As part of the celebrations for Steelpan Month, three of Tobago’s panyards came alive with steel orchestras, marking the beginning of a series of weekly Sunday School festivities on the island.
It is already a familiar sound in Buccoo on a Sunday evening – the Buccooneers Steel Orchestra perfecting its performance in public as the traditional street party gets underway.
But with August being celebrated as National Steelpan Month, the Buccooneers invited Katzenjammers from Black Rock and Tobago Pan-thers from Golden Lane to join them and showcase their skills.
The result was an evening of vibrant pan music, much to the delight of visitors and locals who gathered to experience performances from bands that regularly compete at the national level.
Buccooneers manager Stacy Solomon says the evening was about sharing pan with the community.
“This is not just about a performance. This is about where we come together as a community, a band community, a steelpan community, to showcase the importance of the national instrument and our heritage.”
For more than 25 years, the Buccooneers have been performing weekly at Sunday School, becoming a staple of the community and an attraction that foreign visitors to the island look forward to experiencing.
“It has helped to enlighten us about Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago, and it is a space that is open for tourists, local and foreigners alike where you can come and, as we say, experience the instrument, learn about the culture. There is so much to see, there is so much to tell.”
Ms Solomon also sees pan as a way of bringing the community together, a tradition the Buccooneers continue to uphold by performing week after week, free of charge.
“Pan is important to the community of Buccoo. Panyards are one of the safest space there is, you know, you have love, you come together as a community, you bond. It is one of the places where you even have, let’s say, a father and a daughter, a brother and a sister where you can have people come together, families come together in the same space, and it is not a problem.”
Whether it is National Steelpan Month or not, the music of pan will continue to be a part of Sunday nights in Buccoo.