The Creative Centre

Taken by T'marah Forbes on the 6th April 2015.

The above photo is of the San Fernando branch of the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), that is located on Todd Street in San Fernando, and is a continuation of NAPA. The National Academy for the Performing Arts, or NAPA for short, was the first building if these to be built, and it is located in the heart of the capital city, Port-of-Spain. It is meant to be the main hub of performing and the main area where the development of Caribbean talent is to be done. 

(Nalis.gov.tt, 2015) 

  Taken by T'marah Forbes on the 6th April 2015.

This building, renamed the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts or SAPA (Udecott.com, 2015), is built to resemble a G-clef, from above. This is to symbolise what the performing arts centre is supposed to be about. The purpose of the centre is to encourage the development of the performing arts and culture in the Caribbean, and specifically in Trinidad. This particular building is for the development of musical talent in Trinidad (hence the shape of the building), and is especially for the development of the steelpan, which is the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. Thus, the building was designed and built with the idea of enhancing and developing the local culture in Trinidad. 

Taken by T'marah Forbes on the 6th of April 2015. 

Music has always been a large part of Caribbean and Trinidadian culture. With the history of slavery of African persons in the Caribbean, a deculturing effect was observed (Radan and Bohlman, 2000). Deculturation refers to a culture loss (Eder, 1992). This was seen to happen to a greater extent to the African population than as compared to the East Indian population that came after, for indentureship. But it was seen that there was a loss of cutlure from both of these ethnic groups. As such, a new culture had to be formed, and this was through 'creolization' which became a shared culture of the persons within the Caribbean. Some of the outcomes of creolization was the shared dialect and also the music, and the creation of the steelpan. 

The steelpan is an outcome of this and has such evolved in Trinidad and Tobago as its leading and national instrument. The steelpan has assisted with social and cultural development over time as it has advanced from the under privileged areas of Port of Spian to the national community by integrating factors of culture and tradition. These photos were chosen to demonstrate how culture has evolved and plays a major role in the development of urban areas.

References: 

Buzz.tt,. (2015). Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA/ NAPA South). Retrieved 9 April 2015, from https://buzz.tt/venue/national-academy-for-the-performing-arts-south-145

Eder, J. (1992). On the road to tribal extinction. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Nalis.gov.tt,. (2015). NALIS' Annual General Meeting 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2015, from http://www.nalis.gov.tt/Default.aspx?TabId=538

Radano, R., & Bohlman, P. (2000). Music and the racial imagination. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Udecott.com,. (2015). Urban Development Corporation Of Trinidad And Tobago Limited (UDeCOTT). Retrieved 9 April 2015, from http://www.udecott.com/index.php/cc/cc_project_item/southern_academy_for_the_performing_arts/