LONG before Trinibad’s violent lyrics, a team of experts made recommendations to deal with the damaging impact of local culture.
There may not have been a need for Education Minister Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly to be concerned about aggressive musical lines if the authorities had implemented proposals from the 10-year-old study.
In 2013, a high-powered official committee, headed by Professor Selwyn Ryan, recommended seven measures to counter the negative influence of popular music on crime.
The proposals were not put into effect.
Minister Gadsby-Dolly last week complained: “Our people are living in a culture of violence.”
Commenting on lyrics promoting violence, she stated: “That music is like an anthem and like a mantra.”
The minister said that for some it is difficult to transcend the violence and negativity.
She appealed to adults to intervene.
But, in an exhaustive study on youth crime a decade ago, the Ryan Committee dedicated an entire section to the impact of music.
The committee called for cultural literacy as a major component in the social studies syllabus at primary and secondary levels.
Another recommendation was for a range of sources and forms, such as Ramleela, dance, and storytelling, to be key aspects of cultural studies.
Steelbands should extend their activities to schools and communities, the Ryan team advocated.
The committee encouraged the implementation of a programme of “enrichment activities” in the arts.
Further, the media should become a major partner in a “Music for Change” campaign.
The media should be invited to provide suggestions for intervention, the expert stated.
There should also be a programme of mentorship in music, according to the committee.
The team provided expert advice on a wide range of matters – including sports, national service, and an expanded education system – that could be utilised to counter the crime scourge.
Deputy Chair of the Committee was Dr. Indira Rampersad, with the other members being Dr. Lennox Bernard, Professor Patricia Mohammed, and Dr. Marjorie Thorpe.
Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has set up subsequent committees to examine similar issues.
Trinibad’s music, which is growing in influence, exalts lawlessness.
Minister Gadsby-Dollar said last week: “Young people are falling prey to outcomes that are not positive.”
The report of the Ryan Committee continues to gather dust.
