Latest / Corie Sheppard Podcast / Beverley Ramsey-Moore: Leading Pan Trinbago and the Spirit of Tobago

Transcript

Beverley Ramsey-Moore: Leading Pan Trinbago and the Spirit of Tobago · Corie Sheppard Podcast

• 0:00
  Corie: Oh welcome to the Cory Shepard podcast.
• 0:04
  Corie: My name is Cory Shepard.
• 0:05
  Corie: Welcome back to everybody who's been listening.
• 0:06
  Corie: Thank you for all the new listeners.
• 0:08
  Corie: Today we have with us the president of Pantran Bagel.
• 0:11
  Corie: What else I should say?
• 0:12
  Corie: It's Beverly Ramsey Moore with handlers.
• 0:15
  Corie: Where are you going, man?
• 0:16
  Beverley: I am doing well today.
• 0:18
  Corie: You good?
• 0:18
  Corie: One of the many titles are calling, right?
• 0:20
  Corie: Yes.
• 0:21
  Corie: We get to all the titles before we start.
• 0:22
  Corie: Of course.
• 0:23
  Corie: Of course.
• 0:24
  Corie: All right.
• 0:24
  Corie: I could start with the first title again, man.
• 0:26
  Corie: You tell me before we start that yours in acting and drama, all them things, right?
• 0:30
  Corie: So we're looking for plenty of acting and drama.
• 0:32
  Corie: Here, when does acting and drama happen?
• 0:34
  Corie: This is known.
• 0:34
  Corie: People know this.
• 0:35
  Corie: Wow, I don't think so, you know.
• 0:38
  Beverley: You know, in my early days, um, in my community of Black Rock, as you know, I am from a fishing cultural community.
• 0:47
  Beverley: And we have a very strong village council.
• 0:50
  Beverley: And so, you know, there is this great festival, which is the Tobago Heritage Festival.
• 0:55
  Beverley: And somewhere in 1992, 1993, I was a member of the Tobago House of Assembly at the time.
• 1:02
  Beverley: And I was also the leader of the Black Rock Progressive Youth Organization.
• 1:08
  Beverley: And that group did one part of the Black Rock Heritage Festival production, which was the drama part.
• 1:15
  Beverley: And so I always saw myself in that acting role, and therefore I was always the mother, the leader, doing, I also wrote the plays and stuff like that.
• 1:26
  Beverley: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 1:27
  Beverley: And so we always portrayed the Fisher folk characters in our community.
• 1:33
  Beverley: And my grandmother, one of them, or at least two of my grandmothers, were Fisher women taking this big basket of fish on their hands, walking throughout Tobago to sell, to come back to my, you know, in those days, families were about 10 children, 11 children, and and and we know what it was in the olden days with our men.
• 1:57
  Beverley: You know, you know, Tobago mentioned.
• 1:59
  Beverley: I don't know.
• 2:00
  Corie: I don't know.
• 2:00
  Beverley: I don't know if it's a fish or whatever, but plenty children.
• 2:04
  Beverley: And so these women had to sell to maintain their families.
• 2:09
  Beverley: So I I came from that.
• 2:10
  Beverley: So I was really good in putting that together and being on stage dramatizing whether it's Star Lona or one of those characters.
• 2:18
  Corie: I got you.
• 2:18
  Corie: So you're accustomed to the stage, you see, you feel comfortable with.
• 2:20
  Corie: Yes.
• 2:21
  Corie: All right, only putting you on stage.
• 2:22
  Corie: Tobago is a special place to us on this podcast, right?
• 2:25
  Corie: Before you start out, a little Tobago, Kylie's get very excited to hear about places like BlackRock and these things when you want to take over, you want to stop bother the whole time.
• 2:32
  Corie: So I had to ask you about your upbringing in Tobago, like where what was life like growing up for you in Blackrock?
• 2:38
  Beverley: Well, as a child, I lived really close to the beach.
• 2:41
  Beverley: As I said, Blackrock is a fishing community, and I grew up in an extended family.
• 2:47
  Beverley: All right.
• 2:47
  Beverley: So, you know, you're there with your mother and your grandmother and your grandfather, your aunts, and everybody.
• 2:53
  Beverley: And those were good days.
• 2:55
  Beverley: Good days, because one of the things that I loved about that is that there was one yard pot.
• 3:01
  Beverley: And everybody ate from that pot.
• 3:04
  Beverley: And that yard pot is a symbol of community.
• 3:08
  Beverley: It's and and that pot not only fed the extended family, but it also fed the neighbors' children.
• 3:14
  Beverley: That was the extended family in a way.
• 3:16
  Beverley: That's right, that's right.
• 3:18
  Beverley: And so I I so that is why I'm I think I am that kind of resilient individual.
• 3:24
  Beverley: Because once you grew up around the fisher folk, listen to me, on the B side, you had a learn to cuss.
• 3:32
  Beverley: Oh yeah.
• 3:34
  Beverley: Because my grandfather, as nice as he was, when that scene, because he owned a sane and a boat, when that scene brought in that fish to shore, his character changed.
• 3:47
  Beverley: He changed because then everybody will advantage you.
• 3:51
  Beverley: And then he was a ladies' manager say.
• 3:54
  Beverley: And so all the ladies lined up with a bowl looking for free fish.
• 3:58
  Beverley: So at that time, he was able to know I can't give away because then I have to take care of my family.
• 4:04
  Beverley: So that entire fishing community being on the B side as a girl growing up, I think that is what would have helped to propel me and to prepare me for things like President of Panther and Bigel, member with a big house of assembly, that love and that caring, that servant leadership and all of that.
• 4:23
  Beverley: I think I really got that from my roots on the B side.
• 4:27
  Corie: Gotcha.
• 4:28
  Corie: I like the idea of the servant leadership.
• 4:29
  Corie: That is an important thing.
• 4:30
  Corie: And any president of Pantranbago, your own resist resilience.
• 4:35
  Corie: Uh, we've seen it over the years.
• 4:36
  Corie: Like I was I was looking this morning at some of the articles when you pull up your name, and plenty of it comes in, it's in defense, you know.
• 4:43
  Corie: Yeah, you had to defend this and defend that and so on.
• 4:45
  Corie: So I want to ask you about the moment when you were elected president of Pantrin Bago, first woman president of Pantranbago.
• 4:51
  Corie: Congrats on that.
• 4:52
  Corie: How it felt at the time?
• 4:54
  Beverley: Well, there was a journey before that so that you will understand the emotion when I was eventually elected.
• 5:01
  Beverley: Now, somewhere in about 2013, I really wanted to bring about positive change in the organization.
• 5:09
  Beverley: As a matter of fact, I was elected under the Patrick Arnold regime in 2009.
• 5:17
  Beverley: I was on Patrick's slate, but his slate did not win.
• 5:20
  Beverley: And I really tried to bring about proper governance in terms of the structure and the operations of Panther and Bigo at that time.
• 5:29
  Beverley: But predominantly male-driven, um, I was not taking, you know, seriously.
• 5:37
  Beverley: I was always seen as that Tobigonian, that back and all this creating confusion and things like this is not the Tobago House of Assembly, so you could run it anyhow.
• 5:48
  Beverley: So there was a bitter war with me and those um gentlemen from about 2013, 14, 15, somewhere around 16 or 17, I was made personal non-grata.
• 6:01
  Beverley: Oh yeah.
• 6:02
  Beverley: You know, imagine me and a section, those who supported me, we were banned from attending any of Pantry and Bigos um events.
• 6:13
  Beverley: We could not enter Pantrian Big.
• 6:14
  Beverley: Imagine personal non-oh my god, in turn I don't know.
• 6:18
  Corie: It really shouldn't happen to nobody entering that today.
• 6:20
  Beverley: It should not, it should not happen, you know.
• 6:22
  Beverley: And so there's where the struggle, but I did not give up.
• 6:26
  Beverley: Right.
• 6:27
  Beverley: Knowing me, I am driven.
• 6:29
  Beverley: One word I could best describe myself is driven.
• 6:32
  Beverley: I have that passion to succeed.
• 6:34
  Beverley: And so in 2018, the membership gave me the opportunity, but at that time, Pantry and Bago did not have a cent.
• 6:42
  Beverley: The organization was penniless, the organization was the organization was broke.
• 6:47
  Beverley: The organization's name at that time was, you know, not so good, I should say, staying.
• 6:55
  Beverley: The people really did not want to have nothing much.
• 6:58
  Beverley: The corporate Trinidad did not support.
• 7:01
  Beverley: The government also withdrew support because there were audits that were done and all of that.
• 7:07
  Beverley: And they gave it to me and my team.
• 7:09
  Beverley: Uh, we were team rebuild at that time, and so in October of 2018, uh, we were elected.
• 7:17
  Beverley: And so there I I say this that um you can understand, though it was perilous time, but I did not, I did not give up, I did not give in.
• 7:30
  Beverley: As a matter of fact, at the first meeting that we had with the membership, I said to them, This journey is like taking a big stone on my head and trying to go up a mountain.
• 7:43
  Beverley: And the big stone was the deck that we were in.
• 7:46
  Beverley: But from where we came from to where we are now, we are definitely in a much better place.
• 7:52
  Beverley: And for that, I feel a sense of satisfaction, and that is what motivates me to go the next distance.
• 7:59
  Beverley: Yeah.
• 8:00
  Corie: I saw recently uh a thing published saying that the budget now is surplus of 600,000 or so.
• 8:06
  Corie: That's the last audit also.
• 8:08
  Beverley: That's right.
• 8:08
  Beverley: And we over the years, I think it's our fifth year of clean audits or unqualified audit, uh opinion.
• 8:16
  Beverley: And we have done a lot of work.
• 8:18
  Beverley: I have a very good team.
• 8:19
  Beverley: We have been working hard.
• 8:22
  Beverley: We I've I have worked extremely hard through negotiations to provide them with the resources so that we can bring about this positive result.
• 8:31
  Corie: Yeah.
• 8:31
  Corie: Oh, with you.
• 8:32
  Corie: So we we're leading up now to the launch of panorama 2026, right?
• 8:36
  Corie: How it feeling going in?
• 8:38
  Corie: Uh panorama for me is start by semis, you know.
• 8:40
  Corie: I'll put my cards on the table, right?
• 8:42
  Corie: That's how many panorama is start for me when it's fed season.
• 8:45
  Corie: For you, it starts in November, yes.
• 8:48
  Beverley: Well, listen, we have declared in Pantry and Bigel, there is no season for pan.
• 8:55
  Beverley: Panther and Bigel, we are not a panorama organization.
• 8:59
  Beverley: We have several bands, over 200 registered bands.
• 9:03
  Beverley: And as such, our business, according to the Act of Parliament, our business is to ensure that we do all in our powers to provide for all our steel bands and to create opportunities for them, to create that enabling environment so that we can prosper in all things.
• 9:23
  Beverley: And so during the year, we ensure that there are several activities.
• 9:28
  Beverley: And by November, we are ready to launch out with the single pan category.
• 9:33
  Beverley: We agreed, and the membership agreed that we should separate the competition.
• 9:38
  Beverley: Panorama is a festival, and it is one that impacts on community development, on youth development, on social development.
• 9:47
  Beverley: It's not just going and enjoying the part that you like.
• 9:50
  Beverley: For me, is bringing the people together in the community, the practice session, the socioeconomic factors of the Panorama Festival.
• 10:03
  Beverley: So in November, definitely we are gonna have this launch, and this year, our theme is legacy.
• 10:09
  Beverley: We need to protect the legacy of our forefathers and to ensure that the young people carry it on.
• 10:18
  Beverley: So, yes, it's gonna be exciting again in November.
• 10:21
  Beverley: We launch on the 9th, and it is gonna be a special launch because up close and center, the people must be involved.
• 10:32
  Beverley: And so we look forward to that day, and I'm sure I'm gonna see you there.
• 10:36
  Corie: Yeah, but if David has any say about that, I will be there for sure.
• 10:39
  Corie: I'll be there for sure.
