TRIBE Carnival

TRIBE Carnival

TRIBE says thanks

TRIBE says thanks

TRIBE says thanks

By Joan Rampersad Thursday, April 5 2012

Bandleader Dean Akin, and other members of the Tribe Mas Band, took time out to acknowledge and express appreciation to those who have contributed to the many successes of the Band for almost a decade, at a function held at the Marriott Hotel Poolside on Monday evening.

In his feature address entitled: “Through The Years,” Akin told guests, “This evening is about you – you our sponsors, you the media and you our stakeholders.”

He recalled when he launched his brand and not band in 2005, because, in his words, bands come and go, but brands come to stay. He elaborated, “Brands go through challenges and changes, but brands are built over time through innovation and re-invention and built in such a way that they can face their competition head on and survive.

“Tribe has faced new competition every single year since its inception, and eight years later, we are still making the front page of a national newspaper on Ash Wednesday. This says something about the relevance of our brand in Carnival, and more importantly, about the contribution our brand has made to Trinidad Carnival,” Akin said.

Among its achievements, Tribe has been featured in the NY Times and Time Magazine, and won the Trinidad and Tobago Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI) “Service Exporter of the Year” award in 2011. Akin also said the brand has spread its reach with franchises in London, Miami and Australia.

As for the future, he and the management of Tribe intend to take another bold step, according to Akin, in diversifying its portfolio of business activities both within and outside the Carnival industry. He told guests, “As the brand grows, Tribe wants you all to be a part of the contributions we make to our society – economically, culturally and socially.”

He then said that Tribe has lent its support financially and otherwise to a number of charities from its annual “las lap” parties. This year, Vitas House, The Animal Welfare Network (AWN) and St Dominic’s “Sunny Hill Homestead” all benefitted. “We urge other successful leaders in our industry to also support social causes and charities that can help the social growth and development of our nation’s marginalised. Collectively we can all make a difference,” stated Akin.

He then closed by revealing that Tribe’s 2013 Carnival presentation will be Butterflies, Beasts and Bacchanal, which he said was inspired by Peter Minshall’s 1982 presentation Papillon. The presentation will feature a “street party fused with street theatre.”


© newsday.co.tt – www.newsday.co.tt
TRIBE | The Magic of Carnival