With all the hype of 200 per cent duty on Carnival costumes from 2012 and the Port-of-Spain mayor's crackdown on parking in the Woodbrook area, where many mas band headquarters are located, one wonders if the Government is finally on the right track. On the television news a few nights ago, we saw that a fire had gutted a factory in Rio de Janeiro, destroying the carnival costumes of three large samba bands. Of particular interest was the fact that it appeared to be a large spacious building, with adequate parking facilities and since the costumes were being manufactured locally and not abroad, they had the skilled workers to reproduce them.
I had been to Rio about 25 years ago and at that time was impressed with the permanent one-mile carnival parade route in the heart of the city, with concrete bleachers and stands on either side.
I have no doubt that the Brazil Government probably set up the factory facilities as I do not believe that the samba bands have a great deal of money. Fortunately, costumes were being manufactured at other locations, so that many of the other bands were not affected.
I believe that the Minister of Culture has the right idea but should consider introducing the draconian tax on a phased basis, giving the bandleaders and the workers time to adjust and most of all giving the Government the time to provide adequate manufacturing facilities, like in Brazil, and get the mas bands out of the fire traps in Woodbrook and other parts of the country. It is all well and good to tell the bandleaders to treat Carnival more like a business, but the Government must also play a greater part.
Douglas Clarke
Signal Hill