• 10:40
  Corie: All right, David will be there in his all-stars questions.
• 10:44
  Corie: So here's our square.
• 10:45
  Corie: I confused what's going on here.
• 10:47
  Corie: Now, so yeah, in a previous interview saying Panorama, which is true when I when I heard it, that is the pan is the only thing that really sells out the savannah in the same way.
• 10:55
  Corie: I just say sell out the avenue, it's pretty much selling out everywhere it goes, or Port of Spain all the way to the savannah seen several events year-round.
• 11:03
  Corie: So that uh part of your stewardship is to ensure that we have a year-round feel for pan.
• 11:08
  Corie: And people like myself get more involved.
• 11:10
  Beverley: Pan is a good, good spirit.
• 11:12
  Beverley: We talk about good, good spirit, it's the steel pan.
• 11:16
  Beverley: When you think of hearing that instrument and the you see how some people as well behave, it captivates, it fills you with a kind of power.
• 11:33
  Beverley: You know, I could use my little Tobago dialect one day, eh?
• 11:36
  Beverley: With a kind of power, yeah, you know, because it came from the drums.
• 11:41
  Beverley: When you think about where it came from, from the African drums and the rhythm and a drum that sends messages, that that sends signals, so it signals to your brain that you could behave good or you could behave real wassy, you could behave real bad, yeah, yeah, you know, in a good sense, because if you notice that steel band events, there's no violence there, you know.
• 12:07
  Beverley: Sometimes I wonder why we had to pay so much money to police and all these people, you know.
• 12:11
  Corie: I go tell you why now why?
• 12:14
  Beverley: Because nothing happens, nothing happens, but of course, we need them for safety and security.
• 12:20
  Beverley: Per adventure, something should go wrong.
• 12:22
  Beverley: So we love our policemen, we love our firemen, you know.
• 12:24
  Beverley: But you know, um, the events are are really safe, and so we've decided that we're gonna separate the categories.
• 12:35
  Beverley: So in November we do single pan, and then immediately after that, we do the small band category moving into the medium and the large savannah party.
• 12:46
  Beverley: Whoa, within recent years, is real mashup.
• 12:50
  Corie: Yeah, you're seeing it, you're seeing it, and it's swelling, you know.
• 12:52
  Corie: It's even even with um the social media crowd, like you the ones you work with today, the social media squad, you know, they they you're seeing more and more of it as as the events come about.
• 13:03
  Corie: But I saw one time, and I refer to it all the time, where uh the president Christine Kangalu would have come out and said the panyard as a community and and and building that model.
• 13:13
  Corie: I want your thoughts on that.
• 13:14
  Beverley: Oh, yes, you know, we were very happy for the endorsement because you know we have been using the panyards years upon years now to transform lives.
• 13:24
  Beverley: And in Pan Trinbago, we say pan is community soul.
• 13:29
  Beverley: Think of long ago, the sealbank came out of the villages from every nook and cranny, and the people just come together in a particular space, they came together in a space, the loyalty, you know what it is to wear your jersey, is a renegades, is that all-stars, these are jammers, like the big football leagues, right?
• 13:59
  Corie: Everybody here.
• 14:00
  Beverley: Listen, that sense of pride and ownership, there is nothing else that I know in Trinidad that drives that kind of passion, and that is why I am so proud to lead, to be the leader.
• 14:16
  Beverley: I mean, I've done a lot of things in my life, but you see, being president of Pancho and Bigo, providing that leadership where we can use the instrument to unite, as we say, listen, it cuts across political boundaries, racial boundaries.
• 14:32
  Beverley: Look at what's happening.
• 14:33
  Beverley: Is it going on in the North Sun?
• 14:34
  Beverley: Anybody business with who white, red, black, pink, nothing, yeah.
• 14:38
  Beverley: It's just one one love, one love, and that is what I like about that circle of love with those notes.
• 14:46
  Beverley: And uh listen, when you when you listen, I am so the the instrument is so pregnant with possibilities.
• 14:54
  Beverley: When you the very belly of the pan, let me tell you, you see those magicians or those over men that song that drum and realize that those notes, the deeper you go, the higher the sound.
• 15:10
  Beverley: We don't even understand.
• 15:12
  Beverley: We don't understand it.
• 15:16
  Corie: Well, let me tell you how much I didn't understand.
• 15:17
  Corie: When you talk about the drums coming from West Africa in particular, our history, right?
• 15:21
  Corie: And and and some things that we I don't know, I can't explain some of the things we embrace, the parts of our history versus the parts that we try to run from so far.
• 15:30
  Corie: But I can tell you, a shame, because with my first panorama finals was this year, right?
• 15:34
  Corie: Don't tell nobody I say so, right?
• 15:36
  Corie: We could cut our part out, right?
• 15:38
  Corie: Was this year?
• 15:38
  Corie: Bring the belt, bring the belt, bring the belt, and I reach just about the time I reach here late like hell too, just like our reach here today.
• 15:45
  Beverley: Are you ready to get into my drama now?
• 15:47
  Beverley: Play the mother role.
• 15:48
  Beverley: Are you ready to beat it?
• 15:49
  Beverley: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 15:51
  Beverley: Bring the belt.
• 15:52
  Beverley: Are you ready to share licks right now?
• 15:54
  Beverley: First time.
• 15:55
  Corie: First time, first time, first time.
• 15:56
  Corie: Virgin experience.
• 15:57
  Corie: But I can tell you.
• 15:58
  Corie: Tell me about it.
• 15:59
  Corie: The first band that because I reached just so happened that I reached between bands.
• 16:03
  Corie: I've been on the drag before, I've been to semis and things before.
• 16:06
  Corie: But what I felt in the grandstand that day could only be explained spiritually.
• 16:11
  Corie: There's no other way to explain it.
• 16:13
  Corie: I wanted to run, you know.
• 16:14
  Corie: The way that fellow from the church here last week when he started preaching, I wanted to come out.
• 16:17
  Corie: I started to feel warm.
• 16:18
  Corie: I said, Boy, I mean, I ain't sure if I will survive this.
• 16:20
  Corie: And it's I felt like that then.
• 16:22
  Corie: It felt like it was not an audience watching a thing, it was just one thing.
• 16:26
  Corie: It was you couldn't hide from it.
• 16:28
  Corie: The power that came from those bands was something else.
• 16:32
  Beverley: When you see the players behind the instrument, and and you know, you see our arrangers, those guys that take a song and lie down.
• 16:44
  Beverley: You know, I I I looked at uh Dr.
• 16:46
  Beverley: Len Boogzie Sharp.
• 16:47
  Beverley: You know, he arranged for my band at one time, and he would just walk, take a walk, go outside because he's listening for something.
• 16:59
  Beverley: It could be the vehicle that passes, triggers something in his brain.
• 17:03
  Beverley: It can be maybe a bird or a bee or or maybe the trees, and just a song that he will hear and then transfer that into music.
• 17:14
  Beverley: And that is why I am so proud of our arrangers, our tuners, and all those who are part of the industry for their contribution, redevelopment of the steel pan.
• 17:27
  Corie: Yeah, yeah, it's so funny.
• 17:28
  Corie: Like you start by talking about what that fishing village meant to you as a girl growing up in Tobago.
• 17:32
  Corie: And I feel like the pania does the same thing for you.
• 17:34
  Corie: You're gonna learn to custom it's the same things you say, you know.
• 17:37
  Corie: I wonder how come we stray so far sometimes from the things that make our communities rich, you know.
• 17:44
  Beverley: The family, the family today, you know, is a very is a social fabric of society and the foundation.
• 17:52
  Beverley: And I think people are just too busy minding their own business.
• 17:58
  Beverley: You know, the village had raised the child.
• 18:02
  Beverley: When if I remember sometime, you know, I you pass somebody straight on the road, and they tell your parents, and they also had a license to come, you do but I don't know what has happened.
• 18:22
  Beverley: We I don't know what has happened, and and for our people, we are too divided, we are too divided, we are divided by religion.
• 18:33
  Beverley: What is the reason for all of them?
• 18:36
  Beverley: Churches, Papa before you and somebody fall out, you're gonna open a church somewhere, yeah.
• 18:41
  Beverley: No, or talking the truth.
• 18:43
  Beverley: I would tell you.
• 18:44
  Beverley: Maybe I must be talking too much.
• 18:46
  Corie: But the thing about it, you see, messaging, very important.
• 18:53
  Corie: Yeah, I grew up in St.
• 18:54
  Corie: James, and also when you say I grew up in a place where religion, it was all them church, man, dear temple, mosque, it was all of the things.
• 19:01
  Corie: But I can tell as a little boy growing up in St.
• 19:03
  Corie: James, we went all because I know that wherever it's our fast, it is our feasts and food go share and we go eat.
• 19:09
  Corie: You know, it's like an experience, it's so similar to what I experienced one time going to harvest, and I believe it was Delaphone.
• 19:15
  Corie: And when you talk about feeding the village, that was one of the first times I saw that where the pots come out in the middle, middle.
• 19:21
  Corie: Everybody cook and everybody come together and eat from one thing.
• 19:25
  Beverley: So so so we need to get a message and to get the message right.
• 19:28
  Beverley: And we we we have to get back to the very um fabric of society, which is the family.
• 19:36
  Beverley: And the family is now you hardly have extended family.
• 19:41
  Beverley: Yeah, people are just busy, the grandparents, when some of some people, some not everybody, and I do hope that that kind of culture that I see now in Trinidad and Tobago um emerging where we can't fight up with the grandparents anymore.
• 19:58
  Corie: Yeah, the idea is to progress, is leave the house, go somewhere far enough where they cared drive and come and see you all the time.
• 20:04
  Corie: Wait, I forget my mother listening to this.
• 20:06
  Beverley: I get I guess it's no no no no, it's a serious concern.
• 20:08
  Beverley: It is, it is a serious concern, and that everybody is just busy.
• 20:12
  Beverley: That family life, we are just too busy.
• 20:15
  Beverley: You know, long ago we used to have every every month or so, or even if it's twice per year, that family coming together so you would know the cousins and you would know the uncles.
• 20:25
  Beverley: And so now the children don't even know there's some of the cousins and all of that.
• 20:29
  Beverley: And I think there is where we need to revisit to bring back that community love, that bond, and that that spirit, as we do in the panyard.
• 20:38
  Corie: Yeah, the panyard creates another family like that.
• 20:40
  Corie: That's right.
• 20:41
  Corie: Somebody I had here recently was talking about how joyful he felt when he sees the parents bringing them from where pan comes from.
• 20:47
  Corie: There was a time where parents trying to hide you from the pan yard or licks if you go in the pan yard.
• 20:52
  Corie: So now the parents are very, very involved.
• 20:54
  Beverley: Not now.
• 20:54
  Beverley: So so so it's intergenerational, as we say.
• 20:57
  Beverley: So when the children come, can you notice a lot of the children will be coming to the panyard, and then when they come, mommy's coming, daddy's coming, and the big sister is coming, your grandmother coming because they want to see the little one perform.
• 21:09
  Beverley: And once they come to the pan yard, they're so captivated they don't want to leave at all.
• 21:14
  Corie: I'm talking about Exodus Paniard being a sort of a sort of university, making sure that the youths come straight through.
• 21:20
  Corie: That's something that we see in common through through through panyards, no?
• 21:24
  Beverley: That's right.
• 21:24
  Beverley: We prepare we prepare them for life and and the discipline.
• 21:27
  Beverley: You know, one of the amazing things for me, um the magic in a in a paneard and as a pan leader, as a as a steel band manager, some of these same children or some of the same young people that you may see idling before they came in the panyard, right?
• 21:47
  Beverley: But when you welcome them in, and especially when you're doing panorama practice or stateside practice, and you see those young people standing behind that instrument of love, and that drill master is having them go over a phrasing as they like to call it, over and over again, and you just stand up behind it playing over and over, and you can't leave.
• 22:21
  Beverley: And sometimes you're playing that one phrasing for 25 minutes, you're drilling to get it right.
