There are many ways to chart one’s heritage. For most that means recording the stories of your families elders. But documenting our history also includes noting how cultural traditions, landmarks, artistic efforts and political trends, to name a few, came to be and how they have evolved and effect our lives. In this post, Charysse Tia Harper, a film director of Trinidadian descent, shares her exploration of the steelpan, an instrument key to understanding much of Trinidadian history and culture.
This is the trailer for “Panomundo,” a two-part documentary that looks at the history of the steelpan (or steel drum) and its global influence. “Part 1: The Evolution of the Steelpan“ (42 minutes) highlights the development of this instrument on the island of Trinidad & Tobago. “Part 2: Pan Worldwide” (85 minutes) shows how the pan was introduced in six countries: Canada, Greece, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States.
To find out where you can catch the entire film visit the Panamundo facebook page HERE.
