
It was certainly an historic moment last Monday afternoon when the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a draft resolution for August 11 to be declared World Steelpan Day – a day to be annually observed on the UN calendar.
The late pan pioneers Ellie Manette and Winston “Spree” Simon would have been beaming with pride, along with pan music lovers worldwide, had they been there to witness the declaration.
As Terrence Wilson, president of Ontario Steelpan Association, said “it’s about time.”
“Pan would now be more recognized as a conventional musical instrument,” he correctly stated.
But, of course, the steelpan is more than just another musical instrument.
As Randall Mitchell, Trinidad and Tobago’s minister of tourism, culture and arts, noted at the United Nations General Assembly, in introducing the draft resolution, “it is emblematic of artistic excellence, community empowerment, endurance, self-determination, community, culture, heritage and identity and not least of all, national pride.”
Mitchell also noted that the instrument has gained prominence in more than 40 states in every corner of the globe.
Indeed, the steelpan has been a standard instrument in England soon after it was invented. It’s a safe bet that a pan or two were “passengers” on the (in)famous Windrush, the ship that brought a contingent of West Indians to England in 1948.
The Trini invention is also well established in Europe and Asia. Japanese musicians have so embraced the instrument that players make the annual pilgrimage to Trinidad and Tobago’s Panorama to play in the top bands. Ditto for players from other countries. A few years ago one of The Camera’s contributors reported witnessing a steelband in action in Santiago, Cuba. Kaiso and Reggae were on the menu.
Mitchell also specifically mentioned the province of Ontario where, he said, “the steelpan has long been used as a teaching aide in the country’s multiculturalism programme.” He could have gone on to mention that pan has travelled across Canada from Ottawa to Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton, cities that all boast strong steelpan communities.
But it’s Toronto that is considered the home of Canadian steelpan. Here, it has been a staple in high school music programs for many years. Many of the graduates are players in the top bands that compete in the annual Pan Alive competition staged during the Toronto Caribbean Carnival.
The spread of steelpan music can be attributed to a new sound that had never been heard before. A sound that travels long distances on the wind from an instrument that is easily accessible to even the musically challenged. It is not unusual for a complete stranger who, on hearing the sound, to walk into a “panyard’ and ask to be allowed to strike a few notes.
The people of Trinidad and Tobago are rightfully proud of their truly unique creation. A creation that emerged from the imagination of the denizens of the teeming yards on the island, then to take its place among the great musical inventions in human history is a story for the ages. The UN declaration is the icing on the cake, and long overdue.
The pan has come a long way since Ellie Manette, who died in 2018 at 90, laid his hand on an oil drum in the 1930s.