The decision to reduce the number of players participating in each steelband during
this year’s Panorama Competition was an initiative of the Antigua and Barbuda
Steel Bands Association and had nothing to do with the Ministry of Creative
Industries.
The disclosure comes from the Minister responsible for the Festivals Commission,
Daryll Matthew who confirmed that the numbers have been reduced from a
maximum of 120 players to 75 players per band. He said each year the
Commission engages with the Association to discuss the steel bands’ overall
participation in the carnival festivities.
“Over the past few months, we have been having negotiations with the Pan
Association. These negotiations surrounded the subsidy which the government
would provide to the association to cover their involvement in Carnival 2023. This
year the subsidy amounts to $300,000.00. This covers fees for the opening of
carnival, j’ouvert, last lap, and panorama. We owe the Pan Association nothing and
we have already paid fifty percent of the subsidy. The balance would be paid once
Carnival ends,” he revealed.
According to Matthew the association had some internal discussions and came up
with the idea of reducing the numbers as it was felt that this gave the larger bands
an advantage over the smaller bands.
“The pan association, on its own accord, not prompted by us in the ministry came
up with this idea. One of the reasons I have since been told is that some bands were
having difficulties maintaining large bands and it was felt that there was too large a
gap between the bigger bands and the smaller ones,” he reported.
He added that some in the pan fraternity felt that the performance on stage would
be skewed in favour of the bigger bands.
However, Point Express has learned that this decision by the association has not
been universally accepted by the steel bands. Some bands have complained that the
matter was discussed, and a decision reached without the involvement of the
general membership of the bands.
Point Express reached out to the leadership of the Pan Association but there has
been no response to our inquiries.
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