NGC drops steelbands, withdraws sponsorship from 3 pansides, Pan Trinbago

YVONNE WEBB and MELISSA DOUGHTY

STEELPAN players in the south/central region of Pan Trinbago have been left fuming after state company National Gas Company (NGC) on September 11 withdrew its sponsorship from three steelbands – Couva Joylanders, La Brea Nightingale and Steel X Plosion of Tobago – and pulled support for Pan Trinbago.

In the termination letter to Couva Joylanders executive manager Richard Gill, dated September 3, NGC noted Article 7(b) of their January 1, 2023, agreement, which said: “The sponsor shall have the right to terminate this agreement for convenience.” That letter said while the company valued the business relationship between NGC and Joylanders, it was currently re-evaluating existing contracts and determined that this was no longer viable for the company to continue under the present agreement.

It gave the band seven days notice of its intent to terminate the existing agreement with the termination taking effect from September 11.

A similar letter was sent to Pan Trinbago with the exception being that it stated in accordance with article 4.3 of the initial agreement there was to be no further disbursement of funds by the company after the September 11 termination date and Pan Trinbago should within 30 days return unused funds to NGC.

Speaking with Newsday on condition of anonymity, players said they were left extremely emotional after hearing the news.

“Don’t touch we pan. Don’t touch we culture,” one player said.

Players said the panyard has become a haven for young people and an alternative to crime, especially in depressed communities like La Brea and Couva, and to take away sponsorship has the effect of “destroying that safe space.”

Commenting on the withdrawal of the state-owned company’s sponsorships, effective September 11, Pan Trin­ba­go pres­i­dent Bev­er­ly Ram­sey-Moore said this was a devastating blow to the fraternity.

“Government must say whether it wants nothing to do with pan.”

Ramsey-Moore questioned the message being sent to pan players by these withdrawals, and whether a precedent is being set for other state enterprises to pull their support. The National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) has been sponsoring Fonclaire and Buccaneers Steel Orchestras for years, while Heritage is the official sponsor of Skiffle and Siparia Deltones, which is in the Prime Minister’s Siparia constituency.

“Would NLCB and Heritage follow suit and what about other corporate bodies, would they do the same?”

“I don’t think this was well thought out. It is insensitive and a wicked act, coming days after pan month when the national instrument was celebrated and Joshua Regrello was certified as earning the Guiness Book of World Record for the longest pan-playing session.”

She said she contacted Culture Minister Michelle Benjamin who promised to have a conversation with the chair of the National Carnival Commission (NCC) Peter Kanhai, with a view to resolving the issue. Ramsey-Moore who also sits on the NCC board, said she is still awaiting a response.

Energy companies have had a history of support for local steelbands including bpTT, Shell, Heritage and Proman for a number of years. In 2024, bpTT was the title sponsor for Panorama competition and also sponsors steelbands.

Last month, NGC reported $1.6 billion in profits in its financial year ending December 31, 2024. Attorney Gerald Ramdeen is NGC’s chairman.

Former NGC president and musician Mark Loquan, who died on April 6, was a committed supporter of the steelband movement. He not only played with Silver Stars but also became a renowned composer.

Joylanders’ expansion plans shattered

Pan executives from both Steel X Plosion and Nightingale declined comment on September 11, but the manager of Joylanders, Gill, said this was a shocker. He said it has left their entrance into Panorama 2026 in jeopardy.

Gill said the band enjoyed an amazing 13-year partnership with NGC and was expecting a renewal of their contract on December 2025. The contracts of the other two bands were also set to end in December 2025.

“We embarked on this partnership 13 years ago, under the first incarnation of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar during the People’s Partnership administration.”

Over those 13 years, he said, “NGC was doing a wonderful job with us, doing a lot of youth education and music programmes, capacity building.

“I was thinking national pride, national instrument, national company, it would have been renewed, but for this to happen now and with no reason, it is quite a shocker.

“There was no consultation, no conversation, no warning whatsoever that this was going to happen. We got one phone call and then an e-mail on the same day. We tried to have a conversation with the company, but that was not forthcoming.”

Having its main source of funding pulled could not have come at a more inappropriate time as the medium-sized band was in the process of transitioning to the large-band category and establishing its junior band.

“This must stop because we do not know where the funding would be coming from to finance these projects.”

He said if they had any notion the partnership would have ended so abruptly, they would have planned different and reached out to potential sponsors.

Months before Christmas and when corporate bodies would have already planned their expenditure for the next year, he said they do not have much elbow room to negotiate new arrangements. “Our members are broken-hearted because they have been performing above and beyond, meeting all the requirements and expectations, but we would not give up. We are still hopeful for a breakthrough.”

Steelbands depend on corporate support

Ramsey-Moore said steelbands, over the years, depended on corporate support to achieve its community- and youth-development goals.

She said when the call was made in the early 1950s to have corporate TT come on board to support a movement that was built out of struggle, resilience, the response was great.

She said international and state companies have made a significant contribution to steelpan’s development and global appeal.

Ramsey-Moore said NGC’s letters to the steelbands failed to reflect the relationships forged over the eyars.

“I am worried because this could have been approached differently. I am worried because there is no reason why there should be a letter that was insensitive.”

Ramsey-Moore was concerned about how this might harm the gains made by the organisation.

A media release from Pan Trinbago called on companies to come forward and sponsor a band.

It said, “While we value and appreciate NGC’s longstanding support over the years, we are deeply concerned by both the decision and the manner in which it was implemented.”

In that release Ramsey-Moore described the company’s decision as insensitive and one which demonstrated a lack of respect for the steelband community and for pan as the country’s national instrument, especially at a point where the instrument was on global ascent.

“Withdrawing support without dialogue or negotiation disregards the social and cultural significance of corporate sponsorship and undermines the progress that has been gained over the years,” it said.

It said, however, that the organisation remained steadfast in advocating for all steelband members and ensuring that pan’s rich legacy thrived.

It listed ways companies, organisations or people could come contact them if interested in sponsoring a band.

Newsday tried contacting NGC’s corporate communications manager but, up to publication, did not receive a response.