Panman Dane Gulston calls for Taste of Panorama boycott

PANNIST Dane Gulston is encouraging his fraternity to boycott the upcoming Taste of Panorama, calling it a mockery.

Speaking with The Newsday on Tuesday evening at Kaiso Blues Café, Wrightson Road, Gulston said the notion of a “safe zone” pan event made no sense and the structure set out to facilitate the event is ill-advised.

Asked if he was calling for a boycott of the event, Gulston said: “I definitely say yes, for more than one reason. The way it is laid out, I personally think because of what is happening right now when it comes to the administrative side, bands should not perform in that competition.”

He added: “I don't feel the bands should perform in anything under the umbrella of Pan Trinbago right now.”

Gulston added that the governing body National Carnival Commission (NCC) should have adopted a model used in Miami for a covid19-free zone rather than a vaccinated zone. He said from events he attended in Miami, patrons were tested on entry and those with either negative PCR or antigen tests were allowed entry.

While Gulston called for unity among players, embattled president of Pan Trinbago Beverly Ramsey-Moore said players were rushing to be inoculated in order to participate in the event.

Steelbands will participate in two events in Trinidad while discussions are ongoing about a Tobago event. The events will include a retro-style event for single-pan and small steelbands with traditional mas characters on February 19 at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain. There will be a "shoot-out" among the large bands on February 26, also scheduled for the Savannah.

Ramsey-Moore said nightly registration of bands will end on Wednesday with Trinidad's 15 large bands already indicating they will participate. These include Exodus, Desperadoes, Skiffle Bunch, Fonclaire and All Stars.

Gulston, along with Robert Hernandez, Gerard Mendez and Earl Morris, said the event should not be held as Pan Trinbago is not constitutionally in right standing. The men said elections were due in October last year and to date there has been no mention of that happening soon and as such, the current executive is operating illegally and any event supported by Pan Trinbago should not be supported by panmen.

On Monday NCC chair Winston Peters said an estimated $35 million will be allocated to produce a semblance of Carnival with events for vaccinated only.

This announcement was bitter-sweet with some accepting whatever aspect of the culture they can get after last year’s cancellation and others finding the decision lacking the taste of Carnival.