• 22:29
  Corie: Yeah, they say, don't play till you get it right, play till you can't get it wrong, and it tells you about the discipline.
• 22:36
  Beverley: Oh, you could oh, you can just stand up there, follow instructions, don't coax that is a seal panel.
• 22:43
  Beverley: You know what?
• 22:44
  Beverley: Don't play when I talking, no, no, no, don't strum, don't do anything.
• 22:47
  Beverley: Focus, don't just focus.
• 22:49
  Beverley: And that is what I like about it.
• 22:52
  Beverley: It prepares you for life.
• 22:54
  Beverley: You build patience.
• 22:56
  Beverley: So, young men and young ladies, listen in a relationship, patience.
• 23:01
  Beverley: Take things, it prepares you for life.
• 23:03
  Beverley: So there's particular life skills that you learn in a pan yard.
• 23:07
  Corie: Yeah, so I reject this notion when I see how much youths in pan now that youths today have no discipline, and we had discipline long time.
• 23:12
  Corie: I think they're more disciplined than me for sure.
• 23:14
  Corie: You know, when I when I see these the paces that they go through and the pride that they have in our nationality.
• 23:20
  Corie: That's right.
• 23:20
  Corie: So when you talk national pride, right?
• 23:22
  Corie: I'd ask you questions that confuse me, right?
• 23:24
  Corie: All my questions is complete ignorance, huh?
• 23:26
  Corie: Because I went to a place named Newton Boys' School.
• 23:28
  Corie: What school do you went again?
• 23:29
  Beverley: Black Rock government.
• 23:31
  Corie: They used to teach you that pan was a national instrument because I would teach me in school.
• 23:35
  Corie: Yes.
• 23:35
  Corie: So, so so how they now announce that two, three years ago?
• 23:41
  Corie: I confuse.
• 23:42
  Corie: This coming like um sparrows say cut cartridge was a damn fool.
• 23:46
  Corie: So I don't know what they teach me in school when they say pan was a national instrument.
• 23:52
  Beverley: So, yes, I think basically um it was from since 1992 when former Prime Minister Patrick Mann in an Independence Day message, he um well in his speech, he mentioned that pan is a national the steel pan, I should say, is a national instrument of Shoreladen Tobago.
• 24:13
  Beverley: And since that time, everyone would have been referring to the steel pan as a national musical instrument.
• 24:21
  Beverley: Now, what Pan Trinbago did since then is to ensure that every August we celebrate the pan.
• 24:28
  Beverley: So there was pan month.
• 24:30
  Beverley: So every August from since then, but it was not formally declared by the parliament.
• 24:36
  Beverley: It was not law, there was no legal protection that it was indeed the national musical instrument of Shoranar and Tobago.
• 24:44
  Beverley: And so under my watch, and a number of other persons out there in Shoranar and Tobago, Mr.
• 24:50
  Beverley: Harper and others who advocating, we decided to raise it with our line minister at the time.
• 24:56
  Beverley: And then, of course, he would have gone to the cabinet, and it was formally agreed by the parliament and both sides of the House, both opposition and government, supported, and then it was assented to by the president.
• 25:09
  Corie: Yeah.
• 25:10
  Corie: What what you know?
• 25:11
  Corie: I heard you in an interview as well say that pan are wrong long before independence, right?
• 25:15
  Corie: Which is which is true.
• 25:16
  Corie: Where do you think was in the way?
• 25:17
  Corie: What why would it take from 1992 to 2052 to decide that we need legislation for this?
• 25:23
  Corie: What what do you feel anyway?
• 25:25
  Beverley: If you if you study the history of the steel pan and the steel ban movement, you know, it was born out of struggle, resilience.
• 25:34
  Beverley: It was not socially acceptable.
• 25:37
  Beverley: So there was always a fight.
• 25:40
  Beverley: I mean, one of the things as we're talking here, I think we we must check the law books, you know.
• 25:44
  Beverley: I still think it is there as a noisy instrument, you know.
• 25:48
  Beverley: Um girls remind me to um let's that might be the next mission that we have to go after.
• 25:54
  Beverley: Yeah.
• 25:54
  Beverley: But so it was a struggle for acceptance.
• 25:58
  Beverley: And slowly, I think it was um Dr.
• 26:01
  Beverley: Eric Williams who started to reach out to Corporation and Rad and Tobago to support the steel band.
• 26:06
  Beverley: And then corporate and Rad and Tobago started sponsoring bands, and through sponsorship, bands or players now were able to socialize and mix with the big wigs, you know, in those days.
• 26:19
  Beverley: So you're in in the social functions and you're playing.
• 26:22
  Beverley: You're important now, you're dressed up in the blazers, and you know, so the acceptance was very, very slow.
• 26:30
  Beverley: And one of the things I believe that would have helped, and I I mean, I'm I have to blow my own trumpet here.
• 26:38
  Beverley: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 26:39
  Beverley: Let me blow my own trumpet a little bit, I think, under my leadership, after we cleaned up the image, because you see, what happened to when you when you when you said when you when you talk steel pan, everybody watching pan trend.
• 26:53
  Beverley: It should not be that way, you know, because steel pan is Trinidad and Tobago, and so even governments and corporate once you say steel pan, you're looking at the organization that is responsible for the steel bands.
• 27:09
  Beverley: But in terms of pan as an industry, in terms of the development, in terms of pan bringing in foreign exchange and all of that, that needed more than panter and bigot.
• 27:22
  Beverley: So there was a should be a collaboration between Pantry and Bigel and the various stakeholders in government and out of government.
• 27:29
  Beverley: Yeah, private and public.
• 27:30
  Beverley: And so that's right.
• 27:31
  Beverley: But we we we've seen a movement forward in terms of the embrace since I became president.
• 27:38
  Corie: Yeah, I found it like Lunarin' process for me when I heard they're talking about Eric Williams at the time saying corporate sponsorship and it'll lead into that.
• 27:47
  Corie: Because sometimes I I think about our festivals, Pan being maybe the biggest one, you know.
• 27:53
  Corie: Uh and why we depend on government subventions and government support when we have private events that could do well.
• 28:00
  Corie: I feel anything that we make could sell.
• 28:02
  Corie: But when I heard that, I started to connect some dots in my mind.
• 28:06
  Corie: I said, well, I understand what the endorsement does when the politicians might say something.
• 28:10
  Beverley: Of course, it's very, very important.
• 28:12
  Beverley: And you know what helped to um transform and give the organization a great push?
• 28:17
  Beverley: The music festival, Steel Pan Music Festival.
• 28:21
  Beverley: You know, when they started playing all these classicals and the world looking in and all of that.
• 28:27
  Beverley: And also, as you know, the first um time we exported our talent was in 1951 with Taspo going to England and performing, and then everybody looking at this, this, this, oh, these old rusty drums and being really, really thrilled.
• 28:42
  Beverley: And so a lot of work has been done.
• 28:44
  Beverley: But now the push, and and and we have a very powerful marketing team at at Pantreon Bago now.
• 28:51
  Beverley: The push is all about global ascendancy.
• 28:54
  Beverley: And so we see a number of international agencies reaching out to us now, inviting us to come and to tell our story.
• 29:01
  Beverley: And so we are going out there in terms of the awareness and the branding.
• 29:05
  Beverley: Our embassies out there now embracing, and they know now that they have their cultural officers who must push um the steel pan, and then we would have been able to get world steel pan day.
• 29:18
  Beverley: That is another big moment for me.
• 29:21
  Beverley: Um, as this little girl from, well, this big woman, little girl grew up from the fishing village of Black Rock Tobago, sitting in the sacred halls of the United Nations to see one of our ministers move a motion or a resolution, I should say, and for for for for for that special day in August as World Steel Pand Day.
• 29:45
  Beverley: And I mean, when when when I saw that unfolding before my eyes, it had to bring tears, you know.
• 29:54
  Beverley: It had to bring tears, and so that is why we now have the 11th of the 8th.
• 29:58
  Beverley: Um celebrated as well as Steel Pand Day.
• 30:02
  Beverley: And when the chairman of the session is asking, Do you uh will um will any more countr countries sign on to this resolution?
• 30:13
  Beverley: And he's just hearing ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping.
• 30:17
  Beverley: Listen, that was a moment for Trinidad and Tobago.
• 30:22
  Beverley: And that is why for me as president, I cannot sit back and allow the legacy to be trampled upon or to be diminished.
• 30:36
  Beverley: Knowing where it came from, knowing the fight, knowing the badge on days, knowing how many people, how many persons got killed, knowing how many persons were jailed, knowing how many persons were called rogues and vagabonds, and to know where we are today.
• 30:50
  Beverley: So that is why even recently when I saw three of the three top bands just losing their sponsorship, PAM.
• 30:59
  Beverley: Just as we came out of World Seal Band Day celebration.
• 31:05
  Beverley: After we have worked so hard to put pan on the center stage again.
• 31:11
  Beverley: When listen cooperate Trinidad have social responsibility to support you know you know the work that we do as leaders the invaluable contribution that we make when we two play a role to govern this country for free.
• 31:29
  Beverley: Because the moment young people come in a pan yard and we hold them there, they could have been out there with a gun.
• 31:36
  Beverley: Of course instead of picking up a gun or a cutlass they pick up two sticks two sticks of love two sticks with passion two sticks that telling the brain to do positive things.
• 31:50
  Beverley: That for me is what it is all about.
• 31:52
  Beverley: So yes we will always be dependent on state for support because we are helping to hold these young people in a holding bay which is the pan yard boot camp.
• 32:02
  Corie: It makes sense you know I have a son who's 12-13 and I tell him brother you had to learn to play music.
• 32:08
  Corie: We can roll a little bit of a musical family right I say you could do well in school and say I want you to do well in school but you had to play music and you had to play sports.
• 32:15
  Corie: I don't need it to become a musician or become a professional sportsman.
• 32:20
  Corie: I just needed to learn what those things teach you because music you know the music and a friend the music has a funny thing where it's either you put any time you're talking about or you didn't put it in you could be rich you could be poor black white or indifferent old or young if you don't put any time with an instrument it shows when when you come back there.
• 32:37
  Corie: So and you you you you're talking about the the the panier and how it saved us but an article that I read is you dealing with your own crime situation in this country things that's surreal to me when I when I read about it you had a situation where people come home by you and you read that I did oh my gosh listen that was a moment indeed this is home isn't Black Rock right home in Blackrock right in my you know I I will never forget that day I I was I was in my room I was there my husband just retired and um I took there you know so you know I I think a storm was heading to St.
• 33:18
  Beverley: Martin was a really bad storm at the time on that day and the storm was heading to St.
• 33:24
  Beverley: Martin and so here it is I I was in conversation with one of our former players who was married and migrated to St.
• 33:31
  Beverley: Martin and I am saying to her the last thing I said to her before I said look let me just take a little sleep was there is peace in the midst of the storm that was the last thing I said to her and I turned my face to the wall I said let me take a little lie long now and then I said there's a presence in the room it turned just like that very calm and I looked and I saw what I saw I you know um a different kind of stick at that time right yeah boy yeah boy yeah boy so I mean it it it it wasn't anybody from my community really I I I from who who was arrested but I never thought that somebody was gonna come in my house with a gun yeah me Beverly Ramsey more and do so much for young people in this Tobago land me assembly woman former assembly woman who served as secretary for young people as secretary for community development i with sport listen I have given off my time and my talent but you know what God brought me through it I was traumatized and I'm here I am here I survived that and that is was the peace in the midst of the storm because I I remember my husband saying to me um when he came when when he came he met the whole drama unfolding and and um so he said where am I my wife where my wife and the person said she's coping better than you really she's coping we're supposed to be protectors and all we shouldn't say that she's coping better than you because I was just in the midst the peace in the midst of the storm but I probably was about six years or so as I think it's still before the court so I don't really talk about it but I'm done I I listen when things take so long and that is one of these problems why listen young people just come in the pan yard put down your guns and come in the pan yard and that is one of the because I mean I'm done with that after so many years I mean just talking to you I'm just emotional about it.
