It is a bit scruffy at first but once I realise how long this entry is going to be, it shapes up rather nicely...
NME
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My take.. and possibly my first entry to my new blog (When I am King (or Emperor!))
As bad as manning may seem, it is entirely wrong of you to compare him to Robert Mugabe..
Firstly Mugabe was once a national hero ... Manning never was and never will be
Secondly, the methods which Mugabe has employed to keep power have never been seen in our jump up/fete country and I pray to God never will be..
Thirdly, despite every politician using race for their ends and means in Trinidad, I don't think we are facing or have faced racial tensions to the extent displayed in both Colonial and POCO Southern Africa..
I also take offense with your statement of 90% of Trinidadians being stupid people... We are actually quite intelligent by the standards of the third world.. We have also produced some of the most brilliant scholars you have ever come across (Eric Williams, Rudranath Capildeo, CLR James, ANR Robinson, Naipaul etc.. you get my point)..
So, its not that Trinidadians are inherently stupid, many just choose not to use their intelligence in facets of life such as political expression, fiscal responsibility and in calculating how long they choose to spend in the US for their summer vacation far exceeding the time allotted to them by their visitor visa........
Also, credit to you for saying Trinidadians are afraid of the rain.. Don't you see it every time to you go to the beach? People scampering out of the WATER the moment a drop of rain falls, as though they will get more wet than they intended?
So... that said, I actually support the creation of a NAPA type venue.. I consider it long overdue... However I do not agree with how it was and will be done.. Firstly the location/architecture is entirely out of place.. If they chose said location, it should have been done to fit the surrounding buildings such as Knowlsey and Victoria Institute which of course may soon be merged into one but I will get to that later... So yes, they needed a state of the art performing arts center but certainly a capacity of more than 800 would be necessary.. and the fact that it can only fit 800 Chinese sized people is shameful for a building of such immense proportions , both physically and monetary..
This brings me to my point about what the building should have been.. they should have used that NAPA idea and/or the Grand Stand to create a local culture hall of fame/museum.. It would be too simple to call it a Calypso hall of fame because that would be disregarding other important facets of our culture including Chutney (RIP Sundar Popo), Soca, Rapso, Stickfighting, Pan (and associated tambu bamboo), extempo and mas itself, both from the big yard and the street...
Despite the best efforts by collectors such as George Maharaj and Ray Fung the gov't and other entities have completely ignored this and will continue to for the foreseeable future, of course taking the time to laud each passing Icon along the way (Kitch, Lion, Duke, Sundar Popo etc)..
As it stands, the largest collection of Calypso and local music accessible to the public is in the National Museum itself, a paltry total amounting to possibly 10% of what I have so don't talk for the collectors mentioned above...
Using that to segway into my next point, I support Pat Bishop/LeRoy Clarke in being upset about her purported removal from the programme at a recent Museum event. If the event organisers are so spineless that they would not stand up to the gov't ministry responsible for her removal, then who will defend them when the inevitable landgrab on their building occurs?
For the first time I feel some kinship with Suffragettes in picturing myself chained to the white gates of the Museum when the first excavator arrives haha..
I could keep on going but this is the end on MY rant.. take that yo!
NME
