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Brand Trinidad? It have dat or not?

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August 17, 2013 by Fensic

Wid all de questions ah have on dis topic ah cyar help tinkin’ I could be ah next Johnny Nash, only I cyar sing tuh save mih life.

Take someting call, “Brand Trinidad”, what is dat?

 “…. a distinct image of a unique culture, iconic music and dance, exotic cuisine, art and craft rooted in the island’s rich heritage, plus a delightful local language.”

Hmmm, who dey torkin’ about dey ah wonder?

De udder day, de headline of ah letter in de papers cyatch mih eye. Someting about protectin’ de Trinidad brand. Ah could only assume dey did mean Tobago’s too. Buh de writer was dey wid cricket an’ de fact dat ah Trini, Kieron Pollard was de captain ah de Bajan team, Barbados Tridents. De person ask eef de Red Force ups an’ lorse, eef dat mean all ah T&T lorse too even doh de team eh only have Trinis. Ah tink he point was dat de no team should be tied tuh ah island eef all de players on it wasn’t from dat island. He say de countries should do better tuh protect dey brand. So ah askin’, “Brand Trinidad” cyar be just about cricket, can it?

Den ah gorn tuh YouTube watchin’ dem Jamaicans an’ dey Bacchanal 2013. It had enough stars dey from de T&T carnival music scene an’ enough beautiful woman tuh make yuh feel yuh watchin’ de real ting. Except fuh de daggerin’, dat uniquely Jamaican dance involvin’ acrobatics an’ man peltin’ endless overly aggressive dorg jook. Dat not in Trini woman. Since Bacchanal 2013 did have ah lil feeling like ah was watchin’ scenes from Trinbago Carnival, den dat meanin’ it have someting call “Brand Trinbago?”

Ah know it have ah “Brand Jamaica”. So T&T need it own brand too or not?

What is ah brand anyway?

Ah tink ah could answer dat larse one. Ah brand not ah set ah qualities dat make someting different from all de udder tings dat could compete wid it?

What dey competin’ for? Ah tink ah could answer dat one too. Dey eh competin’ fuh de dollars dat people out dey have tuh spend? Tourism an’ investments?

While Jamaica might ah been ah earlier stop on de slave ship, dem an’ Trinis have differences. One set ah tourist all over de damn place eh really ah Trini ting since de days ah Jean an’ Dinah. What it is den dat de fellah in de papers was torkin’ about?

Of course, it have tings dat make Trinis distinct. Some not nice nah, like gettin’ call Trickydadians. Who first brand Trinis wid dat?

We like Carnival, buh udder places like it too, like Rio. Ah done mention Bacchanal 2013. Ah cyar mention de “c” word fuh de one in Toronto as dat name copyright. Dat doh matter as none ah dem cyar compete wid de real Trini ting, not so?

It have pan. Not only dat, pan start right in Trinbago. So pan is part ah any Trini brand den? Does it matter eef Trinis doh always beat pan better dan dem in udder places?

We cyar claim no more tuh have de world’s onlyest military steel band. De Royal Guard ah Oman put ah end tuh dat distinction. Between me you an’ de fly on de wall, dem an’ dey pan side is like foreigners tryin’ tuh chip dong de road fuh de fuss time Carnival Monday. T&T still have de world’s only military marching steel-band doh. So eef it eh we alone dat does beat pan, den we cyar claim pan is part ah we brand, can we?

Ah know it very Trini-esque to hold we head an’ bawl when ting happen an’ it hit de world press, buh dat cyar be nuttin we want tuh brand as dat trait so dotish. I hope I wasn’t de onlyest Trini who laugh no baxide when de news reach de world dat time ah Trini police officer park de people unmarked police car tuh go take ah piss by de side ah de road an’ somebody jump een de car an’ gorn. How dat kind ah ting could make anybody shame?

Ah wonder what dem people in govahment does tell investors lookin’ tuh put dey money in T&T? Some place ah read dat de Caroni Swamp is ah great place if yuh like tuh watch bud fly in de air. I eh tink Trinis understand dat could be part ah any brandin’ as ah read in ah next place dese tourists didn’t even know about de swamp an’ all de bud an’ dem before dey book dey trip tuh Trinidad. Wasn’t till dey reach an’ hear about de tour. Dey say dey loved it an’ de guides was very knowledgeable.

Trins different, dat is fuh sure. Yuh cyar be born ah Trini, grow up ah Trini an’ eh have tings dat set yuh apart. Somebody write in ah article about “Brand Jamaica” dat de whole idea ah brandin’ ah country eh nuttin buh ah fad. How tuh comment on dat eef me eh know if it have anything like ah Trini brand?

Buh eef it do have ah “Brand T&T” it have tuh geh tweaked tuh include de latest ting dat really make Trini unique. Dat run young Jehue Gordon put dong on dem in de Men’s 400 hurdles in Russia? Man who eh celebratin’ dat not ah Trini. He show dat wid de right combination ah ingredients, T&T can compete on de world stage. Born, bred an’ trained locally from all what ah understand. De onlyest ting dat was foreign is where he share all de licks tuh win de race. So in winnin’ de race, he eh provide more dan enough material fuh ah brand den?

When de ole tork done, how ah “Brand T&T” go benefit de country? Who go be responsible fuh how it geh used? When an’ where it go get used? Wid it cause bobbol?

Maybe dat slogan ah had in de beginnin’ could be de start ah comin’ up wid ah Trini brand? What was it again?

Oh yeah “…. a distinct image of a unique culture, iconic music and dance, exotic cuisine, art and craft rooted in the island’s rich heritage, plus a delightful local language.”?

Tink about what dat say fuh ah second?

“Unique culture”? Dat eh Trinis?

“Exotic cuisine” eh torkin’ about Trini food?

“Island’s rich heritage”? All dem different places wid names representin’ different languages? Eh all dem streets in St. James named after cities in India?

Oh gosh, “a delightful local language”? Dat eh Trinispeak dem torkin’ about right dey?

Just when ah tort ah had de ultimate answer ah find out someting. Lawyers go be de happiest eef T&T use dat expression cause it part ah “Brand Jamaica”. Dat is what dis website, www.leantoniovacation.com say.

In de end ah guess ah go have tuh give up cause me eh understandin’ none ah dis brandin’ ting an’ ah still not sure eef it have ah “Brand Trinbago” or eef like de Jamaican say, dat brandin’ ting is nonsense.

Ah wonder eef it too late tuh learn how tuh sing, even eef ah only know de chorus ah one song?


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