• 35:50
  Corie: It would be that's traumatic by any measure because one I was really shocked not for me and as one of my friends called one of my friends from Plymouth and she said Beverly you somebody coming on my you know but it is what it is and you know sometimes God allows these things to happen to position and transition you into a a different phase and a different different sphere and I mean I I I I have forgiven whomever whomever that person is um I mean there was an arrest yes but I have I have forgiven I left that I have left that up to God Almighty because I don't even think I'm going to go because after all these years yeah yeah yeah my life gone way past that now I am good I thank God for life I thank God for his mercy which endured forever and I leave that to sometimes it doesn't just throw that and say God you just take that and do what you want with that yeah we can we thank God for you too that we know you're here so we we never thought most of us in Trinidad and Tobago who grew up through them you never thought whom are you you know it's just so strange to see crime in our communities invade your privacy you know in your home home and easy that's an easy you know just grab my two feet tie me up tie up my two hands push cloth in my mouth all kind of stuff in this can you imagine this is what going on boy and in my mind I say in boy hey it wasn't a gun and I'd beat it using you know because it wasn't a very big person and I was in the button if it was a knife I would have tried to take all is well that ends well is the true the reality is that unfortunately is our true experience today introduced in Tobago is is is is just what it is.
• 37:45
  Beverley: So going back to the little girl in Tobago right you said you went to Blackrock government where you went from there you was doing good in school and things of course and and then I went to Harmon High in Tobago um so there's where I got my secondary education from yes okay and in school then you're what was your thoughts in terms of where you want to be in life were you thinking on a growth I think Harmon High would have helped a lot in propelling me into leadership.
• 38:12
  Beverley: Now Harmon High in Tobago is um in those days was it was a private school you paid to go there all right a private secondary school so you're paid to go there and it is a religious school right so it is a school that is run by the 70 Adventists and so when you go there they prepare you for life it's it's it's you know up to up to when my son um one of my sons um graduated from Signal Hill Senior Comprehensive School and he wanted to continue and so on he went to Harman's High also and he was like Mommy you you have to learn in Harman's high because if you don't pass in form one you know getting promoted to form two no no no you have to repeat yeah you have to repeat so you will always have to do well there and so there is where um your teachers and your role models there would have impacted and propelled you so one is religious studies yeah so you're grounded that is a subject at school and I don't know if religious studies is a subject now but that is a subject at school so there is one session that you must study the Bible right so so there is where you you you begin to look strong with your faith and the belief that I can do all things.
• 39:39
  Beverley: Yeah and so I think my my time there my five years there would have definitely definitely changed me and propelled me for that kind of leadership making a contribution both spiritually and socially in my community of Tobago.
• 39:57
  Beverley: So in school leadership because I mean you who's leadership leadership when you talk you could hear the room gets quiet when you speak right I'm sure you experience all the time but in school you have that yeah prefect or you you you so I did I was not a prefect at school because you know even though you were in the school I was not of the religion all right so so even though you you were not an adventist you could still attend the school gotcha okay so I believe those top positions would have been for um people of the same age but you were allowed so I was in choir and I think I did some drama in my class also but one of the things is that I had strong teachers so I always saw myself as the protector of the less fortunate when I say less fortunate those girls that the boys would want to beat up and so we always there I always saw myself always helping helping and always serving and I think there is where even that political part of me because I mean you were in school and I think it was around 1973 74 somewhere around there 74 75 76 I guess I think it's 76 yeah that is when the the whole Tobago um self-govern governance with Robinson and Murray and those people so here it is that you were somewhere in our form two form three and so in the class now with the politics it was divided so those who were DAC at the time and those who were PM so we have strong debates going on and so even from there you know from that 76 period yeah you you became politically aware and so at school it provided all of that for you in the class religion social work because one of the things that um at school we always had to help others because that is what the religion is all about.
• 41:59
  Beverley: So it prepared you for that and also the politics we discussed it and we debated it and there's several different groups in school that helped to train you and to prepare you for life and I think um we had strong principal um Mr.
• 42:14
  Beverley: Rupert Ryan and and then there were these teachers like um Royal Grungier you know Roy Grungier sometimes you know teachers speak in your life and there is something that I hold on to from since the time I've held on to that I remember a teacher writing in my report book Beverly has strong I was informed too my form to report book Beverly has strong leadership qualities but she must not allow anyone or anything to distract her.
• 42:53
  Beverley: I think they was he was trying to send a little message telling my parents talking to boys now so now you know the stress they must have a school boyfriend now so but I think that that is what he was trying to tell them you know but the leadership was there.
• 43:12
  Beverley: So that seed was planted from Sins in form too royal granger Beverly has strong leadership qualities but she must not allow anyone or anything to distract her.
• 43:26
  Beverley: Stay focused Beverly stay focused so coming out of secondary school your ambition then is to do you uh university and that kind of thing well in those days in I mean in TV in those days that was not the popular topic in terms of going into tertiary um then your parents couldn't afford it as I said um and so immediately after that was all about getting to work.
• 43:51
  Beverley: So where you went on work where was your first job after I left school after I left school I started to work um I worked with Tobago United Corporative and that was a in those days that was a really big business establishment in Tobago so they had supermarket they had store so I I moved from supermarket into the store and then into the accounts department where I also worked there part-time and after that what happened I think then the country started to see some troubles adverse situations economic circumstances and after that company folded and I think I just got married and started to make destruction right oh god got got married and then all of that so I was home for a little while in terms of you know raising my children and all of that and then I started to work with it to be house of assembly and somewhere around 1992 and 1993 they interfered with me to get into politics so I went into politics and I I served there for um eight for eight years.
• 44:53
  Beverley: Now the journey from secondary school and after I would have obtained my full GCO level certificates and all of that my my my journey then as I mentioned to you before long time in Tobago you know um in the early days you get married and you after school you get married and you raise a family and that kind of stuff and so that was where it was all for me and then after I had my children some beautiful beautiful kids and got married really settled down really nice family and then I get in I got into politics as I I would have mentioned and after politics but you know what let me just say this to you yeah so even when I was in my early 20s one thing I owned I had my own business yeah oh yeah it is so important no matter where you work always have a backup plan always have cash flow multiple streams multiple streams and that is why I think we could have built my my husband could have built our lives like that because I always say when I came into Panchan Bago I didn't come in here to look for anything I had everything so I didn't have to look right you know what I mean so I always so from my early 20s and I worked with a a manager at the time uh Merle Roberts and you see that little thing called susu in Tobago that's susu not the not the DSS no no no no no you see when that old woman holding your money and that thing called susu you're paying a little money every week right as susu helped build so many of us in Tobago and so there is where I started my business my first loan was to start my business and it's only when I uh became president of Panther in Bigo recently there that the business is still there you know sometimes you leave other people to do your business and the business but I always know that there is where I will go back to right so I would have been involved in business for more than 20 years.
• 47:02
  Beverley: And what kind of business were you so I first started with um I first started selling um clothes and that kind of stuff.
• 47:11
  Beverley: So I was into that kind of business um boutique.
• 47:14
  Beverley: Right right yeah I had the boutique so I used to travel really often going back and forth back and forth and and so on and then I after the boutique I I um where I was um there was this my aunt would have then constructed um a guest house and to complement that there was the need for a restaurant and so yes and so that's right yeah and just before when I came to Panther and big old I said you know what nobody can fight up with this restaurant that's how I fought up with it and was doing really well and so my daughter who is now um responsible for that place so we transformed it back into um hair and beauty support nice nice nice yeah just in as the times go that's right yeah yeah yeah I got you so in terms of your because if I spend eight years in politics right let me tell you something about me I don't I retire after eight years in politics but in my lockmap every retirement after eight years in politics so when did the love for pan start and you deciding to join Panchon Big I was born into pan you know yes I was born into a steel pan family the Ramsey's of Blackrock so my father and seven of my uncles um they were responsible for the formation of Cats and Jama Silo Kesha as a matter of fact it was 12 young men in 1951 who started the band but my father and seven of my uncles were part of that all right so if you look at cats and jamas now the Ramses play a really big role so from since I was born and I was born in the month of November so that you tell them I can't even have a baby pan one drawing the wrong thing so pan in my blood it's it's there and so I was always involved from a child my my I lived close to the pan yard um at one time I two steps and I'm into the in the pan yard as a matter of fact when my father built his house he was um in in the early days as I as you know struggling days he got electricity from the pan yard I mean talk so they can't lock him up now and done gone already a long long that long long time right I was since I was a child so it I'm just illustrating how close I lived but the thing about it my father did not allow me even though he was there in those days girls you you're crazy so whilst all my other siblings played he taught me to play in the bedroom yeah he always had a pan in the house and so but I am very strong in administration right I am strong I can mobilize I can lead I can bring people together I can pour in the oil and the wine I can you know make things happen right and so after I came out of the Tabig House of Assembly in 2000 somewhere around there yeah 2000 2001 then um my brother I I as a matter of fact I said to my brother I said you know I'm always into the business now I love business and I said to him you know there is this band in Trinidad that's a family band why don't we form a family band because I am looking for business so the family band would have probably been about a dozen of us in terms of the Ramseys who can play and so the business aspect of the steel band I would have used the band now and to go out and look for jobs and market and promote it we could have done international gigs and all of that and my brother said to me nah baby girl nah you know them young boys you're talking nah baby girl can't do that to cats and jammers he was a member he was a player there and a serious um frontline player right yeah do that to cats and jammers come and help me you know I said okay and so there is where I began and then the other some of the other members approached me and and and to bring my skills to the table and there is where I started to that's right to transform the band because at that time Cat and Jammers was basically a little stateside of about 12 to 15 members um they were not participating in competitions they were absent from competitions for about 17 years and so when I got there into the organization with them I said listen I am not here to waste time no if I am to get involved in this then we have to open up for all and sundry to come in and there is where there was an agreement and we developed a program called Pan Out Your Fullest Potential I see and we invited the parents and members of the community and the surrounding areas to send their young people and so from 2001 when Cat and Jamma celebrated its 50th anniversary we started that program and there is where the band transitioned transformed repositioned and everything to where we are today yeah great so I'd ask you about daddy daddy protect you from the pan yard or protect the panyard from you now I ain't sure you know I ain't sure who protects who from who but you taking that role and and and leading jammers to I mean legendary status from then but I mean no jammers is is jammers.
• 52:32
  Beverley: But um you're going into Pantranbago now which is another role where I am not sure you could tell me if a right or wrong I don't know if it's a place where women are welcome like in the pan yard you know you see it wasn't a place fathers looking at the boys you could go in the pan yard girls you had to stay home pantry and bag was an administration in pan was it a a a boys' club at the time when you when you're getting in who remember the steel pan came from um male dominated you know where it came from it it women could not I think there's a calypso you know we talk about about um if you bring home a steel pan man you play your family go break your hand you know what I'm saying think about it you can't have a you crazy so what makes you want to go in administration and that no well it started changing and you see a lot more women playing the instrument because you remember you had people like Denise and Anders she was elected but it was always a token a woman as a token so then you had Denise and Andes I think she probably was the first female who's I'm not sure but I know Denise and Andes served on the Patrick Arnold slate regime in his leadership and then after Denise when I was elected in 2009 at the time I was the only female and when I became leader as I said I became leader when the organization was dead broke and wanted that kind of cleaning up cleaning up the brand and and so on and so even though I was elected and and I didn't it was not easy.
