As part of the MA programme the students were required to take Fundamentals in Calypso Compositions, a course that covers both theoretical and practical aspects of calypso composition.

They delved into the basics of calypso poetics, rhetorical devices, themes, genres, rhythms, and calypsonian persona, all of which was supposed to teach them how to analyse calypsoes with a layer of objectivity.

They were also taught how to find the message and see how it works with the music and the performance.

The students were given an assignment to put together a calypso tent, inclusive of marketing and performances.

According to lecturer Dr Kela Francis,“The tent was their practicum; this year I decided to use the tent format and let the students make a presentation to the public.

They each composed their own calypso and presented it. It was the first time writing a calypso as well as performing on a stage for some of them.” The students were all involved in several jam sessions during class time to work out their songs before the big day.

Twenty students performed for the audience, which included professor Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool and Dr Rudolph Ottley.

Among the students were seasoned performers like Wayne McDonald (bassman), Marcus Baptiste (pannist), Natalia Dopwell (vocalist), Michelle Henry (musician), Dean Williams (guitarist),Yanz Garcia (pannist) and Karen Forde (dancer). The band Acoustic Kaiso Makers and chorus were made up of students from the MACS class.

The overall performances by both the first timers and experienced performers were well received by the audience.

Professor Liverpool praised the students for a job well done, adding that some of calypsoes were well composed.

It is another unique publication designed to engage the country’s young readers ages five to 13, as it contains their own stories with illustrations that can be coloured, bound between glossy covers. With some of the nation’s top yarn-spinners inspiring the children during the month-long annual caravan, many imaginative ideas find their way onto the pages of this book.

They address community spirit, problem solving at school, the environment, personal, social and community relationships and include cultural reflections and folklore, among other topics.

Each year the storytelling caravan makes it way around Trinidad and Tobago awakening the joy of hearing and telling stories. The stories told by children are collected and published to coincide with the annual April festival. The caravan is due to make stops in Couva, Chaguanas, Cedros, San Fernando, Toco, Siparia and Port-of-Spain before April 30.

Danielle Delon, director of the children’s festival says, “We find that giving children an opportunity to personalise stories requires them to read and better understand the composition of stories. And, as the book is divided into segments for under- eight and nine-plus children, the illustrations offer a progression of detail, so young artists are able to practice control over the tools used to fill in between the lines.” The 2016 children’s stories have contributed to the biggest collection so far in the series of annual colouring books.

Twenty-one stories, published as a 9”x12” colouring book within full-colour covers, are now ready for all fans of fantasy. This is a limited edition with free copies going to children whose name appears in the book.

For more information contact the Bocas Lit Fest office at: 222 7099 or by e-mail at: info@bocaslitfest.com The 2017 NGC Bocas Lit Fest, that includes a full children’s festival, runs from April 26-30.

The series is an effort between local pannist Mikhail Giovann Salcedo and Kaiso Blues Cafe in which pannists can just come with their instruments and “jam”.

Both Provost and White provided the audience with a touch of jazz improvisation as they played as solo acts and them came together with Salcedo as a group.

Patrons were treated to jazz versions of Ordinary People, Feel Like Making Love to You and Old lady Walk a Mile and Half among others.

Other players on the evening were Russell Durity (bass), Nicholas Thomas (drums) and pannists Kwasi Paul, Vivian Williams, Arthur “Bolo” Peters and Joshema McIntosh.

The next edition of Pan in D Cafe is t

Last week, Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) President-General Ancil Roget said workers were not responsible for the platform for Angelin not being fabricated in TT.

“Take your platform and go! We are not prepared to have any type of construction in an environment that is unsafe, unhealthy and void of good industrial relations practice,” Roget told reporters during a protest outside of the OPM in St Clair last week.

In a statement, bpTT (BP’s local subsidiary) said the decision not to fabricate the platform in La Brea was difficult but, “necessary to preserve Angelin’s project schedule.” The Angelin field is located in the Columbus Basin off the south-east coast of Trinidad.

