you still do not appear to have addressed my specific question about what clothes ought to be worn to represent T&T 'culture'.
You wrote: Even the older ones are distorted because grown people who should know better are purchasing quilts for their beds.
Depending on where someone lives and the design of the house, it... gets... cold! I bought my parents a quilt (cotton, so that it can be maching washed) because they were feeling the colder night air, which as I stated earlier, is colder today, than I remember it a number of years ago. It is well-known older people tend to feel the cold more and this can be compounded by certain medical/health conditions. Therefore, I think your comment about the quilts which have a very functional purpose is unfair. Whilst having a functional need, why should it have a 'functional' appearance about it? Let it look pleasant to the eye also, for the times when the eyes are open!
That you never wore jackets or cardigans in the office, good for you. You obviously are able to handle it better than others. I guess you do like certain Nordic countries and venture outdoors in your 'birthday suit'?
La Diva
The smarter the journalists are, the better off society is. For to a degree, people read the press to inform themselves-and the better the teacher, the better the student body. Warren Buffett
I live in Virginia, USA.
I live in Virginia, USA. Right now it is freezing. Therefore, I dress in winter clothing. In the summer I wear shorts and polos. When I come to Trinidad I wear the same clothing I would wear in the Summer.
My friend when the Tourists come to Trinidad check and see how they dress. Many of them live in colder climates than the US. They dress in light cotton clothes. Therefore, living in a country like Trinidad, the people should dress in light cotton clothes. It is foolish for women to be wearing boots in Trinidad because the weather is very warm. People must dress to suit the climate they live in.
Trini
Virginia,USA