GOPIO dividing the country

Other than sending out best wishes to all, my reason for writing is to address the attempt by GOPIO to further divide and alienate the population with their call for TSTT to sponsor an all East Indian show with international Indian artistes, with local Indian artistes thrown in for good measure. In general, I have no problem with such a concept for such a show, but it is the "blackmail" way by which they are trying to get TSTT to do it.

They feel that because TSTT sponsored an American R&B (hip hop) (rap) artiste (West), who catered to a predominantly black or Afro-Trinidadian audience, then they must do likewise and sponsor an East Indian show to cater to the East Indian population of TT.

How ludicrous? Acts like West and other American R&B or Jamaican reggae artistes are crowd pleasers to young people of every race and ethnic background. It is not just Afro-Trinis who go to these shows. Many young East Indian people and youths of the other various ethnic backgrounds that make up sweet TT also attend. It is a young people thing, not a race thing. Maybe GOPIO would have a point if TSTT had sponsored a dance or singing troop from some country on the African continent to come entertain in TT. But I don’t see their point in contesting this one in this way. Personally, I don’t care for Mr West or many of the young rap artistes out today.

Call it a generational gap thing or maybe my taste in music has been seasoned by what is real R&B (soul music) from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s and not the nonsense that passes for it these days. Nevertheless, they are "what’s happening now" and promoters will give their audience what they want, so they can make some money too.

GOPIO must realise that this is Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies, not India. So to play this tit-for-tat game (you sponsored a show for your black customers, so you must sponsor one for your East Indian customers too) is missing the point and is only helping to further divide an already fractured and fragile society with racial and ethnic controversies that should not be controversies to begin with.

What happened to all the national unity of a month ago, after the Soca Warriors win and their bid to World Cup 2006? Oh how quickly we regress to our old divisive ways!

So I hope that GOPIO will reconsider their position and come up with a different approach to getting a show with East Indian artistes from India, with TSTT sponsorship. This time leave race and ethnicity out of it. Much success in your attempts and all the best again for 2006! Let the healing begin!

KELVIN C JAMES, Sr

Port-of-Spain