Source: www.guardian.co.tt
By Brian Lewis
The streets of Trinidad and Tobago were alive and pulsating one week ago. The Queen’s Park Savannah was the centre of attention and focus. Last week’s column had sought to parallel Carnival and sport. This week I want to stay on the same theme for the simple reason to identify aspects and lessons that can help both sport and Carnival. There are attributes that are mutually beneficial from the perspective of commonality, and similarity of strengths and weaknesses. National Sport Organisations (NSOs) can learn from Carnival stakeholders and vice versa. Let me hasten to point out that with many sport personalities and aficionados involved in Carnival in some way or the other, it should not be that hard for sharing of information, knowledge and experience. Aspects of Carnival that provide compelling lessons and examples include the attention to detail and organisation that most of the mas bands invest in their product. The level of logistical organisation that is required in putting together a Carnival or Jouvert band, Carnival fete or competition cannot be underestimated.
The fact that there are a number of young people involved in the organisation and leadership of Carnival bands, and steel bands in particular women. Women are also more pronounced in calypso, chutney and soca. As a result the level of innovation and creativity going into the segmentation of the demography of Carnival bands is eye opening. This is an area NSOs can and should pay close attention to; the growth in participation among Carnival bands, the diversity of stakeholders, the enthusiasm and passion for Carnival and the high level of spectator interest both local and foreign. It is also important to acknowledge that in the pyramid structure that is Carnival, money and profit is not a major motivator. This is not to say that profit is not the main objective for some. Nothing wrong with that. What I am suggesting is that for the vast majority Carnival is a passion. How does Carnival succeed in capturing and harnessing that passion and enthusiasm?
This year the return of Carnival to the stage at the Queen’s Park Savannah has been hailed far and wide as an unqualified success. But, can it really be so when masqueraders had to wait anywhere from 4- 7 hours to move from Park and Frederick Streets to the savannah stage? In this respect Carnival may very well be able to take some lessons from sport as it relates to the administration of rules and penalties for rule violations. Bands that break the rules should be either disqualified or suffer a deduction of some kind. In a sport, an athlete or team that is not officially registered for the competition would not be allowed to take part. Subject to clarification one can only wonder how come bands that are not part of the NCC band of the year competition can be allowed to parade in the competition.
What is the basis for declaring Carnival 2K11 a success? It is the same challenge facing T&T sport—the discipline to conduct a structured analysis of performance and success. It is always important to remember that success is fleeting and means different things to different people. You can have all the potential in the world, but you will not discover it or harness it unless you have discipline. What is needed for both Carnival and sport to reach the heights they are both capable of reaching is that those in charge must be willing to learn from others, and to respect their competitors. Openness creates an environment where others can bring their ideas and thoughts without fear or defensiveness. Now that Carnival is over what next?
Editor’s note: Brian Lewis is the Honorary Secretary General of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee-www.ttoc.org. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the TTOC.