Reigning Soca Monarch Shurwayne Winchester, soca star Maximus Dan and five- time national calypso monarch Black Stalin are tipped to be in the line-up of Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural entourage for the football World Cup in Germany.
The soca and calypso bards’ names surfaced following the return of a fact-finding mission, comprising officials from the Ministries of Tourism, Culture and Sport, from Germany on the weekend.
Unconfirmed reports from the mission indicate that Maximus Dan, who has championed the TT Soca Warriors team in his songs, Stalin and Winchester are to be part of the entourage. Indeed, Winchester’s winnings for this year’s Soca Monarch crown included a trip to Germany for the international tournament in June.
The Ministry of Culture, the body with the overall responsibility to pick the cultural contingent to attend the World Cup finals, is expected to name the representatives by the end of this week.
Carnival costumes will also be showcased, along with chutney, dance and steelband music.
However, with 75 to 100 artistes being taken to Germany only one steelband will be able to go along with the contingent that also comprises a soca band.
Recommendations have been made by the mission for one of the following steelbands, to be decided by the ministry later this week.
They are world champions Exodus, Panorama champions Phase II Pan Groove or runners-up Trinidad All Stars.
The mission included Jason Baptiste, marketing manager of the Tourism Development Company (TDC) — the marketing arm of the Tourism Ministry, Norvan Fullerton, director of Culture at the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, Andre La Veau, communications manager of the Sport Ministry and Terry Joseph, cultural liaison officer attached to the Local Organising Committee of the Soca Warriors campaign.
In their one-week stay in Germany they visited Nuremburg, Dortmund and Kaiserslautern, the three cities where the national football team will be playing, with the mayors of the latter two receiving them personally.
It was decided then that the local artistes will perform before each of the TT games, during half-time, and after. The open areas can accommodate an estimated 20,000 people, and the shows are meant to cater to those who are not able to get tickets to see the game live but view it on big screens at these spots.
The areas provided for by the mayors are all in close proximity of each of the stadia with the one in Dortmund next to the venue.