• 54:09
  Corie: There was no welcome in you there wasn't not everybody but there was there was a few right Lord have mercy Lord have mercy they thought they could have managed me one they didn't know the political animal two they didn't know the bayside girl oh yeah I'm a bayside queen and then there is that polished administrative and as I mentioned to you before I can act in so many different roles yeah so I can say no go down there leave me fish hey leave me fish alone give me basket you prepared for it is a baside queen yeah yeah and then there's some adjectives that could go with that too well you say alone I I am not into the adjectives again but I'm just saying may have them in case you don't lost these kind of skills then there's this steel man as at one meeting in a in a in a in a uh meeting who threatened to throw chair at me and who carry on in a ridiculous way and feel they could shut me up and and so on if you threaten to throw chairs what's eggs who will throw eggs on me who will lick me down with a chair in one time I don't call police well if you get the best preparation and one day I jump up in a meeting I say if all you think I afraid anyone all you run in and play stupid yeah I tend to be terrible now one man woke up to my AGM in a meeting and so I'm long the AGM documents are my hand now and I remain at peace going no courthouse because I don't have a matter in court at the end China I know what the court is like so me and waste them to go and report nothing and then to be going up and down I just say see you I just leave you to go at you and righteous judge and so all them drama drama drama drama yeah no man I go to hell no but I ain't afraid I ain't afraid because I ain't afraid nobody they come they picket they do this they do that I am not even taking them on panchomegos security bill used to be very high because I'm female and of course we had to bring in security officers to treat with that yeah but I am also resilient and I said before I am driven purpose see the word purpose if you don't know your purpose then you will fail but I know my purpose one chosen blessed and highly favored I know who I am I'm powerful if you don't know your power listen you have to know because I and I and I'm very religious so I am I'm I'm a believer I'm a born again so out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water I believe in that power and that is why I believe in the power of the steel pan because it has a belly and within that belly the potentials and the positive power and so you ready for it I really come to ask you today if you are some gangster in you know I want to read something here but see you know it comes from now right I may read it because when you hear these rumors and people saying things about you and your name easy to call it seems like me and you are three sets of name right it says faulty when you have too much a name right but somehow Beverly Ramsey more you hear the name call all the time and all different one of the things they say is since Beverly Ramsey Moore reached the jammers care less.
• 58:08
  Corie: And then I read something on Facebook saying sometimes I wonder what's the difference between me and the other presidents of Pantrin Bago.
• 58:14
  Corie: In the past presidents and central executive members played or danced on stage with their bands while the band was judged and that was okay.
• 58:22
  Corie: That is their band.
• 58:23
  Corie: It was not a judging problem when their bands progress and won.
• 58:27
  Corie: Fast forward to today the majority executives are players in their bands from vice president to secretary to treasurer to education to PRO etc etc That's great.
• 58:37
  Corie: Our constitution caters to that so what happens to me and my band the N of the statement say rock so with the bull I know what's coming after that you know I mean I could be so sure I can't read so well you know so I come to ask you really if you have some guns saying you don't run up my lane if I didn't send an colour because I you know it was already as soon as let me tell you something Castan Jamas won festivals tuna choice in 1967 Castin Jamas won um Pan 21st century 2004 2008 Casting won Panorama 2011 2012 with Edwin push always in the top three top four top five in the medium band is it no every president is a is a member of a band you cannot be a member of pantry and big old or even a delegate in pantry and big unless you are you are a member the constitution provides for that and immediately that when
• 1:00:00
  Beverley: That question was asked when the um Kathy Namas won the hatric.
• 1:00:04
  Beverley: That question was asked about conflict of interest, and then I saw a whole big newspaper, a whole big editorial about the band that she owns.
• 1:00:16
  Beverley: I don't own a band.
• 1:00:18
  Beverley: Is the pride of Black Rock Tobago formed since 1951, never changed a name.
• 1:00:28
  Beverley: It's a community band.
• 1:00:30
  Beverley: People are elected to serve.
• 1:00:33
  Beverley: And so I don't know what is the difference, but you know, females.
• 1:00:40
  Beverley: I see listen, when you're when you're a female leader, it's an easy.
• 1:00:43
  Beverley: I see Diaz play still with I band.
• 1:00:46
  Beverley: Up and down in Des Farados.
• 1:00:49
  Beverley: I see Photo on stage dancing with torts.
• 1:00:53
  Beverley: I see Forzata Man there, forget the name right now.
• 1:00:57
  Beverley: Read My Soul Rest in Peace on stage with the band.
• 1:01:00
  Beverley: I see Pablo on stage with the band.
• 1:01:02
  Beverley: I see this one on stage with the band.
• 1:01:04
  Beverley: All my executive officers right now playing with the band.
• 1:01:07
  Beverley: Why are you coming for me?
• 1:01:09
  Beverley: Listen, our judging system is one of the safest, honest system, a system with integrity.
• 1:01:21
  Beverley: Our judges are the best.
• 1:01:25
  Beverley: They go all over the world.
• 1:01:26
  Beverley: People call and ask us.
• 1:01:28
  Beverley: These are the same judges.
• 1:01:29
  Beverley: So it's good in the single, they judge fair in the single band category.
• 1:01:35
  Beverley: They judge fair, but when it reaches the free the president, oh god.
• 1:01:39
  Corie: And see why no one see why.
• 1:01:41
  Beverley: If I ain't put the president band for beat me.
• 1:01:45
  Corie: That's what we do.
• 1:01:47
  Beverley: Listen, the system caters, one you have six judges.
• 1:01:54
  Beverley: You show the highest.
• 1:01:57
  Beverley: Right?
• 1:02:01
  Beverley: And there's an alternate judge.
• 1:02:04
  Beverley: So three scores.
• 1:02:07
  Beverley: Which one?
• 1:02:15
  Beverley: You know who pulling alternate, you know who.
• 1:02:17
  Beverley: So if somebody gives you two points and out, somebody bias against Andy Markle.
• 1:02:24
  Beverley: So you're telling me that the judge the judge is caucusing in some special room somewhere to say who will give high, who will give low, and who will stick in.
• 1:02:34
  Beverley: I mean, it's so ridiculous.
• 1:02:36
  Beverley: And when you have members of the media going down that role, that is why I just say, rock so with your bull.
• 1:02:43
  Beverley: Don't come to don't come don't come with that, don't introduce that.
• 1:02:48
  Beverley: And that is so unfair.
• 1:02:49
  Beverley: And trying to diminish the victory and the celebration of those young people.
• 1:02:54
  Beverley: It's not me.
• 1:02:55
  Beverley: It's those young players.
• 1:02:57
  Beverley: It's the community that's celebrating.
• 1:02:59
  Beverley: You're trying to say that this young man.
• 1:03:02
  Beverley: Let me tell you something.
• 1:03:04
  Beverley: I must talk about him a little bit.
• 1:03:06
  Beverley: You see a young man called Kirch Ramsey?
• 1:03:09
  Beverley: He's my nephew.
• 1:03:11
  Beverley: What do you want me to do?
• 1:03:12
  Beverley: Disown him.
• 1:03:12
  Beverley: I will not disown him.
• 1:03:15
  Beverley: That young man started playing the instrument from how he was about four, five years old.
• 1:03:22
  Beverley: Got his gigs from he was about eight, nine, ten years old.
• 1:03:27
  Beverley: Grew up in a seal pan family, did what he had to do.
• 1:03:33
  Beverley: Went to school, graduated, went to UTT, paid for himself.
• 1:03:37
  Beverley: Well, of course, he got the got the help from Gate.
• 1:03:40
  Beverley: But he came here, he never asked Auntie Beverly for what you know.
• 1:03:44
  Beverley: I couldn't understand how I can have a nephew going to UTT.
• 1:03:48
  Beverley: This is the president not even showing up at my office one day to make up yourself.
• 1:03:53
  Beverley: Couldn't be me.
• 1:03:54
  Beverley: Auntie Beverly, lend me a little 200, nothing, you know.
• 1:03:58
  Beverley: A boy never asked me for one cent.
• 1:04:01
  Beverley: But that boy is so talented.
• 1:04:04
  Beverley: So he arranges not only for cotton jamas.
• 1:04:08
  Beverley: And listen, before we even tried, took him to arrange our band, he was arranging for the east.
• 1:04:16
  Beverley: He was also doing a single band band, right?
• 1:04:23
  Beverley: And when we realize, suppose a medium man takes him boy.
• 1:04:30
  Beverley: So we grab him.
• 1:04:32
  Beverley: And he has put in the work.
• 1:04:40
  Beverley: But an arranger alone can't win a panorama, you know.
• 1:04:43
  Beverley: He brings in the music.
• 1:04:45
  Beverley: But when you s when they score in your pants, you have to have good pants.
• 1:04:49
  Beverley: You gotta have a good management team.
• 1:04:52
  Beverley: When you go on stage, you must look like winners, you know.
• 1:04:56
  Beverley: I say that to my players, and I say, let me tell you something.
• 1:04:59
  Beverley: And I say it so that all band leaders will understand.
• 1:05:03
  Beverley: One, it is all about participation and celebrating your culture and celebrating your instrument and your country.
• 1:05:11
  Beverley: Winning and coming first second or third, that is just a little backup.
• 1:05:16
  Beverley: But the most important thing is when you hit that stage, have a good time.
• 1:05:22
  Beverley: Enjoy yourself.
• 1:05:24
  Beverley: Enjoy yourself and see everything else as Lanya.
• 1:05:30
  Corie: So I saw that article, right?
• 1:05:31
  Corie: And as a layman, I tell you, I knew to the thing, right?
• 1:05:33
  Corie: I completely knew fight, right?
• 1:05:35
  Corie: So when I see the article, I'll have questions.
• 1:05:38
  Corie: As you say, the media have a role to play, you know, they transmit the story.
• 1:05:41
  Corie: And it's people like David and Franca Phillips, who was here, who let me known.
• 1:05:45
  Corie: Well, first and foremost, they let it be known where you explained in terms of every person who's you have members, is the how pan Trendo is formed, according to Franca, who was breaking it down for me.
• 1:05:56
  Corie: They also let me know that cats and jammers win.
• 1:05:58
  Corie: Right?
• 1:05:58
  Corie: They say I know two ways about it.
• 1:06:00
  Corie: I listen to the arrangement.
• 1:06:01
  Corie: If I could talk about Kirch Ramsey well, but it's a phenomenal like that song, right?
• 1:06:05
  Corie: This year, Line Excuses was the song, is maybe for me one of the best written pieces of Kaiso I ever hear is Winslow DeVines, right?
• 1:06:13
  Corie: And Sparrow.
• 1:06:14
  Corie: Hell of a combination.
• 1:06:16
  Corie: And it's one of them things as a peer risk, you might want to interfere with.
• 1:06:22
  Corie: You see, songs like that, they're done perfect already.
• 1:06:24
  Corie: But when I listened, I listened to it over and over and over and over and over.
• 1:06:28
  Corie: And me here the rest of bands, right?
• 1:06:30
  Corie: So I depend on David and them to tell me they win.
• 1:06:32
  Corie: But that youth find a way to incorporate nearly every kaisu I know, and I feel I know a good bit that had anything to do with lying.
• 1:06:40
  Corie: He opened with extempo kind of phrasing, which is the biggest side of the lie gypsy on them, is the biggest lies to have, at least in the extempo part, right?
• 1:06:47
  Corie: Not any politics, don't get me in that, right?
• 1:06:48
  Corie: But in extempo, a big part of it is say something about a man.
• 1:06:52
  Corie: They have to be true.
• 1:06:53
  Corie: And every time you listen, the more you listen to it is the more revealing it becomes.
• 1:06:58
  Corie: I hear several phrases from the greatest lie song it ever had, uh, Nelson, King Lyle.
• 1:07:04
  Corie: It just keeps hitting you over and over and say, Wait now, that's the beginning of uh King Lyle.
• 1:07:09
  Corie: This is part of this.
• 1:07:10
  Corie: I hear Pink Panther and all playing in the middle for when only women go through man phone and thing, you know.
• 1:07:15
  Corie: I mean, they play a piece of investigator when only like to go through man phone.
• 1:07:18
  Corie: Saki tell them all that.
• 1:07:19
  Corie: But to me, and I again completely ignorant because I ain't hear the rest of the bands, but it was a hell of an arrangement and the precision.
• 1:07:28
  Corie: I mean, it it we had to say that that they win.
• 1:07:31
  Corie: So so the idea you feel in Tonley is that when you're there, you mustn't you mustn't win out.
• 1:07:35
  Corie: What was the situation?
