The Resurrection of Peter Minshall

Fake News is rampant online even in sweet Trinidad and Tobago.?The most recent fake news debacle to take us by storm in early 2023- was a live report on national television that legendary mas man Peter Minshall had passed away.?The story spread like wildfire on Carnival Tuesday firstly being communicated live on state-owned television TTT, followed by numerous reshares on several different social media platforms.

His initial response was a quick, “Peter Minshall is alive and well. Please help dismiss fake news.” which was posted on the Minshall Mas Facebook page. However, with the speed at which news travel and our collective propensity for fear, negativity, and hopelessness, it was clear that his message was no match for the virality of fake news.

Like everything in Minshall, a creative and cultural avenue was utilized to properly respond.?Two days later, an active user on his page shared a video of him singing an extempo/calypso song, called, Bedbug. The first line starts with “well they say after burial, you have to come back as some insect on an animal.”?

Embed Link: https://www.facebook.com/reel/597418015586821?

The video amassed immense shares across platforms, proving once again, Minshall’s incredible ability to communicate through our cultural mediums.?Minshall’s light-hearted repertoire truly showcased his 'resurrection’ but personally, it got me thinking about the ways we can better communicate with our cultural style.

Here are some of my thoughts:?

Medium?

Naturally, the medium is always far more important than the message itself.?What we communicate is a critical part of communication, but the medium holds significant precedence.?Working, in the communication industry myself, it is becoming increasingly difficult for brands and people to communicate effectively on the many online mediums. Online mediums have mass amounts of competition and traditional media forums are now getting lower engagement.?

I often yearn for and dream of culturally specific ways we can communicate through our traditional styles.??Back in the day extempo and calypso were well-known to be digestible formats for locals to learn and keep up with local politics and cultural events.

So, why don’t we continue to use it as such? For Peter Minshall, I believe it was a triumph to counter his death by responding with one of our oldest and most cherished traditional forms of music.??

It makes me wonder why these avenues aren’t explored more to communicate with each other. We do not have to replicate what we see abroad but rather by speaking to our people in the best way we have learned how.

Language?

We often speak in two languages in Trinidad and Tobago, standard English and our dialect/creole.?The first option is the preferred way to speak at more professional events and even in our local advertising.??

But why is it so shocking to speak as we often do in mass media? Old colonial structures have made us believe that this language/dialect is seen as less professional or that it can’t operate in certain contexts, even though we live and operate in Trinidad and Tobago.??

However, a quick listen to our music or a brief look at the most popular TikToks among the local population will make it clear that this is the language that we recognize and communicate with most.?

Will there be a day when an influencer tells a compelling story through extempo? Or will we see live debates using our slang??

Maybe not, but it is something to think about and question. Why are our traditional mediums of expression aren't used as often to communicate key messages? Everything happens for a reason, and while I was one of those that were taken by surprise, shock, and grief by the fake news on Carnival Tuesday, I believe the incident allowed the great Peter Minshall to teach us many lessons by creatively responding to the false statements. There is a lot for us to learn about how, when, and why we communicate. I am hopeful that after this year's resurrection of Peter Minshall, we can adapt our local cultural forms of expression, so that we may progress further with better comprehension.?