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GUARDIAN
Mas icon and Trinity Cross holder Peter Minshall is calling on T&T to wake up to reality. Minshall made the call yesterday after receiving the Republic Day Award from President George Maxwell Richards at President’s House in St Ann’s.

Minshall, in a brief address after receiving the award, said:

“It was coincidental to read in today’s newspapers the discovery of a headless corpse. While our country celebrated our own Head of State, the headlines in the newspapers speak about some poor fellow islander whose body has been found without its head, literally.”

Minshall told the small gathering of friends and well-wishers that what was also coincidental was the word “head” was repeated in that reflection three times—yet people aren’t using their heads to become truly aware of our reality.

The masman said that as a private human being, living on an island in this little moment of time, he had to share with most of his fellow islanders the same news.

The 1996 Trinity Cross recipient said he hoped that this in no way reflected our politics.

Minshall did not disclose the identify of the corpse, stating that it would have been distasteful of him to do so.

“It was a difficult thing to say…that’s why I was very careful with my words and did not call any names,” he told the Guardian following the award ceremony.

“My goodness!” he said, raising his eyebrows.

“Maybe we should all look at this as a deeply significant thing and really wake up to reality.”

Asked if he was expressing his views about the country’s crime situation by making mention of the headless corpse, Minshall curtly responded: “My views are not singular.”

He said T&T has taught him so much, where cheek by jaw there are cathedrals, mosques, mandirs, temples and shrines and people of every shade, living together on one island.

“It’s almost a microcosm of the world.”

Minshall said T&T goes from suffering Christ to a splendidly peaceful Buddha, to Shiva, the lord of the dance—creating and destroying the universe.

“So I expect that life will be filled with joy, suffering, tragedy, comedy and drama. I certainly don’t expect happy, happy times forever.”

He said one cannot experience great joy unless you know great sadness.

“So you know the crime situation: exclamation mark, it’s one side of the same coin. We have to try as hard we possible can to stay on the right side of the coin,” he said.

Minshall described his accolades as magic coming together in very difficult circumstances.

“Here is an island that has a possible destiny, showing the world how to do it. My point is, we have to fulfil that destiny.”

Minshall said the word “masman” means to stand up on the world’s platform of artistic achievement, head and shoulders with composers, playwrights, choreographers and artistes.

“I think our destiny is concurrent with our expression as a people.”

In congratulating Minshall, President Richards described the masman as a stalwart, a cultural icon.

“He has made a distinguished contribution to our country. His artistic brilliance can not be denied and I applaud his work.”

President Richards said Minshall has helped to define our country’s space on the world map of art and culture, which is of great importance to the development of any country.

__________________
"If u put a small price on ur value.. rest assure that the world wont raise ur price! Love U 2day!" ~ Rev. Run

"If you keep believing in yourself and seek enthusiasm inside your soul, things will get simpler, more spontaneous." ~Paulo Coelho

"Knowledge is like the wind, once you obtain it, you can go anywhere." ~Yellow Hare(Native-American Chief)

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit
the floor each morning the devil says:
"Oh Crap, She's up!"

I LOVE his thoughts on the drums. He is sharing some DEEP STUFF right there.

__________________
"If u put a small price on ur value.. rest assure that the world wont raise ur price! Love U 2day!" ~ Rev. Run

"If you keep believing in yourself and seek enthusiasm inside your soul, things will get simpler, more spontaneous." ~Paulo Coelho

"Knowledge is like the wind, once you obtain it, you can go anywhere." ~Yellow Hare(Native-American Chief)

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit
the floor each morning the devil says:
"Oh Crap, She's up!"

i wonder how many imixers will get it .................the message....i like this part

This may ruffle feathers amongst his fans, but I find Minshall to be full of pretentious shit.

His costumes are usually the most expensive, least practical to wear and the masqueraders have to hand them back at the end of Carnival.

How is it that the Trini press seems to hang on every word this bufoon spouts. Since when does a costume designer get a national platform to talk about crime in TnT.

Everytime there is a problem amongst black people the press go running to some celebrity, entertainer or athlete. There are plenty of qualified and experienced people in Trinidad who can give insight into TnT's problems as well as coming up with some proven solutions.
How about taking some expert advice for a change instead of licking Peter Minshall arse?

Very rarely do they consult the calypsonians with the same reverence as Minshall, it is they who provide the most social commentary regarding TnT.

Minshall urges TnT to wake up : Trinidad's answer to Rip Van Winkle has been living in his own dreamworld for years

KEPHREN I HEAR YOU .........I HAVE OFTEN WONDERD WHY THE KING OF EVERY JUNGLE IS ALWAYS TARZAN .
BUT THAT IS A QUESTION BLACK PEOPLE HAVE TO ASK THEMSELVES .

I HAVE OFTEN SAID ON CC THAT MAS IS AN ART FORM SOME PEOPLE CALL IT FOLK ART. I HAVE ALSO SAID THAT THE ARTIST/MASMAN CAN BE SEEN AS THE SUBCONSCIOUS OF THE SOCIETY HE LIVES IN , WHEN WE LOOK AT SOCIETIES SUCH AS THE EGYPTIANS WE SAY THEIR SOCIETY WAS A GREAT ONE WE NEVER KNEW THEM WE ONLY KNOW THEIR WORKS,THEIR ART THEIR AND WORDS.
LOOK AT THE WORK OF MAS MEN AND THEIR THEMES YESTERDAY. AND LOOK AT IT TODAY, THEN LOOK AT THE SOCIETIES OF YESTERDAY AND TODAY.
YOU EVER HEAR THE TUNE "BRING BACK THE OLD TIME DAYS"?
WE MIGHT BE BETTER OF IN SOME FACTORS OF LIFE,BUT IN OTHERS WE ARE IN TROUBLE NOT JUST IN T&T WORLDWIDE AND WHERE ARE THESE EXPERTS TO FIX THIS WORLD WIDE PROBLEM?
DO YOU KNOW THEM??

