The United Nations (UN)’s first-ever World Steelpan Day was observed on 11th August 2023, to recognise the cultural and historical significance of the Steelpan, the National Musical instrument of Trinidad and Tobago, and its correlation to cultural, social, and economic development.
- Steelpan or steel drums orginiated in the islands of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), one of the wealthiest countries in the Caribbean, during the 1930s.
- The day also recognises the potential of the steelpan in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through their use in sectors such as tourism, culture, education, and even the domains of STEM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics).
Note: ‘Steelpan’ was declared as the National Musical instrument of Trinidad and Tobago in August 1992.
Pan Month:
POS (T&T) base Pan Trinbago Inc is a cultural organisation recognised as the parent body for steelbands. It has been celebrating ‘Pan Month‘ in the month of August every year since 1992, to commemorate the official declaration of the Steelpan as the national instrument of T&T.
Background:
i.On 24th July 2023, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution A/RES/77/316 and proclaimed the 11th of August every year as World Steelpan Day.
- 11th August 2023 marks the first observance of World Steelpan Day.
ii.The UN annual observance of World Steelpan Day is a global acknowledgment of the renowned traditional musical instrument. The draft resolution for World Steelpan Day secured co-sponsorship from 84 member states of the UNGA.
iii.In 2019, Port of Spain (POS), the capital city of T&T, was designated as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative City of Music for its creativity through the Steelpan, as a strategic component for sustainable urban development.
- Other Creative Cities of Music in the Caribbean are Havana, Kingston, and Santo Domingo.
iv.In 2022, the Government of T&T formally requested UNESCO to proclaim August 11 as World Steelpan Day from 2023, and annually, thereafter.
Note: Randall Mitchell, T&T’s Minister of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts brought the resolution for World Steelpan Day to the UNGA and shared key details about the Steelpan.
What is Steelpan?
i.It is a definite percussion instrument in the idiophone class.
i.The steelpan is also known as a pan, steel drum, or even as part of a steel band or steel orchestra.
ii.Rubber-tipped straight sticks are used to play the pan, the tip’s material and size vary with the pan’s class.
iii.The steel pan’s origin can be traced back to T&T’s early 20th-century Carnival. The Carnival percussion groups contributed to the development of the modern steel pan band.
Key Points:
i.‘Trinidad All-Steelpan Percussion Orchestra’ (TASPO) was the first Steelpan band, performed at the Festival of Britain, the United Kingdom (UK) in 1951, and was the first group to take the steelpan worldwide.
ii.The first national steelpan competition debuted in T&T in 1963.
About Trinidad & Tobago:
Capital– Port of Spain
Prime Minister– Keith Christopher Rowley
Currency– Trinidad & Tobago Dollar
