We finally managed to take in the T&T atmosphere at the T&T Cultural Village.

Let me say this from the very start. I appreciate the idea behind the Cultural Village. I really like the idea of show-casing the talents that comes out of Trinidad and Tobago and celebrating it’s 50th Anniversary of Independence.  I applaud the fact that the Trinidad and Tobago High Commission, London have a heavy involvement in it and it is a wonderful thing that it is all free.

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE PICTURES FROM THE T&T CULTURAL VILLAGE

However…

In my opinion it feels like the implementation of this great idea was rushed.

The Venue: is completely the wrong choice. Our culture is bright, bold, colourful and full of flavour. It required space of all those elements to be truly displayed and appreciated. The Tricycle Theatre does not provide this space. It currently feels like everything is crammed into a corridor…and, well…it actually is.

The staff from the venue were not helpful with simple questions. I asked 4 different people who I should talk to about acquiring a press pass, to which I got 4 completely different answers. (I appreciate this could be an isolated incident).

The orgainsation of getting people in to the building felt very laboured and sluggish. This should have been a smooth well polished process. The Tricycle Theatre has been around for years. They are not new to this.

Upon entering the building there was no one or no information to let you know what was where and when ‘things’ were due to happen.

To buy a drink or food you needed to buy tokens, then pay for your beverages with the tokens you just purchased. I understand the reason behind the tokens / chits purchasing system, but I don’t think it was necessary for what was happening at the Village. People are not used to this type of payment system, it seems ‘long’ and pointless which I am sure has lead to people not spending as much as they would have liked.

Ok. Rant over.

All of what I have said above did not stop the vibe nor did it deter from creating a truly Caribbean atmosphere.

It was good to see the High Commissioner himself walking around talking to people and taking pictures.

Trinis will always find a way to lime and that is what they did (I love a good lime).

The Olympics was on the TV’s and we saw Bolt, Blake and Weir take the top 3 spots in the 200m finals. This was a proud moment for all West Indian’s regardless of what Island you come from or represent. It was nice to witness this amazing achievement surrounded by people who love their culture.

Machel, Farmer, Patrice

The show the majority of people came to see. We have already shown you some footage of the show and we now have more. Lots more! Look out for it coming soon.

Here is another example of why this was the wrong venue for these celebratory events. At no point should you ever have seats in a show / concert where Machel Montano is performing.

It is impossible for anyone to remain seated. The seats just get in the way and can be the cause of injuries.

It is fair to say that Machel Montano and the whole HD camp are in a league by themselves. The only way to judge their performance is by comparing it to the last performance you saw of them. No one else comes close.

Tonight was a spectacular performance. Machel and the team were on stage for over 2 hours supplying the crowd with hit after hit after hit.

The show was FREE courtesy of T&T Cultural Village, but it is a show I would be more than happy paying for.

As one of Trinidad and Tobago most iconic artistes, having Machel on stage celebrating with us Trinidad and Tobago’s 50th Anniversary of Independence was about as fitting as it could ever get.

All-in-all: It was a bitter sweet night with the sweet out doing the bitter. I hope that we can continue a programme of events such as what the T&T Cultural Village has put on, maybe on a yearly basis. We can build on it, market it better and provide a solid platform for all who are interested to come and indulge in the beauty of our culture. We at UKSS would love to be a part of it.

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE PICTURES FROM THE T&T CULTURAL VILLAGE