Zebapique mas bandleader: Sports and culture can reduce crime in hotspot communities
12 January 2025
Zebapique Productions band leader Andrew Alleng believes sports and culture are the things to change the country’s crime situation, as they bring communities together in a competitive and fun way.
He said while it may be too late for some adults of TT, these fields could break down borders and have a positive effect on children.
For the past 20 years, Zebapique Productions has been doing just that, bringing 24 communities of Laventille and East Port of Spain together.
And this year, the children’s band will do it again with its presentation, Yuh Ever See.
Speaking at this year's meet and greet at the Zebapique Mas Camp on Jurawan Terrace, Petit Valley on January 11, US Ambassador to TT Candace Bond told the children they were each ambassadors of their communities.
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Noting it was the last event of her term in Trinidad, she said culture was important because it was the beating heart of the country, so by their participation, they were keeping the country alive.
The Prime Minister's wife Sharon Clark-Rowley, patron to the event, wished the Zebapique team and the children the best for Carnival 2025. She thanked all involved in the project, including the children and their parents without whom, she said, there would be no band.
She declined to speak about her husband's decision to resign as Prime Minister and not put himself up for re-election as MP for Diego Martin West, when asked by the media.
When announcing his retirement on January 3, Dr Rowley said, "Before the end of the legal limits of this term, I will resign this office and go off to my family.”
He had previously hinted about his retirement on several occasions, one time saying Clark-Rowley retired at the end of 2023, and he was being pressured to go home and spend time with his family.
Snr Supt Dave Spence, head of the Inter-Agency Task Force, which was involved through its Hearts and Minds community initiative, said he was happy to support the band as it was building costumes and dismantling borders in Port of Spain. He added that he would commit the full support of the agency to the project.
Alleng thanked all those who supported over the years, including its patrons Rowley and Justice of Appeal Malcolm Holdip, Bond, Magic Mist Co Ltd, Republic Bank and the Ministry of National Security.
Also giving brief remarks were Pan Trinbago president Beverley Ramsey-Moore, Republic Bank president Nigel Baptiste, general manager of enterprise risk at Republic Bank Karen Tomyew and Magic Mist group executive vice-president Wayne Herbert.
Yuh Ever See has 16 sections including Pan in Space, Carnival of the Sea Pearls; De Flaming Limbo; Bucco Reef and Aunty Beverley got Hummingbird Gold.
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Speaking to the media after the launch, Alleng said Republic Bank paid for the costumes of 300 children, and the ministry paid for 100. The money was used to buy materials and the Zebapique team, parents and the children volunteered to make the costumes.
“What is so amazing too, there are people who will not play with the band because the band is from Laventille. And it’s the safest band...But because of the stigma that society has put on my beloved area – East Port of Spain, Laventille – we’re going to beat them with high performance, not high risk.”
He said every area had a few people who were “causing problems” but he preferred to focus on the children involved.
Alleng said 20 years ago, he and his brother Anthony Alleng decided to give back to their communities. He said the IATF wanted to do an intervention programme in Laventille and to give back to the communities they served.
The IATF asked the brothers to help them build a relationship with the communities. In this way, the people would see the authorities as a partner rather than an enemy.
“We started by donating ten costumes to the Laventille Girls’ (Government Primary) School and that was it.
“There are two things that hold the youth excited – sports and culture. Not everybody will be academically inclined, so it means there is a part of society (for which) you will always need to have something sporting or something cultural for them to do...
“If we invest in the youth in sports and in culture, we could make a big difference and dent in crime.”
He said they realised they could not “save” all their participants because they would return to their communities. But, he recalled one instance where a little boy skipped school to attend “a meeting” in the community. Due to Zebapique’s project, among other things, he was now 24 and one of the people helping his community.
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He said opportunities were available to the children but they had no one to guide them to the opportunities.
“A lot of people sit in offices and make decisions on crime. They don’t go to the community to see what is the problem. You are putting a plaster on something you don’t know about...
“Come out of your office and go down, and engage the community.”
