Has Politics Killed Panorama?

[dropcap]R[/dropcap]ain poured in burdensome beads last Friday night as patrons of the annual Panorama competition made their way to the night’s performances. Apparently, the sogginess felt unbearable only by me, a newcomer loaded down with a huge umbrella and purse while trying to soak in music even as I sought to avoid the downpour. Diligent attendees and the usual Panorama competitors hardly noticed the weather. I was assured that “it always rains on the Friday before Carnival”.

If not the rain, then how to explain the almost-not-there, tiny audience? Why only six competing bands this year when, in previous years, about twice the number would compete? One patron had the answer: “Politics is what destroyed Panorama. Just like what happening with the calypso tents. The competition is a shate now, compared to what it used to be.”

His friend chimed in: “It’s no wonder they booed Allen Chastanet at the Calypso tents. If he come here tonight they will boo him too.” This fellow said he had been coming to Panorama for over 25 years and this year’s was a serious disappointment. It seemed a bit absurd to place the blame on the current government but I soon discovered another truth.

One member of a competing steel-pan band felt the Sab venue is an official downgrade from the Beausejour Cricket Grounds, while other individuals I spoke with informed me that the planners of Carnival this year had set out deliberately to sabotage Panorama. They complained about the difficulty in attempting to manoeuvre pans and drums and to line up for performances on the short stretch of road provided without causing a melee.

Someone blamed the poor turn-out for Panorama on the several events held on the same night, a situation made worse by the rain. He wondered aloud why the National Steel Bands Association didn’t demand better conditions for “an event that contributes so much to Saint Lucia’s communities”.

I live close to where the LUCELEC Pantime Steel Orchestra practises and I know how much the members put into their late night rehearsals. It’s a shame that the reward for such Spartan effort is an audience that could easily fit into an office cubicle. This year marked my first time at Panorama but, after an encounter with a very rude security person, I had to force myself not to head for home before the first note rang out. I don’t regret staying, however. I found that Panorama is really a gem sans the vulgar gyrating that dominates the other Carnival shows, parties and concerts.

Despite knowing exactly what Pantime’s rendition of Bachelor’s “Family Portrait” would sound like beforehand, I wasn’t prepared for the small bursts of fireworks—which generated genuine excitement from me and the audience—or for the striking uniformity of all sixty-plus members. Neither was I expecting that young woman with a particularly rotund rear end who excitedly brandished the band’s banner.  Of the other bands, if they didn’t express equal creativity, they certainly were full of courage!

My personal favourite, Pantime, only placed third with 268 points, just two points less than the second-place winner, Laborie Steel Orchestra. They played “No Code” by Teddyson John. The victorious band, and the defending champion from 2017, was Courts Babonneau Steel Orchestra; they played Herb Black’s timeless “Suzette”. This band’s arrangement wasn’t confined to steel-pan; they also offered choreographed theatrics. They caught the championship title with 278 points.