Google doodle no small feat

MORE THAN four billion people use the online search engine Google each day to search for information. Many of them would have encountered something on Tuesday that was, for them, extraordinary and magical.

But for TT nationals here and all over the diaspora, the Google doodle’s depiction of the story of the origins of the steelpan and the role it plays in our culture might have been nothing new.

Yet, while it was a familiar story, the fact that one of the world’s biggest and most influential companies showcased the steelpan in this way made the event especially gratifying.

The pride many felt on Tuesday was also in no small measure due to the sheer talent put on display in the animated feature produced by Nicholas Huggins and including artists such as motion designer Mick Seegobin and musicians Etienne Charles and Len “Boogsie” Sharpe.

It was a reminder not only of what our nationals can achieve, but also the fact that they can do so on the world stage, or rather, on the world's webpages.

This country has been featured several times before by Google. In the last two years, the search engine has updated its doodle to observe the commemoration of Independence Day on August 31.

But it is recognition of our invention of the steelpan, in particular, that proved especially satisfying, coming as it did from a US tech giant.

There’s a long history of argument over the origins of the pan. It’s often pointed out that some Americans have been so “fass” as to make a claim to inventing our national instrument.

Google’s highlighting of the story of pan as a uniquely Trinidadian one would appear to be a clear acknowledgement of the instrument's true provenance. Such acknowledgement was even more powerful given just how public it was.

Even people who are not online regularly or who are not tech-savvy were made aware of the doodle on Tuesday, in a sign of how differently information is shared and disseminated in today’s world.

While some may feel an ephemeral website feature to be a small thing, the reach of Google is actually immense. There’s almost no real way to quantify just how much publicity this country gained from such a simple project.

This, then, is a reminder that when we talk about promoting our culture and staking our claim to what is ours, it is always good to think outside of the box and to embrace approaches that reflect current realities.

At a time when we need to diversify the economy and bolster tourism, we are lucky to have been given this unexpected boon.

Another reminder: it is good as a country to focus on what we have to offer the world, not just our problems.