TRINIDAD and Tobago’s Parliament has finally acknowledged the pan as the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago by declaring The National Musical Instrument Bill, 2024. This bill is supposed to underscore the fact that the pan is also an invention of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

Similarly, it is known worldwide that the pan first emerged in Trinidad and Tobago, and there are many established stories and versions of this fact already in circulation internationally. Given the present-day media networking and data communication practices, the origin of the pan is now securely established and archived for all to know.

This eventual act of Parliament also calls for a periodic report on the activities surrounding the spread, promotion and performance of the pan. This will ensure it develops to further enhance the image of Trinidad and Tobago.

My concern is that the act needs to go further in securing a tangible stake for the citizens of this country; a stake whereby they can pursue the pan as a vehicle for their artistic expressions and life career paths. My suggestions here are premised on the belief that being the home of the invention, the citizens of this country should always be given the chance to maintain a status of staying leaders in this movement.

In other words, let the ‘King of Pan’ always come from the ‘Home of Pan’. This is where we now have our Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe (the King of Pan, being from the Home of Pan).

In order to uphold that credential, we owe it to the citizenry to provide the kind of infrastructure and support so that they can engage the pan accordingly. The nation must be able to access the required knowledge and learning that is likely to produce as many exemplary players of the pan as we can find among ourselves.

How do we do this, or seek to ensure this can likely be done? It should begin by framing the act to reflect the tenets of equal opportunity and judicious support for all communities, subordinate institutions and community panyards. This is in relation to the early vision and birth of the pan, itself being born from the bosoms of urban and rural communities through a love for musical expression and participative entertainment, thus appeasing our innate self-awareness.

It must involve accumulating and channelling resources into the pan movement through viable and legitimate representations, using a duly elected democratic arrangement. The three major areas we need to see the act mandate action upon, and provide a subsequent reporting responsibility to Parliament for, are: 1. To oversee and establish, in due course, a community governance framework wherein each community panyard is organised and managed by a governing committee. Any already existing hierarchies can be grandfathered accordingly into this new framework.

2. To identify and establish, by legislation, the legitimate sources of funding that will be made available to each community panyard committee.

3. To provide open access to membership and the facilities of the pan fraternity in Trinidad and Tobago. This can become a constitutional right to all citizens.

The mandate of the new bill is insufficient as it now stands. If it is to really serve the role of building patrimony for our citizens, then the benefits and opportunities that the pan had intended from its inception should be guaranteed. The Parliament should revisit this legislation and add some substantive meaning and purpose to its functioning.

These points above are some ideas of the avenues that should be followed to ensure that the pan continues to grow. Incidentally, this kind of planning will also make the pan a firm career path for young citizens seeking an alternative to criminal endeavours-especially when it attains a viable financial support structure. This way, longevity can be won for the overall pan movement.

Pan became a cultural idea since the formulation of this country’s original vision. It first emerged as one of the early utterances of the African diaspora, but was soon fondly joined in by all others. In spite of much initial social resistance, its realisation eventually came very much into being. And by the post-war era, it could be found that all ethnic groups were participating in the pan movement.

In true likeness to the development of the Christian faith, all who were not part of the ‘chosen people’ were grafted into the initial olive branch-so much so that it could become one religion, one movement amenable to all.

Pan is now our national movement- call it religion if you will; it is affordable to all so that no one is left out.

John Thompson St James