Sadly, the wonderful atmosphere of last Wednesday’s 60th Independence celebrations may just be a fleeting feel-good moment, given the sorry state of our country.
The work week began on Monday with extraordinary chaos as a result of the ongoing crowd of protests, ostensibly over the ban on the export of iron ore, and even worse flooding than we have seen before. Until Friday we were still struggling with how to deal with the education of children who scored worryingly low on the Secondary Assessment Assessment (SAA).
How can we be in a state other than a sorry state when governments care about people, often only through announcements, such as the recent announcement of the formation of a road paving company in response to the deplorable state of the roads?
This is a version of the announcements of endless committees “to consider” urgent problems. While the roads remain in disrepair, the road-paving company will inevitably become another state-owned enterprise riddled with waste, inefficiency and political nepotism.
Commentators were not positive in their six-decade retrospectives. Many referred to the inspirational Youth Independence Rally at Queen’s Park Oval in 1962.
Like some of them, I was there as a student and was moved by the inspiring goals articulated by Dr Eric Williams. I came home and the first thing I said to my mum, Celia, excitedly, was that the Doctor had told us, “Remember, each of you, that you carry the future of Trinidad and Tobago in your school bags.”
My friend, Reginald Dumas, in his reflections emphasized that “the position of education in the socio-economic development of any country cannot be seriously discussed”. Noble Philip showed how badly our education system has gone wrong.
One thing that has not failed is our capacity for the performing arts, but they have not received the spotlight even though they have impressive origins and are front and center in all our celebrations.
In the reflections of my friend Dumas, he referred to “the intellectual concentration and faith that existed at the time” and “to bookshops, art exhibitions, drama groups, choirs and orchestras”. With his usual lucid perspective, he mentioned music and dance: “Beryl McBurnie’s little Caribbean was already a legend, Anthony Williams was breaking steelband barriers and there was so much more.”
Sadly, our governments have been unable to understand the positive role that the performing arts continue to play in our society. The arts have survived because they are expressions of natural ability, love and long tradition, and they make joyful work.
I’ve always said that pan music is happy music. It evokes joy in the entire audience. I have been reading a Harvard Business Review publication designed as a guide for independent thought leaders entitled Nine Lies About Work; authors, Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall. The authors contend that much conventional wisdom about work is limiting talent rather than enabling it.
In a chapter debunking standardized work patterns, the authors posit that people “who are drawn to activities in which they find joy are the greatest performers.” They refer to the two different talents of Lionel Messi and Stevie Wonder (sports and music – two things we are good at) and write: “We can’t always explain why, but some activities seem to contain ingredients that give us life, that lift us out of ourselves to discover something better, more resilient and more creative.”
The appreciation of such a rise is beyond the limited sensibility of our rulers. They are looking in the wrong place for competence, commitment and discipline, which the citizens they despise have in abundance.
The late culture researcher, practitioner and mentor Pat Bishop understood our abilities and what was needed. “Boogsie” Sharpe composed a piece of music in praise of Pat called “Archbishop of Pan”. When GB (Gregory Ballantyne) composed the lyrics, the second verse described Pat and her leadership as “Just lifting people up at all costs, cultural force, musical boss.”
What leadership of similar caliber will stop resorting to knee-jerk responses to dissent and lead us out of constant killings, deep socio-economic distress and worsening annual floods?
