1:57BAll right, okay. Dwayne is here. He’s gonna be our guest. Morning, Dwayne.
2:04CGood morning.
2:05BWell, I have a friend incognito from Atlanta, Joy. She’s here. And you, our worldwide listeners, you’re here too, as well as Mr. Paul at the controls. Morning, Mr. Paul.
2:20AGood morning.
2:21BI’m your host, Miss B. We have a full house. Greetings to all our listeners, especially those of you joining us for the first time. 60 minutes of the finest steel band recordings and talk that inspires, informs, and empowers. That’s all ahead. Our musical theme is steel band soloists and orchestras strutting their stuff. Thanks for tuning in.
2:49DI Surrender All is our opening selection with Robert Tobitt from the album Gospel Melodies on Steel. The Steel Pan Vibes It’s More Than Music radio show is brought to you by Thrifty Specialty Produce and Meats of Pompeii. Thrifty Specialty Produce and Meats of Pompeii offers a wide selection of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat for the international palate. Frozen foods, fresh dairy, and hot food at the deli are also available, as well as wholesale and catering services. Now available at Thrifty, money transfer services to Haiti, Jamaica, and the Caribbean. Thrifty Specialty Produce of Palm Bay is located at 2135 Palm Bay Road. Call [number removed]. Once again, that’s 321-80 -- I’m sorry, that’s [number removed]. At Thrifty Specialty Produce and Meats, freshness is guaranteed. You are listening to the Steel Pan Vibes, It’s More Than Music radio show on 1510 AM WWBC. 94.7, 99.9, 100.7 FM in Brevard County, plus streaming live online at facebook.com/steelpanvibes and 1510wwbc.com. Available on app WWBC for Androids and iPhones. Thanks for joining us for our extraordinary steel pan soloists and orchestras mix.
6:08BWell, Professor Liam Teague is one of the art forms most prolific soloists. In the next selection, he teams up with percussionist Robert Chappell for Robert’s composition and album titled For Lack of Better Words.
6:25DThe Steel Pan Vibes It’s More Than Music radio show has been on the air for 8 years because our sponsors make it possible. Please, it’s absolutely necessary for you to give our sponsors your support so we can continue to bring the Steel Pan Vibes It’s More Than Music radio show to you. Please remember to go to the Steel Pan Vibes It’s More Than Music Facebook page anytime Select videos to see what you’ve missed. Of course, you can like, comment, and share our page. Steel Pan Vibes is brought to you by Brown’s Bakery and Restaurant for mouthwatering baked goods, soups, beverages, and meals. From patties to rock cake, chicken to goat head soup, juices to coconut water, and West Indian style meals from jerk chicken to oxtails and delicious roti too. All at Brown’s Bakery and Restaurant located at 1155 Malabar Road. Inside the Interchange Plaza. Call [number removed]. [number removed]. Catering also available. Brown’s Bakery and Restaurant. Taste you can’t resist.
10:10BWell, we have to say good morning to Adrienne. Adrienne is in Atlantic City today. I hope she’s having a great time. Also to Marcy and Milton, thank you so much for joining us. Listen, call a friend and tell them tune in to the Steel Pan Vibes. It’s more than music radio show because we think we have it going on. Back to back, Maestro. Okay folks, you know, we try to get away from the jazz, but we always come back to it. And, uh, Mr. Paul had a very interesting observation. You want to share it with our listeners?
16:23AWell, I just said that the, uh, instruments are so much better now, and a lot of the young guys in the art form love jazz. and come out of a jazz background.
16:35BMm-hmm, that’s true.
16:36AI love the jazz that we usually play. We always end up there, just like you said.
16:41BYeah, we end up with the jazz. Okay, well folks, that set began with New York’s Ad-Lib Steel Orchestra doing Andy Norell’s We Kinda Music, arranged by Andre White, and it was followed, as we just heard, by, um, Leon Foster Thomas. He was doing his composition No Looking Back from the album What You Don’t Know. More soloists and orchestras strutting their stuff coming up. Stay tuned after these words.
