The fiasco currently surrounding PanTrinbago and the National Carnival Commission (NCC) has unquestionably served to negatively impact the global perception of the state of steelpan affairs in the Mecca. The sobering news of Trinidad & Tobago Panorama 2016 pannists going unpaid until this very day, coupled with the recent media storm which has steadily been brewing around Keith Diaz (President of PanTrinbago) for the past couple of months presents some interesting questions. One interesting question which is a nice segue into the heart of this article is; ''Is it likely that Caribbean carnivals (especially T&T carnival) are more of a hinderance to the progress of the steelpan than they are a benefit?''
The Steelpan and its Historical Development as a Movement is Diametrically Opposed to the Colonial Legacy of Slavery, Including Carnival
Steelpan and carnival are strange bedfellows indeed. On the one hand, the steelpan is a distinctly Caribbean cultural expression that was born out of colonial oppression and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. On the other hand, Caribbean carnivals are a remnant of the same colonial oppression that led to the invention of the steelpan and the subsequent stigmatization of the steelpan community. In light of the fact that Trinidad & Tobago Panorama which is staged during Carnival, has remained the preemminent steelpan festival of the world for decades, to any logical, rational individual of sound mind, the existence of this ill-fated marriage of the steelpan and Caribbean carnival is highly suspect.
Caribbean pannists and the entire Caribbean steelpan industry are under what clearly appears to be a Divine Curse, no doubt due to the overall perpetuation of demonic and decadently perverse rituals, such as the ones repeatedly practiced during Caribbean carnivals.
Exodus 20 (KJV)
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Bacchanal Week
Bacchus is the Roman name of the Greek god Dionysus, who is essentially the god of drunkenness, perversion and all manner of licentious behavior.
The word ''Bacchanalia'' is used in order to describe the cult comprised of the deranged disciples of the god Dionysus/Bacchus, and their celebrations:
Given the above, is it so difficult to see exactly why carnival has historically been a time for headlines such as this?:
According to discovertnt.com, Bacchanal Week is described as,
''The build-up to Carnival Monday and Tuesday starts from the week before, with countless major fetes and finals of limbo, stickfighting and traditional carnival character competitions (a great showcase of these is the Viey La Cou event two Sundays before Carnival).''
J'Ouvert Morning
''Described by some as a “religious” experience, the dance from dark to light through the streets of town early on Carnival Monday morning is called J’Ouvert (from the French meaning “break of day”). This is the pre-dawn ritual that begins the two official days of Carnival.'' - discovertnt.com
Isaiah 14:12 (KJV)
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Although we are aware of countless other depraved acts committed during Caribbean carnivals from Trinidad to the USA, our point is clear.
Pan Jumbies - Sleeping With Dogs and Waking Up With Fleas
Jumbies are like fleas in that once they are invoked they put one in a state of disease, while they suck one's blood as they please. Once the steelpan became married to the various Caribbean carnivals through ''Panorama'', the entire global Caribbean steelband community has been infested with parasites ever since. It is no coincidence that the winner of the first Panorama which was held in Antigua in 1949 was won by a band named Hell's Gate.
When the Caribbean steelband married Caribbean carnival, it was a match made in hell.
It is also no coincidence that the first steelband to make a steelband recording was another Antiguan band called Brute Force, whose seminal album was entitled ''Beauty and the Beast'' of all things. Not only was this title a metaphor for the marriage between the steelpan (Beauty) and carnival (The Beast), but the album cover speaks volumes regarding some commonly held colonial stereotypes:
The cover depicts ecstatic Caribbean negroes waving colonial flags, parading along with a man resembling a Rasta at the forefront. This ''rastaman'' along with the other negroes behind him are depicted as the ''Beast'' in the album title, which fails to literally spell out the word. Instead, an illustration of some happy-go-lucky, sambo negroes is used to drive home the point of exactly whom the ''Beast'' is.
Undoubtedly, precisely the preceding two examples were the initial ''fruits'' of the womb which were born of the marriage between the steelpan and carnival on the live performance side of the music (Panorama) as well as the studio recording side (Brute Force).
As the old folks say in the Caribbean, ''Lay down with dogs and you will get up with fleas''.
Acute Symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome Are Present in the Negro During Carnival
As evidenced by the ''Beauty and the Beast'' album cover of Brute Force, carnival celebrating negroes are severely afflicted with Stockholm Syndrome.
In addition to the fact that a pioneering Caribbean steelband such as Brute Force perpetuates a centuries-old colonial lie through their name that negro males are ''brutes'' who use '''force'', the stereotype of the ''black brute'' comes to mind.
The Caribbean steelpan movement will likely remain stagnant and degenerative with all of these decades of jumbie/jab jab/demon/duppy conjuring rituals during carnival, which have been practiced through the marriage of the steelpan and Caribbean carnivals throughout the decades.
Galatians 6:7 (KJV)
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Author: Rudy Kendall