The company said while it continues talks with the National Gas Company (NGC) to progress the completion of a gas sales agreement as a prerequisite to the sanction of Angelin, it continues to pursue all options to maintain the project schedule and first gas goal of early 2019. “This is a priority to ensure that gas supply volumes can be maintained in 2019 and beyond,” bpTT said.

The company also said it, “remains fully committed to maximizing local content in all our operations however given the compressed project timelines and other competitiveness factors for the Angelin project local fabrication is no longer a feasible option.” The company said it is also, “committed to maintaining an option of fabrication in-country for future platforms and will be working with local service providers on key competitiveness factors such as productivity.”

Coming out of discussions which Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had with BP in Houston last month, Young said, “They (BP) are sanctioning Angelin.” He said while some persons are blaming the Government for delays regarding the Angelin project, Young disclosed, “The truth is that, no negotiations and discussions, no matter how BP tried to progress those discussions were taking place, by the prior administration.” Young accompanied Rowley to meetings with BP, Shell, Exxon Mobil and EOG Resources in Houston from March 29 to 31.

Reiterating that the former People’s Partnership (PP) government had failed to re-negotiate several energy contracts when they were supposed to, Young stated, “TT is in a very different place from when these contracts were negotiated.” Against this background, Young said, “Coming out of those conversations, there was a finalisation of the price that the future purchase of gas would be made by NGC.”

Observing that up streamers are demanding higher prices for their gas, down streamers want reduced prices to continue producing their commodities, the minister explained that Government, through the NGC, is trying to find the best price.

Explaining that what was agreed to in the discussions with BP and Shell was augured well for TT, Young said, “One of the things we managed to negotiate last week with BP as well as Shell and to get them to agree on is a continued supply of gas up to 2019.”

He said these companies also agreed that any increase or finds of gas or increased efficiencies on their part will see them selling “to NGC to assist the downstream industry.” Young said, “From that aspect, we’ve gotten more gas going until 2019.” Noting the Juniper project will be on stream in the third quarter of 2017 and will maintain the country’s gas production at its current levels, he said, “When you are in a situation like this, any more scuffs of gas is going to assist.” He said, “What we have been speaking to them about is an allocation of more gas to the downstream (industry).”

On discussions with Exxon Mobil, which is active in Guyana’s emerging energy sector, Young said, “The Prime Minister had prefaced that with meetings with President (David) Granger in Guyana. TT is about to sign a new MOU on energy with the Government of Guyana but, we are really looking to play a supporting role to the government of Guyana going forward.” He also said Exxon was invited to TT to see the infrastructure that is available here.

In a statement on Tuesday, the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce said the lost opportunity to have the Angelin platform fabricated in La Brea, “should concern us all.” The Chamber said beyond the immediate loss of jobs and much needed economic activity, “what has resulted is the potential elimination of any prospects of building additional platforms for neighbouring oil and gas fields.”

The Chamber said, “Anyone genuinely concerned about the welfare of those suffering job losses will not treat this matter cavalierly; neither would they suggest that we encourage further loss of opportunity.”

With resources becoming increasingly scarce, the Chamber said TT, “is in a crunch to remain attractive to foreign direct investment.” The Chamber said the posturing of the labour movement and apparent delays by Government in finalising the gas supply contract with bpTT may have led to a compression of the time to deliver on gas from the Angelin project.

The Chamber also said recent statements made during Rowley’s visit to Houston suggested that while there was agreement in theory, nothing was signed. Saying this points to a critical gap in our decision-making process, the Chamber reiterated that it cannot be business as usual, “particularly in times of economic hardship.”

“Building the platform abroad is a major blow to the diversification efforts of the Trinidad and Tobago,” Hosein said. “The economy may not have just lost an opportunity, but this could signal the death of an industry.”

According to Hosein, a recently concluded Kairi study on poverty in Trinidad and Tobago listed the poverty rate in Point Fortin at 30.6 percent as compared to a national average of 24.5 percent. This indicated the region would have benefitted from the investment associated with building the platform.

