PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — The steelpan, a percussion instrument created in Trinidad and Tobago in 1939, is making a comeback as a new generation embraces its bright, melodious sound on stage and on the dance floor.
Fans say new technology has made the steelpan more accessible — and affordable — and a growing number of schools in the twin-island nation are introducing students to its bell-like chime.
While its lilting sound brings images of the Caribbean to mind, it was the kind of music that attracted mostly elderly people in Trinidad and Tobago — until recently.
“That has been changing rapidly,” said Amrit Samaroo, son of Jit Samaroo, a legendary steelpan music arranger, player and composer.
The steelpan — or pan, for short — is “sexy again,” he told The Associated Press on a recent afternoon as he sat in the living room of his family’s home surrounded by a piano, a tenor steelpan and photos of his late father.
Amrit Samaroo, who leads the popular Trinidad and Tobago’s Supernovas Steel Orchestra, has witnessed the demographic change firsthand. He notes that social media is embracing the instrument, with fans playing everything from pop songs to reggae on steelpans.
“It’s good to have that type of recognizable material played on the instrument,” Samaroo said. “It’s a nice space we are in right now.”
Pannists, as the players are known, boast about the steelpan being able to belt out any genre of music. Add the influence of whatever is trending, and you get an instrument that’s growing its fanbase at a rapid pace.
“Pan is an out-of-body experience, that’s the best way I can describe it,” said 17-year-old student Jael Grant.
She has been playing since age 5 and is now a member of the Exodus Steel Orchestra, a band that her grandfather has supported for decades.
For Jahzara Lee-Babb, the steelpan provides an escape from the stresses of teenage life. At age 17, her love for the instrument led her to study fine arts at a local university.
“When I’m going through dark times or whatever, it’s like I can go home, stand behind my pan, run some scales, run some music and it will make me feel better,” she said.
On a recent Saturday morning at the “panyard” or home of the Exodus Steel Orchestra in east Trinidad, musicians were setting up a classroom.
Here, children as young as 5 are learning to play the steelpan as they prepare for an upcoming Christmas concert. Some looked expectantly at their teacher, who paused them occasionally to explain something.
Just like school, a bell rings to signal the start and end of a period, and the lessons become more advanced depending on the age group.
The students are learning from the best, since Exodus is the reigning champ of Panorama, the twin-island nation’s premiere national pan competition held annually during carnival.
The steelpan was born out of rebellion and resilience.
After slaves in Trinidad and Tobago were emancipated in the 1830s, a revolt prompted authorities to ban the playing of percussion, string and woodwind instruments during carnival celebrations.
But former slaves would not be silenced, and that led to them discovering the hidden musical instrument in discarded oil drums.
“Really, a spirit of a people…went into this and came out, from African roots to now global acceptance,” Amrit Samaroo said.
Steelpan manufacturers no longer have to wait for discarded drums to make the pan, which only officially became the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago in July 2024.
Technology is changing how the instrument is made, which is contributing to its revival.
At Panland, a company that’s been making the steelpan for over 30 years, workers say a steelpan can now be made in a 9-to-5 shift with the help of power tools, a powerful flame-thrower and mobile apps.
Previously, it could take more than a month to make a single steelpan.
Panland makes steelpans that sell for cheaper and last longer, thanks to a powder coating they apply to the instrument.
“The powder coating is more durable in certain circumstances or situations than the chrome, although people might think otherwise, but chrome is very susceptible to moisture and rusting,” said Michael Cooper, Panland's president.
The steelpan has recently received more formal recognition. Earlier this year, the government of the twin-island republic changed the country’s coat of arms by replacing Christopher Columbus’ three ships with a steelpan.
And World Steelpan Day is now celebrated annually on August 11, following a proclamation by the United Nations.
An instrument that only men used to be allowed to play, it has now been picked up by countless women in Trinidad and Tobago.
“It’s been a lovely experience,” Grant, the student, said. “You don’t just hear the pan or play the pan, you…feel the music in your body.”
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
FILE -A steelpan player performs during the National Panorama 2004 band competition Feb. 8, 2004 at the Queen's Park in Port of Spain, Trinidad. (AP Photo/ Shirley Bahadur, File)
FILE -Steelpan players perform during J'Ouvert carnival celebrations in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, Feb. 7, 2005. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton, File)
KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — When Russia’s full-scale invasion began nearly four years ago, a 26-year-old soldier known as Monka didn’t see a combat role she could do. But that changed as technology reshaped the battlefield and opened new paths.
Last year, she joined the military as a pilot of short-range, first-person view, or FPV, drones after giving up a job managing a restaurant abroad and returning home to Ukraine to serve.
Her shift is part of a larger trend of more women joining Ukraine's military in combat roles, a change made possible by the technological transformation of modern warfare, military officials say.