ITS US ....WE ALL NEED TO WAKE UP!!

IN TRINIDAD THE CALYPSONIANS TALK ABOUT THE SOCIETY EVERY YEAR REMEMBER LITTLE BLACK BOY? .....YOU KNOW CROCRO.....WATCH MAN, SPARROW , THEY ARE ALL ARTIST AND HAVE ADDERSED OUR SOCIETY EVERY YEAR OR AT SOME TIME OR THE OTHER.

STEPHEN DERICK IS ANOTHER MAS MAN WHO TALKS ABOUT MAS AND SOCIETY, I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF TALKING TO HIM AT LUTON'S CARNIVAL THIS YEAR. HIS VEIW IS LIKE MINSHALLS.............HE ALSO THINKS TRINIDAD IS IN A SORRY STATE.CREATIVLY AND OTHERWISE

MINSHALL LIKE SPARROW ,CROCRO ,STEPHEN DERICK , GEORGE BAILEY AND COUNTLESS OTHER TRINIDADIANS HAS EVERY RIGHT TO COMMENT ON THE STATE OF TRINIDADS SOCIETY, HE LIVES THERE, MADE HIS NAME THEIR, AND PUT TRINIDAD'S CULTURE ON THE WORLD MAP ALONG WITH EVERY OTHER AFRICAN,INDIAN,CHINESE WHITE AND ALL THE OTHER HEROES OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO.

NO OTHER MAS MAN CAN STAND NEXT TO MINSHALL WHEN IT COMES TO HIS WORK AND HOW HIS THEMES ARE BASED ON TRINIDAD'S CULTURE,SOCIETY'AND CREATIVITY.
YES HE IS WHITE AND SOME MIGHT SAY THE GREATIST MAS MAN EVER BUT WHOS FAULT IS THAT?
HIS?


AS FOR HIS MAS ....I HAVE A SISTER WHO ALWAYS PLAY WITH HIM AND I NEVER SEE HER RETURN ONE COSTUME.... ...SHE MUST BE A BANDIT.....

Hey NEO, my cousins must be bandits too. I visited thier home and I saw a few Picoplat costumes hanging in their home.

Anyway, while we may agree that Minsh is an enigma of sorts, he is nothing short of genius.

I remember several years ago I had the pleasure to attend his artist talk in the Brooklyn museum. That man spoke with such emotion and passion about the mas I couldn't help but know this man is for real and one for the books.

Or maybe I'm just a sucka.

__________________
"If u put a small price on ur value.. rest assure that the world wont raise ur price! Love U 2day!" ~ Rev. Run

"If you keep believing in yourself and seek enthusiasm inside your soul, things will get simpler, more spontaneous." ~Paulo Coelho

"Knowledge is like the wind, once you obtain it, you can go anywhere." ~Yellow Hare(Native-American Chief)

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit
the floor each morning the devil says:
"Oh Crap, She's up!"

DONT 4GET THAT SHOW ON YOUR SIDE ............

Wrong...

Not forgetting that at all.

I might go this Saturday.

__________________
"If u put a small price on ur value.. rest assure that the world wont raise ur price! Love U 2day!" ~ Rev. Run

"If you keep believing in yourself and seek enthusiasm inside your soul, things will get simpler, more spontaneous." ~Paulo Coelho

"Knowledge is like the wind, once you obtain it, you can go anywhere." ~Yellow Hare(Native-American Chief)

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit
the floor each morning the devil says:
"Oh Crap, She's up!"

I'm a sucka for Minshall mas and his approach to the mas...

Having played mas with minshall for at least 10 years, I should know that your costume was yours....That said, the year that he played "The Odyssey" there was one section that I was a part of where we did 'rent' the costume. This was because they were costumes that were also used at the Olympic games opening ceremonies and Minshall had planned on using them agin on tour. By no means were our costumes as expensive as the rest of the band.

Hearing Minshall speak at the Brooklyn Museum as well as a couple weeks ago at his exhibit in NY, you cannot help but feel the emotion and passion with which he speaks.

Not everyone may agree with his philosophy, but if you really listened to what he says, you have to agree that it makes sense....Just my

STUUPES SO WHAT DID HE SAY YOU WENT AND DOID NOT REPORT ??? WHAT WRONG WITH YOU ATALL?

While I do think Minshall what a bit verbose in the articles he is one of TnT's foremost cultural icons and he is definitely qualified to speak on the state of our nation. I think his mas has always exemplified his thoughts on the state of the nation. In my opinion, the culture of a society is part of the fabric of that society. And from his commentary in the article Trinidad is culturally corrupt. I loved how he drew the connection with the pan and the fact that long ago the "badjohns" of society put down their guns and knives and picked up two sticks. Now they've gone back to picking up their weapons. Even with the mas, there is no message there these days. We focus on the superficial (being as naked as possible, excessive drinking, etc.) and not on WHY mas developed and came to have a greater meaning and reason for the society.

I think all he is trying to say is, if TnT can get back on track culturally AND spiritually, we would be headed back on the right track.