“Even more telling,” Hosein said, “while the national unemployment rate stood at 3.4 percent in 2015, in Point Fortin it was 7.2 percent. In La Brea, which neighbours Point Fortin but typically has less employment channels, the unemployment rate is likely to be around ten percent to 15 percent.”

Hosein continued: “As a guide to what we may be losing when projects like Angelin go abroad, US$2.1 billion was invested in the Juniper project, eight percent of which was spent in the fabrication of the platform. At peak construction there were 700 people. The peak would have lasted around five months. There were basically ten subcontractors and around 100 local suppliers. Juniper would therefore have had entrenched backward linkages with the rest of the economy in general and with La Brea in particular.”

However, Hosein feared that the stance taken by the union, may signal to other companies, particularly those in emerging energy sectors like Guyana’s and Suriname’s, to take their business elsewhere.

The economist said given TT’s declining rate of energy production and falling output per worker, unions and other lobby groups needed to be careful.

“They must not make wage and other demands that are out of sync with the realities of the market and of a maturing energy sector. Business as normal cannot continue in such a setting.”

The Rowley administration appears not to be able to catch a break, only days before making the announcement of a continued US$5 billion-dollar investment over the next five years by BP, before sustaining this blow. Even in better times, the loss of the Angelin would have roused commentary. In the new reality of low commodity prices and, with the country clutching at straws to shore up revenues, BP’s decision has serious implications.

But did it have to?

For decades since Independence, governments have recognised this country’s need to diversify away from its dependence on oil and latterly, natural gas. But as of 2013-2015, the energy sector still contributed over 40 percent of GDP, adjusted downward to the late 30s when oil and gas revenue losses are taken into account. Because it is liable to make up a significant part of our revenues for the forseeable future, it remains in the country’s interest to seek out opportunities in oil and gas. But is this being done at the expense of the non-energy sector?

The manufacturing sector averages an eight to nine percent share of GDP over the same period, while the financial sector contributes 14 percent, Distribution and Restaurants, 12 percent, Transport Storage and Communication seven to eight percent and Construction and Quarrying between about five percent. Tourism contributes just one percent to TT’s GDP. This, despite successive governments giving incentives, setting up programmes and funding special purpose enterprises to the tune of hundreds of millions to develop non energy sectors in the economy. Getting diversification right is important. The country is on a deadline. By 2025-2030, studies show that TT’s current oil and gas reserves will be depleted. Why hasn’t diversification progressed further?

“It is not correct to say there is no diversification. There certainly is an amount of diversification. We do have a manufacturing sector, we do have agriculture, and we have agro processing. We do have a tourism sector. For what it’s worth, a variety of sectors exist,” said Indera Sagewan Alli, a competitiveness consultant and regular commentator on the country’s economic affairs.

What has been happening in TT said Sagewan Alli is not true diversification. For that she said, there should be a more balanced contribution from the other sectors of the economy to GDP. Oil and gas should not contribute more than 20 percent.

“The problem is we’ve paid an inadequate amount of attention to these different sectors and what has happened is that they have all contracted,” she said.

Some, have disappeared entirely.

Using the car assembly industry as an illustration, she said, “We used to assemble vehicles in Trinidad. That was value added taking place in Trinidad. We no longer do that. Now we are simply importing vehicles.” She said this was a lost opportunity for us to move up the value chain, perhaps specialising in creating certain parts for specific models of vehicles.

“If we were thinking strategically, what we could have done was have foreign investment that would have supported the assembly already taking place. We did not do that.”

She believes since then the country has compounded the situation by having no clear vision for our non-energy sectors. The problem, she said, was a lack of vision, versus a lack of political will, because over the last 20 years diversification efforts were some of the most well-funded government projects to date.

“I believe much of what has been done has been to satisfy calls for diversification.”

She said there continued to be too much disconnection between the various areas needed to make diversification work.

