‘Pan in Times Square’ marks World Steelpan Day

As the United Nations has declared Aug. 11 as World Steelpan Day, the Trinidad and Tobago Consulate General in New York, with the support of the Brooklyn-based mas band, Sesame Flyers International Inc., is on Friday presenting Pan in Times Square.

“Times Square is the most visited spot on earth and perfect for letting the world know what steelpan means to Trinidad and Tobago and the world community of pannists,” said the Trinidad and Tobago Consulate General in a statement on Thursday. 

It said the event, which takes place from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm on Friday, will feature a performance by a nine-by-a-nine-piece ensemble, led by the inimitable Dane Gulston, “some of the most skilled and infectious steelpan players to be found anywhere in the world.” 

The Trinidad and Tobago Consulate General also said that “some of the Caribbean’s greatest friends in Office in the State of New York will be on hand to witness the historic event.”

The Consulate General said the World Steelpan Day declaration comes after “years of strenuous diplomatic efforts by Trinidad and Tobago.

“This official confirmation of the global embrace of the steelpan, the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago, is a colossal victory for our country,” it said, stating that the twin-island republic is “the birthplace and cradle of the steelpan, an instrument birthed in struggle and determination for self-expression.” 

The Office of Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley said in a statement that Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Sen. Randall Mitchell delivered a statement at the 77th General Assembly sitting in introducing the resolution, declaring Aug. 11 World Steelpan Day.  

The resolution received co-sponsorship from 84 member-states of the UN General Assembly, the statement said. 

“World Steelpan Day will celebrate the musical instrument, which originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the early 1930s and is the only new instrument invented in the 20th century,” the statement said.

According to the Trinidad Express, Mitchell led a Trinidad and Tobago delegation that included Pan Trinbago President Beverly Ramsey-Moore and veteran pannist and arranger Ray Holman. 

“The story of the steelpan in Trinidad and Tobago is one of resilience and sustainability,” the publication quoted Mitchell as telling the UN General Assembly. “For the people of our nation, Trinidad and Tobago, the steelpan represents more than musical versatility; it is emblematic of artistic excellence, community empowerment, endurance, self-determination, community, culture, heritage and identity and, not least of all, national pride.” 

Mitchell described the steel band as “an orchestra, comprising the tenor pan, the double tenors and double seconds, the double and treble guitars and treble cellos, and the six, nine, and 12 basses, essentially a family of steelpans, being played by a group of musicians known as pannists. 

“We have now arrived at the pivotal point in the journey of the steelpan, and we hope that the international community can envision the positives of this musical instrument in the context of sustainable development, as we do,” the culture minister said. 

“The ubiquitous nature of the steelpan, its versatility and its ability to cross over several musical genres but, most importantly, its proven ability to bring people together and to build intercultural understanding, is testament that there are no limitations to confine the trajectory envisioned for the steelpan,” he added.

According to the Express, Mitchell recalled that, in 2019, Port-of-Spain, the Trinidad and Tobago capital, was designated as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative City of Music “for its creativity through the steelpan as a strategic component for sustainable urban development.” 

Mitchell told the General Assembly that, in 1999, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago established the Trinidad and Tobago Steel Orchestra and later, in 2007, upgraded this organization to the National Steel Symphony Orchestra, according to the Express. 

It said that, in 2006, the G-pan, “made from durable high-grade steel sheets, was developed by The University of the West Indies (The UWI) in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister.” 

“The steelpan industry is far-reaching and is heavily dependent on the integration of a variety of sectors, such as tourism, culture, trade and education,” the Trinidad and Tobago Culture Minister said. “Therefore, the manufacturing of the steelpan worldwide is a means of economic impetus, requiring both skilled and unskilled labor in its production.”