17:13EHello, my name is James Alex Goins. I am running for Cocoa City Council District Number 1. I would love to have your vote on November 6th or in early voting. I would love the opportunity to serve you for the city of Cocoa for the next 4 years. So when you go vote, remember to vote Goins. I’m here to serve you, and I work for you, not myself. Thank you. Vote Goins November 6th, 2018. Thank you.
17:47DIf you are just joining us, this is the Steel Pan Vibes. It’s more than music radio show. Today we feature soloists, soloism, and orchestras, and orchestras, and Dwayne on voting and more in the spotlight. Thanks for joining us.
18:05BWell, we have to congratulate Mrs. Beverly Ramsey Moore, the newly elected and first female president of the world governing body of the steel pan, Pan Trinbago. We wish Mrs. Ramsey and her team much success in tackling current challenges, reforms, and strides ahead for the organization and the art form. Back to back music, maestro.
18:36FFirst I was afraid, I was petrified. Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side. But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong, and I grew strong, and I learned how to get along and I saw your back from outer space. I just looked in inside your ear without that look upon your face. I should have changed that stupid lock. Should have made you leave your keys. If I had known for just one second you’d be back to bother me.
19:39GOh, now go. Walk out the door.
19:42FJust turn around now. You’re not welcome anymore. Weren’t you the one that tried to hurt me with the vice? You think I’d crumble. You think I’d lay down and die.
19:54GOh no, not I.
19:56FI will survive. For as long as I know how to love, I know I’m still alive. I’ve got all my life to live, and I’ve got all my love to give, and I’ll survive. I will survive.
20:09GIt took all the strength I had not to fall apart.
20:28FJust trying hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart. And I’ve spent oh so many nights just feeling sorry for myself. I used to cry, but now I hold my head up high. And you see me, somebody new. I knocked the chain off it a while since being in love with you. And so you felt like dropping it and just expect me to be free. Now I’m saving all my loving for someone who’s loving me.
20:54GOh, now go, walk out the door.
20:56FJust turn around, No, you’re not welcome anymore. Weren’t you the one who tried to hurt me with lies? You think I’d crumble? You think I’d lay down and die? Oh no, not I. I will survive.
21:14GFor as long as I know how to love, I know I’m still alive.
21:18FI’ve got all my life to live, and I’ve got all my love to give.
21:21GAnd I’ll survive.
21:23FI will survive.
21:24GI will survive.
21:39FGo now, go!
21:41GWalk out the door!
21:43FJust turn around now, you’re not welcome anymore! Weren’t you the one that tried to hurt me with lies? You think I’d crumble, you think I’d lay down and die? Oh no, not I! I will survive! For as long as I know how to love, I know I’m still alive! I’ve got all my life to live! I’m not going anywhere! I’ve got all my life to live, and I’ve got all my love to give, and I’ll survive. I will survive.
22:09GI will survive. I will survive. I will survive.
26:42BOkay, folks, wow. Wow, that was some heavy stuff there. Well, the set began with I Will Survive. You know that Gloria Gaynor song from back in the -- was it ’70s? I think. Um, that was done first by the Netherlands Police Steel Band with vocalist Mickey Visser, arranged by a gentleman from Curaçao named Felix Waldron, and it’s from the album The Caribbean And talking about the Caribbean spirit, you know, maybe if, um, these, um, steel bands were introduced to more police officers in the USA, you know, that might be good. I’ll give them the Caribbean spirit. That’ll be a nice cool spirit. It might help in them doing their jobs.
27:31BI, you know, I definitely take -- although I don’t play the instrument, I feel it has that very calming spirit. In fact, when I was in New York, um, I did see a steel band, one of the precincts, they had a steel band and it was in the Labor Day parade. They were playing away their steel drums going down Eastern Parkway. That was a really good sight. I think we should promote that. We should talk to our cops. Anyway, um, the next song, the next tune was -- What’s the next tune? Trini know-how. And you know, I just love Rudy Smith’s arrangement to that Brian Bean Griffith song, and he did it for Birdsong Steel Orchestra.
28:16BWell, they just call themselves Birdsong, and it’s from the album Pan Sweet Pan on the Sanche label. Steel Pan Vibes, It’s More Than Music radio show, is brought to you by St.