“Even if we have a vision of where we want these sectors to go, their development can’t happen in a vacuum.”

First, Sagewan Alli said, TT must realise that since many of these diversification initiatives were started, the world had changed. The ability to be competitive in producing goods and services had become paramount.

“We must be able to figure out what goods and services we can offer competitively, as well as the world demand for it. And there should be a match between the two.”

Beyond this, the country then has to work out a strategy for achieving this and plot this plan out on a timeline with a deadline for execution, she said.

There should also be better linkages between the sectors identified for development, educational training to support them and the use of research and development coming out of the University of the West Indies and the University of Trinidad and Tobago.

Additionally, there also needed to be proper legislative and fiscal support for non-energy sectors during diversification and most importantly, measurement of the use of resources to see if the sectors were developing as envisioned.

“Questions need to be asked,” Sagewan Alli said, “By spending this money, what do you hope to achieve in this fiscal year? By the end of the year, there needs to be measurement to see if they are achieving those objectives. This simply isn’t being done.”

“We need to start looking at what we want to achieve. What kind of country we want to have? What kinds of jobs we want to create? What do we have in this country that will enable us to achieve these objectives? What can we borrow from the rest of the world to help us be more competitive and create products and services that customers want?”

“The dynamic must shift revenue earning capacity to other sectors,” she said, “While they may not earn as much as the energy sector, they are still capable of earning foreign exchange and creating sustainable employment.”

He said the company faced a drop in consumption of its products and a decline in profit before taxation to $693.7 million in 2016, about the same as the $693.5 million recorded in the previous year. In addition, it had to contend with an upsurge in illegal cigarettes smuggled into the country. He said these cigarettes are being offered at cheap prices compared to the price of its own premium Du Maurier brand, however an analysis done at the labs of its parent company, the British American Tobacco Company (BAT) found the smuggled cigarettes contained foreign matter such as feathers, insect carcasses, plastic, synthetic material, grit and droppings among other things.

He said to counter the incursions of these smuggled brands, WITCO had brought back onto the market one of its “old favourites”, Mt D’or cigarettes, which it was selling at a price of $17 in order to compete. He said the company was able to regain some of the market share it had lost to the cheaper brands.

Du Coudray noted that consumers across various sectors including food and alcohol were no longer loyal to brands but were looking for the cheapest product to satisfy a particular need.

He said that with the Government battling to increase its revenue, the company had to deal with increases in corporation and excise taxes and the average consumer was looking for value for their money; struggling to pay for their usual brands in all sectors with a reduced disposable income.

He said while the company has seen its revenues reduced it merely means that the market is shifting from WITCO brands to the cheap illegal products because of the economic situation. He said when this happens, WITCO loses, and the government loses because it is not collecting taxes and the consumer is also losing by buying cigarettes without proper standards.

Du Coudray said the Minister of Finance would need to consider whether he has collected taxes from all the players in the market. According to Du Coudray, “The minister did indicate in the 2016/2017 budget speech an acknowledgement of an increase in illegal products in the market and promised strong legislation and enforcement. Unfortunately, we have not seen any major developments in this area.”

Du Coudray said the has company introduced new products, launching the first capsule in regular sized cigarettes in the Caribbean. The smoker flicks or crushes the capsule in the cigarette filter to change its flavour. This new cigarette was put on the market in the last quarter of last year in a bid to increase the satisfaction of its customers. However, he said its attempts to introduce new products are hampered by Government regulations designed to discourage new smokers from taking up the habit.

Another restriction for the company will be the introduction of graphic packaging, showing the effect of smoking on various body parts, also intended to discourage smokers. Du Coudray said the company was awaiting the images and once it receives them it will have eight months to begin using them. However, he said while the graphic images might produce some initial reaction from the consumer, in other markets where they have been introduced, such as Canada and Australia, it has been found that sales rebound.

He said “You don’t need the images to know you are smoking a controversial product. They are just a reminder, so what happens is that after a short period, sales “materialise” back to the normal levels. “The shock and awe factor is gone.”