• 1:07:36
  Beverley: Well, that is exactly what the media and whoever else is trying to um push.
• 1:07:41
  Beverley: But I don't think that is really coming from band leaders, you know.
• 1:07:45
  Beverley: Because if band leaders felt that way, then I would not have been re-elected.
• 1:07:50
  Beverley: But it's just some of the players and the media that are pushing this dotish narrative.
• 1:07:56
  Beverley: I say dotish, I say dotish.
• 1:07:57
  Beverley: Yeah.
• 1:07:58
  Beverley: Are pushing that kind of you know narrative that does not make sense.
• 1:08:03
  Corie: Right.
• 1:08:04
  Beverley: Do not underestimate a man's work.
• 1:08:05
  Beverley: Listen to me.
• 1:08:06
  Beverley: These guys went to school, all of them, not only Kirsch alone, but all the other arrangers who spend time at UTT and wherever else, learning from Great Smooth and people who would have passed through and and so on.
• 1:08:20
  Beverley: You learnt a lot from them.
• 1:08:22
  Beverley: Lie down because, as he said, before he arranges, he thinks about the storyline.
• 1:08:27
  Beverley: You know, one of the first, I can't remember all the songs, you know, but he did um be you know, so if you if you look at the the three songs um that we won with, this is line excuses and girls can help me.
• 1:08:42
  Beverley: For the others that we if you notice the story the storyline, but it's always about here, and listen, he's telling a story about himself, you know, because line excuses are I see, I feel so.
• 1:08:55
  Beverley: Yeah, I feel so.
• 1:08:57
  Beverley: Would you like to rock it with me, baby?
• 1:09:00
  Beverley: Now remember, he did rocket.
• 1:09:02
  Beverley: I see, so he's just representing him and then the other, then he before rocket, he did another one, right?
• 1:09:08
  Beverley: And so he's selling the story.
• 1:09:11
  Beverley: Would you like to rock it with me?
• 1:09:13
  Beverley: And now, lying excuses.
• 1:09:16
  Beverley: Now, we meet his mother, of course, who is my sister.
• 1:09:19
  Beverley: So, God, this boy just telling his whole life story, people don't understand.
• 1:09:23
  Beverley: And probably that is why he's getting through.
• 1:09:25
  Beverley: Of course, because as he says, he tells the story.
• 1:09:29
  Beverley: So if you follow the music, and then he's also um an African drummer, right?
• 1:09:36
  Beverley: So he took grew up in the cultural aspect of our community, right?
• 1:09:41
  Beverley: So he can drum for dancers, he could sing calipso.
• 1:09:44
  Beverley: You know, he was Junior Sokoma Monarch in Tobago.
• 1:09:47
  Beverley: He sang a calipso, all in Trinidad, he made his stage Stanter Rose.
• 1:09:52
  Beverley: That was the name of his calipso.
• 1:09:53
  Beverley: So one of the things he always says is that he wants to get back into doing soccer.
• 1:09:57
  Beverley: So he has these rhythms.
• 1:09:59
  Beverley: Because even with that same song, when we sit down there, we we could we some of the rhythms, and from his family background where he came from, in terms of his spirituality, the rhythms of that religion, so that's why you could feel the power.
• 1:10:17
  Beverley: Because everybody know, everybody knows that particular religion on the rhythms and the drums and the rhythms, and they get it, and and they they they know you could you could see when the calabash comes in, you could see it.
• 1:10:30
  Beverley: Yes, of course, of course.
• 1:10:31
  Beverley: Listen, that's we cultural.
• 1:10:33
  Beverley: As why I say sometimes if you don't understand, hush them out.
• 1:10:36
  Beverley: Hush them out.
• 1:10:39
  Corie: Well, I don't know how to see this man.
• 1:10:40
  Corie: It's good, shumsy fella, because you know, you uh it's funny, right?
• 1:10:44
  Corie: But I listened to the arrangement, right?
• 1:10:45
  Corie: And in peace of the arrangement, I sure hear rockets.
• 1:10:48
  Corie: Nice for lying excuses, right?
• 1:10:50
  Corie: Uh-huh.
• 1:10:50
  Corie: And I said, But what rocket had to do with lying?
• 1:10:53
  Corie: I went and listened to the whole song.
• 1:10:54
  Corie: I said, But we're trying to pay that lying part in there.
• 1:10:56
  Corie: I missed but I didn't realize it was probably just referencing.
• 1:10:58
  Beverley: It's just referencing to the last song that he won with, right?
• 1:11:01
  Beverley: So he just brought, would you like to rocket with me, baby?
• 1:11:04
  Beverley: And then he went back into the room.
• 1:11:05
  Beverley: In other words, he appealing no gosh because two women, and then he had both of them too.
• 1:11:09
  Beverley: So he bring in a little piece of sparrow, both of them.
• 1:11:12
  Beverley: So when these two women on stage taking him on, let me give you, let me tell you something.
• 1:11:18
  Beverley: When we were doing the finals, he called me.
• 1:11:22
  Beverley: He said, I need to get a bed on stage.
• 1:11:25
  Beverley: In my head, I said, Yeah, to go.
• 1:11:29
  Beverley: He's crazy.
• 1:11:30
  Beverley: What stupidity is he calling me to tell me he wants a bed on stage?
• 1:11:34
  Beverley: So I brush it off.
• 1:11:35
  Beverley: I said, Curse, you see, right now, we will not be able to find any bed on stage, you know.
• 1:11:39
  Beverley: Oh, we can have bed on stage.
• 1:11:41
  Beverley: The next thing I know, the man finds a little bed.
• 1:11:46
  Beverley: It was not until there was a certain part in the song that had a note that had a kind of curve, so that when the band was executing that, the next thing I know is because he jumped on this bed with this woman on the bed to bring out a certain element of the arrangement.
• 1:12:09
  Beverley: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 1:12:12
  Beverley: And then after that, you come in and ask me, Bull.
• 1:12:17
  Corie: Well, not as I know anything about these things, but these arrangements and all song like how argument this happened, it get loud and then it get quiet, quiet, and it gets loud again.
• 1:12:24
  Beverley: Talking into airs when it comes.
• 1:12:26
  Corie: I hear neighbors with that.
• 1:12:27
  Corie: I never went through these kinds of things.
• 1:12:28
  Corie: Listen, listen, but you know what?
• 1:12:31
  Beverley: And not only him, all the other arrangers now.
• 1:12:34
  Beverley: I think that is part of the study at UTT.
• 1:12:37
  Beverley: What do you call that?
• 1:12:37
  Beverley: Something arts?
• 1:12:39
  Beverley: Is it?
• 1:12:39
  Corie: Oh, yeah.
• 1:12:40
  Corie: Uh I can't remember if it's carnival arts or what they're doing.
• 1:12:43
  Beverley: Anyway, some arts um they're as part of the study at UTT where they do drama and all of that.
• 1:12:50
  Beverley: And so panorama now is not panorama of long ago.
• 1:12:55
  Beverley: It has emerged.
• 1:12:56
  Beverley: You not only come to hear the music, but you come to see.
• 1:12:59
  Beverley: Yeah.
• 1:13:00
  Beverley: So you come, it's a whole, you know, renegades was on sealed horse.
• 1:13:05
  Corie: I saw.
• 1:13:05
  Corie: I saw.
• 1:13:06
  Corie: If you could bring a bed, you could bring a horse.
• 1:13:08
  Corie: You know what I'm saying?
• 1:13:10
  Beverley: Some people bring goats, some people bring all.
• 1:13:12
  Beverley: I mean, some people take it a little too far now.
• 1:13:15
  Beverley: I'm telling you, we will have to put some um restrictions on that whole drama that is unfolding.
• 1:13:23
  Beverley: Listen, you can't come with a whole three minutes before the song starts.
• 1:13:28
  Beverley: So Pantry and Bigel will definitely have to come up with some rules to control that aspect of it.
• 1:13:34
  Beverley: But you see the panorama now.
• 1:13:36
  Beverley: You're not only coming to hear but you're coming to see what's unfolding on stage when all stars and all these bands and all the fireworks, the theatrics.
• 1:13:45
  Corie: Yeah, something else to see.
• 1:13:46
  Beverley: Yeah, I think state arts.
• 1:13:48
  Beverley: I think must be arts.
• 1:13:49
  Beverley: Something of the sort.
• 1:13:50
  Beverley: But it's it's it's a whole new dimension now, and and and I like the trend, I like where it's going, and it's opening up doors, not only for arrangers, but also for drill masters and for people who are not scoring the music.
• 1:14:04
  Beverley: You know, you have those because you know, I see where some days this arranger, while they're getting the music on the pan and playing on the pan when the when the note hit them, then their colleague who might have been a UTT graduate would now be putting down the music.
• 1:14:18
  Beverley: So with within that one space, a lot of opportunities are provided, employment opportunities are provided for graduates of the UTT and University of the West Indies.
• 1:14:28
  Corie: It's seeing more and more opportunities created, which we appreciate there for.
• 1:14:31
  Corie: You know, that's uh it's it's it's they keep saying that pan is what's going to save us, right?
• 1:14:36
  Corie: So so we need that.
• 1:14:37
  Corie: So let me talk about the parts of my life where it had no saving involved, right?
• 1:14:40
  Corie: And and uh that going to selfish part of the interview, right?
• 1:14:43
  Corie: Thing I want to see you bring back before we move forward.
• 1:14:46
  Corie: I grew up in a time where you never used to pay to go pan semis, you know, used to storm.
• 1:14:50
  Corie: All you plan to bring back storming.
• 1:14:51
  Corie: Pan semis is that thing where they used to leave a little hole in a thing so you slide under, so you dog man go, David Ali.
• 1:14:57
  Corie: Pan Semis is about storming, right?
• 1:14:59
  Corie: You had to find a way to get in.
• 1:15:01
  Corie: You have any intention to bring back storming as the president of Patriot Making?
• 1:15:05
  Beverley: Yeah, it's not.
• 1:15:05
  Beverley: There was storming in 24.
• 1:15:08
  Beverley: Yes, hello.
• 1:15:09
  Beverley: I don't know what happened, but I listen, I think people had tickets and couldn't come in.
• 1:15:16
  Beverley: I don't know where the storm has, so there will always be storming because tickets, people outside with tickets, and yet we met Dakota.
• 1:15:25
  Beverley: Yeah, so therefore, some people stormed.
• 1:15:27
  Beverley: So you could never take it away from any Fed or any panorama activities.
• 1:15:33
  Beverley: There will always be storming.
• 1:15:36
  Beverley: I see the people pushed on the gate, you know.
• 1:15:38
  Beverley: Good.
• 1:15:38
  Beverley: See you next time.
• 1:15:39
  Beverley: Push down the gate, police out of the way, they just push the gate and they just rush and they came in, and I take off.
• 1:15:46
  Corie: That is one of the fun parts of semi-zo.
• 1:15:48
  Corie: You find a way in, you're gonna get a dog man at $10 inside a part of the piece of the fence, pull up, so and you're gone.
• 1:15:54
  Beverley: And take off.
• 1:15:55
  Beverley: And they always find a way to cut holes in the fence.
• 1:15:57
  Beverley: No matter how you fence, there's always a way when you look.
• 1:16:00
  Beverley: Listen, these girls are so busy makoing fences for cuts.
• 1:16:04
  Beverley: Yes, I tell you.
• 1:16:06
  Beverley: You tell me about resilience.
• 1:16:07
  Beverley: Look, look, somebody cut a hole through there.
• 1:16:11
  Corie: Liddy hole.
• 1:16:12
  Corie: Right?
• 1:16:12
  Corie: So it'll disturb the peace.
• 1:16:14
  Corie: One of the things I see people complaining about semis, it could be it could be if it's not the same as last year.
• 1:16:18
  Corie: So the complaints where people say now the corporate entities buying all the whole semifinals and the average man can't get a ticket to buy.
• 1:16:26
  Corie: How do you respond to that?
• 1:16:27
  Corie: That's something you're working on.