28:29DPaul’s Religious and Gifts Store. Giving the personal touch in customer service for unique inspirational gifts and cards for all special occasions. Check out St. Paul’s Religious and Gifts Store, 620 East New Haven Avenue in historic downtown Melbourne. Call [number removed].
28:50CAgain, [number removed].
28:56DFall sale going on now. Stop by and tell Cynthia you heard it on the Steel Pan Vibes radio show. St. Paul’s Religious and Gifts Store. And the campaign to elect Laura J. Houston for Cocoa City Council. Laura J. Houston is a fiscal conservative. Laura J. Houston is a veteran, 4th generation Floridian, mother and grandmother, a community activist who addresses issues politicians appointed officials and others refuse to address. Laura J. Houston gets things done. Laura J. Houston has been endorsed by Reverend Oliver Wells of Christ the King Church. Laura J. Houston is a public, public servant. Laura J. Houston knows together we are the solution. Laura J. Houston is running for Cocoa City Council. Vote November 6th. This message is paid for by Laura J. Houston.
29:52GThank you.
32:22BOkay folks, you know what that was? Change the World, an Eric Clapton composition and hit performed by Mr. Cool himself, Ken Green, from the album Sweet Talking. And talking about changing the world and sweet-talking, we’re gonna talk to Dwayne for a quick second here before he gets into the spotlight to talk about voting rights and other timely matters. So Dwayne, how you doing over there?
32:51CDoing good.
32:52BOkay, you want to give us a little update on the new organization you’re working with, the Federation of African Liberation? Talk to us about that.
33:03CYeah, so as the name suggests, we’re an organization that came together to work towards the liberation of people of African descent throughout the world, but particularly in the diaspora. And we’ve been very busy as an organization. We’re fairly new, but already we have membership across the United States. We have a couple members in some of the Caribbean islands and even some members on the African continent. And one of the major programs that we’ve undertaken recently is we’ve gotten in contact with some -- with an organization in Tanzania. So what we’re promoting is for any African-American that wants to go back to Africa, um, particularly Tanzania, we’re working with that organization there to facilitate the return.
33:43BOh, so when you say go back to Africa, are they going back to go back, or they’re going with some skill? They’re going to do -- tell --
33:51CYeah, I mean, yeah, how it’s set up is, um, for anyone that wants to go back just to go back, we, you know, want to provide that platform. But what the organization in Tanzania especially wants is for people with skills and people that are looking to actually settle in Tanzania because they want to build, um, what they call an eco-city, like a very environmentally friendly city. So they’re actually working on building a city. So anyone that has any skills or is just looking to relocate to Africa and start a new life there.
34:18BExcellent, excellent. Wow. I wonder if they’ll take me there. I guess I have to introduce them to some steel pan music in Tanzania, you know what I mean? That, that’s not -- that’s a great, great -- you know, um, sometimes when people talk about going back to Africa, they look at it in a very negative way, you know, and say, going back there?
34:39FNo.
34:39BIf they’re going back to Israel or going back to whatever part of Europe or whatever, it’s all well and good. But yeah, and getting some skills to take back back, that’s even better. That, that sounds very good. You’re doing good work, young man.
34:53CThank you.
34:53BYou’re doing very good work. Well, before we get you in the spotlight, we, um, 2 things. One is, um, we have an event coming up in Palm Bay December 1st. It’s called the Palm Bay Holiday Light Parade, and that’s been going on a number of years, um, but the Trinidadian and Tobagonian community and Caribbean It’s growing in that area. And as a result, um, this year on December 1st, we would like to bring a steel band. A steel band on a trailer with musicians, panists, and masqueraders. But guess what? We’re gonna need your help. We’re gonna need your help in order to do that. So what I want you to do is send an email with your contact information.
35:43Bto me at steelpanvibes@yahoo.com. Now we need your help to make up -- to represent. We want to represent pan in Palm Bay at this festival, this evening festival. It’s on December 1st at 6:30, so get yourself ready. My email address is steelpanvibes@yahoo.com, and we want you to contribute. All right, We want you to contribute, so your contribution is tax deductible too. So we want you to make our first appearance one that you would be proud of. So you gotta send me an email, steelbandvibes@yahoo.com, and I’ll fill you in on the details. All right, Steel Band Vibes listeners, I see quite a few there, quite a few online on Facebook, including Asa.