Questioned about electronic cigarettes, he said there was a potential market in Trinidad and Tobago and while he believed WITCO would have a presence in that market in the next five years, he did not see electronic cigarettes replacing tobacco which he believed will be around for the next 50 years.

In response to a question, Du Coudray said the company does not see any likelihood of staff cutbacks. While it was always looking at ways of making its operations more efficient, he said it does not foresee any cutbacks in the immediate future, adding, “In fact, because of the challenges of the economy and the market we are going through, we may actually bring more people to help us deal with the challenges that we are facing.”

Whilst it is understandable that persons holding high office or important and strategic corporate positions may have more demanding schedules, it is equally important to understand that each person places value on their time. Likewise, persons hosting events should always develop a backup plan should they experience a late appearance by any of their dignitaries or proposed speakers. The persons who arrived on time should never be placed in the position of having to linger in anticipation of a speaker’s arrival.

This consideration should be undertaken in just about any scenario where groups are gathered to engage in an activity. Use the simple format that those who arrived on time or early, should never have to wait upon those who may be late in arrival. Here are a few tips to manage this effectively without causing undue strain on relationships.

The first step would be to ensure your guests, clients, or audience are kept abreast, and given the option to decide what they would wish to do. Now the former is a simple undertaking of an announcement similar to the following, “Ladies and Gentlemen, we apologize for the delay in starting, however we will begin in five minutes.” It becomes imperative to ensure the event does begin at the end of the five-minute interval.

If the keep-back is because of the non-arrival of a dignitary who is carded to speak, perhaps a quick call to the point of contact for the dignitary to ascertain the following will provide you and your planners with a baseline to decide on proceeding with your programme:

The dignitary’s current location;

Estimated time of arrival;

Provide an option;

The point of assuming this role is two-fold: one is to be able to adequately respond to your audience-in-waiting, and the other is to afford your late-in -arrival dignitary the opportunity to have an option, be it agreeing to have the programme proceed in their absence, or having someone present the remarks on their behalf to allow the flow of the programme. Now these suggestions are based on the status of the dignitary and the type of event. If the event is the highest-level State-based event, then of course protocol must be observed. However, one is cognizant that at this type of high level event, the dignitary will not be late in arrival.

On the other hand, we have all had the experience of attending training or other events where perhaps the audience numbers are not sufficient to begin the event (this in the estimation of the event owners of course). Now this one can be tricky, as the success or failure of an event is heavily dependent on a number of factors, including attendant audience – and in the instance of a training event, the trainer may not wish to have to repeat the beginning of their programme.

The call on this remains simple; those who are on time must not be made to pay for those who are late. The management of this essentially, should be placed in the hands of those on time. If it is an event styled activity, start! If it is a training type activity, request of those on time if they are willing to provide a grace period for those late in arrival. Give them the option. It is a simple form of demonstrating respect for their time and presence.

The evolution of technology in the financial sector has been occurring over the past few decades and has generally been met with favourable regulatory response. The transition to a digital financial industry began years ago and included the rise of the ATM machines. We now have electronic cross-border payment systems such as SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications) and also here in Trinidad and Tobago, the establishment of RTGS (real time gross settlement systems). This process took place through a carefully developed partnership between the major central banks and financial institutions, targeted at both supporting economic and financial globalisation, and reducing the serious risks intrinsic in cross-border payments, predominantly systemic risks.

