[UPDATED] Pan Trinbago backs coat of arms with steelpan, social-media users knock design

MELISSA DOUGHTY and LAUREL WILLIAMS

THE updated national coat of arms that was recently passed in the House of Representatives was officially unveiled on January 19 in a post on social media by the Ministry of Communications.

The National Emblems of Trinidad and Tobago (Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which allowed for the replacement of illustrations representing ships led by explorer Christopher Columbus, with the national instrument, the steelpan, was unanimously passed in the Lower House on January 13.

The coat of arms now features the image of a gold steelpan and pansticks where Columbus’ ships once were.

Piloting the bill, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Randall Mitchell said, “Government’s proposal was made in direct response to the loud and decades-long clarion calls of our citizens clamouring for the removal of painful colonial vestiges of our past.”

The Prime Minister concurred during his contribution, saying, “Symbolism matters. It’s not a question of either/or; we can have it all. We can have symbols, we can have jobs, we can have food. But at the end of the day, symbolism matters.”

He said replacing the ships with the national instrument shows that “pan has reached the highest heights in TT.”

He added, “...but the symbol says that we don’t accept what you think of us and if, when we came here, we picked up the pan that used to carry oil and hit it in a way that we discovered that we could make music, and we now make the magic that comes out of the steelband, then we should be proud to say that we claim that on our coat of arms and not the misrepresentation of (Columbus’ ships)”

The bill will be read and debated in the Upper House (Senate). Once passed in the Upper House, it will then proceed to be proclaimed by the President after which it will become law.

In an interview with Newsday on January 19, Pan Trinbago president Beverley Ramsey-Moore said her organisation was extremely proud.

She said, “This is a big moment in TT and we need to focus on the positives much more. The media houses and so on need to focus on the positive things that would inspire a nation.

“In two years' time, we were able to accomplish so much from an instrument that was born out of resistance, struggle and resilience, that the UN has given us a day that we could observe World Steelpan Day, then having pan formally declared in TT and now having it on the coat of arms.”

Ramsey-Moore said it was amazing to see the Government and Opposition uniting to support pan.

“We need much more of that in TT, much more of that spirit of unity and love. That is what pan brings. Pan is happy music,” she said.

The work of the pan executive catapulted the love and respect the pan body now receives from the public, she said.

Ramsey-Moore emphasised the steelpan’s power to unify the nation. She said, “The steelpan is inclusive and unifying, especially during Carnival, Panorama, and other cultural celebrations. Beyond its cultural significance, it represents a thriving industry, with tuners, arrangers, and manufacturers exporting their skills globally. This is a moment to celebrate and continue building our legacy.”

She said the younger generations connect more deeply with the steelpan than with colonial symbols, making this amendment a forward-looking decision for the nation’s future.

While some people and organisations have embraced the change, others have criticised the design, with mixed responses on social media ranging from amusement to confusion.

Many social media users took to platforms to share their opinions, with some mocking the design.

One Facebook user believed the pan looked more like a shield than the national instrument, while another remarked it looked like a hot doubles.

Another said, “The steelpan looks like a lollipop.”

A user added: “I could have volunteered to do that for free.”

Others chimed in to bash “whoever” was responsible for the new look, accusing the person of having “absolutely no graphic designing knowledge and understanding of basic principles of design.”

Others expressed frustration over the removal of the ships without understanding the rationale behind the redesign, questioning, “What is the point of just taking the ships out?”

Some expressed concerns about the cost of the redesign and suggested the money spent could have been used for other purposes , such as improving infrastructure and health care.

Social media users also seemed genuinely baffled, asking, “What I want to know: is this a joke? Is this a draft? Did someone use AI to generate this? Or should they have used AI?”

Another said, “From an art point of view, the steelpan literally looks and feels like it was forced onto the design, rather than properly integrated. The colour does not match, the lighting doesn’t match...”

Despite the negative feedback, there were also a few positive comments appreciating the inclusion of the steelpan as a representation of the nation’s culture.

This story was originally published with the title "Coat of arms with steelpan unveiled after Lower House approval" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

THE updated national coat of arms that was recently passed in the House of Representatives was officially unveiled on January 19 in a post on social media by the Ministry of Communications.

The National Emblems of Trinidad and Tobago (Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which allowed for the replacement of illustrations representing ships led by explorer Christopher Columbus with the national instrument, the steelpan, was unanimously passed in the Lower House on January 13.

The coat of arms now features the image of a gold steelpan and pan sticks where Columbus's ships once were.

In piloting the bill, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Randall Mitchell said, “Government’s proposal was made in direct response to the loud and decades-long clarion calls of our citizens clamouring for the removal of painful colonial vestiges of our past.”

The Prime Minister concurred during his contribution in Parliament, saying, “Symbolism matters. It’s not a question of either/or; we can have it all. We can have symbols, we can have jobs, we can have food. But at the end of the day, symbolism matters.”

He said replacing the ships with the national instrument showed "pan has reached the highest heights in TT.”

He added, "...but the symbol says that we don’t accept what you think of us and if, when we came here, we picked up the pan that used to carry oil and hit it in a way that we discovered that we could make music, and we now make the magic that comes out of the steelband, then we should be proud to say that we claim that on our coat of arms and not the misrepresentation of (Columbus’s ships)”

The bill will be read and debated in the Upper House (Senate). Once passed in the Upper House, it will then proceed to be proclaimed by the President, after which it will become law.