36:32BAsa, you’re gonna contribute to the steel band coming to Palm Beach?
36:35DOh yeah, of course, of course. You know, if I gotta put in my 2 cents, I’m gonna do that.
36:38BBut we want more than 2 cents. But that’s good, that’s good, that’s very good. Okay, well, a word from one of our sponsors.
36:46EHello, my name is James Alex Goins. I am running for Cocoa City Council District Number 1. I would love to have your vote on November 6th or in early voting. I would love the opportunity to serve you for the city of Cocoa for the next 4 years. So when you go vote, remember to vote Goins. I’m here to serve you, and I work for you, not myself. Thank you. Vote Goins November 6th, 2018. Thank you.
37:20BOkay, folks, guess what? what? We are in the Steep and Wide Spotlight with Dwayne. He’s our guest and he’s going to talk to -- he’s going to share his perspective on voting rights and beyond. Because you know, you gotta vote on Tuesday. You got to vote on Tuesday. There’s no excuse. So Dwayne, welcome again to the Steep and Wide Spotlight.
38:15CThank you for having me back.
38:16BOkay, now let’s get right into it. To understand the present and beyond, We must go back. By the way, Sankofa is an African term which describes the value of such an exercise. There was a time when African Americans and others had no voting rights, but in 1870, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution changed that when Black men were allowed to vote. Dwayne, what is your view on the African American struggle to achieve voting rights?
38:49CWell, in my view, it’s a very critical aspect of the African American struggle in this country overall. And the thing that I always like to bring to people’s attention is, as you mentioned, these are rights that came about in 1870. Now, by 1877, when, you know, they had the compromise, and what happened was a lot of the gains that African Americans had made during the Reconstruction era, which was the era that followed the abolition of slavery, A lot of those gains were eroded and a lot of those voting rights that African Americans won, you know, they lost. So what happened was in the 1960s when Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks and those people were involved in that struggle, they were fighting for rights that African Americans had previously won that were taken away.
39:32CSo what I really like to stress to people is when we think of the struggle and fighting for rights, don’t think of it as a struggle to fight and win these rights and then you sit down and don’t do anything. You constantly have to keep struggling to make sure that those rights are maintained, because as we’ve already seen in this country’s history, you could fight and win certain rights and have those rights, you know, be taken away from you again. So my message in that area is, you know, never get complacent when it comes to your rights.
39:56BAbsolutely. And that was my next question about how those rights have been eroded. Um, you know, you have to paint a specific picture. You have to say Remember when people were trying to vote, they bring hoses and dogs and all kind of thing. You have to paint the picture. Paint a little picture for us of how those rights were eroded.
40:22CWell, um, yes, as I said, what happened in 1877 was there was a particular political compromise which, as a result of that, a lot of the gains that African Americans made during Reconstruction were taken away. And you mentioned, you know, the dogs attacking protesters and the fire hoses, but a big part of that was actually the KKK as well, you know, burning crosses to intimidate African Americans or lynching people. So there was a lot of violence and intimidation that was being used to, you know, get African Americans to stay away from the polls, stay away from exercising particular rights. And what we’re seeing today isn’t as dramatic or as open and obvious.
41:00CWhat I wanted to talk about concerning voting rights being eroded now is actually relevant to the upcoming elections, because one of the amendments that’s going to be on the ballot is Amendment 4, which is to restore voting rights to nonviolent felons. And Michelle Alexander, for listeners who aren’t familiar with her, she’s a lawyer who’s written a book called The New Jim Crow. And in that book, she argues that the war on drugs is the equivalent of what the previous Jim Crow was because in the war on drugs, what the government has essentially done is nonviolent drug offenders, not only are they incarcerated, but they lose certain rights, and among those rights, voting rights.
