Highest National Award for Professor Copeland?

Posted By: News
Date: Thursday, 4 September 2008, at 9:26 p.m.

The Editor,

It is an open secret in Pan circles that Tony Williams and Bertie Marshall received the highest national award to ward off widespread resentment that the Prime Minister was determined to give it to Professor Copeland, come drought or flood. After all since last year, Manning announced that Copeland would receive the award which had not yet been named. So much for national awards! Manning's Medals, maybe! Tony Williams and Bertie Marshall were just camouflage.

Patrick Manning determines what is good for the Steelband movement and in what direction it should go. He has become the Commander in Chief of Pan Tuners. The G Pan, he says, will require fewer players as if that is a good thing for the steelbands and for the country.. The chap doesn't have a clue. He does not understand that Pan is, at once, an instrument and a movement. The minute you succeed in de-coupling the two, Pan, as we know it, expires. Some people want Pan to become "just another instrument" instead of being the tremendous social force it is, critical to shaping what kind of future T&T may have, particularly as it relates to the direction the youth and the working class take.

The Prime Minister decrees what kind of "culture" the people may practice. He begins to believe that being a minority-supported head of government magically confers upon him great wisdom when it comes to disciplines and fields of practice about which he does not have a clue…to repeat a phrase.

But, say what, the G Pan is part of Vision 2020. If the boss says it is the greatest innovation since tamboo bamboo who are we to argue? It should be called the C pan though, in honour of the Professor; after all, he and Manning are Cocoyea boys, aren't they?

Gerry Kangalee
11 De Montbruin Street
Balmain