The steelpan, Trinidad and Tobago’s national instrument, will take on an added layer of spiritual and cultural significance this October when it is officially declared an instrument of Ogun, the Orisha of iron, technology, labour, and creativity. The proclamation will be made at the Annual Ogun Festival hosted by the Ile Isokan shrine, a cornerstone of Orisha preservation and cultural expression in Trinidad and Tobago.
The recognition of Ogun as the Orisa of the Steelpan was first placed on the agenda at the last Ogun Festival in October 2024 by Awo Okikiola Michael Cooper, an Orisa elder and major steelpan manufacturer. The festival has taken on a larger National prominence and the formal claim will be made at the 2025 National Ogun Festival which will be held in the heart of Port of Spain for the first time.
The presentation of the claim for the formal declaration of Orisa Ogun as spiritual energy of the steelpan will be made on Sunday 12th October 2025 at City Hall by Awo Okikiola, followed by a Street Procession in downtown Port of Spain and culminating with the pledge to Ogun.
This historic declaration recognises the steelpan not only as a creation forged from discarded oil drums and the ingenuity of generations of musicians and innovators who honed the steelpan. It also positions the pan as a sacred embodiment of Ogun’s transformative energy and creative instinct. The steelpan is born of fire, iron, and resistance — a symbol of survival and innovation.
The pledge to Ogun, which will seal the proclamation, is being crafted by renowned poet and playwright Eintou Pearl Springer, who was bestowed the title Iyalode Ogun at the 2024 edition of the festival. Her words will formalise the bond between the national instrument and the Orisha, affirming the steelpan’s place not only in global musical history but also in the spiritual continuum of African spirituality in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Annual Ogun Festival at Ile Isokan continues to be a vital space for celebrating the enduring legacies of African spirituality and cultural resilience. This year’s proclamation promises to be a landmark moment in the ongoing journey of honouring the ancestors and their gifts to the present.
The bond between the national instrument and the Orisa Ogun who came to earth with the gift to turn Ore into iron in the Youruba pantheon.
Last paragraph; This year’s proclamation, the 20th anniversary was deemed a national Ogun festival in 2024, being celebrated both in Trinidad October 9th to12th and Tobago October 17th to 20th.