The Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Museum (TTCM) will serve as a profitable venture for the country in a few years, but first, proper support is needed to bring it to the level of prestige envisioned by its curators and managers.
This country has long faced the problem of uncertainty about a place to store carnival artifacts. However, the First Citizens Foundation has stepped up and given the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Band Association (TTCBA) the use of its historic Charlotte Street building, also known as the “Penny Bank”, for TTCM.
TTCBA President Rosalind Gabriel, one of the museum’s managers, is hopeful about what the future holds, as she has ambitious plans to expand the museum’s four small galleries, each about 10 x 10 rooms, with cultural artifacts. with different themes – calypso, steel band and mas.
“We received the first financial incentive from the Ministry of Tourism. This will go towards the realization of the project. This is exactly what we were able to handle in a short time, because when we thought of doing this, the goal was to make the country aware of what was going to happen. We are grateful to have somewhere to start,” said Gabriel.
She added, “So we really only had a two-week window to put it together, so we chose this part of the building to do it, but there are other parts of the building that we plan to occupy. “We’re really just at the beginning of gathering information, but what we’re most proud of so far is the fact that we’re collaborating with all the actors who already have the Carnival material,” Gabriel said.
Gabriel said the plan is for the museum to be powered primarily by technology. “We want to use this space to the greatest possible advantage. We want you to see the technology at work when you enter this museum. We want you to feel like you’re in the middle of Jouvert or in the middle of a beautiful set, so for all of these things, we’re going to rely heavily on technology. We may not be able to house and display the 100 greatest kings and suits, but we hope to digitize them. We don’t want to be a stagnant museum; we want to be a living museum, so our exhibits will change regularly and go to other places to exhibit as well,” Gabriel said.
Patriotic citizens
Gabriel outlined a plan that will use every inch of the building, including the roof. Renovation work to expand the interior of the museum is expected to begin in the coming weeks and will be carried out in three phases and is expected to be completed in 2025.
“I am very grateful that the First Citizens Foundation made available this building, which is part of history. When it first came out, they asked me if I was sure I wanted this building. But I was positive because this area is the birthplace of Carnival and we hope to be part of the transformation, along with other cultural projects happening in the area and we hope to be part of the cultural transformation of this area. Gabriel said.
She added, “We have an area on the roof that we are looking for an entertainment area where people can come and enjoy calypso and members of the traditional mas brotherhood. “We will have a gift shop and a bookstore as well as a cafe, so we can’t touch the outside of the building, but we intend to make good use of this space,” said Gabriel.
Gabriel is grateful to those who offered their expertise and services. “We were helped by some patriotic citizens to make this project a reality, who signed free of charge and without a single cent, and we were able to put it into motion. So we had every person from every profession that we needed helping us get to where we are today. And there are people who are still willing to work to see this project off the ground pro bono. We also want to see more support from T&T Corporation,” said Gabriel.
She hopes to see more carnival practitioners visit the museum to experience and understand its vision for the future. “We were supposed to close in August, but we have received many calls from the public, so we may decide to extend it until September. “We’re hoping to see some Calypsonians visiting, and more from corporate T&T to see what we’re doing and the plans we have,” she said.
Liverpool: A good start
Calypsonian, lecturer, writer and historian, Hollis Liverpool (Chalkdust), said that while the museum is a good start, there is work to be done in promoting this country’s carnivals. “When I was in the Ministry of Culture I created the Carnival Institute to document our Carnival, so what they are doing now with this museum is a good thing. Anything that can help people learn and understand more about Carnival is good, so I’m behind it 100 per cent,” Liverpool told the Express.
He said that even with a museum in place, there should be value behind it. “There must be resources and good intentions and people willing to add value. If you go to St Thomas in the Virgin Islands they have the clothes the Mighty Sparrow was wearing when he won the competition there. They asked for his suits because they realized how valuable it was to have him,” Liverpool said.
“There was always talk of having a carnival museum at the airport. When I was young, we were trying to get a museum in the airport, but you could never find a place. This carnival museum, in Penny Bank, is very, very small, but at least it’s a starting point, and hopefully some good person will see the need for a bigger place. Years ago, at the turn of the century, the National Carnival Commission (NCC) started one from Victoria Avenue. We got a building there, but the NCC didn’t have the money to continue and it closed, so we’ve always tried to start one,” Liverpool said.
Liverpool said all aspects of the carnival are important and need the right support. “I personally set up a small museum by the harbor in Wrightson Road years ago and I got no help and no money, and some people who promised me money didn’t give me a penny. I spent all my money and didn’t get a penny, so again this was another unsupported effort. All aspects of the carnival are important. The history of carnivals is also important. We have a Master of Arts (MA) in Carnival Studies at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) and the first subject we expose our students to is the history of carnival,” he said.
He said that TTCM is on the right track. He wants to see a space for children, a place to organize concerts where families can relax and enjoy films showing the carnivals of the 1950s and 60s. “We are on the right track and there are many challenges along the way; we need to do more, but the work is being done to do more, so we are in a good place,” Liverpool said.
