Mavis cries at video launch

A nation-building music video titled “God Bless Our Nation” was yesterday launched at the National Petroleum (NP) House in Sea Lots, Port-of-Spain.


When asked to say a few words after the viewing of the video, an emotional Mavis John, who did a cover version of the late Marjorie Padmore’s song done back in 1962, started by saying: “The time is right, the time is now,” before moving away from the podium to compose herself. She returned with tears streaming down her face to say that doing the song meant a lot to her at this time. “We know what the country is going through at the moment and we really hope that it can make a difference. I hope the song will do what it set out to do,” said John and then thanked Marjorie Padmore, who she said had some vision 41 years ago. John said: “When you listen to the lyrics of this song, this woman wrote this song knowing what it meant to her at the time of becoming an independent country so I’m telling Trinidad and Tobago, let’s sing once more, let’s sing this beautiful song and may God bless our nation.”

Earlier, Marlene Goddard, NP’s Public Relations Officer, said that there was a lot of talk about the 2020 vision but that if we do not have a mission, we cannot have vision: “It is a fact that TT is going through some very difficult times with the spate of crimes plaguing our beautiful country. We at NP are hoping that each time this video is played, citizens would reflect on the beautiful island that is TT. Every time it is sung, automatically, a prayer goes out to TT”. Goddard too, as well as Corporate Communi-cations Manager Keith Subero both echoed John’s sentiment about Padmore’s composition and expressed the wish that the CD/video will have maximum rotation on all the local radio and television stations, long after our Independence and Republic days have come and gone. The CD/video is NP’s gift to the nation on its 41st anniversary of Independence. It was shot in just 2 ? weeks and produced by Robert Ramesar with the national oil company as the executive producer. A presentation of the music video was then made to the Acting Chief Executive Officer at NP, Coreen Jones.