Friday, February 19 2010

THE EDITOR: I totally agree with and endorse the sentiments expressed in your editorial of Saturday February 13. We should long have been harnessing the values of what a National Anthem really means, but we simply do not appreciate the symbolism attached to the emblems of our nation, our Homeland.

As a people we are clearly ashamed of singing our Anthem in public. Check us:

“Standing for the National Anthem of the Rep.............”, and while the audio man plays a dirge-like rendition (not on Pan!), we all stand in silence and in shame--shame that we too shame to shame we not singing!

Except of course when we have “company” among us--like world media covering a major football match, or in Germany, where we all walked out of great stadiums feeling so good about suddenly being country-proud, and realising that people actually respected us in spite of how we don't respect ourselves.

However, as excellent as the article is, it stopped short of giving any examples where your suggestions are already strongly and actively, in place.

I would use the example of football: In the 2001 FIFA U-17 Finals, every single pre-match anthem was played by steelbands, and persons were standing in their homes and pubs watching and listening to their anthems played on this strange new orchestra in that far-off little island. These would have been people in Australia, Japan, Iran, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Croatia, France, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, and the USA.

And for the Journey to Germany 2006, steelbands played anthems for both teams for all home matches, and a steelband played our anthem at many away games. In the very last game, in Bahrain, it was their newly formed Military Steelband standing out on the playing Forged From the Love of Liberty, while millions of people watched.

Of course, you would think that all this highly positive exposure for our culture, and branding of our country and the steelband's sponsor's name, would have been supported in some way by government generally, the Ministrys’ of Culture, Sport and Tourism, or the sponsor--who markets its product internationally. Not one ever gave one cent to these ambassadors.

And this I can tell you without any dispute: It was a tremendous lift for our team to hear our anthem, and then our Calypsos ringing as they fought for us in hostile stadiums around the world.

So, who “helped” to get these steelbands to countries around the world? Who paid all the airline tickets, hotel bills, match tickets, bus travel, and , yes and, the out of pocket travel stipend per diem each band member received? And who fought for our right to have our steelband play in the stands in Bahrain?

It should not be left to me--his long-time friend and colleague, to point out these things.

They should be self-evident and readily acknowledged.



Peter O’Connor

Cascade