Carnival in my view, represents T&T's opportunity to express itself with culture, innovation and music. This time affords us a unique opportunity to become true masters of our destiny. Dreaming and creating our own perspectives and interpretations of stories, current affairs and historical observations. Channeling it through music, theatre, pageantry and dance of which we ourselves connect with our rebellious ancestors through the common union of the two days parade of the bands.
I, like many others try to drink from the river of Carnival with its many flavours of mas, pan, J'Ouvert and other mixes in-between.
I look forward to this annual event, yet I am bothered by the current culture that it has and is creating. Looking at today's discussions and events I am dismayed by the total lack of leadership and forward thinking that pervades our current stewards of Carnival and politics.
With a dependency mindset, our festival is imprisoned by government policies and taxpayers funds.
That prison has created a mental block that has and is starving our people from being innovators and leaders of their destiny.
With every subsidy cheque payment we cripple and poison Carnival and cultural innovation expression and growth.
Locking in and retarding its evolution, growth and development thinking and believing that money can solve the problem of low attendance and poor management.
The current dispute within Pan Trinbago was a golden opportunity for innovation, financial independence, leadership and a break from dependency. Now even that is now spoilt by the heavy hands of government interference through NCC.
I love Carnival, I love the creativity that can birth within it, but I am against using taxpayers funds to support this. We need government out of Carnival; we need taxpayers money out of Carnival. Let the festival grow and evolve on its own, let it prune those events that no longer are able to carry its own weight.
We must let it go for it to grow. So what if some events die? That is the natural path of life cycles. What we are doing by pumping taxpayers' funds is just delaying the death of some events and preventing the birth of others. The time to change our Carnival culture for the better is now.
Paul Pierre
Paramin