Now you could tell me what a Pierrot Grenade doing in Germany for the World Cup? And for that matter what a King Sailor, Fireman, Dragon, Jab Jab, Blue Devil and Moko Jumbie doing up there?

Them is not footballers but they world cupping. You see they were part of the cultural contingent that the Government send to big up T&T and show the world that while we have we Soca Warriors excelling in football we also tops in cultural diversity.

So we team had calypsonians and soca artists and folk, chutney and limbo dancers, not to leave out pan with Phase II and Defence Force, and Roy Cape and the Kaiso All Stars, Laventille Rhythm Section and Eagle Boys Tassa Drummers.

Was a whole cultural extravaganza from T&T to Germany.

We play weself in every city that the Soca Warriors had match, so while we footballers was making mas on the field we was supporting with mas outside the field, on the street and on the stage.

The first stop was Dortmund where we had a street parade and we had the German public and other visitors from around the globe with their eyes open wide, big smile on they face, cheering along and trying to chip to the music.

You see apart from the traditional mas parading we also had the best in costume, people like Queen Anra Bobb portraying Fire Goddess - A Tribute to Anra Bobb, King Leroy Preito as Soca Jumbie, and to put the icening on the cake Earl Thompson with he costume Horus the Avenger plus a variety of other mas from Rosalind Gabriel and Brian Mac Farlane.

And that wasn’t all because after the match, where we had the Swedes under pressure the T&T tourist booth had a breakdong jam and even the Swedes and them join in the celebration. Then we had a full musical presentation of calypso, chutney and soca backed by Roy Cape and the crowd was humungous.

A cultural appetiser

Some people say was 35,000, and some say 40,000 and some say more, but was more than plenty. That was at the Fan Fest, a kind of festival and fun area where you could watch the match on ah big big screen.

The colossal gathering didn’t want the show to stop and it was coming to midnight and we was suppose to stop at twelve on the dot, and the German and them strict with time; but you know that about quarter to twelve the German organiser of the show come to me - I was MC - and tell me, “Look, the show is supposed to end at twelve but we will allow you to continue after twelve.” So you see how we T&T music change the strict rules of Germany?

Ah cyah really tell you all that happen culture-wise in Dortmund but the crowd, German and others was very impress with what they see.

Next stop was Nuremberg, and was more mas again. Before the Warriors and them even play the people get a cultural appetiser. In the market square we had performances and ah spot we President and he wife in the audience. We sell weself for gold in the market.

And again we had a street parade in the city centre and was difficult to move through the mass gathering. It remind me of Terror calypso, Dat was real happiness, Not a soul prejudice, Play you mas as you like… and was music by Defence Force with pan round the neck, next side was the Eagle Boys Tassa drummers with rhythm for so and standing and sitting half way in the spectacle was Laventille Rhythm and that was heavy manners and man, woman, chile and beast (doh forget we had a dragon in the band) was jumping. The atmosphere was more than electric.

After the parade ah Nuremberger come up to me and say, “This is the greatest thing that ever happen in Nuremberg.” Dat was the exact words.

After the match again, is true that we lose and was disappointed, but we still had a concert at the Fan Fest with the crowd staying back for the show.  Was German and English and every other nationality that come out to support they side and ah even see ah Bajan flag up front.

Ah think every nation in the world was there and they enjoy the music. If ah try to giv you details of all the performances we go never done, but remember we had Rikki Jai, Calypso Rose, Black Stalin, Luta, Kees, Iwer, Shurwayne, H2O Phlo and then Maximus Dan come and join we, and in the T&T tourist booth was Superior, Ewart and Skatie.

So we had to move on to Kaiserslautern. Ah don’t want to repeat mihself but was the same thing again. At this moment ah cyah say where the parade was greatest but ah could tell you that ah think Kaiserslautern must be have the most cameras in the world because even before we start to move, while we was just organising weself in the street, traffic and passerby was stopping to take picture.

Ah even see ah bus driver stop he bus and take out he camera and start to shoot. Next ting ah see police stooping on the street, camera in hand and was flash, flash, flash.

Ah see camera in every shape and form, of every kind of film and memory stick, and camcorder of every size, make and model. If T&T could get one euro for every picture taken we ent have to worry about oil money, we economy go be well develop.

And was like everybody in the city come out to see we: the rich and poor, healthy and sick, everybody cheering, the people in wheel cheer, police on duty and police on roller blades, people in every shape and form, and everybody happy.

Ah must make a special place for Boogsie and Phase II. Ah looking for a word to describe the effect the pan music had on the listeners. They start by listening and they end up by full participation and in ecstasy with what overcome the whole body. Heaven have to be something like that.

The Pierrot, at right, on parade in Kaiserslautern

Now we last match over late in the night and with the disenchantment of losing we wasn’t in no mood for fete, but not so the inhabitants and visitors of that city who gather around for tempo and was expecting us to do something, so we had to have a las lap.

Once again it was the Laventille Rhythm section heating up the mammothous crowd, then the Defence Force start the pan jam dong the street and was like Jouvert morning and las lap, leg and thigh all roll into one.

And you could imagine the people didn’t want the fete to done. Was one o’clock in the morning and we had to take the bus back to the hotel and the pan try they best to stop but the populace say, “No, no we ent going home”. But it had to end. So with great happiness in we heart, soul and sinews, we end we stay in Germany.

Well ah was going to stop here since that was the end of the German
experience - but heaven of all heavens, the Soca Warriors join us on the plane back home and you think ah need to say more? You ever had a party seven miles up in the air?

As the plane take off and the pilot switch off the “Fasten your seatbelt” sign, was cue for party to start up. Sherwayne was the animator and was heavy calypso, chutney and soca.

Ah even see Dwight and Latapy, cup of something in hand, singing and dancing. At ah certain time the attendant had to remind we not to mash up the plane as it was mas in they fuselage. We was on cloud nine to eternity.

Literally that was the closest thing to heaven. You mean to say heaven really have more happiness than that? Eventually we went back in we seat for the plane to land and what happen after that you already know. What more ah could say…

But before ah end ah must say thanks to the Minister of Community
Development, Culture and Gender Affairs for organising this tour. T&T get publicity that they cyah pay for.

Ah must tell the Minister that the administrative team she send was very professional and efficient in what they do. Everything was well organise and run smoother than ah coach on the autobahn. And we even teach the Germans what is Trinidad Time.

My explanation of this experience is that “somewhere in my youth or childhood I must have done something good.”

When thing happen like this we remember the extraordinary experience of Jesus Transformation and we want it to last forever so we thank the Heavenly Father for giving us the talents to share for His honour and glory.

Auf Wiedersein (goodbye) Germany 2006, we waiting for South Africa 2010.