Save our pan

THE EDITOR: The steelpan is the very heartbeat of TT. It is not merely an artform, it is our national instrument, our most profound cultural export and a source of pride that connects us to the world. To weaken or undermine the fraternity that sustains this legacy is to attack the very soul of our culture.

Yet we are witnessing, with growing alarm, a deliberate and undisguised attempt by elements within government to withhold critical financial support from PanTrinbago and the steelpan movement at large. These efforts cannot be seen as anything but punitive and quite possibly classist, if not racist.

Consider the magnitude of Panorama: four categories, dozens of steelbands and thousands of pannists young and old working tirelessly from panyards across the nation. This is the largest cultural event outside of the parade of the bands, and it sustains entire communities.

Funding provided does not vanish into thin air – it supports transportation, security, prize monies, remittances to players and the staging of events that draw local and international audiences. To starve this process of resources is to strangle the very ecosystem that keeps pan alive.

Now reports that the National Gas Company has terminated sponsorship agreements with three steelbands deepen the sense of betrayal. Corporate TT has long played a vital role in sustaining our cultural life, and for a state enterprise to step back at this juncture only compounds the assault on the pan movement.

This is not about indulgence. This is about respect for a national instrument, respect for the countless young people who find purpose and discipline in panyards and respect for a cultural treasure that belongs to every citizen of this nation.

To deny pan its rightful support is to deny TT a future grounded in pride, unity and heritage.

We must not allow political spite or shortsightedness to erode what generations have built. The steelpan is too important, too central to our identity, to be sacrificed at the altar of expediency.

BRADY THOMAS

Diego Martin