Tobago, beyond the rainbow

THE EDITOR: I’ve noted in passing the current debate about the similarity between Tobago’s tagline “Beyond Ordinary” and Anguilla’s “Beyond Extraordinary.”

My first reaction was, “Two years research and zillions of dollars to come up with that?” Worse, we have to pay a UK firm exorbitant fees to come up with a tagline to lure visitors to Tobago? Surely, we can’t be for real.

We have much creative talent right here in TT. Why not have a contest, open to the public, to come up with a tagline? I guarantee that many of the entries will be beyond ordinary. And even a million-dollar first prize would be nothing compared to what we’ve paid the “consultants” and others to produce something ordinary. Better yet, I have a suggestion that might enable us to dispense with the contest.

Just over 30 years ago, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu visited our shores and called TT “a rainbow nation.” According to Irish folklore, at the end of a rainbow you’ll find a pot of gold. This was popularised in song by Earl Grant in 1958, in an enduring pop hit written by Sid Jacobsen (lyrics) and Jimmy Krondes (music).

With the song playing in my head and a few minutes contemplation of an appropriate tagline, I plumped for “Tobago, beyond the rainbow.” I can even imagine how beautiful the artwork can be, playing on the rainbow theme.

And what do we find beyond the rainbow? Not a literal pot of gold, but an experience akin to one. For TV and online advertisements, you can have the song playing in the background. There’s more but I don’t have to spell out everything, do I?

I claim copyright but offer it for free to the Tobago Tourism Agency. However, please grab it quickly before someone else does.

NOEL KALICHARAN via e-mail