Carnival stakeholders ponder virtual Carnival

MINUTES after the Prime Minister announced on Monday that Carnival 2021 has been cancelled because of the covid19 pandemic, members of the pan, mas, kaiso and soca fraternities told Newsday they deeply hoped their members could produce some limited-scale activities virtually to mark the festivities.

Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) president Lutalo “Brother Resistance” Masimba said the health of citizens was paramount during the pandemic, yet TUCO wanted its members to earn a livelihood.

“We were proposing the postponement until later in the year. I don’t know about cancelling."Carnival 2021 would have been celebrated on February 15 and 16.

“We are also ready to go forward with a virtual presentation of the calypso product. If the Government, through the National Carnival Commission (NCC), is willing to look at that, then we can do the competitions and so on in the virtual format. We don’t have a problem either way.

“The most important thing for us is, of course, the health of our citizens and the Carnival lovers.

"But as a members organisation we also have to be cognisant of the fact that our members have not had the opportunity to earn. We can’t do curbside pick-ups and things like that in the entertainment industry. We’d certainly like to sit with the Government to discuss some sort of viable alternative where entertainment is concerned.”

Newsday asked if such events would best be funded by state subsidy, private sponsorship, or pay-per-view.

“We’ll explore all those possibilities. We’ll explore pay-per-view and a couple of other platforms there. Revenue can be earned. So we are prepared to look at these things. We have been proactive where this matter is concerned.”

Newsday asked if TUCO members had begun writing their songs and rehearsing them.

“Yes, people are preparing their materials, whether there is a Carnival or not, because this is what we do.”

Asked if he was optimistic a format could be found for artistes at Carnival for artistes to showcase their songs, Masimba said, “Yes, I am.”

Carnival Bands Association president Rosalind Gabriel told Newsday, “We still think something virtual is very possible, along the lines of what went on at Notting Hill. I’m going to find out today exactly what’s going on.”

Gabriel also referred to the recent Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 cricket tournament taking place in TT with no live audience but being successfully broadcast globally.

“I certainly think something of this nature could happen in Carnival, where events are pre-recorded and broadcast to the world. I think it is possible to do events like that. But of course, it needs some time to investigate a bit. But I definitely think virtual events are possible.”

Asked if virtual events would have to be scaled down from the usual, Gabriel replied, “I don’t think the clustering will be possible, not unless something drastic happens like a vaccine becoming available before that."

She added more optimistically, “This pandemic, although it is really dreadful, it has given us an avenue for innovation. I definitely think we are so creative we could put our minds together and come up with something spectacular even though it would not be something along the lines we were accustomed to. I think something is definitely possible.”

Kathy and Karen Norman of the mas band K2K Alliance, the 2020 Medium Band of the Year told Newsday the Carnival fraternity was not exempt from covid19's profound impact on businesses/industries globally. They had already announced they would have a virtual mas band next year although what exactly this entails, neither would say.

“The shift has forced us, at K2K, to jump-start our innovation engine as we discuss the implications of moving from a physical carnival to a virtual one, at least for 2021.”

They said covid19’s devastating impact globally meant the cancellation was not a surprise. They urged control measures to balance business continuity and a safe Carnival under the Government’s guidance.

“With that said, the brand is committed to the guidelines set, as the health and safety of our employees, clients and community remain of paramount concern.”

Pan Trinbago PRO Dane Gulston said the cancellation of Carnival would affect pannists immensely.

“We want to ensure something still can happen, virtually or otherwise.

"What can we still put in place to keep the spirit of pan alive? We are still in talks.”

He said individual pan players were having a hard time, as were the steelbands themselves, having lost a lot of car-park fee revenues at their panyards due to the current economic lull caused by covid19.

“You still have to pay your light bill and pay staff, but no money is given to us right now. We have to do something so the steelbands can get something.

“If we have to do it virtually, we’ll try our best for Pan Trinbago.”

He keenly awaited the Government saying how it will help players and bands.

“The youths at times depend on pan. Panmen have families too. We’ll see how something could happen.”

While saying pan was under pressure from all sides, Gulston said life was important, everyone must stay safe and no activity must entail massive numbers of participants.

While not expecting a full-scale Panorama, he said, “We are definitely working on something that will interest the public and the world.”

International Soca Monarch (ISM) creative director Simon Baptiste told Newsday he was optimistic ISM could be redefined to reflect current times, to be a presentation like US television shows, The Voice and America’s Got Talent.

“Yes, I do believe we can re-envision it as a visual platform, and it can still be this massive broadcast to reach out to the rest of the globe to showcase the massive talent we have here. By linking our efforts with countries through the Caribbean, we can still create that impact.”

Baptiste said he would have to check on the Government’s rules and regulations regarding the Carnival cancellation and abide by them so the ISM could still "create" to some degree.

“It is way too early for me to comment because I don’t know how it can change, from today to tomorrow to next week.

“But I am hopeful, like many of us are, that there are some possibilities to at least do these things in some form of limited environment that still allows us the creativity to spread it to the world.”

Asked if the ISM plans to meet the Government, Baptiste said the corporate sector and public sector should join forces to figure out their futures. “We are a critical juncture where a lot could happen in the next few months.”

NCC deputy chairman Davlin Thomas (who is also CEO of the North Central Regional Health Authority) told Newsday that under covid19, the population must be responsible as a people.

“But the thing is to create something that is meaningful in the interim to reflect or stand as a foundation for the next Carnival.”

Saying the steelpan was born from resistance, he said covid19 was just another constraint and he was eager to see what next would emerge from this society.

“When they banned the drum, we created a steel drum that could create all the notes on the musical scale.

"We need to approach this constraint, this covid, in that manner. We are built for this.”