Forge ahead with Carnival advertisements

THE EDITOR: A quote from a local newspaper “Caribana is historically the largest street festival in the Western Hemisphere”.

If this is so then we have standing in line before us the Nottinghill Carnival, Brooklyn Mas/Carnival and a number of Carnivals that have sprung up over the world with their genesis in Trinidad Carnival/Steelband but have eclipsed or are about to eclipse our local show in terms of management and administration, attendance and revenue earning and, of course, benefits for the merchants and other persons who are downstream benefactors and the citizens, and City/State. On the other hand there has not been a significant improvement in Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago for as long as I can remember.

Let’s face it. For every step forward we have taken two steps backward. We have the same old venue; same old band gridlock; same old idea — bankrupt administrators; same old deficit — (increasing); same old confusion arising out of the warring factions ie, carnival band leaders/steelband and other carnival interest groups; same old fat bellied men and women jumping up with insipid grins on their faces. The only persons who benefit are the mega band leaders/organisers who will sell you a thong for $5-600. Multiply that by 5-6000 per band and you notice the tax-free millions of dollars made by these people. This money goes into their pockets and then possibly to foreign bank accounts. The numerous all inclusive fetes to whom millions of tax free dollars go into the pockets of those organisers.

How does Joe and John Public benefit from Carnival? You play mas, you get drunk, you look stupid, you wine and grind, you play the ass, and then look forward to Carnival 2004 — “The Greatest Show on Earth”. How does Trinidad and Tobago benefit? Forking out millions of dollars every year with negative revenue returns, is not a benefit. TIDCO or whatever it was called before could take some lessons from Grenada about advertising their country. TIDCO is light years behind Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, in terms of advertising our country, its festivals and the benefits of visiting Trinidad and Tobago. When I lived in Canada there were always ads in the major newspapers advertising the countries just mentioned above. Trinidad and Tobago had not yet dreamed of this concept. When last did you see a TT/TIDCO ad in the Sunday Edition of the New York Times or the Toronto Star or the Observer or Daily Mirror (London)?

When last did you see a TT/TIDCO ad on ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC or any of our cable channels? I know that there are no such ads on Canadian TV channels but I am sure that you have seen ads for other Caribbean countries on the above mentioned stations. I have seen ads for Grenada, Jamaica and Barbados on our local TV channels. However, I have been to Jamaica, Barbados and Grenada, if there were TIDCO/TT ads on their TV stations when I have been there perhaps I have missed them. Advertising TT to the world brings so many benefits to our country. Additionally there are so many branches of tourism available here.

There is eco-tourism, medical tourism, sports tourism and I am sure that innovative persons and persons with vision can find ways and means to expand tourism to bring more benefits to this country. Unfortunately, myopic narrow minded and utterly stupid leaders have over the years brought this country almost to its knees economically and socially and daily we see in TT such a breakdown and deterioration of behaviour and standards that it boggles the mind. After 40 years of Independence there is less production, less discipline and even less tolerance in our country. But a friend of mine observes “What can you expect when the first word in our National Anthem is “Forged”. It is because I am a Trini that I am very concerned of what is happening to my country.

M HOTIN
Port-of-Spain