Love NAPAC, hate corruption

November 15, 2009 by Edmund Gall

I read with interest Mr Raffique Shah's column entitled "At that price we expect nothing but the best..." (Trinidad Express, 15 Nov 2009). In it he stated that the Government should've prioritised the Carnival Centre ahead of the National Academy for the Performing Arts Centre (NAPAC) since our culture is more carnival-centric than theatre-centric, the fete market is larger than the theatre market, and the NAPAC is wholly unsuitable for carnival/fete events. I agree that the reasons he stated exist, but disagree with his conclusion.

One of the Government's objectives, any government, is to develop and/or facilitate improvement of the various sectors of society. Just because our culture is carnival-centric, it does not mean we should fail to invest in projects that develop other elements of culture, such as theatre and classical music. If the Government only invests in things that are "real Trini", then it will fail to achieve this development objective.

While I understand the frustration of the carnival artists, I cannot criticise the NAPAC for not being a fete venue. The leading fete promoters aren't in that business just for the love of carnival. If they weren't making a good profit, they'd have used their entrepreneurial skills in some other sphere. So I agree with the Prime Minister's decision to tell fete promoters to build their own spaces. Asking the T&T population to fund the building of fete venues (through taxes) and then charging us hundreds of dollars to attend fetes there is a bit rich. One may argue that the same rationale can apply to the NAPAC, but theatre and concert production is not as profitable as fete promotions (otherwise there’d be more theatre/concert productions than fetes), and requires state support for development.

Thankfully, at least one promoter is asking for state land to be leased to them for the building of fete venues, rather than being given the land for free.

I also think Mr Shah and others should widen their views regarding the market for non-carnival events in T&T. The potential market is not limited to T&T residents; it also includes tourists (which, according to Caribbean Tourism Organisation figures, totalled over 430,000 in 2008). Not all tourists want to dance for hours 'til the wee hours of the morning. When my friends and I visit other countries, we spend more evenings visiting concert halls and theatres than nightclubs. If I bring non-T&T friends to T&T, I’m not going to take them to a fete every night, even during Carnival.

T&T’s culture doesn’t offer enough choice in terms of entertainment – it is time we stop limiting our culture to mostly wine-and-jam.

I support theatrical artists’ requests for more investment in existing venues, such as the Little Carib Theatre – imagine what that space could've done with the TT$2 million misspent on the legacy flag. However, part of me thinks that those who complain that the NAPAC is too big for T&T theatre are really saying: "I'm not talented enough to design a show to fit a larger space." Enterprising theatre/concert production professionals should view the NAPAC as an opportunity to develop products that can fit the larger space, that can run for more than a few days and appeal to international audiences (Raymond Choo Kong is good, but bedroom farces with mostly local jokes are a very small part of theatrical art and won't be fully understood by tourists – just like they appreciate the musicality of calypso, but can’t understand the lyrics).

Why can’t Brian MacFarlane’s conference opening production be expanded into a full theatre piece? Concerts should now be much tighter with the use of the NAPAC’s moving stage, which would allow customers to be fully entertained and go home at a decent hour after a prompt start. Why can't local production houses partner with international companies to bring in guest performances? Adults with young children, and those with none, would have a hell of a time watching The Lion King, as currently running at the Lyceum Theatre in London, twice daily, Tuesday to Sunday, for years now – and they have an Education Programme which partners with schools to teach children about theatre. Why can't NAPAC be used to facilitate this in T&T?

Folks are going to grumble about the Carnival Centre – and rightfully so, if the Government fails to engage with carnival’s stakeholders effectively during the design stage (like they did with NAPAC, allegedly). So we should take our time to get a solution that positively impacts carnival, especially if by Mr Shah's own words it is so core to our national identity. The NAPAC is a solution aimed at widening our culture beyond wine-and-jam, and should be welcomed for that.

Now, before you think my points above are presenting a case for the end justifying the means, let me be clear. While I like the NAPAC, and congratulate the Government and others for making it a reality (I hope they've put in parking), I still abhor the fact that allegations of corruption at UDeCOTT have not been properly dealt with.

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