41:38CSo you have a lot of people who have prior convictions for nonviolent drug offenses who don’t have the right to vote. So that’s just one example of how voting rights are eroded. And as I said, it’s not necessarily as violent as the Klan having to go and to lynch people. to prevent you from voting. It’s just the government has decided that if you’ve, you know, you’ve been arrested for marijuana possession or, as I said, any other, any kind of nonviolent drug offense, we’re just going to take, you know, certain rights from you. One of those rights are voting rights. But as I said, that’s an issue that’s going to be on the ballot in the upcoming election of ’04.
42:10BSo tell us why we should vote and how important it is.
42:16CIt’s very important because Because especially living in the United States where we live in a system where politicians are elected directly by the people and by our votes. So one of the reasons why going out and voting is important is because that plays a big role in determining who gets in office and what policies are going to be put in place based on who is in office.
42:38BVery true. Very true. You know, some listeners may say, you know, I voted and that’s all I have to do, that’s my civic duty. But is that really enough? What is our real civic duty and how can we accomplish that?
42:56CWell, that goes back to what I was saying about being complacent because many people have this mentality of, you know, I’ll just go out and vote and then I’ll sit down and not do anything after voting. So what I advocate for is constant engagement in the political process, you know, write letters to your representatives, you know, call them, just be active to ensure that not only do you elect these people, but they follow through on the promises that they make. You know, people complain a lot about politicians, when you elect them, they never do the things that they promised to do. But it’s our job as citizens to put pressure on elected officials to make sure they follow through on our plans.
43:32CAnd that’s relevant to the struggle to obtain voting rights, because the thing I always tell people in kind of a humorous manner is is that African Americans didn’t vote to get the right to vote. We had to organize and protest and march and do all those things. And people kind of forget that. We think of voting as being our only option in terms of influencing the system, but for much of our history here, we didn’t even have the right to vote. So we had to create changes through other means. So to me, I think I would argue that community organization and mobilization is actually even more important than voting in the sense that voting may elect elected officials, but proper organization is what allows you to put the pressure on the officials to ensure that they do the things that they promised once they’re elected.
44:12BVery good, very good, very good. Dwayne, we’re coming right back to you. Um, folks, you’re listening to the Steel Pan Vibes. It’s more than music radio show. We try to keep you informed, we try to keep you empowered, and we try to keep you enlightened. So we thank you very much for tuning in. The Steel Pan Vibes radio show is brought to you by LC Warren Group. Financial planners and wealth management professionals. Whether you’re saving for college, tuning your Social Security benefit, or planning to enter retirement, LC Warren Group offers client-focused investment services for retirement estate planning, portfolio management. Our office is located at 6767 North Wickham Road in Melbourne, and online at lcwarrengroup.com. We serve the global community. Call us at [number removed]. That’s [number removed]. The more we know, the more we grow. Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA and SIPC. Okay folks, so we thank you so much for joining us, sticking with us. I see Adrian is still there. Of course, Asa is still there. Who else is there? Asa, go online and tell me who else is there because --
45:48Coh.
45:48DLooks like, uh, we got Carol, Tellison, and Ian.
45:52BOh, they’re there as well. Well, thank you so much for joining us. We are In the Spotlight with our guest, Dwayne Akio Wong Omowale. He got all them Caribbean names and them African names to go with them too. So I, I guess I’m gonna have to get some African names myself. I deserve it, I think. All right, so we back with him. You know, recently, uh, a TV network Network did a survey and found that voters were interested mostly in healthcare, the economy, gun policy, and immigration. Do you know if these issues are very important to young people as well?
46:31CYes, definitely, very important to young people. And as we’re talking about African American voting rights, one of the things that I want to mention as well is these issues are -- some of them are critically important in the African American community. For example, Like, you know, the issue of gun violence, that’s a very serious issue in many African American communities. And one of the issues I’ve noticed is they don’t get -- it doesn’t get the proper coverage that it deserves. A lot of the crime and issues that we deal with in our communities don’t get the proper coverage. And even the issue of immigration, I noticed in the media there’s a tendency to focus on immigration in terms of just Latino immigrants coming from Central and South America and Black Caribbean immigrants who face a lot of challenges trying to get to the United States and then face challenges while we’re here. Those issues I don’t really see mentioned very often in the media as well. For example, since President Trump has been in office, there’s a lot of Haitians and Jamaicans that have been deported, and I don’t see the same type of media coverage.
