Pouchet to take Carnival to ‘a different level’

An organised mind, will power of steel and a love for culture and country were the guiding reasons behind Lorraine Pouchet’s decision to accept the Chairmanship of the National Carnival Commission (NCC).

Pouchet, 62, has been involved in the tourism and culture aspects of Carnival since the age of 14 when her godfather took her to see mas being made in the mas band Mavericks.

“The bug bit me and I started making costumes. Since then I have played mas with almost every band,” she said on an interview on Thursday.

Pouchet said she has made, and managed mas; managed and marketed steel bands; and liaised with the Trinbago Unified Calypso-nians’ Organisation (TUCO), PanTrinbago, and the National Carnival Bands Association (NCBA) to produce many cultural events with her husband, Elton Pouchet, via their company, In Joy Tours.

She produced mas for Silver Stars Steel Orchestra and other small bands, as well as helped to produce the Silver Stars big event, Parang and Steel. As Marketing Director of In Joy Tours, she has also produced shows for the Summit of the Americas, and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) when they were held in Trinidad.

“I have been involved with Carnival at all levels and as a result of that, I have a wide view of the whole process. Yes, we will be faced with challenges but I see challenges as opportunities to improve,” she said.

“I took up this challenge because I love my country. I love my people. I think they are amazing - all of them. Some have some challenges and therefore they behave in a way they shouldn’t but I love them all because that’s what we were put here to do,” she continued. And she appears well qualified to do so, boasting a degree in Tourism Marketing, certification in Psychology and Counselling, and is a Certified Event Planner.

Pouchet is also Deputy Political Leader of the Congress of the People (COP), President of the Trinidad and Tobago Incoming Tour Operators Association, and a Director on the board of the Trinidad and Tobago Coalition of Services Industries.

The second woman to be named chairman of the NCC, following the resignation of Allison Demas, in 2007 she received the Woman of Excellence in Tourism award from the Ministry of Tourism, and in 2012 her husband was given an award for his contribution to tourism through the use of culture.

Admitting that she does have a lot on her plate, Pouchet said she multi-tasks very well though, thrives under stress, and has a very supportive husband. She has embraced her new job as chaiman of the NCC excitedly, seeing herself as giving back to the country that has given her and her family, including four children and three grandchildren, so much.

Pouchet was installed as NCC Chair on Monday and visited the NCC office on Grey Street, Port- of-Spain on Tuesday when she met the managers and staff saying she was pleasantly surprised and impressed.

“From when I was involved years ago to now, there has certainly been a shift towards moving this organisation towards a corporate style,” she said.

“I have also seen a shift on focussing more at the task at hand, and the end result that we would like to achieve, which is really for every stakeholder to get the returns on their investments and to also enjoy the process,” she continued.

With nine weeks to Carnival 2015, Pouchet thanked the previous Chair, Allison Demas, noting that preparations were well underway at this time. She said Demas brought structure to the organisation and was confident that she, too, would contribute significantly to the NCC.

“I have value that I could bring to the NCC. People are brought into positions because they are needed, for that time, to do a certain job. I would be here for a different purpose which would be revealed in the course of time,” she said.

In her two-year tenure, Pouchet said she has tasked herself with taking Carnival to “a different level.” She hopes to move it from just one event to an industry that would be sustainable throughout the year, creating constant returns for stakeholders.

One of her ideas was for local stakeholders to possibly be contracted to build, manage and run some of the many offshoots of TT Carnival around the world. “The first thing we need to do is claim Carnival. We don’t even market it. We think it’s a done deal,” she said.

Another of her goals she said was to help persons understand that Carnival was evolving, even as the past should not be forgotten.

“We need to find ways to marry all of what makes up Carnival. Some people don’t like what it has evolved into, however, Carnival is a major event that needs to satisfy many different groupings. These include traditionalists, conformists, mature persons, young adults, those who want to take mas in a different direction, as well as taking into consideration a young population that should be exposed to workshops for them to understand that they are creative and turn Carnival into an industry,” she said.

In the immediate future however, there is Carnival 2015, and the problematic matter of the Carnival route. Pouchet pointed to a scientific study done by Transport Systems Engineer, Dr Rae Furlonge, and noted that Demas has already conducted several meetings with various stakeholders, including the Vendors Association, Woodbrook associations and mas associations to get feedback.

She said while the NCC had gotten a general consensus on certain “key decisions,” the various interest groups still still needed to name a representative to a soon-to-be-formed Carnival Route Development Committee.

Also, tendering contracts are still being processed process but Pouchet assured that generally,all would be ready ahead of the NCC deadlines, including construction of the Grand Stand and Stage at the Queen’s Park Savannah, which is expected to be completed by next weekend.

Regarding the threat of Ebola during the Carnival season, the new NCC chairman expressed full confidence in the Ebola-prevention, Information and Response Team. She said she was confident the Team and security personnel were functioning efficiently and doing all they could to ensure that citizens would not be at risk.

“I know that Government will not put us as risk if there was any threat of Ebola because if Ebola becomes an epidemic in TT we will have a serious problem. Carnival is the lifeblood of our people, the main de-stressor that keeps a lot of us sane, so every effort will be made to ensure that Carnival continues but that our people are protected,” she promised.

Asked if she believed there was any conflict of interest with her being Chair of the NCC as well as Deputy Political Leader of COP, which is part of the People’s Partnership Government, Pouchet said she didn’t think this was an issue but that she does recognise that politics was a part of life.

“We need to understand that sometimes we will not understand every single decision being made but we need to trust the people that we put there that it is being made for a particular purpose. If we see that is not the purpose being revealed then we need to make a decision where we stand,” she said.

Saying that should there come a time that she is be asked by Government to act in a way that was not in keeping with her principles, Pouchet said she would then have a decision to make.

“In my experience to date, that has not happened. I know exactly who I am and what I stand for. Anytime I feel that I’m compromising by principles, the media would be the first to know because you all would hear that I have resigned,” she laughed.

Information Source : Newsday