THE EDITOR: Congratulations to Despers on receiving its second multimillion-dollar gift from the people of TT. Its first theatre gift remains closed up the hill next to the community centre where the gorgeously gigantic John Dende Statue resides. This statue was designed and created by a Laventille resident called Leo Warner.

During the covid19 pandemic, I had an opportunity to pay a site visit to the Despers theatre space on the hill. It brought back wonderful memories of listening to Pat Bishop lovingly buff the band members for mispronouncing their Pan is Beautiful winning rendition of The Bartered Bride by Smetana as 'de battered bride.'

I also relived the moments of looking to the left and seeing the lights at the top of the Lady of Fatima Church and looking to the right and enjoying the breathtaking view of Port of Spain.

Very few institutions get a second chance to get things right so the new $14 million building is a unique opportunity that Despers must get right. The band will not get it right unless a business model is created and implemented.

If it works, that business model might be used as a guide for Invaders, which has been working on acquiring its own space for many years now. It might also be used by Phase II Pan Grove which is also in the midst of sensitive negotiations to own its space. The list of potential users for such a business model can go on and on.

The first challenge which Despers faces is that this location will not attract supporters. The same issues which chased it from up the hill continue and are intensified nationally. Even the US government has included mid-town Port of Spain on its list of places to avoid. No matter how much I love Despers, fear of crime and violence will keep me away.

Queen's Hall, NAPA, SAPA and the Little Carib are all cultural spaces that survive based on state subvention. As a society, we have not worked out how to make cultural spaces sustainable and this Despers space can now be added to that list of spaces that requires continued funding.

What is needed is a strategic plan that considers the long-term view of the sustainability of a creative space. Such a plan cannot be developed by the current leaders of Despers. It needs collaboration between business strategists, cultural enablers and financial wizards.

As the new owners of this $14 million space, I wonder how Despers will fund the operating and maintenance cost of the building. An architect friend told me that a back-of-the-envelope maintenance formula is to budget 20 per cent of the construction cost for maintenance.

Despers, I love you and wish you the best, but this is a hard gift to have received.

DENNISE DEMMING

Diego Martin