47:27BThat’s very true.
47:28CSo not only are these issues that are important to young voters, but as I said, I feel like the media needs to do a better job of conveying those type of issues.
47:37BSo, so what would you say is on the mind of young voters as they go to the polls? Because they’re voting in increasing numbers, but what are they thinking about as they go to the polls? What are they looking for? What are the issues young people dealing with?
47:50COverall, the main issue that I’ve noticed is just a concern for the future of America and the direction that the country is going. As you mentioned, there’s a lot of issues in terms of healthcare, and gun violence and immigration, but there’s also economic issues as well. A lot of people my age are coming out of college in debt, looking at limited opportunities that we have right now, looking at the wealth inequality. So there’s just a lot of issues in the country. I think overall what young people are looking at, and one reason why they’re so motivated to go out and vote in large numbers, is they want to influence the direction of the country.
48:25CThey want to move the country in a positive direction. And a lot of us aren’t seeing that right now. There’s a lot of concern and anxiety over the direction that we’re seeing this country going in. And one example of that is the recent violence that we’ve been seeing in terms of, you know, the shooting that they had at a synagogue. 2 Black people were killed at a grocery store. So there’s a lot of violence and bigotry that we’re seeing, you know, coming out in this country. I think that’s the biggest concern that young people have is just the direction of where America is going.
48:52BVery true. Very true. Young people, you gotta get out and go to the polls. You gotta feel that pressure. You know, in Georgia and Florida, as you know, we have African Americans running for governor. What are your thoughts on that?
49:05CI think it’s, um, if they win, it’s gonna be a very historic victory, especially in Georgia when you’re gonna, you know, that would be the first African American female governor. So I think it’s historic, but like I say again, just, you know, don’t get complacent because Because one of the things I’ve noticed that African Americans tend to do, and I think to some extent this happened under Obama, is that complacency. You know, we scored this historic victory by electing the first black person into this particular office, and then we sit back and we assume that just because there’s a black person in office, everything is going to be taken care of. So that’s -- my message in that regard is it’d be a historic victory, but don’t get complacent and believe that just because a black person is sitting in an office So you, you can take a hands-off approach to, you know, the politics. You have to continuously stay engaged.
49:53BVery true. Very, very true. You know, I don’t know if, um, our listeners -- we have quite a few listeners there -- if somebody wanted to call in, we, we would like you to call in. In fact, you know, you gotta get involved. You gotta get involved. And this is a question. Well, first of all, if you call in, the number to call is 321-632- [number removed]. [number removed]. And we want your perspective. The question is how we can change the landscape. What voting issue is most important to you, and how do you follow through, or how do you plan to follow through? If you even just get one caller, do that. [number removed]. 1510. So we’ll go ahead chatting. Don’t call after 12, okay? You gotta call right now. Okay, let’s go back here now. All right, you know, we almost to the end of the interview. Anything you want to mention about your organization, how to contact you, and that kind of stuff?
50:59CUm, for our organization, it’s, as you said, it’s the Federation of African Liberation, and African is spelled you know, with a K. So for anyone who’s interested, we’re available, um, on Facebook, and we also have a website. You could Google and find us. And, um, one of our members is very active on YouTube in terms of giving updates, so you can follow us on YouTube. We have lots of YouTube videos.
51:20BVery good. And folks, remember now, if you have a skill -- it’s not, it’s not rocket science, although we on the Space Coast -- if you have a skill and you want to go to Tanzania You want to take your skill, get in touch with the young man. His name is Dwayne Akio Wong Omowale. He is a Pan-Africanist, a Pan-African writer, and also a law student. You see the skills we have coming up? I mean, it’s, it’s unbelievable. I’m so encouraged. He inspires me, and I’m old enough to be his mother. Or maybe something else. Oh yeah, that is fun. This is good. These -- he really is inspiring. He really, really is. Okay, we’re gonna talk about a woman right now. As I mentioned before, the steel band fraternity in Trinidad and Tobago, Pantrinbago, last Sunday elected its first woman president, Mrs. Beverly Ramsey Moore. As a pan lover, as I know you are in the USA, do you think her administration may have a more significant impact impact on the art form abroad, in the diaspora, and what, what, what do you think?