• 1:16:30
  Beverley: Uh uh just stammer.
• 1:16:33
  Beverley: Listen, listen, uh I'm really happy that I didn't say rock so for that one in picking it up.
• 1:16:52
  Beverley: Because no matter what you do, you can never please everybody.
• 1:16:59
  Beverley: You can never please everybody, and for me, it was a sign of positivity that things are happening.
• 1:17:09
  Beverley: I didn't only see it.
• 1:17:10
  Beverley: I mean, yes, you will always have those persons who will complain and pantry and be go sell out and all of that.
• 1:17:18
  Beverley: But I was so proud to know that the North Sand was sold out.
• 1:17:24
  Beverley: I was so proud to know that the sponsors are back because let me tell you this when corporate Trinidad and Tobago purchase North Sand tickets, who are they giving it to?
• 1:17:37
  Beverley: Foreigners?
• 1:17:38
  Beverley: It's the workers and the workers' friends, it's Trinidad and Tobi and Trinidadians and Tobegonians in the North Sun having time.
• 1:17:48
  Corie: But here they joke, you know, North Sun tickets up for sale all now, right?
• 1:17:54
  Corie: Somebody tell me that on the ask me who I have today.
• 1:17:56
  Corie: I'm not telling me tickets available now.
• 1:17:59
  Beverley: Listen, and it's the same thing last year.
• 1:18:03
  Beverley: You can't wait until last minute to want to buy a ticket.
• 1:18:08
  Beverley: We have sponsorship packages that we offer, and those sponsorship packages come with complimentaries.
• 1:18:19
  Beverley: We raise, I'm sure, if not over, or close to four million dollars.
• 1:18:26
  Beverley: I have an organization to run.
• 1:18:31
  Beverley: Government does not give pantry and big one subvention every month, you know.
• 1:18:37
  Beverley: We execute panorama, so government pays for panorama.
• 1:18:42
  Beverley: Pay the bands, pay the assistants, so everything panorama.
• 1:18:46
  Beverley: So during that period of panorama, we will be given an administrative fee to run panorama.
• 1:18:54
  Beverley: After that is me to catch, you know.
• 1:18:57
  Beverley: You think all them who are making noise in newspaper time with me, they don't even want to pay at 150 to come in a show after that.
• 1:19:05
  Beverley: Of course.
• 1:19:05
  Beverley: And we're extremely grateful to those persons who normally supports us.
• 1:19:11
  Beverley: But the people who are making noise want a complimentary.
• 1:19:13
  Beverley: Oh, that's what they're looking for.
• 1:19:15
  Beverley: That's what they're looking for.
• 1:19:16
  Beverley: But anybody you we, you know, for that north sun in the back there, you know how much complimentary we just give away for North Sun?
• 1:19:22
  Beverley: A thousand.
• 1:19:24
  Beverley: Yeah.
• 1:19:25
  Beverley: One thousand complimentary tickets.
• 1:19:28
  Beverley: Pantry and Bago gives out for the North Sun.
• 1:19:33
  Corie: David, we had a storm next.
• 1:19:34
  Corie: Here we go.
• 1:19:36
  unknown: I think grandson.
• 1:19:38
  Corie: I know you stuck, no, you ticket anyway.
• 1:19:41
  Beverley: So, I mean, the noise was I was like.
• 1:19:46
  Corie: Well, I myself, as some as an onlooker, I kind of balance in the two worlds of corporate and creative a lot.
• 1:19:53
  Corie: So I I when I hear corporate buyout thing, you know what it reminds me of?
• 1:19:57
  Corie: People complain about the NFL Super Bowl, which I I always compare to what Panorama looks like because it's the same kind of setup.
• 1:20:03
  Corie: You have an organization that's running it.
• 1:20:05
  Corie: You have 2D two teams, the 22 teams play against one another every time, and somebody goes in the Super Bowl.
• 1:20:09
  Corie: The issue is always if the Patriots make the Super Bowl, the people from Boston can't get tickets because the corporate buy out all the tickets.
• 1:20:16
  Corie: So I think it's one of those things where we had a it, I guess, continue to adjust as a society, but I feel it's a positive thing when you're getting the sponsorship.
• 1:20:24
  Corie: Of course, of course.
• 1:20:25
  Beverley: And that is the money that we use to invest in our bands out there.
• 1:20:30
  Beverley: We have invested over uh a million dollars to the bands on the ground when the bands come back to us, and plus the other events that we put on.
• 1:20:41
  Beverley: Because after after panorama, you don't really attract, even though you put on additional events, you don't attract that kind of sponsorship for the reason.
• 1:20:51
  Corie: Yeah, well the sponsorship is good in the attention.
• 1:20:52
  Corie: That's right.
• 1:20:53
  Beverley: So it basically you basically get sponsorship during carnival, but then we have events throughout the year.
• 1:21:00
  Beverley: We have pan and powder in South Trinidad, we have pan and powder in Tobago, we have we want to do pan and powder in east this year, and then and we try to provide that kind of support.
• 1:21:11
  Beverley: We have an organization to run, we have four regions to maintain and all of that, so it comes at a cost.
• 1:21:18
  Beverley: Yeah.
• 1:21:19
  Corie: I appreciate you saying as well that Pantern Bago is not panorama, which for the person like me, I might see it as that.
• 1:21:24
  Corie: And that is when you have a whole year to run.
• 1:21:26
  Beverley: That's right, that is how person saw.
• 1:21:27
  Beverley: So when they say pan and pantry and bigo, everybody focusing on panorama and savannah.
• 1:21:32
  Beverley: But no, it's not like that.
• 1:21:34
  Beverley: We have four regions.
• 1:21:35
  Beverley: So, all right, let me just say it like this: so central government, pantry and bigo, central executive, and then we have four regions.
• 1:21:44
  Beverley: We have the Tobago region, we have the South Central Region, we have the Northern Region, and we also have the Eastern region.
• 1:21:51
  Beverley: They all have offices that they operate to service the bands in those districts on our behalf.
• 1:21:58
  Beverley: And so there is this whole setup that we we we have to operate.
• 1:22:02
  Beverley: And so we we we we we we're not like uh we are much broader than the other special interest groups, and so there is a lot, a lot, a lot that we do.
• 1:22:12
  Beverley: That's fair.
• 1:22:13
  Corie: The other question comes from that same area because one of the complaints or the gripe to hear people saying is that there's a group of youths who they're interested in pan at all.
• 1:22:22
  Corie: So they're gone, they they want right now, they want to move their money drag because they say when breeze blows, they still hear the pan don't any greens, so they want to put their money next side so they don't hear pan at all.
• 1:22:29
  Corie: The thought process there for the greens is is is something you support, is something that is does it make money, or was it was the vision of Pantry and Bago or the Greens as concerned?
• 1:22:38
  Corie: It barely has anything to do with pan, right?
• 1:22:40
  Beverley: The idea of the greens, we will have to revisit.
• 1:22:43
  Beverley: When I became president of Pantry and Bago, I did not entertain the idea of the Greens because for me personally, as a band leader, I never really embraced it.
• 1:22:59
  Beverley: And then the NCC board at the time reintroduced the greens.
• 1:23:09
  Beverley: And for two years as president, I had to be running from the savannah, tongue into the greens, busy, busy to go there and behave bad.
• 1:23:18
  Beverley: When I say behave bad, you know, I mean because sometimes you have to behave bad, you know.
• 1:23:23
  Beverley: Because the music loud, loud, banner says it's performing, the distraction, the next thing I will get is a letter.
• 1:23:31
  Corie: So the the music really does throw off what the judges hearing and what went on on stage?
• 1:23:36
  Beverley: Of course it does.
• 1:23:37
  Beverley: It does.
• 1:23:38
  Beverley: But within the last year, I think last year, it was much better because we were providing it with an opportunity last year.
• 1:23:47
  Beverley: This year.
• 1:23:47
  Beverley: Yeah, this yeah, yeah, this this carnival.
• 1:23:50
  Beverley: Wow.
• 1:23:51
  Beverley: Um, so we had some conversations, and what they have done is to introduce a big screen so that whenever the band is performing, those persons who are in the greens will focus on the stage and take in the performance.
• 1:24:10
  Beverley: So with something like that, it can work once it is monitored properly, and once you have the necessary pan wardens, as we call them, we use um persons and call them pan wardens to ensure that there are no disruptions.
• 1:24:29
  Beverley: So once that happens, it can work.
• 1:24:32
  Beverley: Whenever a band is performing, everything entertainment on the green, all entertainment, shut down and focus on what's happening.
• 1:24:41
  Corie: I with you.
• 1:24:42
  Corie: I always saw it as an opportunity for younger people who, you know, so they have some young people who they they want to hear pan, they come into fet, right?
• 1:24:48
  Corie: As you scorch and the Caesars army and them at this world, they come in to enjoy themselves, which is a to me a revenue opportunity.
• 1:24:54
  Corie: If I was in your seat, if them fellas and them who governing the youth now want to pay me a rent, I go, I go rent them something.
• 1:25:01
  Corie: That's just the business side, right?
• 1:25:02
  Corie: Understand the creative side as well.
• 1:25:05
  Corie: Because I I remember a time in the North Stand where they used to have a beg rhythm section to stop playing when the band goes and they say, nobody can take it on that.
• 1:25:12
  Corie: I I went Northstand for many years and I hear a band.
• 1:25:15
  Corie: I used to hear the rhythm section, you know what that band played.
• 1:25:19
  Beverley: That we have brought under control.
• 1:25:21
  Corie: Also, is it?
• 1:25:22
  Beverley: By putting the wardens there, right?
• 1:25:24
  Beverley: So that whenever a band is ready and then we have good communication between events committee and and and stage managers and all of that.
• 1:25:32
  Beverley: Okay, so the information is um transmitted and so on.
• 1:25:34
  Beverley: So when the band is ready, then all noise or all drumming, all rhythm section, um, be quiet, be still.
• 1:25:43
  Beverley: Right.
• 1:25:43
  Beverley: And so we have, so we have sort of mastered it and with some improvements.
• 1:25:48
  Beverley: And you know, I just want to go back to um the North Sand, because I would have, you know, we used to focus on corporate.
• 1:25:53
  Beverley: But you know, we so if we are selling 4,000 tickets for the North Sand, just using, I'm just using a figure.
• 1:25:59
  Beverley: 2,000 for general, and the next 2,000 is for corporate sponsors and for those who want to buy posse tickets.
• 1:26:11
  Beverley: All right, and so sometimes it's not really corporate, you know.
• 1:26:15
  Beverley: Sometimes, you know, it's a it's a good line, you and your friends.
• 1:26:18
  Beverley: So you want 20 tickets because that's for you and your friends.
• 1:26:21
  Beverley: Yeah, Jenzi done print and fill out and make and so it's the possies, so everything, you know, it's easy to blame corporate and to blame corporate.
• 1:26:28
  Beverley: But sometimes we have large possies making up of families and all of that in the North Sun.
• 1:26:34
  Beverley: But we we we we're trying our best and we know we're gonna get it right one of these days in terms of how do we control because it's trainees, you can't stop the party.
• 1:26:44
  Beverley: They love the pan, they love the vibes, they love the rhythm.
• 1:26:49
  Beverley: North Sun is life, you know.
• 1:26:50
  Beverley: I love it to go up in there.
• 1:26:54
  Beverley: I don't stick around too long because um everybody has something to tell the president.
• 1:26:58
  Beverley: You know, um, but I I really like the vibe in North Sun vibe.
• 1:27:04
  Beverley: Uh this year we really managed it well in that we had the um big groups purchase a tent with chairs and tables and so on, so that the food and so we put restrictions restrictions.
• 1:27:19
  Beverley: So don't take up your food and your bar and all of that up in the sand because fire is really rigid.
• 1:27:26
  Beverley: And long ago, my understanding is that the North Sand would hold about 9,000, but they've given us about five four, five, five squeezing in once people put their food and they're big, what you call the big coolers, they call them um coffee kind of coolers.