“The fact that technology lets us deliver ammunition without carrying it in our hands or running it to the front line — that’s incredible,” said Monka, who serves in the Unmanned Systems Battalion of the Third Army Corps. She and other women followed Ukraine’s military protocol by identifying themselves using only their call signs.
More than 70,000 women served in Ukraine's military in 2025, a 20% increase compared with 2022, including over 5,500 deployed directly on the front line, according to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.
Some units have tailored recruitment efforts toward women, expanding rosters in a sign that Ukraine is looking to strengthen and expand its army even as peace negotiations weigh a possible cap on the future size of the military.
Leaders in the capital Kyiv, as well as many soldiers like Monka, see the army as one of the few security guarantees that Ukraine has against Russia.
“We need everyone — engineers, pilots, IT specialists, programmers, we simply need brains. It’s not about men or women. We need people who are ready to work hard,” she said.
A drone pilot is one of the Ukrainian military's most popular combat professions chosen by women, military officials said.
When Imla from the Kraken 1654 unit left her career as a professional hockey player to join the military, the 27-year-old initially planned to become a combat paramedic.
She spent her first six months as a platoon medic, but the job required learning to fly drones. She started with small ones before moving to larger models carrying bombs and eventually switching to full-time drone work.
Imla clearly remembers her first drone flight, a reconnaissance mission. When they handed her the controller, she was so nervous her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
“To be honest, I even wanted to cry in some moments,” she recalled. “But then, over time, you build up experience on the job and start feeling confident.”
The Khartiia Corps has taken more women into its ranks, reporting a 20% increase since 2024. About six months ago, the brigade launched a recruitment campaign aimed at women for combat and technological roles in cooperation with the Dignitas Foundation, a charity organization supporting Ukraine by funding technological innovation and civic development projects.
“In recent months, dozens of women have joined us in combat roles and are working successfully,” said Volodymyr Dehtyarov, the Khartiia Corps public affairs officer. “The more technology we have, like drones, the more historically male professions open up."
Khartiia has started training officers and future commanders on how to work with mixed units including people of different ages, genders and backgrounds, which Dehtyarov said helps commanders become more effective leaders.
The Ukrainian army remains conservative at its core and some units don’t make it easy for women.
A 25-year-old soldier with the call sign Yaha joined the military in 2023 and initially did paperwork as an army clerk. Three months later, she began asking to attend drone courses. Commanders at the time did not respond with enthusiasm and instead suggested she replace the cook.
“It was unpleasant for me, because I didn’t expect such uncomfortable conditions, such strict limitations,” Yaha said.
In the kitchen, she spent her free time studying drone manuals, practicing on a simulator and training in computer clubs with a controller she bought herself.
“I liked that you could strike the enemy remotely,” she said. “So I thought this was our future.”
Eventually, she became a bomber-drone pilot in the 9th Brigade.
“War is not cool or glamorous. It’s pain, suffering and loss. You just do it because you want to change the situation," she said. "But you’re not invincible. You’re just a person like everyone else."
Chibi, a 20-year-old FPV technician from the Khartiia Brigade, prepares drones for the battlefield from a dark damp basement near the front line in eastern Ukraine.
She initially faced prejudice from soldiers who claimed she had inferior technical skills because she was a woman. But she also had a supportive male colleague who helped her take the first steps toward becoming an FPV technician, which she finds more interesting than being a pilot.
“There needs to be more women in the army," Chibi said, her hair dyed pink and dark blue. "The more women there are, the better the attitude toward them will be.”
Olha Meloshyna, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, says the belief that drone roles are safer is wrong, as Russians actively hunt drone operators.
Their unit is seeing more women move into technological roles, including drone operation, drone repair and electronic warfare, as drones have become one of the main tools of striking and reconnaissance on the battlefield.
According to Meloshyna, 4.2% of the Unmanned Systems Forces are women, a number she considers significant because women enlist voluntarily.
“We are part of the new Ukrainian army that formed during the invasion. So in terms of gender-based acceptance into the Armed Forces, we have never had any division — what matters to us is desire and motivation,” she said.
She said that they are now conducting a more media-focused recruitment campaign, inviting and planning to recruit 15,000 people to join, including women. Recruiters say that women are applying for both combat and noncombat positions.
“The Unmanned Systems Forces are a system, and it is made up of people — men and women,” Meloshyna said. “No drone is autonomous. It needs human involvement. And the more personnel we have, the more drones will fly toward Russia.”
Chibi, a Ukrainian soldier from the Khartia brigade, tests a drone, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Monka, a Ukrainian FPV drone operator from the third assault brigade, pilots an FPV drone during a demonstration for The Associated Press, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Monka, an FPV drone operator from the third assault brigade, assembles an FPV drone during a demonstration for The Associated Press, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A Ukrainian soldier from the Khartia brigade, callsign Muza, jumps down from a tank following a demonstration for The Associated Press, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A Ukrainian drone operator from the Kraken 1654 unit, callsign Imla, flies a Vampire drone during a demonstration for The Associated Press, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