52:35CWell, I would say I hope so because when I, I didn’t, um, know about this before until I saw you, uh, saw the question that you sent, so I was researching it. And from what I found is there’s a lot of issues, um, within the association that they’re hoping that she could correct in terms of, you know, more transparency. They had, you know, transparency issues, issues with lack of organization. and lack of structure. So I think there’s a lot of optimism that she might be the person to go in there and really change things because one of the things I found is you were talking about the impact of PAN abroad.
53:05CThere’s a lot of, I guess you could say, concern in Trinidad and Tobago over the fact that PAN originated there but they feel like because of these issues that I mentioned, Trinidad and Tobago currently isn’t leading in terms of promoting the art form abroad and they’re seeing other Caribbean countries actually excel in that area. So I think what’s happening there is just the hope that she’s going to go in there and correct things and fix things so Trinidad and Tobago can once again be the leading Caribbean country in terms of promoting pan abroad because as I said, pan originated there.
53:36BThat’s right, that’s right. We’ve got to step it up. There have been a lot of issues, a lot of things going on. But in the meantime, we have lots of musicians, lots of educators, There’s a lot of education that’s going abroad, you know, in the art form. People opening up programs and schools. People who have learned the art form, sometimes in Trinidad, sometimes in the US, from some of the best tuners and best arrangers and so on, they are opening up their own, you know, organizations and programs and schools so that people could get more involved in the art form and so on. What I really would like to see is that happening more in the African-American community.
54:20CYeah.
54:21BI think there’s a striking lack of the art form, and it would be so helpful. It would be so very helpful. So we gotta campaign for that. We gotta, like you say, talk to elected officials and see if they could help us bring those -- yeah, see if they could help us bring those programs into more schools. especially, you know, the thing from what I see, you have to have some discipline. You have to be focused. And these are things that our children need. They need to be focused, they need to be disciplined, and they need to achieve some things. And they can see their development right there, you know. So we got to advocate for some pan in our communities.
55:03CYeah. One thing I would add about that, though, you mentioned African-American community, And since I’ve been making regular appearances on, um, on the show, a lot of my African-American friends that weren’t necessarily familiar with the steel pan now know about the steel pan because they see me every month on the Steel Pan Vibes. So I think shows like the show that you have is also very, um, influential in terms of spreading awareness of pan to people who might not have known about it.
55:24BVery good, very good. We’re happy to do that. We’re happy to do that. Yes, folks, we have one more minute for you to call. Um, 3, 2, 1.
55:38C[number removed].
55:39B[number removed]. You know, you could give us a call and tell us what is on your mind, how you’re going to change the landscape, um, what’s important to you as you get ready, you know, to vote, those of you who haven’t voted yet, and how you can follow through. Like Dwayne was saying, We can’t just vote and sit back. We have to become engaged. You know what? You got to go to those city council meetings. That’s very, very -- I’ve been to a few. I mean, I don’t go to every one, but you got to go to those meetings and you got to let your positions and your voice be heard. It’s extremely important. You know, we’ve paid with blood, sweat, and tears for this right. We gotta engage in the right and keep it going. Dwayne, thank you so much for coming in. We look forward to seeing you later on in the month where you’re gonna shed more light.
56:33CThank you.
56:34BThank you very, very much. Okay, folks, now what’s the last word? Nobody called, that’s okay. Um, what’s the last word? Remember to turn your clocks back tonight. Go out and vote on November 6th. All right, so taking us home is Trinidad All-Stars Steel Orchestra with a reprise of Curry Tabanca, an all-time favorite for pan lovers and partygoers, from the album Pan for the People on the Sanche label. Until next time, let your brilliance shine.
57:17DStay strong.
57:18BStay strong, stay focused, be encouraged. Have a safe, enjoyable weekend. May God bless you all.