• 1:27:46
  Beverley: Yes, and so on.
• 1:27:47
  Beverley: Once you leave those downstairs, then everybody will be alright.
• 1:27:50
  Corie: I see, yeah.
• 1:27:50
  Corie: Well, kind of always back and all, I think I remember a year when um it was again a big debate about the greens and even some of the promoters who I can't remember what the issue was then.
• 1:27:59
  Corie: This was some time ago, and the promoters pull out and people do their own events.
• 1:28:03
  Corie: But I I remember even talking to people like David, I remember saying at the time when they show this thing with the greens empty and a pool in the middle of the greens.
• 1:28:09
  Corie: I was trying to say at the time, listen, everybody have a role to play in carnival, right?
• 1:28:14
  Corie: And the promoters and them, they have a role to play, especially because they in in whatever version they do, them is the ones who get people who's 15, 16, 17 to love this thing.
• 1:28:24
  Corie: That's right.
• 1:28:24
  Corie: Whatever they love about it, it has changed and evolved over time.
• 1:28:28
  Corie: But I remember Bacchanal Road was one of the events in particular.
• 1:28:31
  Corie: I remember seeing the headlines at Bacchanal Road will kill Pan.
• 1:28:34
  Corie: And I say, but how Pan is one of the biggest festivals.
• 1:28:37
  Corie: I feel the world could, you know, the world wants to see it, the world embraces it.
• 1:28:42
  Corie: So has anything else in any organization or any institution or any event?
• 1:28:45
  Corie: It goes ups and downs and it goes ins and outs, but pan is a fixture, if I if I could say it like that.
• 1:28:50
  Beverley: I must say that Bacchanal Road is in the North Sand, not so.
• 1:28:53
  Beverley: Look at it.
• 1:28:54
  Beverley: Yeah, you know, they're back with us.
• 1:28:56
  Beverley: Yeah, and I think it's a conversation because we always felt, you know, on a semi-final day, no major promoter should be pushing, pushing uh um an event to try to kill the national musical instrument.
• 1:29:08
  Beverley: And I'm I'm happy that Bacchanal Road is one of our large pussies in the North Sun, yeah.
• 1:29:13
  Beverley: And um we always look forward to working with all persons who have the national interest at heart.
• 1:29:20
  Corie: So of course, of course.
• 1:29:21
  Corie: So as you're talking about looking forward, we're talking legacy now, and we're rolling into panorama launch, we're rolling into what the season is going to look like.
• 1:29:30
  Corie: You trying to talk to us about pan not necessarily having a season.
• 1:29:34
  Corie: I hear that from Calypsoans, I hear about everybody.
• 1:29:36
  Corie: It's something that I really appreciate because I feel we relegate, we relegate what we do to a time of year, or festival, or a period.
• 1:29:45
  Corie: That's right.
• 1:29:45
  Corie: Too much.
• 1:29:46
  Corie: So, what is that, what does legacy mean for you going forward for this year?
• 1:29:50
  Beverley: Alright, so you know, normally we have our themes and and all of that.
• 1:29:54
  Beverley: And knowing the struggle and For us, I mean, I'm I'm gonna say it's I'm not gonna hide anything from you or from the general public.
• 1:30:07
  Beverley: So going into Panorama 2026, um Pansion Baby was on a high.
• 1:30:18
  Beverley: There was a momentum, we were riding really, really high in terms of our activities and and all of that, both local and regional and international.
• 1:30:32
  Beverley: And so one day I was at home, and you know, I I I always, since I'm president, I always come up with this theme because you have to focus and see, see it, vision, realize it.
• 1:30:46
  Beverley: And you know, the girls at marketing kept asking me, Prize, where's the team?
• 1:30:53
  Beverley: Because they want to start to do up their proposals and get things going for Parama 26.
• 1:30:59
  Beverley: And I'm saying nothing is coming because at that time, you know, you're wondering, all right, okay, good.
• 1:31:05
  Beverley: We have a new board, we have a new NCC board.
• 1:31:09
  Beverley: You you you don't know who your um your your your your members or your partners or your colleagues will be, and so you're trying to rationalize and trying to feel at the time.
• 1:31:21
  Beverley: And I have to say this, if if I didn't say it, it wouldn't be me.
• 1:31:27
  Beverley: You see, when I received a letter from the minister writing me, I sit down in our executive meeting.
• 1:31:40
  Beverley: So my secretary came in the room and she said, um, Madam President, this now came in there and so on.
• 1:31:54
  Beverley: So I opened the letter, all my members sit down around the boardroom table, and I'm seeing this letter coming from the minister.
• 1:32:02
  Beverley: New minister.
• 1:32:04
  Beverley: I think that is where I got knocked, I got knocked on.
• 1:32:06
  Beverley: I think that is and the new letter, the letter is saying that you know the ministry practically not in the exact words, but thanking you for your service over the years and so on and so on, and with this new focus and this new whatever, whatever.
• 1:32:22
  Beverley: I want you and with the setting up of the NCC board, send somebody else.
• 1:32:30
  Beverley: You must not come, Miss Ramsey Ma.
• 1:32:31
  Beverley: You send somebody else.
• 1:32:33
  Beverley: So I said, fake.
• 1:32:36
  Beverley: I said, Eva, will you get this?
• 1:32:39
  Beverley: I said, Who bring this?
• 1:32:40
  Beverley: I said now this fake.
• 1:32:42
  Beverley: Then I called two go man.
• 1:32:46
  Beverley: I said, You girl at her?
• 1:32:48
  Beverley: He said, Me and check me in.
• 1:32:51
  Beverley: I said, Well, check and see.
• 1:32:52
  Beverley: He said, Beverly girl.
• 1:32:55
  Beverley: Beverly, he's called me, Beverly.
• 1:33:00
  Beverley: Beverly girl.
• 1:33:02
  Beverley: Like, I get one to, you know.
• 1:33:05
  Beverley: Well, then is when I realize, well, this thing is serious.
• 1:33:09
  Beverley: So me and my executive, you know, we sat down there.
• 1:33:12
  Beverley: And it's the first time I kind of questioned myself, you know.
• 1:33:16
  Beverley: I said, Well, what the hell?
• 1:33:20
  Beverley: I said, after all that I have done, me and this team, you writing us to tell us, send somebody else.
• 1:33:30
  Beverley: So you're writing me to tell me you don't want me, send somebody.
• 1:33:33
  Corie: So, what does that mean?
• 1:33:34
  Corie: Once a new president, what do you mean by sends of it?
• 1:33:37
  Beverley: I'm trying to figure out because not just that you don't want Beverly, this has nothing to do with Beverly, you know.
• 1:33:44
  Beverley: This has to do with the president, the office.
• 1:33:47
  Beverley: And I saw after we would have built the profile of this organization, the profile, eh?
• 1:33:56
  Beverley: Knowing where we came from, I mentioned to you in 2018.
• 1:34:00
  Beverley: Received, I received over seven international awards last year.
• 1:34:08
  Beverley: Yeah, recognizing the work as a trailblazer, digging out pantry and bagel from a deep dark hole under my transformative leadership, you know, reach, and they're slapping me up, so listen, in all my life, working as a community activist in the village of Black Rock, working as a commissioner on the Tobago Basketball Zone, working as a representative of the people in Black Rock whim, working hard, working as a leader of the Black Rock School, Parent Association, for all the things, and I could name several organizations that I've served, serving in the Ministry of Tobago Development, serving in Tobago House of Assembly, managing a parenting program.
• 1:35:20
  Beverley: All my service I have given to this country, working on the social welfare board, tobacco assembly.
• 1:35:31
  Beverley: You come from where you come from and telling me you don't want me.
• 1:35:35
  Beverley: Let me tell you something.
• 1:35:38
  Beverley: I lie down on my bed.
• 1:35:42
  Beverley: And I just say, Lord, transition me.
• 1:35:54
  Beverley: So we was on this regular wind.
• 1:36:02
  Beverley: It's a new day, it's a new dawn.
• 1:36:07
  Beverley: What is the movement going forward?
• 1:36:13
  Beverley: Protection of the legacy.
• 1:36:22
  Corie: So that's where your focus remaining.
• 1:36:24
  Beverley: And there is where.
• 1:36:25
  Beverley: I must see.
• 1:36:32
  Beverley: I'm a girl.
• 1:36:33
  Corie: Yeah, only good.
• 1:36:34
  Beverley: We good, we good, we good, we good.
• 1:36:36
  Beverley: It was a misunderstanding.
• 1:36:37
  Beverley: Oh great.
• 1:36:37
  Beverley: Oh, good now.
• 1:36:38
  Beverley: Jesus Christ.
• 1:36:41
  Beverley: Bad advice, but we good, we good.
• 1:36:53
  Beverley: We are all black women and we have to embrace we are.
• 1:36:59
  Beverley: And if somebody falls along, somebody's gonna lift somebody up, and that kind of thing.
• 1:37:06
  Beverley: But I always say that before we make moves like that, do your research, do tamper with the spirit.
• 1:37:17
  Corie: That's important.
• 1:37:18
  Corie: The spirit is not to be tamper with the spirit or the spirits, either one of the two, singular or plural.
• 1:37:24
  Beverley: Yeah, you know, but so there is where we are, right?
• 1:37:26
  Beverley: And that is why we're gonna carry this theme legacy, because it's very important to know where we came from.
• 1:37:33
  Beverley: So legacy helps me and the organization and the members to focus on where we came from behind the bridge, to the world stage, to the world stage, the strength, the fire, the water, the sinking.
• 1:37:48
  Corie: Hey, very, very, very, very real.
• 1:37:52
  Beverley: Powerful.
• 1:37:53
  Beverley: So know your strength, know your power, and it comes with the legacy because the legacy not only come just as a steel pan, you know, it comes with ancestral strength.
• 1:38:08
  Corie: Well, no better place for me to end there, you know.
• 1:38:10
  Corie: I want to thank you for coming out.
• 1:38:12
  Corie: I was going to ask him a last question, was going to be how you're feeling, and if you want to continue this, but I think we get react.
• 1:38:17
  Corie: So I think we get react.
• 1:38:18
  Beverley: Um, I'm so passionate.
• 1:38:19
  Beverley: You see, the reason why I feel this way is because of the gift and the power, the blessings.
• 1:38:29
  Beverley: I was sent, you know.
• 1:38:30
  Beverley: Chosen, you know, you know what?
• 1:38:32
  Beverley: Chosen, oh, and your t-shirt.
• 1:38:34
  Corie: Yeah, we're not.
• 1:38:35
  Corie: Chosen, we need chosen.
• 1:38:36
  Corie: I was gonna ask you who you're gonna send and know if the minister said, I want to know if you're gonna choose somebody else.
• 1:38:42
  Beverley: So chosen, right?
• 1:38:44
  Beverley: And if you know that you're chosen for a mission, a journey, then the only one that can stop you is the power bulb.
• 1:38:51
  Beverley: Nothing else can stop you.
• 1:38:53
  Beverley: And so I continue to serve because service to mankind is services God.
• 1:38:57
  Beverley: I love what I do.
• 1:38:58
  Beverley: There are times when I'm knocked down, there are times when I do not feel to go the distance, but then when I remember chosen and that I'm on a mission, forward ever, backward never.
• 1:39:10
  Corie: I appreciate it.
• 1:39:11
  Corie: Well, we want to thank you personally because the truth about leadership is a lonely place.
• 1:39:14
  Corie: It's difficult when your name and your face as you know.
• 1:39:19
  Corie: So we appreciate you for taking the time to come out.
• 1:39:22
  Corie: I want to appreciate your team too for for making sure that this happened.
• 1:39:25
  Corie: And David, because David said, I said, David, may you know enough about pan.
• 1:39:28
  Corie: David said, Why had to do it?
• 1:39:30
  Corie: We had to do it this day, and this when we do it, and this is both, and we can so thanks to the team as well for making it happen.
• 1:39:36
  Corie: I appreciate it and thanks a million.
• 1:39:38
  Corie: You're welcome.