Practitioners must run Carnival

THE EDITOR: The role of the Government, and of any administrative bodies that are established by or on behalf of the Government (National Carnival Commission) is not to “run” or “control” the Carnival but to “serve” it. This body must ensure that basic infrastructural as well as administrative facilities are in place to allow the Carnival to run smoothly, must provide an environment that nurtures and encourages excellence in the Carnival art form and must assist in communicating the works and activities of the Carnival to a captive audience both at home and abroad. The people within the community best positioned to determine effective policies for the coordination and administration of Carnival are the practitioners, persons with the necessary experience and expertise in providing the creative works of Carnival ie Mas, Calypso, Pan.

For this reason, the responsibility and the authority for determining how the activities of Carnival are to be coordinated and administered should rest with the practitioners, as represented by the Special Interest Groups — Pan Trinbago, TUCO and NCBA, rather than with a bureaucratic Government body such as the National Carnival Commission (NCC) as it is now constituted. It is in this regard, therefore, that the role of the NCC should be to ensure that the three special interest groups have access to the best professional resources available in the areas of entertainment, organisation and management by means of aggressive marketing methods and procedures. If the three special interest groups are to be expected to assume the mantle of responsibility, which is rightfully theirs, for the coordination and administration of Carnival, the powers-that-be must be prepared to provide adequate funding so that the highest goals become achievable.

The allocation to Carnival bodies can in no way be interpreted as a drain on Government spending, as recent studies and surveys have shown that the Carnival product generates in the vicinity of 600 to 800 million dollars in revenue, a substantial portion of which finds its way into the coffers of the Treasury. A better sense of teamwork and collaboration among the special interest groups together with a more workable relationship and partnership with the NCC are the key factors in defining a vision whereby Trinidad and Tobago can once more be labelled “The Greatest Show on Earth.” For the attention of Culture Minister Honourable Joan Yuille-Williams and NCC Chairman Kenneth De Silva.

JOHN THOMAS
Belmont