By Stephen Weir
It might be a little bit early to start out packing, however Roger Gibbs has Trinidad & Tobago on his thoughts. The favored musician, author, and York College post-grad scholar is making ready for a stage efficiency in Port of Spain on the Steelpan/Carnival Arts Convention.

No, he received’t be singing or enjoying an instrument; in reality, he would be the lectern giving a scholarly lecture to the leaders of worldwide neighborhood of Carnival Arts.
The eleventh Steelpan/Carnival Arts Convention is being organized collectively by the College of Trinidad and Tobago, the Worldwide Carnival Convention Committee, and the Worldwide Journal of Carnival Arts. Will probably be held on the Nationwide Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) between March 6–8, 2025.
The convention will probably be a gathering to rejoice the wealthy cultural heritage of the Caribbean, significantly the steelpan and carnival arts. With worldwide individuals from numerous inventive disciplines, the occasion will characteristic keynote audio system, workshops, and panel discussions geared toward exploring the way forward for these artwork types. The convention may also spotlight the contributions of steelpan musicians and carnival artists, addressing each the historic significance and up to date relevance of those cultural practices in world arts and leisure.
As a platform for networking and collaboration, the occasion will encourage partnerships between native and worldwide artists, educators, and cultural establishments. The Convention is anticipated to be a hub for exchanging concepts, advancing the preservation and innovation of those iconic artwork types, and exploring their potential for cross-cultural affect.
“The paper I plan to current is ‘Calypso Historiography – Who Wrote What and When.’ We solely get quarter-hour to talk, and because it’s a 40-page paper, I’ll current a abstract,” Gibbs informed the Caribbean Digicam. “The paper will probably be printed in a forthcoming version of the Worldwide Journal of Carnival Arts.”
Gibbs is just not the one Torontonian attending. Tony Pierre, Ivor Picou, Gregory Christmas, Ed Peters, Richard de Lima, and Caron Bitter-Phinney are on board. Different individuals embody musical specialists from the USA, UK, Ghana, Nigeria, Japan, Jamaica, Barbados, and Grenada.
Port of Spain will probably be a busy place as their annual country-wide carnival takes place from March 3–5, proper earlier than the convention (March 6–8).
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