The Prime Minister’s statement last week, that Trinidad and Tobago should not wait for funding from oil and gas revenues, may have left a bad taste in the mouths of some, but for several industries it was like preaching to the choir.
Industries in the cultural sector – music, film and mas – have for a very long time been opening new avenues for revenue streams into the country. Stakeholders in some of these industries have even gone so far as to say that they have been diversifying the economy of this country since its inception.
Revenue from past Carnivals which features mostly local creative content including soca, calypso, steelpan, locally made costumes and even locally filmed documentaries have drawn in income and foreign exchange in the hundreds of millions. In the last Carnival in 2020, despite the looming danger of covid19, visitors coming to TT spent a total of US$403 million. A total of 37,861 people came to TT's shores and spent an average of TT$820 a day. For Carnival 2019, 388,000 visitors came to TT, spending an average of US$400 million in that year as well on Carnival events, shows and products.
However, much is needed to compare with TT’s highest earner, oil and gas, which, despite several theories of depleting supply and demand, still accounts for just under half of TT’s GDP. Stakeholders in the cultural industries told Business Day that the cultural industry has the capability to be TT’s next top earner and contributor to GDP, but it needs support and funding from the public and private sectors.
Dancing to the beat of steel drums
One of the more popular features of TT culture has to be its national instrument, the steelpan, which draws people from all over the world to TT’s shores, especially during the Carnival season. But steelpan music is not seasonal. Performers and musicians have gone all over the globe promoting the instrument and the culture of TT.
This alone has garnered interest in the instrument from countries including places like Japan and the US. But according to Denise L J Hernandez, secretary of Pan Trinbago the instrument is only providing a minimum of what it can for the country.
[caption id="attachment_909480" align="alignnone" width="1024"] On Carnival Tuesday in 2020 these Paparazzi mas band revellers portray Hidden-Masters of Disguise at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain. - JEFF K MAYERS[/caption]
In a conversation with Business Day, Hernandez pointed out that, if managed properly, the steelpan industry could be source of income for close to 50,000 people and generate billions in revenue through the creation, distribution, education and promotion of not just steelpan music but the instrument itself.
Hernandez said Pan Trinbago's drum factory, which manufactures steel drums used to make steelpans restarted operations in October 2019 and sought to not only supply pan makers but to make the factory an industry on its own.
“In our drum factory we use a specialised steel,” she said. “It is an 18
