FOR SALE: ONE CARNIVAL, SOMEWHAT USED,
            LIGHTLY EXPLOITED, GOING CHEAP.

  Ah only hope it doh come to pass, but according to de papers, last week
  "discussions" was held between a Pan Trinbago delegation and a "Event
  Management firm" in England dat did end up wid de firm saying dat dey
  wants to buy "exclusive rights to the entire product that is Trinidad
  Carnival".  It seem we boys did go to England to meet wid "pan
  interests and investors", and dey was also supposed to do France and
  Germany, but dose meetings get put off, because all dem event management  people big in de football and de French and German people go in fact be here in T&T during de U-17 World Cup Tournament...and de whole ting wus set up for Pan Trinbago by Uncle Jack.

  Now, me eh have no problem wid selling of Carnival or making use of
  people who have experetise dat yuh doh have, but what ah want to know
  is who sanction dese people to hold talks on WE behalf.  Ah might be
  wrong, but I eh recall hearing dis come up in no Carnival post-mortem.
  And since when Pan Trinbago does make decisions fuh everybody?
  According to de papers, Mr. Pan Trinbago did say dat when Mr. Event
  Management come to Trinidad "we will arrange meetings for him to hold discussions with the TUCO, the NCC and the NCBA".  Now allyuh excuse mih French, but dis is arse-backards.  Eef dey want to negotiate wid people fuh de various rights to Carnival, it bound-to-mus make sense
  fuh we people to get together, decide what it is go be best fuh all
  ah we and DEN go look for who could offer de terms dat best suit we.

  And ah nex ting... is what exactly dey mean by "Trinidad Carnival"?
  Dat cover Arouca Carnival?  Charlotteville Carnival?  Balmain
  Carnival?  Monkey Town Carnival?  And what go happen wid de Red Cross and de odder chirren carnivals, including de schools? If (when?) dey sell de rights what dat mean fuh you and me?  Ah cyar tek no picture of mih fren gallerying dey mas in de road?  Ah wonder eef ah could even hum a kaiso going down de road?  All well and good to say yuh want to take full advantage of what Carnival have to offer, but ah wonder eef dey
  really know what dey getting into?  Eef yuh say de people who who 'buy'
  de rights go be putting out de capital to run de show and dey negotiate
  fuh ah nice chunk of de profits...no problem.  But for de people to make
  back dey money, dey go have to real sell de dey "product".  When dey
  finish wid dey marketing, assuming we could even recognise what it is dey selling, ah hope we could deal wid de aftermath.

  Yuh know how we Trini like free ting, and it ent have more freeness than all dem carnival show...BUT, eef dis ting go through, and by de grace of God we actually get a fair deal, ah hope we people ready to pay big ticket  price to attend de shows and foe de pay-per-view on de cable TV, because yuh know fuh sure, all de free-paper burn...

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Tell Tantie: tantie@trinidiary.com

Fairmount Townhouses, Fairmont Drive, Fairways - three levels,
3 air-conditioned bedrooms plus child's sleeping loft and extra
sitting room. Recently renovated; fridge, stove, dishwasher,
microwave, washer, dryer. Landscaped garden, assigned parking for 2
cars in addition to covered car port. TT$850,000.00 or US$140,000.00.
Call David at 632-9427 or email jan@opus.co.tt