No nest for birdsong

On August 2, birdsong was served with an eviction notice by a court marshal informing them that the band’s pan theatre and music school is scheduled for demolition.

Birdsong and the landlord have been in legal battles dating back to September 1997, when the owner filed court action to recover possession of the land. In 2015 a court order was granted in favour of the landlord and the band was ordered to vacate. Lenny Tyson, a member of birdsong’s board, said the band was in negotiations with the landlord up to March. The court ruled in favour of the landlord and gave birdsong until March 31 to vacate.

“However, we continued negotiations with the landlord through the lawyer and a proposal of $15,000 rent was advanced by the lawyer,” Tyson said.

“We began raising funds to cover the year and suddenly out of the blue, this new development.” At a news conference held on Monday at the band’s St Vincent and Connell Streets location, birdsong’s management, past and present students as well supporters came together to ask for more time for the band to put its affairs in order. The band has been trying to complete the purchase of a property near to its current location but has hit a stumbling block for the past six-and-ahalf years due to the non-appointment of a Registrar of Friendly Societies.

Founding PRO David Abdulah lamented the delay which has resulted in the band’s predicament.

Another of birdsong’s directors, Dennis Phillip, described the delay in completing the purchase of the property as a “bureaucratic black hole”.

He said once the process is complete, it could take the band another two years to have a functional pan theatre and its planned educational facility.

Pointing out that the eviction notice was not the first, Abdulah said: “If we had proper national policy on culture and steelpan, the issue of tenure for all steelbands would not be a problem”.

Pan Trinbago’s vice president, Byron Serrette stated that Pan Trinbago stands ready to support birdsong.

Over the years birdsong has been training young musicians free of cost via after- school and Saturday programmes and its annual vacation music camp. Birdsong has trained notable musicians such as Nyol Manswell who has graduated from Berklee and TUCO president Lutalo Masimba (Brother Resistance) among others.

The band is in the middle of final preparation for its annual concert at Queen’s Hall, St Ann’s. The show will go on as planned.