Crypto-currencies have unfortunately faced more skepticism, and understandably so. In January 2011, an ambitious entrepreneur named Ross Ulbricht produced an online marketplace called Silk Road which was truly unique. Firstly, it was not accessible on the normal Web but it existed in an encrypted and secretive part of the Internet known as the ‘dark Net’. Secondly, it presented a range of illegal merchandise not found on eBay or Amazon, typically drugs, catering to discerning users by proposing customer reviews and vendor ratings. Thirdly, the Silk Road was able to function because it used the new Bitcoin virtual currency that permitted users to stay unknown and carry out transactions with little fear of intervention by law enforcement. While the Silk Road was ultimately shut down and its inventor arrested and convicted, the potential use of the Bitcoin and the prospects for a digital economy assisted in instituting it as tool worth keeping. Bitcoin was really developed in 2008 as a concept by an anonymous developer known by the pseudonym of Satoshi Nakamoto, who posted a paper detailing the currency to a cryptography mailing list. The paper details a decentralised system with no issuing authority that would serve as a means of exchange and also as an anonymous and fully open log of all transactions (known as the blockchain). The currency became fairly popular, but it was not until the establishment of the Silk Road that it was truly noticed. While it is obvious that Bitcoin has some eye-catching characteristics, it also has some grave difficulties that have prevented it from being embraced by the mainstream.

The lack of an issuing body and no central authority responsible for the payment scheme may lead one to believe that it is not even possible to take on any sort of regulatory effort. However, Bitcoin has some practices that suggest some form of regulation is required if it becomes widespread.

We can agree that the use of finance for economic development has long been an important focus for policy-makers seeking to support growth in developing countries. Currently, there is merit in applying technology to address challenges and create opportunities across the financial sector. It should be recognised however that policy-makers and regulators will face the challenge of rapidly transforming financial systems, technological developments and alternative currencies in coming years, since Bitcoins are presently used in transactions by some establishments in Trinidad and Tobago. It is of utmost importance that we build the necessary infrastructure to support their regulation and oversight.

Recognising the need for fourth industrial revolution workers, many countries have coordinated their efforts to boost science, technology, mathematics and engineering (STEM) careers. As Trinidad and Tobago engages in its economic planning, policy makers must recognise that if we are to re-industrialize our country, we must choose products with high value-added along the international value chain of products. Additionally, if we are to modify, utilise or simply integrate new technologies in every facet of our existence, we must develop the skills to do so. Technology is going to dramatically reshape our workforce in the coming years and Trinidad and Tobago’s ability to rapidly adapt to technological change, and even more importantly, innovate, will be paramount for job creation and our future economic success.

STEM, as is being implemented, is an educational program developed to prepare primary and secondary students for college and graduate study in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

In addition to subject-specific learning, STEM aims to foster inquiring minds, logical reasoning, and collaboration skills. It is important to add that STEM must not only be limited to primary and secondary schooling, given today’s pace and scale of disruption. Our country needs to ensure a modern workforce is available to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution which must include out of school programs. STEM should also be a part of the re-tooling of sections of our work force.

STEM education can contribute to the creation of critical thinkers.

It certainly has in many countries increased science literacy, and has the potential to facilitate the next generation of innovators. Innovation leads to new products and processes that sustain our economy. This innovation and science literacy depends on a solid knowledge base in the STEM areas. At a very simplistic level and not to over emphasize the point, STEM based education can lead to science and technology-based innovation which can result in science and engineering-based entrepreneurship finding its way into new technology companies which with proper incentives, planning and coordination, can produce exports. This must be both the hope and thrust of our efforts to achieve economic growth as well as diversification in a rapidly changing business environment globally.

Most jobs of the future will require a basic understanding of math and science. In this regard, in our country there has to be seen a partnering of government, the private sector, community leaders and educational institutions, especially those at the tertiary level.

Perhaps the relevant authorities, the private sector, the government planners and the education sector after careful evaluation and review of the efforts that are taking place around the world, may arrive in a timely manner at the conclusion that we must create a STEM Initiative that will provide a sustainable means to ensure related learning is truly everywhere.

One of the interesting phenomenon that is observed from several countries is that STEM education helps to bridge the gender gaps sometimes found in math and science fields. Initiatives in a number of countries have been established that increase the roles of women in STEM-related fields. STEM education has the potential to break the traditional gender roles. We have an opportunity to re-engineer our economy.

Let us look at the changing global environment and identify the prerequisites to help us survive and be competitive