A 2019 vision for the arts

Culture Matters

LACK-EYED PEAS and rice (with or without the pigtail), children playing with hand-held sparklers, incense for good energy, making sure no dirty clothes, and finally “putting away” the house with all the painting, cleaning and hanging of curtains that should have happened since Christmas. This is the ritual of the new year in TT; a serious tradition of saying goodbye to the year just gone and looking forward to the promise of the one that is to come.

For many artistes, 2018 was difficult. The loss of the beloved Ken “Professor” Philmore, the witty and pioneering Composer, fearless Lord Superior and the other-worldly Shadow was traumatic for the nation. But for the artist, the pain was different. Losing these icons disturbed the network that links all practitioners and unsettled the already fragile foundations of our world.

Internationally, we also lost some icons who changed the world just because they lived. Songstress Aretha Franklin, Kofi Annan, former secretary general of the United Nations; Penny Marshall of the influential 70s show Laverne and Shirley, and Stan Lee, the creative mind behind the ground-breaking characters of the Marvel world. These were just some of the luminaries that left us to continue their legacy.

In the face of their departure, earthquakes, floods and murders, you could be forgiven for wondering if jumbies are walking our land. Or whether the bird tied onto a coffin in front of the Hall of Justice was a warning or a gimmick for attention.

Still, fake rituals aside, the end of a year generally heralds self-reflection and interrogation. We think of ways to leave behind the decisions, actions or thoughts that may have impeded our progress, while acknowledging what went well.

And there were some areas of encouragement. For instance a National Policy on Culture and the Arts has been written, envisioning “the arts, culture and cultural sector at the centre of national development.”

The policy further speaks of the importance of generating sustainable livelihoods for artists. This is important since, as veteran dancer Sonja Dumas points out, “no one in TT will pay me simply to experiment with movement in a dance studio – it’s an absurd thought to them.”

Another key area for attention is the need to properly integrate culture with our tourism thrust. At the moment there is little synergy between the two ministries, a mind-boggling reality given the possibilities for our country to build a globally recognised tourism industry, through our culture.

Apart from the policy, this year artistes and aspiring performers benefitted from the experience and skill of five mentors in the Ministry of Culture’s Mentoring by the Masters programme – Meiling, Wendell Manwarren, Dr Suzanne Burke, Felix Edinborough and Eintou Pearl Springer.

And the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) included two prominent artistes in its awards of honorary doctorates, namely Eintou Springer and Machel Montano.

TUCO and the NCC also positively impacted youth and vulnerable populations with their Calypso in Schools and Traditional Carnival Character vacation camps respectively.

But we leave 2018 recognising that a fundamental integration of arts, culture and our education system is yet to take place. In the context of school violence, physical and online bullying, and dysfunctional home environments, those in authority continue to resist this most obvious of interventions. Violence contributes to trauma, lack of identity and sense of self.

Our cultural creations from the Chinese Dragon, to Ramleela, Hyarima or Anansi hold many of the keys to self-determination. Our population needs to learn that we have our own heroes, and be educated about indigenous alternatives to Dora the Explorer and Sponge Bob.

In 2019, TT will have the privilege of hosting Carifesta again. Apart from the opportunity to share and learn from artists across the Caribbean, it will be a chance for us to defend our regional stature of being in the vanguard of culture and the arts.

However, the only way such a position can be maintained is by ensuring that the names of our artistic pioneers are known, there are proper governance and performance spaces, and funding is made available for artists to create.

Art is not meant to be dusted off at Carnival, independence or Christmas. It needs to be on street corners, in murals on buildings, reflected in our curricula and built heritage everywhere.

As another year comes into view, for me, this is the vision that must be pursued. I think it is one resolution that would make the spirits of those artistes who have left us very settled indeed.

Dara E Healy is a performance artist, communications specialist and founder of the NGO, the Indigenous Creative Arts Network – ICAN