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"They
didn't care. A steelband man, you have sticks in your pockets; you would be the
subject of police harassment."
That is the opening line from Panomundo (the promo), a
7-minute video that explores the history of the steelpan.
The film uses a series of interviews to give an account of the hardships that
the pioneers of the steelpan faced.
Award-winning filmmakers, British
director Keith Musaman Morton
and American producer Charysse Tia Harper,
travelled to Trinidad & Tobago
in January 2012 to uncover how the steelpan,
which originated from an oil drum, became a highly respected musical
instrument.
"The
slaves came with their African tradition of drumming and they used bamboo
sticks," Morton explained. "Soon that was outlawed and other
variations of 'improv percussion' were introduced until a dustbin was picked up
and then an oil drum came into play."
The founding fathers of the steelpan
uncovered they could make different pitches on the oil drum by tuning it in a
certain way, which is how the notes on the pan evolved. By how widely it is
accepted in communities around the world, no one would suspect that it came
from such a tumultuous background.
"It
was a great experience to talk to the men and women who witnessed or were part
of the uprising," Morton said. "Not many people know what a struggle
it was to play this music and that's why we want to tell this story in its
entirety."
Panomundo (the
word being a combination of 'steelpan' and the Spanish word 'mundo', which
means "world") is set to be a feature-length film. Though the promo
video gives an insight into the history of the steelpan, it does not explain
how it is globally popular. The next step will be to capture the influence that
the pan has on various cultures. Thus the duo has set up a campaign on
Indiegogo an international crowd funding site to raise $30,000 US to
complete the film. More information on the campaign is at: www.indiegogo.com/Panomundo.
"It
would not be considered 'history' if it did not have an impact on people,"
Harper explained. "In order to fully understand how strong that influence
is, we will have to visit those locations and have them explain it to us."
The deadline to raise the funds to
complete the film is 15th January 2013. Morton and Harper will then shoot in
Spring 2013 and edit the project by summer. They have been asked to preview Panomundo ahead
of the Notting Hill Carnival in London in August 2013.
"It
will be an honour, really. We've had such nice chats with Sterling Betancourt,
Russ Henderson, Ray Holman and Ray Funk, to name a few. It will be a pleasure
to have their knowledge and story heard by an audience," Morton said.
Towards the ending of Panomundo (the
promo), international pannist Ray Holman
sums it up nicely: "Pan has taken over the
world....Canada, Africa, Germany and France. I'm very proud...that such a small
country as [Trinidad & Tobago] could have music that will be interesting
and so loved by people in large metropolitan cities."
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