About NCBA

To maintain an organization to ensure the constant development of members while collaborating with our local stakeholders and international bodies in showcasing and promoting Carnival as an industry for the benefit of all.

The National Carnival Bands Association of Trinidad and Tobago (NCBA) is an off-shoot or rather an extension of the Carnival Bandleaders Association (CBA).

In 1958 a group of concerned bandleaders including George Bailey, Harold Saldenah, Carniff Bomparte, Ormond Hackshaw, Irwin McWilliams, Stephen Lee Heung, Neville Aming, Cito Valesques and Mack Baptiste (just to name a few) decided to come together to form an association which they called the Carnival Bandleaders Association, and they installed bandleader George Bailey as its first Chairman.

During that period, Carnival was managed by the Carnival Development Committee (CDC), a Government-appointed body in 1957, and it was to this body that the CBA put forward their proposals and recommendations for improved conditions, facilities and prize money for Carnival Mas Bands.

In 1987 the CBA held a Bandleaders meeting at Edmond Hart’s Mas Camp in Woodbrook, during which the Carnival Bandleaders Association became the National Carnival Bands Association (NCBA). The rationale for the change of name of the Association was that membership to the NCBA would be open not only to bandleaders, but also to designers, craftsmen, costume builders, wire benders, kings, queens, masqueraders and other persons involved in Carnival activity.

By 1991 the prevailing Carnival Development Committee (CDC) was replaced by the National Carnival Commission (NCC) (Act No. 9 of 1991) enacted by the Parliament of Trinidad & Tobago.

A Board that included one nominee from the organization most representative of Carnival Bands managed the NCC. Terry Joseph, who was the NCBA Chairman at the time was the first Commissioner nominated by the NCBA to sit on the Board of the NCC.
In 1996 the NCBA was given office space in the NCC Compound at the Queen’s Park Savannah to run its affairs. At that time Roy Augustus was appointed Chairman of the NCC.

In 1997 the Government of the day took a decision that each Carnival Body/Organisation should be responsible for its own area of Carnival, Pan Trinbago for Pan, TUCO for Calypso and NCBA for Mas.

From 1998 to 2000 the NCBA administered the affairs of the Mas aspect of Carnival with varying degrees of success, despite severe financial constraints.

The fortunes of the NCBA were marred in 2002 and 2003 by controversy and Court matters, leading to the NCC being appointed to run the affairs of Carnival in 2003. The Court handed down this decision the week prior to Carnival. Due to the fact that the NCC were totally unprepared for this great task, especially in the area of Adjudication, the results for 2003 were quashed by the courts, and prize money were divided equally among the bands in each of the categories, Large, Medium, Small and Mini.

The Annual General Meeting of 2005 saw some changes in the NCBA Executive for the 2005 – 2008 term. Mr. Richard Affong, who had already served three terms as President, was no more eligible for re-election. The current Board Members are as follows:
Mr. Owen Hinds President
Mr. David Lopez Vice President
Mr. Wrenwrick Brown Secretary
Mrs. Anra Bobb Treasurer
Mr. David Cameron Public Relations Officer
Mrs. Cheryl Alleyne Assistant Secretary
Ms. Pamela Gordon Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Valentine Jerry Junior Carnival Representative
Mr. Geraldo Vieira Snr. Kings’ Representative
Mrs. Patricia Bailey Queens’ Representative
Mr. Mervyn Henry Committee Member
Mr. Beresford Hunte Committee Member

Toward the end of 2003, the NCBA organized a Fancy Sailor/Midnight Robber Competition among pupils of Primary Schools in the St. George East Education District.
Prior to Competition, Training Workshops were held, in which participants were exposed to aspects of robber talk, costuming, dance, movement etc. Facilitators at these workshops were Mr. Brian Honore` (Midnight Robber), Arthur “Fires” Stephen (Fancy Sailor) with Arden Knox as Coordinator.

These workshops and the Competitions were extremely successful, the plan being that children from all parts of Trinidad, as well as Tobago, should be exposed to and learn about aspects of Traditional Carnival and its Characters. Unfortunately, due to lack of funding, the Workshops/Competitions had to be called off.

CHALLENGES
The NCBA faces many challenges in the future. However, the major one is the importation of costumes from the Far East which impacts negatively on the employment opportunities of our skilled artists, local designers, craftsmen such as wire benders, carvers, molders and seamstresses, just to name a few. The importation of ready-made costumes also impact negatively on the creativity of our Mas.

The NCBA would also like to embark on a comprehensive training program that will be open to all our members. We would like to focus on the fast dying art of wire bending, an element of our Carnival which the NCBA is determined to revive.
We are also in the process of trying to introduce some of our members to Computer Literacy and Computer Assisted Design Courses, so they would be poised to face the ever increasing challenges of the future.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT
Act of Parliament No. 27 in September 2007 Incorporated the NCBA. This achievement came after five years of constant campaigning to the relevant Line Minister and other Members of Parliament, using every means of leverage at our disposal.
Strengthened by our incorporation, the NCBA is willing to work with Government, Stakeholders and our Major Sponsors to ensure that the multi-million dollar industry that is Carnival, benefits the practitioners of the art form, which heralds the “Greatest Show on Earth.”