Government's Carnival give and take

Government's approach to managing Carnival 2026 has bruised egos, scuttled events and left steelbands struggling.

Even as those once state agency sponsored bands recut their suits to fit vastly diminished cloth, Cabinet approved $2.3 million in funding for 145 unsponsored steelbands to assist with their preparations for the festival.

Conventional bands will receive $20,000 while single bands will be granted $10,000. It's small money, but these bands have always made precious little go a long way.

School steelbands were given little time to adjust to a new finals venue, Skinner Park, leaving many school bands, who use the equipment of community steelbands, unable to assemble the resources to transport bands to the south venue.

In response, Pan Trinbago added an under-19 steelband category to Sunday's upcoming Junior Panorama competition. Many school bands have rebranded to enter that competition instead.

What seems to be missing is a clear strategy for these changes, which have not benefited from consultation with vulnerable creative stakeholders.

But creatives are doing their Carnival arts.

The National Dance Association of TT will return limbo to the national Carnival calendar with Doh Fraid De Fire, the first national limbo competition in almost two decades.

Couva's Carnival Committee pleaded with corporate sponsors at its launch December 6 with a plea to companies to supplement the subvention it receives from the National Carnival Commission (NCC).

Committee chairman, Ramchand Rajbal Maraj crowned Nyasa Semper Miss Central Trinidad on Thursday, a hopeful beginning to Couva's Carnival celebrations.

Money issues are underlining every move by the government since taking office.

Culture Minister Michelle Benjamin ordered an audit into the spending of the commission, concerned that the state entity had spent its budget allocation of $141 million and a loan of $200 million against gate receipts of $11 million.

That barely covers the interest on the commission's rolling debt of $178 million.

The NCC is spending far more than it earns against nebulous economic gains that have never been satisfactorily quantified and audited.

The country is expected to believe that billions flow into the country because of the annual event, but there is notable and historical recalcitrance to put verifiable numbers behind that claim.

The Ministry and the NCC are clearly trying to change things for Carnival, but it feels like yanking at the tiller of the Titanic at this point.

Any sailor knows that you can draw a straight line between destinations on a map, but getting there is a fight against the ocean and wind direction, requiring constant course correction and an often erratic path.

The patience of stakeholders might be more easily won over by a clear articulation of a sensible destination for Carnival planning that explains the jerk and pull of this season's changes.