Sweet pan was on the menu on August 9, when three steelbands–bpTT Renegades, Tropical Angel Harps and New Age Trendsetters–gave a free public performance at the Tropical Angel Harps pan theatre, on Main Road, Enterprise.
Scores of patrons attended the free event, which showcased the talents of many young pannists. Judy Ruiz, of the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, Caroni, said her ministry sponsored the event, entitled Pan in Communities, a social interaction programme geared towards communities as a deterrent against crime and other social ills. Ruiz said the programme was also designed to lift the spirits of everyone, especially youths.
Clary Benn, manager of Tropical Angel Harps, in praising the Ministry for the programme, said, "There are many gaps in the society and this is one way of showing the role entertainment plays in shaping the lives of people. This is one way of reaching out to the people, through the medium of the steel pan, in addition to which it gives the bands and the youngsters the opportunity to play before their home audience, in the case of Tropical Angel Harps." Benn said the programme, which continued last weekend at venues in Laventille, Tunapuna, Rio Claro and Tobago, would do well on both islands.