Pan In Danger?

Hausan ‘Zorro’ Griffith recalls that as a boy, he frequented the steel band yards on his way to school, remaining until people like pan pioneer Lennard ‘Scrub’ Wellington, would encourage him to leave. “Scrub would have to run behind me – ‘Lil boy, go to school’,” Griffith recalled with a laugh. Although he would leave, his love for steel band music never did. Decades later, Griffith believes that pan is in danger in Saint Lucia and wants steel bands introduced in secondary schools. Griffith told St. Lucia Times that currently, Saint Lucia has only two primary tuners, one of whom is reclusive. “We are not encouraging or trying to develop younger people to get involved in the art form of building and tuning pans,” he observed. Griffith noted that most local steel bands are bringing in tuners from Trinidad and Tobago. “So where are we going for ourselves when it comes to tuning and building of pan? There are maybe about three guys who are understudies, but there is no push for them to develop the art form,” he told St. Lucia Times. In calling for steel band music in schools, Griffith felt that it would help keep youngsters off...