JavaScript is disabled in your web browser or browser is too old to support JavaScript. Today almost all web pages contain JavaScript, a scripting programming language that runs on visitor's web browser. It makes web pages functional for specific purposes and if disabled for some reason, the content or the functionality of the web page can be limited or unavailable.

Friday, February 28, 2025

Law passed to make pan T&T’s national instrument

by

238 days ago
20240705
Tutors at Fonclaire Steel Orchestra Kenisha Jackman, left,  Shawndel Rodney, and Jabari Davis rehearse Voice’s song By Any Means at the panyard in San Fernando yesterday.

Tutors at Fonclaire Steel Orchestra Kenisha Jackman, left, Shawndel Rodney, and Jabari Davis rehearse Voice’s song By Any Means at the panyard in San Fernando yesterday.

RISHI RAGOONATH

With unan­i­mous sup­port, the Na­tion­al Mu­si­cal In­stru­ment Bill, 2024, was passed in the Low­er House on Wednes­day night. The Op­po­si­tion’s sup­port was un­sur­pris­ing since the pur­pose of the bill is sim­ply to rat­i­fy, in law, that the steel­pan is the na­tion­al in­stru­ment of T&T. It will still have to be as­sent­ed to and pro­claimed by the Pres­i­dent. 

The bill has on­ly four claus­es. The first two de­fine what a steel­pan is; the third de­clares the pan the na­tion­al in­stru­ment; and the fourth man­dates the min­is­ter in charge of cul­ture to re­port to Par­lia­ment on the pro­mo­tion, de­vel­op­ment, and im­pact of the steel­pan na­tion­al­ly and glob­al­ly every two years.

“This leg­is­la­tion will es­tab­lish a de­fin­i­tive claim on the steel­pan as an in­ven­tion and in­no­va­tion that was cre­at­ed in Trinidad and To­ba­go. Wher­ev­er the steel­pan goes, it will be marked as a cre­ation of this na­tion,” said Min­is­ter of Tourism, Cul­ture and the Arts Ran­dall Mitchell, who pi­lot­ed the bill.

“The des­ig­na­tion of the steel­pan as our na­tion­al in­stru­ment will in­crease op­por­tu­ni­ties for strate­gic in­vest­ments and in­ten­si­fy pen­e­tra­tion in the high­ly com­pet­i­tive glob­al cul­tur­al and cre­ative mar­ket.”

Al­though they were not men­tioned in the bill, Mitchell ho­n­oured the con­tri­bu­tions of Win­ston Spree Si­mon, El­lie Manette, An­tho­ny Williams, Neville Jules, and Bertie Mar­shall for their prowess as steel­pan cre­ators and play­ers.

Pan Trin­ba­go pres­i­dent Bev­er­ly Ram­sey-Moore, who was in the Par­lia­ment view­ing gallery when the bill was passed, was ac­knowl­edged as one of its main dri­vers. In a state­ment, she said, “On be­half of Pan Trin­ba­go and the Trinidad and To­ba­go steel­band move­ment, I ex­tend our heart­felt grat­i­tude to the Gov­ern­ment of Trinidad and To­ba­go for this for­mal ac­knowl­edge­ment of the steel­pan as our na­tion­al mu­si­cal in­stru­ment.

“This his­toric step cel­e­brates our rich cul­tur­al her­itage and ho­n­ours the lega­cy of all who have con­tributed to the steel­pan’s jour­ney. Thank you for recog­nis­ing and el­e­vat­ing our na­tion­al pride. This mile­stone not on­ly val­i­dates our past but al­so pro­pels us to­wards a vi­brant fu­ture where the steel­pan con­tin­ues to in­spire and unite us all.”

The steel­pan has been des­ig­nat­ed the on­ly acoustic in­stru­ment cre­at­ed in the 20th cen­tu­ry. The Unit­ed Na­tions has now recog­nised Au­gust 11 as World Steel­pan Day.

The bill was al­so passed unan­i­mous­ly in the Sen­ate yes­ter­day.


Related articles

Sponsored

Weather

PORT OF SPAIN WEATHER

Sponsored